Letters, Aug. 6

Trump and tariffs

According to American law, it is illegal for U.S. President Donald Trump to invoke tariffs the way he has.

But who is going to stop him? So far, no one.

Only six months after taking charge, Donald Trump has upended not only the U.S. economy but the global economy as well.

His original excuse of national security has proven to be a complete lie. Unfortunately, threats of revenge — some would say extortion — have warded off any serious attempts to slow down this path of world trade disruption.

What next? Total autocracy?

Al Yakimchuk

Winnipeg

America is on track to destroy itself. It will not be richer and stronger, it is falling with incompetent leadership into misery. The worse things get, the more frantically President Donald Trump will strike out at strawman ‘enemies’, both domestic and international. Trump’s inability to deal with reality will bring only more chaos.

As much as we would like to slap back with tariffs or export taxes of our own, there is no need to pour gasoline onto the flames. Canada merely has to stand aside and watch the burning happen.

If anything, we should try to help, since our destiny is and will always be entailed with theirs. Distributing our trade alliances more widely will help a lot, but the fact is we are stitched to America and our futures lie together, not apart.

Canadian aid packages would do a lot to mend the feelings of our American neighbours and help convince them that we really aren’t nasty, like some say. There are places in America that could use food and shelter aid right now.

We should organize large relief columns and show up at the border. I’d love to see their faces if that would happen.

Richard Lockhart

Winnipeg

New build, big price

As I drive around various areas of the city, particularly older areas, I have concerns about what I observe happening.

In most instances, an older single family home, valued in the neighborhood of $150,000 to $200,000 on a 45- to 50-foot lot being torn down and two identical (in most aspects) two-storey rectangular boxes built on that lot at a purchase cost of between $600,000 to $700,000.

Granted, most of these houses being built are duplexes, but while we have now increased density in that same neighborhood, what has happened to the affordability for these new builds?

I am not against increasing density in some of the older neighborhoods, but I wonder about quality of life in having a yard for children to play in or even having a small space for a garden rather than a small strip of grass or gravel in front and a parking pad behind.

I realize that these same developers are mainly focused on profits, but except for Habitat for Humanity building more single family homes, the vast majority of new builds in older areas are all the same two-storey boxes. Is this what we want our older neighborhoods to look like?

Alice French

Winnipeg

Test transit system first

Re: “Transit troubles,” Letters, Aug. 2

Bravo, James Hannah, in regards to your letter about the new transit system.

You nailed it about the systems failing grade.

This monumental change should have been rolled out gradually, testing out certain routes in the city to see if it would be feasible for the citizens.

Instead, every route in Winnipeg has been impacted. Just take a look at any main artery and how many people are now congregated at one bus stop. Taking away a thousand bus stops seems extreme …

Having been a transit rider for decades, I knew this new system would be a nightmare for most people. And after a month, it’s proven it is.

I’m all for change, but if it’s not thought out properly and tested, the system will fail miserably.

Irene Kazuska

Winnipeg

Mining no magic solution

I found Tom Brodbeck’s column published on Aug.2 entirely unconvincing (Mining policies chase away investors, give Manitoba’s economy the shaft). His argument hinged mainly on two assertions: that Manitoba’s reliance on transfer payments is wrong and that mining projects should be allowed unfettered access to land because of their potential for economic growth.

To suggest that accepting transfer payments represents a weakness evokes the tendency in our society which pins morality to economy.

Aside from the unfortunate and inaccurate equation between morality and financial success, this position ignores the origin of these transfer payments, which came as a result of the Brian Mulroney and Jean Chrétien governments’ desire to pull away from federally funded social programs. Their ruthless approach of turning services into an element of commerce gave way to an environment of competition between the provinces; a direct contradiction of the economic reconciliation Mulroney spoke of during his time as prime minister.

Further, for Brodbeck to assume that Manitoba should expedite mining companies’ access to resources (issues related to Indigenous reconciliation aside), because of the lengthy process necessary to build large-scale mining operations, Brodbeck assumes that the critical minerals that exist in this province will continue to be critical to economic growth over the 30-year period he evoked. Even if that future materializes, it would be wise to take a lesson from Alberta and their over-reliance on oil.

The precarious rollercoaster of their economy should be a warning sign showing that over-reliance on a singular industry does not create stability; it creates a powerful volatility for which the people pay the price.

I encourage readers to seek out the work of Nora Loreto on this topic. Specifically her 2024 book titled The Social Safety Net.

Kieran West

Winnipeg

A word for wildlife

In reply to Mac Horsburgh’s opinion piece on July 21, Oh dear, oh deer!, Mr. Horsburgh makes a number of observations based on his own personal and Homo Sapien-centered perspective regarding the sharing of our environment with our fellow wild animal companions, specifically deer, in our city.

I would like to point out that the human population of our planet has gone from one billion in 1800 to over eight billion today and is projected to reach ten billion by 2060. The World Wildlife Fund found that the world has lost three quarters of all wildlife in just the last 50 years. Today, humans and our domesticated food animals make up 96 per cent of all animals on Earth by weight of biomass. The remaining four per cent of the world’s animal biomass, including both terrestrial and marine, are wild animals.

Does Mr. Horburgh and those who share his opinion of wildlife in our city really want all of our natural environment to themselves and our species? I say it is time to rethink what we are doing to the world and share our planet with the few remaining wild animals. As for Mr. Horburgh’s specific issues with deer nibbling his garden, perhaps he should consider moving to a nice 20th floor condo in a city centre urban environment where he can tend a pot of violets safe from the inconvenient incursion of nature.

As for myself, I will always enjoy, appreciate and defend my wild animal friends here in the wilds of Charleswood. To borrow from Joyce Kilmer — I think that I shall never see a garden as lovely as a deer.

Daudi Dhoruda

Winnipeg