Letters, May 5

A former ref’s perspective

I’ll preface my remarks by stating my involvement in the Canadian Football League as a head referee from 1974 to 1986, assigned to three Grey Cups (Montreal – 1979, Toronto – 1982, and Edmonton – 1984). I have played the game at the high school level and officiated in the amateur ranks for 13 years prior to being invited to the CFL.

I am a strong supporter of the CFL, attending games on a regular basis. The new rules the league is implementing bother me greatly. I can understand the new commissioner wants to improve the game, but I believe in the saying, “If it’s not broken, don’t fix it!”

Aligning the changes, i.e. smaller field, goal posts placed on the dead-ball line, no points for a missed field goal (play is whistled dead) takes away from some of the most exciting plays we witnessed for many years. I’m sure the commissioner is aware of this. Placing the goal post on the dead-ball line will reduce the number of field goals as the distance is increased with the new rule. Incidentally, the CFL scored more points per game last year than the NFL.

I checked with another official/supervisor of the CFL and in his 47 years in the league, the only time the goal posts created a problem was during a game between Oakland and Green Bay Packers who played an exhibition game in Winnipeg. During my short time of 12 years in the CFL, never once did the goal post cause a problem.

These changes can only be viewed as aligning our game with the National Football League. In today’s climate of Canada needing to be self-reliant and not dependant on the United States for the development of our game, I am both surprised and disappointed with the rule changes.

I live in Winnipeg and I’m very proud of our team and the support of our fans. Saskatchewan boasts this position as well. Edmonton has a real problem with their fan base, and Toronto leads the way with the largest population, and the least fans. Surely this is the No. 1 problem! I fail to see how any rule changes will bring about more fans to the cities that need them the most.

The new playoff structure is flawed. Having over 90 per cent of the teams involved in playoffs, and the possibility of an all-east or all-west Grey Cup will decrease fan attendance both at the game and viewership on TV. The notion that more games will draw more fans is highly suspect. The east-versus-west is and always will be a competitive event. This rivalry will be eliminated. To do otherwise will provide disastrous results.

Bud Ulrich

Winnipeg

Programs no great loss

Re: RRC Polytech program cuts take bite out of hospitality, tourism sector (May 2)

It is misguided to lament the closing down of training programs that used to attract many international students.

The industry spokespeople want to have us believe that they continue to require these programs to enable the industry to hire enough staff. What these industries should instead be asked to explain is why their retention rate for staff is very low. The turnover rate in the restaurant industry is almost 80 per cent and in the hospitality industry generally, it is over 50 per cent.

One can guess that the salaries and working conditions in those industries are poor. One can also assume that many of those international students who attended those programs were not really interested in working in those industries, but moved on as soon as better opportunities appeared. If these industries are concerned about finding staff, then they should focus on creating working conditions that promote staff retention.

I do not see the rationale to continue these training programs simply to create low wage and temporary jobs.

Irwin Corobow

Winnipeg

Getting ready for ‘suddenly’

Re: Put growing the economy first (Think Tank, May 2)

The president of the Manitoba Heavy Construction Association has declared that economic growth must be the first priority of every level of government.

In 1972, the Club of Rome published Limits to Growth wherein it warned that as long as Earth offers finite resources, unlimited economic growth is impossible. We cannot grow our way to sustainability. Attempting to do so will irreparably damage the environment and constrain already impoverished countries.

Limits to Growth had aggressive critics, but more recent scholarly work by researchers such as Canadian Peter A. Victor (Managing Without Growth, 2008) is sobering. Victor’s book is subtitled Slower by Design, not Disaster which is reminiscent of Hemingway’s character in The Sun Also Rises describing his bankruptcy as “gradually, then suddenly.”

How will the MHCA address “suddenly”? Indeed, how will government deal with “disaster”?

C. Hugh Arklie

Cooks Creek

Pride and opportunity through sports

Re: From Brazil’s rainforest to Rio de Janeiro, an all-Indigenous soccer team debuts with victory (May 3)

The story of Originarios — a professional soccer team made up entirely of Indigenous athletes — was deeply inspiring. Particularly striking was the fact that while Indigenous Peoples make up less than one per cent of Brazil’s population, they were still able to field a full professional team through collaboration, vision, and support.

Reading this article reinforced a belief I have long held: First Nations in Canada could do something similar. With meaningful collaboration and sustained government investment, Indigenous-led sport initiatives could directly advance reconciliation, while meeting the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s Calls to Action related to sport — specifically Calls to Action 87 through 91.

Call to Action 90, in particular, calls on the federal government to ensure that national sport policies and programs are inclusive of Indigenous Peoples. This includes stable funding for culturally relevant community sport programs, elite athlete development pathways, culturally appropriate training for coaches and officials, and strong anti-racism education. The framework already exists; what’s needed is the political will to fully realize it.

We only need to look at the success of the National Aboriginal Hockey Championships — currently taking place this week in Regina — for proof that the talent is there. The level of competition continues to rise each year, highlighting both the depth of Indigenous athletic ability and the impact of providing Indigenous athletes with space to compete and develop on their own terms.

As a hockey mom to an Indigenous female player, I see both the promise and the barriers firsthand.

While the excitement around women’s professional hockey is growing, so too is the financial divide. Today’s development pathways often require significant private investment, creating a widening gap between those who can afford elite training and those who cannot. For many First Nations families, these costs present a real and growing barrier to participation and advancement.

If First Nations were supported to collaborate — backed by sustained Government of Canada investment — I can envision a clear pathway for Indigenous women and girls into professional hockey. With reconciliation driven sport policy and proper funding, even the idea of a Turtle Island PWHL expansion team no longer feels out of reach. It feels possible.

Sport is not just a game. As the Originarios players remind us, it can also be resistance, pride, and opportunity. Canada has both the responsibility and the chance to ensure Indigenous athletes are not left behind.

Gail Wozney

Winnipeg