Letters, March 2

Don’t pursue data centres

Re: Data centres and Manitoba: a cautionary tale (Feb. 27)

Joel Trenaman hit the nail on the head with this critique of AI data centres.

It’s still unclear how serious the proposal by Consensus Core and Jet.AI to build a gigantic data centre in the RM of Ritchot actually is; the latter is a penny stock company purporting to specialize in “private jet charter artificial intelligence” (and also happens to have two former senior pilots for the Israeli Air Force on its board). But they are certainly lobbying the provincial government heavily to try to make it happen.

Even if this particularly egregious project doesn’t proceed, however, Manitobans must remain skeptical of the push for data centre development in the name of “sovereign AI.” Conventional data centres for storing sensitive information are one thing. The AI data centres sweeping the world and consuming staggering amounts of electricity — much of which is generated by fossil fuels — are exponentially more destructive and worrisome.

Given Hydro’s electricity shortage forecasts and the urgent need to electrify transportation, buildings, and industry, Manitoba should stop pursuing AI data centres and instead support services that address the climate crisis, electrical grid pressures, and rural economic development. Building retrofits and ground-source heat pumps would be a great place to start.

James Wilt

Winnipeg

Trump amok

The entire planet’s economic and financial sectors stand idly by as the destructive force of tariffs continue to wreak havoc upon our global systems. A uncontrollable leadership is running amok while proclaiming or changing policies while streaming on social media.

The U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to rule the administration’s tariff policies belong in the trash bin has had little effect upon the president and his minions. Does executive fiat trump the Supreme Court? Can the president create emergency economic powers from a whim and public whimper? A global 10 per cent tariff is now 15 per cent according to America’s president.

International payments for the tariffs imposed over 10 months ago are in a log jam, with no real management plans to get these payments solidified and paid. Multiple domestic and International lawsuits against the federal government exist, yet the administration claims tariffs are here to stay as both economic and political weapons.

The Supreme Court’s decision is seen as the right way to force an end to these tariffs and to shorten the president’s leash. There are limits to the president’s power. We all know this, but does the president? If the administration and federal government are a team, it’s the most imbalanced and chaotic one in America.

Steven Kaszab

Bradford, Ont.

A fine line

Re: Missed opportunity at CMU (Feb. 27)

I want to commend Lisa Lewis on her excellent op-ed piece which was critical of CMU’s exhibition The Land Remembers, Palestine: Courage, Resilience, Resistance.

What I appreciated about her article was that in criticizing the exhibition she did not generalize about the Mennonite community.

There is a fine line between being pro-Palestinian and anti-Jewish. If that line was crossed in this exhibition it reflects individual error and not the view of the Mennonite community.

Mac Horsburgh

Winnipeg

Have some pride

Re: Sens captain Brady Tkachuk unhappy with White House AI video that insulted Canadians (Feb. 26)

National pride, people. These players brought the gold home for their country just like ours have done for us so many times before. If you have never taken issue with the NHL being misnamed for decades don’t start now.

It has always been an international hockey league involving two different countries and for as long as I can remember, it has had players from all over the world. And the players, the ones who left blood, sweat, tears, and teeth on the ice are being such good sportspeople that the White House couldn’t find any disparaging soundbites from them so had to use AI to invent some.

We don’t seem to be booing NHL players who represented their country at the Olympics who lost to Canada or were eliminated by someone else. So what? We only welcome the losers back with open arms but boo and badmouth the winners? For a country that prides itself on being the underdog you’d think we would have a bit more class than that.

Although, I will say I have never seen such a poor winner before as I have in some of what is coming out of the U.S. media and their leader (a guy who cheats at golf), isn’t that just all the more reason to be graceful in defeat? Defeats that still mean our women’s and men’s teams are silver-medal Olympians, by the way. So if they are able to leave it all out there on the ice, shouldn’t we respect them enough to follow their lead and do the same?

Brian Spencler

Winnipeg

Proud of Hellebuyck

Re: Jets goaltender bobbles puck in D.C. (Feb. 27)

Connor Hellebuyck is an American. He received the highest honour that his country could bestow upon him. The fact that the Presidential Medal of Freedom was given to him by the current president whose character and policies are disliked by vast numbers of people is totally irrelevant.

Hellebuyck is currently a hero to his country, to both Republicans and Democrats alike. Why should he have refused to have accepted the honour, just because of the person who gave him the medal? The president represents America and it was America that bestowed the honour to him. Perhaps, it could be considered to be a political statement to accept the honour.

On the other hand, it would have been a far greater political statement if he had refused the honour. It would be the same for refusing the Order of the Buffalo Hunt simply because you didn’t like the character or policies of the current NDP premier.

I think all Jets fans should be proud Hellebuyck received the highest honour that his country could have bestowed.

Brian Fraser

Winnipeg

Bus service botched

My brother and I are in Mazatlan, where the transit service runs from one end of the major thoroughfare to the other on a frequent basis, which meets most people’s needs. In Winnipeg, we have a new and improved system which has now been proven to serve few people’s needs and was a huge mistake.

I knew the new system was not working when a friend indicated the trip from his home in Charleswood to the Grant Park Shopping Centre which once took 15 to 20 minutes now took an hour because some tall forehead thought it was a good idea to send all the buses to Polo Park, just what most people wanted (if you think that was sarcasm you are smarter than the average transit specialist). Politicians are doing their thing and suggesting that the problem lies elsewhere, not with the mistake they have made.

I asked my brother if getting elected makes people incapable of admitting to an error and he wondered if it somehow made them hearing impaired or just too full of themselves to care.

It appears the only way to rid us of this system is to wait until the next election and vote them out.

James Gosman

Winnipeg