Letters, July 4

Appropriate accountability, appropriate support

Re: Police, agencies at odds over drug sweep (June 27); Downtown crackdown necessary (Editorial, July 2)

The editorial states that with regard to the increasing use of drugs on our streets “doing nothing is not an acceptable option.”

The executive director of the West Central Women’s Resource Centre states that “there is no path,” meaning there is no housing and only inadequate shelter space, drop-in space, and treatment beds.

It would seem obvious (as noted in the editorial) that “while our city and province must do all they can to assist those for whom urban life includes desperate levels of poverty and addiction, they must also redouble their efforts to make those places safe and accessible for the rest of the population.”

The foregoing brings to mind two thoughts. First, concerned social agencies need to more clearly and bluntly acknowledge the problems being caused for others by those who are doing drugs in ways and places where they shouldn’t be. Everybody needs to be appropriately accountable.

Second, it is past time for the province to be doing more, and doing it now, to get people trapped in homelessness and addiction the supports they need. Case in point, the temporary emergency mobile version of the long-promised safe consumption site, now scheduled to be fully operational in August, should have been fully operational months (if not years) ago.

Gerald Farthing

Winnipeg

A call for LRT in Winnipeg

There have been a lot of letters about the “improvements ” to the public transit system in Winnipeg. Many writers have expressed a desire to return to the previous system.

It is time for Winnipeg to look forward, As our population grows, we will soon be the only city in Canada with a population of one million without a light rail public transit system.

Yes, we can have one too. The rapid transit bus corridor serving the University of Manitoba can be converted to light rail. The system could then be gradually expanded to other city areas. The expansion can be done gradually, over several years. Bus routes would stay, but would increasingly focus on getting commuters to an increasing number of light rail stations.

Light rail routes would influence construction throughout the city. Winnipeg Transit could actually plan for the future growth of the city and influence developers rather than playing catch-up with builders and an increasing number of far-flung suburbs.

Light rail runs on low-cost, zero-emission electricity rather than high-cost diesel fuel. It is modern and attractive and can be more efficiently patrolled by safety officers than individual buses.

Time to think of the future, Winnipeg Transit.

Jukka Rislahti

Winnipeg

Before it’s too late

Re: Manitobans urged to prepare for summer storms (July 3)

Last year the news cycle was about wildfires and dangerously polluted air. This year it is about floods, tornadoes and loss of cropland. That is Manitoba. Elsewhere it is about heat waves and droughts, species extinction, warming and rising oceans, and more.

We in Manitoba are well-situated to drastically reduce our emissions, but little is being done. Our government has shown little interest in a comprehensive green agenda. Appearances by the premier seldom, if at all, highlight the need to address the climate woes that are beginning to ravage our province.

The situation will get worse but without action now, what we call extreme weather will become a pattern of extreme ravaging. I think all of us — citizens and government alike, the world over — need to take this one in hand and tackle it. Manitoba needs to do its part now.

Steve Rauh

Winnipeg

The ‘feedback loop’ of home prices

Re: “Blind bidding deserves second look” (Letters, June 8)

While housing affordability remains a central challenge, addressing the structural factors that contribute to rising prices — such as blind bidding — could offer a meaningful path forward.

The current system often operates with limited transparency. Because buyers cannot see competing offers, they frequently feel pressured and may be told by their agents to submit their highest possible bid on the first try. This uncertainty can accelerate price growth, placing a heavy financial burden on everyday homebuyers.

Current policies create competing incentives that inadvertently sustain high housing market values. Rising home prices generate substantial revenue for provincial governments through land transfer taxes. These elevated sale prices subsequently trigger higher property assessments for both new buyers and neighbouring properties, driving up property taxes. This appreciation establishes a feedback loop, as the elevated baseline forces the next wave of buyers to pay even higher prices, continuously restarting the cycle.

True progress on housing affordability may require a closer look at these fiscal structures. Reviewing land transfer tax rates and exploring transparent bidding could help create a more balanced market. Until policy incentives are aligned with affordability goals, stabilizing the housing market will remain a significant challenge for buyers.

Joanne Marchand

Winnipeg

Somewhere to go — with limits

Re: Downtown crackdown necessary (Editorial, July 2)

Although this editorial concentrated on the city’s drug problem, it could be extended to the city’s homeless encampment problem. The City of Victoria has a bylaw restricting overnight camping in its city parks to the hours of 7 p.m. to 7 a.m. and then only if no shelter beds are available. In the morning, the campers must pack up their shelters and remove them from the park.

This could be extended to all city property in Winnipeg. This bylaw does not infringe on a person’s right to not to have a fixed address, only where a person may camp overnight.

Stan Tataryn

Winnipeg

Illicit drugs and Winnipeg streets

I have a few observations on the story about the police sweep on open illicit drug consumption on Winnipeg streets.

Any type of addiction is destructive for the addicts and the society they live in. You can have a myriad of supports in place, but it still comes down to the addicts themselves recognizing their addiction and having a profound internal desire to stop.

People who are not illicit drug users have rights, too.

Absolutely, we want to help people quit their addictions out of compassion and the desire to make our society better for everyone. The real question, ultimately, is why there is such a staggering demand in the first place for illicit drugs in our society. Solutions may be found if an answer to this question is found. Remember, if there is no demand for illicit drugs, there are no drug dealers and cartels. What a wonderful thought.

Glenn S. Hansen

Winnipeg