Letters, April 2, 2026

Lessons from history

As philosopher George Santayana said, “ Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it”… and so U.S. President Donald Trump thinks that he can force Iran into submission with technology and massive expenditures of money, materials and soldiers, having not learned the lessons taught by the Vietnamese who deftly sidestepped America by fighting a guerilla war.

Canada will do well to avoid any participation in this conflict, lest we become a target for the inevitable terrorist-style attacks.

Robert Collings

Winnipeg

Falling behind

The University of Manitoba’s announcement of a four per cent tuition increase comes on the heels of a provincial budget that increased grant assistance to post-secondary institutions by 2.45 per cent. This amounts to a decrease in “real” dollars since it doesn’t even match Manitoba’s annual average inflation rate of 2.7 per cent in 2025.

It’s disappointing that our provincial governments continue to undervalue post-secondary education, forcing tough choices for post-secondary institutions and higher tuition for students.

Post-secondary education is crucial to our supply of highly educated professionals, including nurses, doctors, dentists, teachers, lawyers, engineers, scientists, etc.

It’s time for government to begin funding post-secondary education at levels that don’t increase the financial burden on students, who should instead be commended for their academic achievements and offered the best education that Manitoba can provide.

Tim Wildman

Winnipeg

Picking headlines

Re: No charges for WPS officers in fatal 2025 shooting: IIU, March 31

As a retired police officer I take exception to this headline and the tone of the article. The goal of the investigation was to gather the facts and have a judicial official review them to decide if the shooting was justified.

What the article suggests is the opposite. It implies that the goal of an Independent Investigation Unit (IIU) investigation was to gather enough evidence to charge the officers but that “Given that the Manitoba Prosecution Service’s opinion is that the standard for prosecuting charges has not been met, the civilian director will not be authorizing charges.”

This headline could just as easily read “Officers justified in fatal 2025 shooting: IIU” which I believe most readers would accept given the scenario described in the article.

Stan Tataryn

Winnipeg

Lessen pain and suffering

Re: Winnipeg and ground squirrels, Think Tank, March 20

With so many ways to manage ground squirrel populations, it’s baffling that the city chose an option that’s so unnecessarily cruel, especially when more effective and humane solutions were clearly on the table.

Environment and Climate Change Minister Mike Moyes should do the right thing and immediately revoke the permit for this draconian management plan, so the city can implement a more reasonable option that would spare our wildlife as much pain and suffering as this approach would cause.

Diane Youngman

Winnipeg

Boulevards and bike lanes

RE: The rush for Wellington bike lanes is misguided (Think Tank, March 26), “Balance in design” (Letters, March 30), and Protecting mature trees should be a priority (Think Tank, March 31).

As someone who recently spent 10 years commuting to and from work along Wellington Crescent between Academy Road and River Avenue, and someone who still regularly travels that route, I have followed the discussions about bicycle lanes along there closely.

I tried cycling the route early in those years but found it rather terrifying and dangerous, and as a result ended up driving instead. Had there been bike lanes, I certainly would have regularly cycled.

Writers John Youngman and M. Strath have both referred to Wellington Crescent’s “wide boulevards” as justification to convert them to bike lanes and leave the car lanes uninterrupted and open to zooming traffic. If they researched this properly, or even just observed properly, they would see that Wellington’s boulevards are not particularly wider than any others in this city on any other regular street.

They might also have noticed that these boulevards have scores of tall beautiful majestic trees in them, along with tall, less beautiful (but rather useful) street lights and the occasional very useful fire hydrant, all of which would interfere with converting the boulevards to bike lanes.

Most concerning to me would be the need to destroy the trees, and Erna Buffie makes important and eloquent arguments for preserving and protecting all of our urban tree canopy in her March 31 Think Tank piece.

That canopy that produces critical life-sustaining oxygen, cools our summers along our asphalt heat-radiating streets, and beautifies our city to the envy of most other cities, must be preserved at all costs.

If that cost here is a minute or so of traffic delay or inconvenience in order to create a safe and respectful bicycle environment, it is a very small price to pay indeed.

Bob Martin

Winnipeg

No need for tax break

A gas tax holiday or subsidy for industrial and agricultural use is probably sensible, especially to help manage grocery prices, but one for all consumers is foolhardy.

We don’t need a gas tax holiday, we need drivers to shift their priorities.

Urban drivers can lessen their time on the road by taking transit, bike riding is a good option with the snow melting. If people carpool, they can also pool their money for gas.

Sure, fewer visits to the pump will mean less money in government coffers; but getting less money is better than recieving nothing, which is the proposed solution.

The solution is not to remove a revenue stream that helps maintain physical infrastructure, like roads. This war could accelerate our move to renewables, and a gas tax can help fund greening initiatives.

If the war in Iran were to end tomorrow, oil prices will be at elevated levels for years.

Consumers need to be more responsible and make adjustments where possible.

Kelsey Enns

Winnipeg

Making connections

Re: Measles outbreak needs more than just information (Editorial, March 26)

I am in 100 per cent agreement that more than information is needed to address the measles situation in Manitoba. This week, Dr. Joss Reimer, Canada’s new Chief Public Health Officer, was interviewed by a rural media outlet (Portage Online, March 27) and she hit the nail on the head. Trusted relationships are the key to addressing people’s concerns about vaccines, particularly evident in southern Manitoba with lower than average immunization rates.

As a former public health professional, I know that public health nurses, primary care physicians, nurse practitioners, and others are diligently working behind the scenes to repair relationships fractured during the pandemic, and slowly rebuild trust.

It is time consuming but worthwhile work. Not every conversation leads to a vaccination (and that’s OK). However, by listening to and addressing concerns with individuals and families based on their unique situations, health care providers are having a positive impact on the health of their communities. This is largely invisible work.

Thank you to all those involved in preventing further measles cases in Manitoba. Your efforts are greatly appreciated.

Stephanie Verhoeven

Portage la Prairie