Letters, May 6

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This article was published 06/05/2024 (860 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Stop the sprawl

Re: City must take a gardener’s approach (Think Tank, May 3)

Bravo, Michel Durand-Wood for speaking up and out and thank you for your insights on urban development in our city. Bigger is not better. It is past time to stop the sprawl and make Winnipeg a more livable, walkable city. Maintaining existing areas preferably with tree-lined boulevards should be the priority for city council and for Winnipeg’s citizens.

On a summer day, note the number of people enjoying walking down the shady streets as opposed to the adjacent sun-scorched byways.

Gerri Thorsteinson

Winnipeg

Still cheering the home team

Once again it’s time for the Jets’ “fair weather” fans to start complaining about not getting past the first playoff series.

After all “we fans deserve better!” So quickly they forget the six months of fast-paced and exciting games we’ve watched, helping to shorten all those long cold nights of winter. We are so lucky to have our Jets! Enjoy your summer with your families and your loyal fans will look forward to seeing you in the fall.

Go Jets, go!

Kathie Geekie

Strathclair

While all of us Jets fans are disappointed in another playoff loss, I don’t look at it as a lost season. The Jets were an exciting team to watch this season.

I am part of a group that shares season tickets, and my son and I purchased additional games (I attended 18 games this season). Having retired from playing hockey; I love attending the games. There are things that go on in games I don’t get to see on TV.

As fans we need to take a breath, winning a Stanley Cup is not easy. That is the goal of 32 teams each year. Teams like Washington, St. Louis, and Dallas had years of disappointment before they won the Cup. There are 11 teams that have never won the Cup (others haven’t won the Cup in decades). Some were much better, went deeper into the playoffs, and have been in the league longer than the Jets.

I may never see the Winnipeg Jets win a Stanley Cup in my lifetime. But I am okay with that, they provide me with great winter entertainment and are an amenity for our city.

Jerry Comeau

Winnipeg

On ag-gag laws

Re: Animal activists thrilled after parts of Ontario’s agricultural law unconstitutional (April 30)

Another hallmark of ag-gag laws is that they get rammed through while any attempt to make meaningful legislative change to improve the well-being of animals moves at a glacial pace … if at all.

Animal agriculture is subsidized to the tune of billions of dollars, so tax payers have the right to know what happens behind the closed doors of industrialized farms. Instead, they are fed a litany of euphemisms designed to humane-wash, green-wash or otherwise mislead.

According to which of our Canadian values is it acceptable to deny legal protection for the most vulnerable in our society while passing laws that criminalize those who seek to expose their abuse?

Debbie Wall

Winnipeg

River’s rights

Re: ‘Water is life’: First Nations launch $4-B suit over Lake Winnipeg pollution (May 1)

I have been listening to Indigenous voices affiliating with and defending the environment.

In the early 1990s my father attended public hearings regarding the City of Winnipeg’s practice of allowing untreated sewage to flow into the Red River.

He was the head of the tiny environmental health department for the government of Manitoba. As one of the concluding parts of his detailed statement advocating for adequate infrastructure to stop flow of sewage into the river he said, “the Red River has rights.”

This led to laughter and mocking. The conservative government at the time found themselves able to cope with his departure to work as the medical officer of health in northwestern Ontario.

Thirty years later, there is still a debate on whether we have the “right” to put our sewage in the river. First Nations are trying to help every Manitoban.

Jan Sarsfield

Winnipeg

Bumpy ride

Navigating Highway 75 south to the American border is like a carnival ride at the Red River Exhibition.

There are bumps, pot holes, cracks and breaks in the concrete highway surface that test the integrity of your vehicle.

You certainly won’t fall asleep at the wheel on that highway.

Robert Moskal

Winnipeg

Lack of justice

Re: A better response to sexual assault victims (Think tank, April 30); Actor Depardieu charged with sexual assault (April 30)

More examples of how wealthy people can use their money to get them out of legal issues including the most despicable — sexual assault. Starting with Bill Cosby, he somehow secured his release from prison before even his minimum sentence (three to 10 years) was completed. Whereas, from the number of girls and woman he assaulted, he should have been serving a life sentence, he instead was released before completing even three years based on a ridiculous technicality. Jeffrey Epstein was another one who victimized girls and women for decades until he was finally charged. Peter Nygard avoided justice for decades before finally being tried, convicted and incarcerated.

Actor Gerard Depardieu has been accused for decades of rape and/or sexual battery by numerous women. For a long time, he denied there was such thing as rape. As a huge celebrity in France, he has been able to deny his culpability and avoid official charges.

Harvey Weinstein, who is in jail still on other rape charges, has managed to get rape and sexual assault charges in another case overturned.

Wealthy men have been allowed to carry on their assaults against girls and women for decades, proclaimed their innocence, called all their accusers liars and refused to confess that what they were doing was wrong. They had the financial resources to spend millions of dollars to either keep them out of jail, get out of jail and to persist in finding ways to deny the justice their victims deserve. It does make one wonder how many people (justice system, politicians) these men were able to unduly influence with bribes to forgo justice.

Gary McGimpsey

Winnipeg

Things to agree on

Re: A telling and troubling contrast (Think Tank, May 2)

There are a number of statements in this opinion piece that trouble me. Any time a writer summarizes a decades long struggle into such a clear “either/or” description, I have concerns.

For instance, describing the Oct. 7 attack as “the original crime” ignores the decades of crimes committed on both sides of this struggle. Similarly, describing the state of Israel’s response to this horrific attack as “just” is also troubling. I struggle to see a just response (other than forgiveness) on either side of this war.

Finally, generalizing the different rallies as “good/bad” also ignores the humanity of all those trying to support innocent civilians in Israel and Palestine.

Can we agree on a few “truths”? One: if there was a simple solution to this conflict, it would have happened long ago. Can we agree that we seek a peace for all the citizens of Israel and Palestine? Two: a criticism of a government’s actions and decisions is not antisemitic or anti-Islamist? If we disagree with our leaders, it is not a condemnation of all the citizens of that country nor an expression of hatred for “those people.”

I hope we can agree that we all want the hostages being held in Gaza to get home and families can be reunited. And can we also agree that we want the bombing in Gaza to stop so Palestinians can once again feel safe and build up homes again? That the safety of Palestinians is linked to the safety of Israelis? That everyone deserves a land to call “home”?

If we can’t agree on these things, I have little hope for our future.

Karl Langelotz

Winnipeg