Letters, Jan. 2

Do your part for the environment

Re: The environmental cost of instant delivery (Editorial, Dec. 30)

As leader of the Green Party of Manitoba, I commend you on this important editorial, raising awareness on the increased GHG emissions of speedy product delivery. The ecological cost of the tons of packing materials and the economic hit to local businesses of all these big box deliveries also merits consideration. In addition, the shameful labour practices to which delivery and warehouse staff are subjected, must end.

We encourage all to consider support for the Canada Post workers negotiation proposal “Canada Post Delivery Community Power Initiative.” It recommends Canada Post be the primary universal last miles delivery provider, for all parcel deliveries in our country. This investment in the people of Canada Post, supports solid local jobs with benefits, while minimizing climate transport impacts, to help Manitobans and Canadians in reaching our much-needed environmental goals.

On a personal level, as a farm resident, Canada Post has never lost my parcels to my post box, which I can’t say is true of all the other attempted farm delivery services.

We challenge all your readers, as we do ourselves, to not only recycle and reuse, but to reduce our consumption! It’s “reduce, reuse and recycle” we all are overdue in practicing for responsible action!

Janine Gibson

Steinbach

Tearing up lease not the answer

Re: “Club problems” (Letters, Dec. 30)

Irwin Corobow states in his letter that the city should tear up the lease it has with the Granite Curling Club and force them to move elsewhere. I suppose he’s also suggesting that the 130-year-old heritage building should be levelled to allow for more housing.

Maybe the city should check what other leases they have and tear them up and force those leaseholders out and build more housing. Why even bother to have leases? Just tear them all up. For most of those leaseholders, forcing them out wouldn’t even cause a ripple to 99 per cent of Winnipegers. Does Winnipeg need affordable housing?

It sure does, but forcing a 130-year-old business to close to get it isn’t the answer and just because only a small percentage of people curl, it’s okay to ignore their legal rights. Now that’s a precedent Coun. Evan Duncan should be concerned about.

Ken McLean

Starbuck

Getting tested

Re: First comes the shock (Dec. 30)

Kudos to Martin Zeilig for sharing his journey with prostate cancer. When a doctor says to you those three horrible words that “you have cancer,” it brings you down to Earth very quickly.

How do I know? I heard those same three words, just over nine years ago. I was diagnosed with a high grade of prostate cancer, nine out of 10 on the Gleason grading system.

Like Zeilig, I had a radical prostatectomy and a good recovery. Still, my doctor orders a prostate-specific antigen test on a yearly basis. While I was still a practicing chiropractor, retiring in August 2022, I encouraged my male patients over the age of 40 to have their antigen levels checked as a part of their medical physical.

While not the most accurate of tests, at the moment, in combination with a thorough physical examination and other ancillary tests, the antigen test is still important.

Brian E. Lecker

Winnipeg

Support for Ukraine

Re: “Ukraine in retrospect” (Letters, Dec. 30)

Reading the letter Peter John Manastyrsky wrote summed up the position of Vladimir Putin versus Ukraine.

Peter’s last statement is that without support for Ukraine, peace will collapse and Russia’s next targets will be sovereign states in the same area. That profound statement should be shouted out loud enough so the rest of our world knows that no country is safe in that area of the world, and that we in the West support Ukraine any way we can.

Well said Peter.

Ken Butchart

Winnipeg

What Winnipeg Transit needs

Re: Winnipeg Transit: imperfect, but indispensable (Think Tank, Dec. 29)

Adam Johnston posits some interesting ideas for making transit better in Winnipeg. As I write this I’m enjoying the best transit in the country right now in Vancouver and it’s fabulous in every way.

A few things to say against Adam’s plan.

Reducing fares seems like the wrong move here. The thing to do is to bring service up to the standards the fare is worth. Right now, Winnipeggers are paying more than Vancouver residents, who only pay a one-zone fare anywhere on the system by bus ($3.35) but yet we don’t have multiple skytrain lines nor the requisite amount of articulated buses nor the great feeder Nova buses.

Fares are paid in Vancouver, by and large. There is significant fare enforcement here which needs to be escalated and applied consistently in Winnipeg, that might make Adam and the poverty activists screw themselves through the ceiling, but it’s what has to be done to maintain trust in security on the transit system and prevent violence.

I certainly agree that we need the 50/50 split with the province back in place, but what has really helped Translink is the federal transit money. It’s Winnipeg’s time now, we deserve a bigger share of that money to improve our system the way it has improved Vancouver and Toronto. For me, the key use of any bundle of cash is the purchase of more green buses and accompanying infrastructure so, charging stations and or maintenance to keep that fleet running.

Energy costs and low ridership/fare evasion is Winnipeg Transit’s biggest overall cost concern. If we can alleviate that with a transition to green mass transit, then we will be well on our way to making Transit better. Once cost savings start accumulating from energy savings, Transit can then apply the savings to improving the system, like hiring drivers and mechanics at increased wages. More drivers hired means less terrible shifting, which will make everyone happier, and more buses can be added which will alleviate pass-ups, more money to security increases the number of safety team members, the more of those officers, the more fare checks can be conducted, the more safety that will flow from that is incalculable.

Winnipeg Transit can be improved but we have to start by acknowledging a few basic facts about it; fuel costs are a major inhibitor to improvement, we need to transition off expensive fuel consuming vehicles within the fleet, we have to realize that Transit isn’t a homeless shelter, it’s a service that has to be paid for.

It’s there as a conveyance, not a permanent residence.

Finally, we have to realize that the frontline workers of Transit are people too, people who deserve decent shift scheduling, decent pay, and safety at work, and we deserve functional transit, so something has to give here.

Will Jones

Winnipeg

Thanks for kind words

Re: “Message from the U.S.” (Letters, Dec. 31)

Thank you, Bradley Clark, for your note of empathy and kindness (my choice of interpretation). It’s a reminder that a deep friendship may not be over.

I hope it’s just temporarily on hold.

Bob Greenhalgh

Lockport