Letters, June 21

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 21/06/2024 (700 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Take time to help

Re: The many faces of poverty (June 19)

Kudos to Kevin Rollason and Jura McIlraith on this important message. All the food banks and shelters require help. I am most familiar with Agape Table.

Agape Table does not receive any government support. It operates out of the Wave Church at 364 Furby St. They rely on the generous donations from individuals, businesses and organizations. A special thank you goes out to the various stores, suppliers and farms that provide produce and product for the bagged lunches.

Up to 900 people arrive each morning at the front steps in waves and droves from all directions. They come to receive a bagged lunch, fruit, vegetables, clothing or toiletries from Agape Table. A lunch typically consists of a beverage, cup of soup, sandwich, rolled cookies or granola bar, a fruit sauce or pudding, and a pastry.

Jim Steep has an incredible team at Agape with Dave, Aaron, fellow staff and an inspiring group of regular volunteers who arrive every day before 6 a.m. Their work ethic and the refined, fine-tuned processes are impressive.

It doesn’t take much to help a lot. Agape could use donations of new or used outer clothing and footwear (especially winter items), socks, new toiletries (sample size even) hats, etc. I’ve purchased items from a thrift store and taken them to Agape. Snack packs of fruit sauces, bags of cookies, and even grocery store gift cards would make fine donations. Financial contributions are greatly appreciated. They are a registered charity.

Do you have empty pill bottles hanging around? Remove the labels and drop off the bottles at Agape. They fill them with shampoo for distribution.

Do you have time? Are you looking for volunteer activities for you and your family and friends, your workplace, sports team, club or organization? Contact Agape to schedule a weekday morning shift.

Kelly Ryback

Winnipeg

Investigation needed at forest

Re: The Lemay forest: the owner speaks (Think Tank, June 19)

When the greenspace advocacy group, OURS-Winnipeg, first went to examine Lemay Forest, we were expecting to find a cemetery for the Asile Ritchot orphanage and home for unwed mothers.

We were shocked to find out that possibly as many as 2,300 children died between 1904 and 1948 when the institution was closed. We don’t know how many of those children, all under the age of five, would have been buried in unmarked common graves, but it would have been a lot. Records indicate the human remains were moved in 1974, but because identifying neonatal remains takes specialist knowledge, experts consulted have indicated that it is possible, perhaps even likely, that these remains are still buried in Lemay Forest.

What makes the current plan for developing that space particularly problematic is that it is not entirely clear exactly where the cemetery was located. Aerial photos before and after the removal do match the 1970 federal topographical map that provides the general location.

It would be tragic if these little children, having suffered death in this institution, would now be buried under asphalt and cement. It behooves us to investigate thoroughly.

Shelley Sweeney

Winnipeg

Value of museums

Re: Preserving the past (June 20)

What a pleasure to open the paper to see Len Van Roon Sr. smiling at us while seated in the Charleswood Museum. “Mr. V” sometimes describes himself as an “artifact” of the museum. Whether the word should be treasure or storyteller, he, his late wife Verna, and the other museum volunteers in the article are key resources who enrich our community.

Community museums and volunteers play a critical role in helping us learn “how we got to here.” I have known Mr. Van Roon my entire life. He has enriched us with local recollections, such as tales of the old bison trail from “The Passage” on the Assiniboine running south, west of Charleswood Road and on to the Prairies. He, many other volunteers and innovative teachers continue to spark the interest of students in local history, often within a few miles of where they live. Who knew?

The Charleswood Museum, others featured in the article and the many museums in Manitoba, offer us a wider, deeper view of our history and enrich our lives. Whether you are an academic, an ardent “history buff,” or just casually curious, you might be amazed learn that the Association of Manitoba Museums (AMM) website lists almost 200 museums in our province.

You have options, so you can pick your spot. These museums and local historical societies are supported by an army of unpaid volunteers contributing thousands of hours to our heritage and the community. The deserve our support. This summer offers a “plethora” (I love that word), of opportunities to “peek into the past” with the many heritage days, festivals and museums to choose from for an afternoon or weekend visit. In the meantime, readers are encouraged to share family stories, engage students in local history, visit a local museum and enrich your summer!

That’s the short term. In the longer term, in this province we are blessed with fine examples of “built heritage” which enrich local landscapes, are showcases for visitors and even venues for film shoots. Even if you are not a history buff, preservation contributes to the community. At the Manitoba Historical Society (MHS) we see a need to look farther and wider to a longer-term preservation strategy before it is too late. Heritage Winnipeg does a fine job and deserves support, however, there is a need for a province-wide strategy as well.

Too often we hear of an 11th-hour crisis when it may be to late to save a valued community resource. Some can be salvaged and others repurposed. Promoting awareness of the issue is a start, but we need to follow up with networking, sharing ideas and resources, plus building support in the wider community.

Local museums and historical societies are not expensive to join, but they need your support to continue enriching our community.

Dan Furlan

Winnipeg

Celebrate, don’t ignore, downtown

Over many years, I’ve lived, worked and at times studied in nine large and medium-sized cities in six provinces within Canada — always downtown or very nearby.

During those times, I’ve also travelled to and stayed in many different sized cities outside of this country.

What I have noticed is that tourists and event-goers generally visit and stay in or close to the core area of cities. People seldom visit and or spend much — if any — time in the suburbs.

The attractions and special offerings are usually quite close to downtowns. And usually the downtowns are a hub to get to the various locations that interest visitors.

The far-flung reaches of sprawling suburbs usually contain endless housing, industrial parks, big box stores and cookie-cutter-styled malls.

If visiting from small places, the large outlying shopping centres might be a draw, but have very limited sightseeing potential or cultural significance.

The great older parts of cities of the world are visited by many multitudes of people every year.

Even the concept of cruises are that of a compact, shipboard city centre, with day trips close to the ship’s docking.

Sure, not all attractions and events are located right downtown, but they are usually quite close by.

The suburbs and surrounding towns and villages are really just an extension of city centres. The downtowns of cities spawned the development around them.

Great, good and improvable downtowns should be celebrated and not ignored or denigrated. All interesting attractive metropolitan areas circle an important nucleus, the city’s downtown.

Holly Bertram

Winnipeg