Letters, April 11

Step down for statue

Re: BMO’s First World War soldier memorial now standing guard over lost brothers in arms (April 9)

The monument of Captain Wynn Bagnall was a statue of honour placed at Portage and Main where everyone in the city and everyone visiting the city saw it. It was a constant reminder of the tragedy of war. It was there when Portage and Main was open long before it was closed. There is no valid reason why it should be moved now other than it also represented imperialism.

Moving it to a graveyard where very few people will see it is symbolic of how we now treat our past. Instead of guarding Manitobans, he is now guarding the often forgotten dead.

This doesn’t sound like a step up.

Gary Fraser

Winnipeg

Enough is enough

Re: Kinew launches heated attack on Khan (April 9)

I am a supporter of Premier Wab Kinew, but am increasingly fed up with the relentless vicious, vindictive attacks between him and Progressive Conservative Leader Obby Khan. It is long past time for these two party leaders to start demonstrating some statesmanship and integrity, and focus their energies on issues important to all Manitobans.

Kinew is removing provincial sales tax on junk food and soft drinks, thereby encouraging unhealthy eating; and he is pondering removal of sales tax on gasoline, which would disproportionately benefit owners of gas-guzzling vehicles, rather than people in need.

Why forgo hundreds of millions of dollars of badly needed revenue, which could be used to address urgent needs such as health care wait lists, child poverty, and more?

Ron Menec

Winnipeg

I don’t see how the PC Leader Obby Khan can continue to represent his constituents and to lead his party in view of his offensive remarks and subsequent tactics to minimize, sugarcoat, and deny what he said. Manitoba is made up of a diverse population and this kind of intolerance is not acceptable.

The only appropriate action is for him to resign. However, it is unlikely that he will do the right thing but rather pull his party down as did his predecessor. This is good news for the NDP, as it will solidify another majority in the next provincial election.

Ariel Lee

Winnipeg

Lack of good manners

It is certainly disturbing to see the lack of decorum, or frankly out of control behavior by the premier of Manitoba in the Legislative Assembly each day. Watching the daily question period, you have to wonder if he is serious about being the change that Manitoba needs or if he and his front bench are more interested in throwing jabs and making jokes at other members.

I am not sure if I am watching adult elected officials, or a kindergarten class. The legislature is a place to criticize policies, not character. That is the job of voters.

This is not the change that I voted for, and if the NDP wants my vote again, they need to grow up and act like they deserve it.

Jan Williams

Winnipeg

Rent policy a costly move

Re: Rent control killing jobs: landlords (April 7)

Hats off to the NDP for ruining quality rental housing and creating unemployment for Manitobans!

A new proposed policy of the NDP will effectively prevent landlords from raising rents to cover the cost of repairs and renovations and cause deferrals of needed repairs and upgrades to apartment buildings — ultimately causing Manitobans to live in lower-quality housing conditions.

This policy, couched in the goal of more “affordable housing for Manitobans” will also result in removing millions in annual capital repairs and upgrades to apartment buildings and mean less work for tradespeople — the very people for whom the NDP want to provide jobs and affordable housing.

Due to the projected job losses from this policy, people will be forced to use their unemployment insurance payments to fund their rent in their soon to be degraded apartment suites.

The NDP goal of more “affordable housing” better be accompanied by umbrellas for the leaky roofs that will follow! Talk about a backwards policy!

Jim Chess

Winnipeg

Careless words

Re: Manitoba Tory leader rebuked for comments to non-binary cabinet member (April 7)

My grandmother always reminded us, growing up, to watch the words we used. The Creator, she said, gave humans this gift of speech to be used responsibly. She would remind us that “words can heal and words can hurt” — choose them wisely, she said.

Today, words spoken and written, whether in social discourse, political speeches, media, social media, schools, or universities, are accepting of the language that promotes incivility.

Lies, propaganda, hate, and character assassinations are freely, strategically, and openly polluting our social environment without any consideration of the impact on society in general.

Progressive Conservative Leader Obby Khan used dehumanizing language towards Health Minister Uzoma Asagwara, which was not only reprehensible and unacceptable, but also provided Islamophobes the opportunity to attack Islam/Muslims.

In the heat of the moment, one must pause, take a sip of water, and think before uttering words that hurt. Foul language in chambers is becoming common in today’s world — it reflects on our leaders and sets a negative example for our youth. These leaders are also parents and must ponder the example they are setting.

Shahina Siddiqui

Winnipeg

Pothole fix

It is pothole season in Winnipeg again and rather than grumbling about it, what if we could fix this perennial problem, not just blame the smectite clays and the empty coffers of city hall? There is a solution.

Many countries in the world have a road tax, where a not-insignificant fee is charged to drivers for use of the roads, and this money is used solely for the purpose of keeping the surface in good condition.

This fee is often based on the curb weight of your vehicle, so that the heavier vehicles (which cause the most damage), pay a proportionally higher price. Physics says the damage caused to roads is the vehicle weight to the fourth power, so an SUV that is twice as heavy as a Honda Fit actually causes 16 times the damage. In the Netherlands, this fee ranges from 40 to 200 euros per month.

In Manitoba we have 870,000 registered vehicles under 4.5 tonnes and perhaps 75 per cent of those are in and around Winnipeg. Using the lower range of the NL scale (60 euros/month equals approximately C$100/month) would net approximately $783 million per year. Would this be enough to keep our roads in good condition? Likely.

Would there also be a reduction in cars on the road?

Likely. Riding a bike, taking the bus or carpooling would become instantly more attractive, just as driving a monster truck or SUV would have monthly consequences that outweigh the imagined benefits those vehicles bring. Then there’s the impact on the city’s budget as the $350 million currently spent on road repair could go to repaying debt, or for services.

This is the solution I propose.

In the real analysis, it is not a road tax, but the users paying the true cost.

Joe Ackerman

Winnipeg