Letters, April 25

Careful what you wish for

Re: “Support Canadian business” (Letters, April 24)

Many are upset about a relatively small local contract being awarded to an American company. I get it. It’s human nature to support the little guy or the underdog. Plus we are being treated unfairly by our neighbours and we want to fight back. The many examples and recent uptick in patriotism is impressive.

As was pointed out in a letter to the editor there are numerous other massive U.S. companies (Costco, Walmart) all across Canada that most do business with almost daily. Judging from how busy they are there doesn’t seem to be much kick back against any of them. Lots are willing to fight for a small local firm that won’t financially impact their lives much if at all. However, small acts of local favouritism can result in retaliation which can escalate. So before we cry out for protectionist shop local purchasing policies at the institutional level and/or retaliate against our bully neighbour we ought to consider the big picture.

There are many major Canadian firms with heavy U.S. exposure including Nutrien (fertilizer), Enbridge (pipelines), TC Energy, Magna International (automotive), and Royal Bank of Canada. Other major players include Shopify, Lululemon, Gildan, and WSP Global. Do you think any of these would be supportive of buy local only policies?

We are fortunate to have leadership that is working diligently to find more reliable trading partners but that’s going to take time. In the meanwhile it might be best if we don’t poke the bear even if it’s just the baby bear we feel brave enough to poke.

Henly Pheifer

Winnipeg

Poor choice of menu

Re: Offended by city golf courses’ food order (April 23)

In response to the city making an extremely poor decision to support an American, rather than Canadian, company there’s something we can all do.

Refuse to support Aramark. After your golf game, throw the clubs in the car and head to the nearest Salisbury House.

When the time to vote in the next election arrives, remember how the city supported not just Canada but in particular, Winnipeg businesses. Do you want your city councillor and your next mayor, to support becoming the 51st state by awarding procurements to American companies.

We can show support by doing these two things. It’s the voters who decide what’s best, not self serving politicians.

Melanie Edmonds

Winnipeg

This decision to not renew a contract with a long-standing local business of 95 years that employs many local people not just in restaurants but at the commissary on King Edward, and sources local ingredients from farmers across the province is tone-deaf and shows the ineptitude of the city and it’s decisions.

The city will stand up and cheer on local business but will not support them when contracts are open … unless it will line the pockets of top brass at city hall and their friends as per the downtown police station scandal.

Perhaps now that the city has chosen a cheaper solution to save some money, it can relegate those funds to fix the roads, address the homeless problem or pay some more consulting firms to make the bus routes worse. Your pick.

Eric Peterson

Winnipeg

In defence of the city

While armchair economists question why Winnipeg and the Province of Manitoba decided to award contracts to Aramark Canada for food services at two city-run golf courses and for hospitals and schools , did they stop to think that perhaps Aramark tendered the best bid? As well all employees that they employ in Manitoba, live in Manitoba.

Do they also question why Canada exports roughly 75 per cent of all goods we produce to the U.S.? Why don’t we export all of our goods to other economies instead? Any business owner will tell you that it takes years and years and millions of dollars spent in promoting their company and product in the hope of getting a single order from a new customer in other parts of the world.

Whether we like it or not, the U.S. will always be Canada’s biggest trading partner and vice versa.

Alfred Sansregret

Winnipeg

Commendable move

Re: Manitoba unfazed by crypto companies’ complaints (April 24)

I would like to commend our provincial government on its proposal to charge crypto and AI data centre companies higher electricity rates and to limit their consumption during peak periods. These companies should feel fortunate they are permitted to exist within our provincial borders at all. If it were my choice they would not be.

Cryptocurrency and AI data centres create significant environmental challenges, such as massive energy and substantial water consumption. The Etobicoke data centre YTO 40 was approved to use 39.75 litres of water per second for cooling purposes, which is equivalent to 1.2 billion litres a year, or 500 Olympic-sized swimming pools.

Moreover, these companies produce no tangible products to defend their grotesque resource consumption. And let’s be realistic, the $200,000 per year paid in salaries for three full-time and one part-time employee and $32,000 in annual property taxes are drops in the bucket compared to the massive amounts of energy and water that just one company consumes.

We need to be mature and responsible about our environmental behaviour, more now than ever, and permitting crypto and AI data centre companies to consume unlimited amounts of energy and precious ground water does not fit into that equation. Kudos to our provincial government for moving forward on this important issue.

Steve Oetting

Winnipeg

Make your voice be heard

Re: “Canadians apathetic on emissions” (Letters, April 23)

Edward Katz writes that Canadians don’t care about reaching emissions reductions targets. Actually 90 per cent of people worldwide and 70 per cent of Canadians do want action on climate. They just don’t think that others do. Why? The fossil fuel industry (responsible for over 70 per cent of the world’s warming greenhouse gases) has been deceiving us for decades about the damage from their pollution. They have falsely claimed there is controversy around proven climate science. They fund so-called “grassroots” groups and social media posts boosted by harmful algorithms that spread climate disinformation. These are picked up and spread by right wing politicians and media.

Policy choices matter. Public subsidies, private financing, and enabling polluters to externalize the costs of their deadly pollution gives them more leverage, and political influence continues to support the expansion of extraction. Fossil fuel representatives lobbied 986 times in 2025.

What to do? Make polluters pay, align our financial systems with climate goals, and use trusted media, based on science and integrity. We need tax reform, including a wealth and/or a windfall tax, and a climate taxonomy so we have standards for clean investment. Talk about climate with friends and family, contact your councillor, MLA, and MP and tell them you do care and want real action.

Lori Bohn

Winnipeg