Letters, Jan. 22

Opinion

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 22/01/2025 (226 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The toll of residential schools

Re: Residential schools: considering intentions and consequences (Think Tank, Jan. 20)

Imagine having so little empathy that you handwave abuses on children as “crosses to bear” that “are not our problem.” Imagine being so dismissive of a century of colonialism and ill-treatment that you elevate a handpicked few instances of mild tolerance over the lived experiences and recollections of thousands of survivors.

It was the stated intent of the residential school system to kill a culture and destroy family bonds — how is that ever acceptable? The implication is that Indigenous people should be grateful to not have been even more systematically murdered, as though that lets all the perpetrators off the hook.

The usual excuse, unsurprisingly parroted here, is that “people of an era” thought such things were fine, so we in the modern era should accept them uncritically. This bit of illogic is as wrong about residential schools as it is about slavery, witch trials or the Inquisition. If spurious good intentions are enough to whitewash the most egregious actions, will Jerry Storie be writing next in praise of the ostensibly benign origins of these once acceptable practices?

Also, the physical, mental, emotional and sexual abuses of residential schools are not somehow less awful, just because corporal punishment was also inflicted in other schools! For the record, I got to speak whatever language I wished with my friends in school. I got to see my parents. If I got sick at school, my parents were notified. None of my schools had a graveyard. Imagine not caring that whole generations of Indigenous children were denied all this.

Sowmya Dakshinamurti

Winnipeg

Lifting coal moratorium is madness

Re: Alberta government lifts coal mining moratorium, critics say it’s ‘open season’ (Jan. 20)

Alberta has decided to lift the open-pit coal-mining moratorium. It is completely mind-boggling that this province can be so blind to the realities of the world.

Countries such as India and China that continue to burn coal have air quality that cannot sustain human life. The few remaining natural areas in the world are being destroyed at an alarming rate that will eventually result in an uninhabitable world. And here’s Alberta Premier Danielle Smith demonstrating zero grasp on reality by encouraging the increase in production of atmosphere-polluting coal and the continued destruction of our natural areas all for the sake of money.

Sadly, continuing with this madness will eventually lead to an environment where all the money in the world won’t help us.

Rich and poor will be in the same mess.

Ken McLean

Starbuck

An important story to share

Re: A story turned devastatingly personal (Jan. 20)

Similar to Alison Hall, I was diagnosed with stage zero, non-invasive breast cancer in November 2023. My diagnosis was the result of a mammogram, followed by a core needle biopsy a few weeks later. I didn’t have an MRI or an ultrasound even though, like Alison, I have dense breasts. My treatment plan was a lumpectomy, a re-excision and 16 rounds of radiation.

I respect Alison’s choice of having a double mastectomy. I think there is still a stigma when someone hears the words “you have cancer.” When I was told I had DCIS by my GP, I asked how this is treated, and I felt good knowing it was caught early and dealt with in a timely manner.

This is the first time I learned about the Breast Cancer Risk Assessment Tool (BCRAT). Is this tool used more in the U.S. than in Canada? Will this be an opportunity for women in Manitoba to see what their risk of having breast cancer is? If a woman is classified as being high risk, how quickly can she be screened?

I want to thank AV Kitching for bringing awareness to this important topic and to Alison Hall for sharing her story.

Cindy Kelly

Winnipeg

Good news about good citizens

Re: In step with dinosaurs (Jan. 20)

Thank you for In step with dinosaurs. I have become increasingly reluctant to engage with the news media lately, finding the endless stream of bad news from home and around the world overwhelming with seemingly no way to make a real difference.

Stories covering climate-related disasters, wars, and world leaders with no interest in the common good need to be balanced with news that encourages and inspires. AV Kitching’s article featuring Maximilian Scott was both interesting and hopeful; a young man looking back in history to help guide us into a precarious and uncertain future.

I know there are many more Manitobans and those beyond our borders who are making a significant positive impact and could inspire us to become an active part in the work of making the Earth sustainable for generations to come.

Let’s make sure we hear from them alongside the reminders of all that is going badly.

Our world needs caring and engaged citizens now more than ever before.

Esther Redekopp

Winnipeg

Preserve the forest

Re: Seeing the forest for the trees (Jan. 19)

I read Brent Bellamy’s article on the value of the Lemay Forest with interest.

At a time when the papers are filled with stories of the Los Angeles fires, increased attacks on sound environmental policies, and the higher frequency of stress and anxiety, it seems fortuitous that Winnipeg has a resource that would result in positive steps forward.

Let us devote a few of our hard-earned tax dollars toward protecting Lemay Forest and it will pay dividends far into the future.

Donna Alexander

Winnipeg

Poor use of tax dollars

Re: Aerospace funding yet another corporate handout (Think Tank, Jan. 18)

Premier Wab Kinew and his government seriously need to ask themselves if this is what they stand for — supporting a wealthy company with handouts, funding weapons of destruction and encouraging students to prepare for work in this kind of industry?

James Wilt has done a masterful job of exposing the true facts about Magellan and how our tax dollars could be spent so much more wisely and effectively.

Ernie Wiens

Winnipeg

Wiebe deserved better

Re: ‘They should have kept him and made sure he was safe’ (Jan. 17)

So tragic and unacceptable that another person should lose their life when in a mental health emergency. Have the RCMP and Winnipeg police not learned how to assist people yet?

Mental health care in Manitoba is appalling. What is the NDP hoping to change? Cory Wiebe deserved better, as did all the other people who have been killed while calling for help. To leave a family of seven with no provider, maybe think before you shoot to kill. How many more may die?

Jane Romaniuk

Winnipeg

Consider drones

Concerning the police needing a new helicopter, if the Ukrainian army can fly drones carrying artillery shells and explosives hundreds of miles into Russia, dodging air defences, why can’t the Winnipeg Police Service test out if drones can replace the helicopter?

They can be equipped with the same infrared high-resolution cameras and other equipment and they can have multiple drones in the air at the same time. They can be launched from almost anywhere, would be a fraction of the cost and easy to replace. It’s worth testing before spending millions on a new helicopter and hundreds of thousands a year to keep them flying.

Jason Sudyn

Winnipeg