Letters, Nov. 19

Collaborative approach

Re: Officials concerned about Municipal Board ruling (Nov. 18)

The comments from the city about the Municipal Board’s ruling on their proposed housing development in the Granite Curling Club’s parking lot worry me. The board, instead of making a decisive ruling as to what can or cannot be approved, has simply stated that the city needs to engage in a fair, good-faith negotiation with the citizens that the city’s actions are going to affect.

The response from the city? Threats of eviction and vitriol.

Hearing Coun. Evan Duncan speak with such disdain at the prospect of meaningful consultation with the curling club raises concerns for me about his respect for municipal democracy. An elected official should take pride in taking the concerns of their constituents into account. Attempting to bully and strong-arm community members into getting your way isn’t an acceptable way to run a government.

Roger Ward

Winnipeg

Stark surroundings

Re: ‘Different approach’: look inside new detox centre (Nov. 18)

I was truly appalled upon seeing the first glimpse inside the much-touted detox centre through the photo shared in this article. While I fully recognize that improvements are possible — and indeed necessary — my immediate reaction to the image was one of shock. The facility’s starkness reminded me more of a gulag than a safe, dignified, trauma-informed environment intended to support people through detoxification.

To be perfectly frank, even jail cells appear more comfortable than the conditions depicted here.

In my experience as a former social worker, I have supported many individuals under the influence and understand that safety for everyone involved is paramount. However, I question whether this priority could not be balanced with creating a space that feels compassionate rather than punitive.For example, the Mental Health Crisis Response Centre on Bannatyne Avenue, which also assists people in active addiction crises, is thoughtfully designed. It features muted colours, calming art, and rooms that, while safe, are comfortably furnished.

People living with addictions are already marginalized and frequently denied the basic self-respect they deserve as human beings. Placing individuals in a clinical, concrete cell with a toilet beside the bed (note: no bed was shown in the photos), harsh fluorescent lights, and stark white walls — without trauma-informed or culturally appropriate resources — only reinforces the perception of addiction as something to be stigmatized and punished. This approach stands in direct contradiction to the government’s stated intent to reduce stigma associated with addiction.

I cannot help but wonder if Housing, Addictions and Homelessness Minister Bernadette Smith has forgotten her early days as a grassroots advocate. Otherwise, I do not understand how she could offer praise for this facility. My expectations for the NDP government’s approach were high, hoping for innovative and compassionate solutions. Unfortunately, apart from Premier Wab Kinew, I am increasingly seeing a repeat of the previous Progressive Conservative administration’s approach, albeit with some superficial changes.

Those struggling with addictions deserve treatment and compassion, not punishment. As Manitobans, we can do much better than relegating marginalized individuals to facilities that clearly communicate punishment rather than healing.

Rachel Wheeler

Winnipeg

An ounce of prevention

Re: Two reports, two views on crime, zero solutions (Nov. 17); Future Hope to help parolees take Next Step (Nov. 17)

I have been disappointed lately by the public comments made by Premier Wab Kinew and other politicians regarding restricting bail and lengthening sentences for convicted criminals. Although I don’t disagree with these measures in some cases, it was refreshing reading Dan Lett’s column (Two reports, two views on crime, zero solutions) and Aaron Epp’s (Future Hope to help parolees take Next Step) which actually speak to steps that can be taken to prevent crime.

My advice to Kinew is to stop complaining about things you do not control and focus on what you do. For example, professor emeritus Jim Silver has repeated stated the case for increasing spending on adult education in Manitoba. He has clearly shown how offering affordable adult education courses raises people out of poverty and reduces the incidents of crime. This is a program that is repeatedly ignored by our provincial government.

If Kinew and his counterparts are truly interested in improving the serious, correlated problems of poverty and crime, I encourage him to put his money where his mouth is and stop making politically motivated, populist, “tough on crime” statements and fund programs that will actually make a difference.

Brent Corrigan

Winnipeg

Inclusive idea

Re: Manitoba government seeking suppliers for new monument in front of legislature (Nov. 14)

I read with interest the idea to replace the destroyed statue of Queen Victoria on the legislature grounds.

In my humble opinion, I would like to see something interactive. Perhaps something people could walk among, with images of Manitoba through a long period of time. It could feature smaller panoramas of Indigenous Peoples as European explorers first met them, then the guides and fur traders, transitioning through the beginnings of the Metis, then the Lord Selkirk Settlers and other waves of new immigrants, leading up to an actual mosaic of all the different kinds of people who make their home here.

No matter where we were born, we now call Manitoba home. We should all be a part of this new installation, recognizing not only our rich past history, but also those who will be a part of this province’s future.

I envision something children can touch, and teens and adults can read, that will make us feel comfortable in our home province and inspired for our future.

Linda Ross-Mansfield

Winnipeg

Cost of failure

Re: Calls for justice system reform follow release of man who killed two Indigenous women (Nov. 18)

Once, in the 1970s, as a police officer lamenting the early release of a convict to a prison official, I was told “Stan, we aren’t prison guards, we are corrections officers. Our job isn’t to keep them in, it’s to get them out.”

While a certain segment of society agrees with this philosophy wants to experiment with yet newer programs to transform parolees into honest citizens, we have to remember that they’ve had since the 1960s to accomplish this. That is 65 years of prison reform and a reformed justice system that has focused on rehabilitation rather than punishment.

At what point does this same society accept that this system has failed and the cost of this failure had been human lives?

Stan Tataryn

Winnipeg