Letters, Sept. 10

Opinion

Narwhals not at risk

Re: Churchill and LNG would mix like oil and water (Think Tank, Sept. 6)

While the piece raises important questions, the section discussing narwhals and the Milne Inlet port contains inaccuracies and omissions that risk misinforming readers about the real state of research and protections in place.

At Baffinland, of which I am head of stakeholder relations and communications, we recognize the importance of protecting marine mammals, particularly narwhals, near our operations. Over the past six years, we have invested in the most extensive underwater acoustic monitoring program in Eclipse Sound, collecting more continuous data than any other organization. These results, shared publicly with the Marine Environmental Working Group (which includes Inuit organizations, regulators, environmental groups — including the author of this piece, and others), consistently demonstrate that while vessel noise is detectable, it is temporary, well below levels that could cause acoustic injury, and effectively managed through mitigation measures.

The broader scientific consensus also matters here: according to COSEWIC (Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada), narwhal populations remain stable and are now classified as “not at risk.” While narwhals do avoid ships during passage, studies confirm they resume normal behaviour afterward.

Protecting narwhals and other marine mammals is a shared responsibility across all vessel types in the Arctic, from bulk carriers to cruise ships to pleasure craft. We encourage all operators to adopt the same standards we have set.

For these reasons, the article’s suggestion that shipping activities from Milne Inlet pose unchecked or escalating risks to narwhals does not reflect the extensive data, monitoring, and mitigation already in place.

Peter Akman

Oakville, Ont.

Time to stand up

Re: Province gives businesses loan guarantees amid tariffs (Sept. 8)

First it was the Feds giving millions to businesses and now it is the Manitoba provincial government. All in the guise of saving jobs and avoiding layoffs.

Just how much of these monies will the employees of these companies actually see? Lost in all of this is the fact that there are millions of Canadian workers who are not employed by the companies receiving this, along with milions of Canadian retirees who won’t get any financial assistance. They are all impacted by increased costs at the grocery stores and elsewhere but what are the governments doing for them?

The governments love to talk tough, but being tough and telling that U.S. dictator to stuff it, is what Canadians really need at this point. It is time for our governments to quit cowering in the corner and stand up for us all.

Brian Short

Stonewall

Merits of encampment areas

Re: City could expand areas where homeless camps prohibited (Sept. 9)

The City of Winnipeg is the epitome of a bureaucracy in crisis.

The city has zoning bylaws which dictate certain kinds of occupancy. For example, there are single-family, multi-family, industrial and agricultural zones. Instead of creating a specific zone for homeless encampments, they would rather create a complicated set of rules that require bylaw inspections and enforcement. Before long, there will be a whole new department to deal specifically with the encampments.

Why not find an appropriate location for all of the encampments to be housed? It could be a village of encampments that would be safer for the occupants and would provide a centralized location that could be serviced more easily and effectively by social services and paramedics when required.

An encampment village isn’t pretty but it addresses the needs of its residents and those of the wider community. Let’s acknowledge that homeless encampments are a harsh reality and work to find a place for them to co-exist with the rest of the city and stop trying to solve the problem with more regulations and more city staffing.

Wally Barton

Winnipeg

Systemic problems

Re: Bail reform a sound bite, not a policy (Sept. 6)

The problem is often not the law itself, it’s the systems around it which represent the biggest challenges to public safety. Fundamentally, we struggle to assess risk. Too risk-averse and people who are not a substantial danger sit in jail. They are now more likely to plead out, even if they are not legally guilty and to receive a jail sentence.

I hasten to add that predicting when someone is going to commit a serious violent offence is almost impossible. The Charter protects against a Minority Report society.

Real “bail reform” lies in the gap between release and catch. While the province invests millions of dollars into electronic monitors, it remains egregiously difficult for people to access robust services for addictions treatment, mental health, and housing. If we intensively addressed the circumstances that contribute to crime in pretrial custody, in sync with bail (and even probation), we could divert a significant number of people out of the court system. Jailing people or sending them back from whence they came without additional supports, are not great crime prevention strategies.

Solutions for society’s most vulnerable require money and political will. Treatment beds available directly from custody. Mental health supports for people in custody and on court orders. Case workers who can assist by connecting people in custody with wrap around supports that are available when they are released, rather than the current practice of setting them free often having brutally detoxed and lost any housing or property they have had.

This is absolutely not about lax judges or ineffective prosecutors; this is about basic human decency.

Jesse Blackman

Winnipeg

Taking a shot at cleaner energy

Re: Fossil fuels not where the puck is going (Think Tank, Sept. 5)

I’d like to believe the Canadian puck will be flying full speed in the direction of maximizing the development and pervasive use of renewable energy sources, focused on scoring the goal of energy responsibility. I tried, but cannot find fault with Scott Forbes’ argument for reducing reliance upon fossil fuels.

I am befuddled by the apparent lack of renewable energy focus by the Carney government. I’d like to know what it is I do not understand. Am I somehow off side in my thinking, have I wiffed my shot at logic? Can anyone out there help me? I’ll be asking that question of my Liberal MP this week. While I’m at it, I think I’ll put in a query to our provincial government. Maybe more of us should be asking that question.

I would really like for all our big initiative pucks to be heading in the direction of the goal for a better environment for our grandchildren.

Garrett Loeppky

Winnipeg