Letters, May 16

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This article was published 16/05/2024 (863 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Shame, shame

Re: Portage and Main is ‘just an intersection’; but it represents much more to Winnipeg (May 10)

Yes Portage and Main is famous and we’ve been discussing what to do with it for a while and yes we have to redo the concourse, but why has it been so neglected? This didn’t happen overnight. I was stopped at the intersection just yesterday and had a close up look at the rusted signs, the crumbling painted walls, the non-existent curbs.

If this is such a famous and treasured intersection, why has it been so neglected? Winnipeg does that a lot. They have these beautiful intentions and then it gets ignored and run down and nobody cares. It’s embarrassing.

A number of places come to mind. Thunderbird House, Memorial Park where the fountain was/is in front of the legislature, Portage and Main, and there are others. I really thought Scott Gillingham would be a different mayor. That he would get a handle on these things.

He’s no different. Brags about all these great things he’s done and when you look at them years later they’re all a decrepit mess. No plans for maintaining in place. Take pride, Winnipeg.

Scott Gillingham should be ashamed. I am.

Judy Warkentin

Winnipeg

Cottage calculations

Re: Costs and fees in the great outdoors (Think Tank, May 14)

The article by Rochelle Squires contains significant errors of fact and would potentially misinform any interested readers.

Revenue from cottagers comes to government through a single invoice with three distinct charges. Park District Service Fees are collected to offset operating and capital costs. A capacity formula is used to assign the cottager share of park operating and capital costs. At West Hawk Lake for example, 62 per cent of operating and capital costs are assigned to cottagers.

Year-round park residents, with the cottage as their principal residence, pay an additional fee, the chief place of residence levy.

The third revenue stream is Crown land rent. Each leased cottage lot is assessed a value as raw land to which government applies a percentage to determine rent.

In April 2023 I requested financial information from the Manitoba Parks branch cottaging program for the fiscal year ending March 31, 2022, the most recent information available. Here are some highlights for the whole of Manitoba from the cottaging program data:

Park District Service Fees $2,873,249.70

Crown Land Rent $4,548,200.63

Chief Place of Residence Levy $ 327,000.00

Total Revenue from cottagers: $7,748,450.33

Provincial total services costs attributed to cottagers: $3,839,219.13

When services costs are subtracted from total revenue received from cottagers the current cottaging program produces a surplus of: $3,909,231.20 for the 2022 fiscal year.

Driving to a cottage requires a vehicle permit priced at $40 with a transaction fee of $4.50. Additional revenue from these permits paid by 6,208 cottagers brings an additional $248,320. All of this produces a nominal surplus of $4 million annually.

Ms. Squires asserts that “government subsidizes cottage ownership.” This assertion is false and mistaken.

When all cottager revenues are compared to service costs assigned to cottagers, it is clear that cottagers are not subsidized by the general taxpayer. In reality, a reliable surplus is generated each and every year.

Bruce Alexander

Winnipeg

The Manitoba Provincial Parks Cabin Owners Association is both surprised and disappointed to read the opinion column from Rochelle Squires, former minister of sustainable development responsible for Manitoba provincial parks. It is particularly concerning from the standpoint of the inaccurate and misleading information related to our cottager communities located within the Manitoba Provincial Parks System.

On April 25, 2023 MPPCOA entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the province that outlined clearly a framework of principles upon which our provincial government and MPPCOA are currently working collaboratively together to modernize the cottage fee model to be fair, equitable, transparent, affordable and sustainable in line with other park stakeholders/users.

A provincial government news release was published the same day stating “Manitoba cottagers contribute nearly $8 million in lease, service and chief place of residency fees, which is significant, the minister noted, as it is equivalent to 20 per cent of the annual operating budget for all 92 provincial park. It should be noted that cottagers are present in only 15 of the then 92 provincial parks.

We invite all readers that wish to inform themselves of the factual information related to provincial park cottage owners as well as to read the April 25, 2023 MOU and News Release to visit our website at MPPCOA.org for more details.

Ronald Smith (chair), and Chris Dudek (secretary)

Winnipeg

The roles we play

Re: Comfort levels (Letters, May 15)

I applaud Don Bailey’s letter. I just wish to add a point that may explain, in part, the contradictory behaviour note by Bailey.

People have the capacity to compartimentalize their thinking. You can sit down with someone and have a discussion on climate change and how to ameliorate the situation. The person may nod his head and occasionally say “That’s a good point.”

At the end of the discussion, the person may pick up his keys and get into a huge gas guzzling vehicle.

If you had the nerve to point out the contradiction between the points raised in the conversation and his driving habits, he would look at you as if you had two heads.

People play roles every day, and most don’t realize that their behaviour in these roles results in contradictions. One moment you are a concerned citizen, the next moment you are a good old boy wanting to see how fast this baby goes. Although absolute consistency across many roles is likely impossible, an awareness of our tendency to be many people at different times might be helpful.

Kurt Clyde

Winnipeg

Help needed now

Re: Government must move faster to stop drug deaths (Editorial, May 14)

I agree that the purchase of two drug testing machines is a step in the right direction, but is not nearly enough. How many more will die before we see a safe consumption site open on a yet-to-be-disclosed date in 2025?

The drug machines that the government is talking about are going to be in the downtown area. That will not be much help to those not living within the downtown boundaries. It is not realistic for the NDP to think that those living in areas other than downtown will make their way to the downtown to have their drugs tested.

We need drug testing machines in other neighbourhoods. People are dying in their own homes, their friends’ homes and their parent’s homes in every neighbourhood and community in Manitoba from a poisoned drug supply but unfortunately the government is not ready to talk safe supply.

Even data has not been released in a timely matter. We are heading into the month of June and we have only been given January data.

Help is needed now … we need better and our loved ones deserve better!

Janis Gillam

Winnipeg