Letters, July 5

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 05/07/2022 (1430 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Violence will deter visitors

Re: Week of violence at The Forks continues with Canada Day stabbings (July 2)

Although I do not currently live in Winnipeg, I did for many years and still consider myself a Winnipegger. This latest unprovoked violent attack is infuriating to read about.

All cities have problems, all cities have gangs and crime and areas where you just simply do not go. To have this happen in the one true tourist area of the city should make all citizens, municipal politicians and economic representatives take pause and consider its meaning. Winnipeg is not safe.

People from other provinces often ask me about safety in Winnipeg. These are people who have never been to Winnipeg. Up until now, I answered them with an explanation equivalent to what I said about other cities above. Now, the answer is much simpler. No, Winnipeg is not safe. There is no answer that can start with “it depends” anymore.

When an attack like this happens to people because they simply “bumped into someone,” it is not safe to walk the streets. When it happens to individuals fleeing a full-scale war in Ukraine, it means that they would be safer in Kyiv warding off missile attacks than in Winnipeg celebrating a national holiday.

With a new mayor set to take over from Brian Bowman in October, I hope public safety and crime prevention tops their agenda. Tourists will not frequent a city where they are attacked in the street.

Michael Guberman

Vaughan, Ontario

Encourage councillors to bus it

Re: Free parking helps keep councillors driving to city hall (July 4)

City councillors who say they won’t use the bus to get to work because they represent areas with “poor public transit” or because it isn’t efficient enough to allow them to attend meetings in different parts of the city are the best argument for replacing free parking privileges with bus passes for elected officials and city staff.

Perhaps that will encourage them to get more buses on the streets, to maintain better, warmer, cleaner facilities for transit users, and to provide safer, more appropriate shelters for those without homes.

Duncan Thornton

Winnipeg

Empty-building bylaw needed

Re: Empty building, extra billing? (July 2)

It was interesting to read that the city has a committee studying the issue of whether to charge the owners of empty buildings the cost of responding to fires in those buildings. Perhaps this committee could also discuss the issue of what to do about owners who collect the fire insurance paid out on a building and then board it up.

Boarded-up buildings are a real cause for concern in our city. A lot of Winnipeggers would like to see a boarded-up buildings bylaw that creates a financial incentive for the owners to do something with these buildings.

Mac Horsburgh

Winnipeg

Honouring pandemic heroes

Re: Public memorial would honour COVID-19 casualties (Opinion, July 2)

Like columnist Carl DeGurse, I’ve been thinking about the need for a COVID-19 memorial, which I imagine to be broader in scope.

There is a need to honour the 2,025 Manitobans who have died so far. All were loved and lost prematurely. There should be a place for their families to grieve and for all of us to remember.

At the same time, we also need a monument to recognize the heroic sacrifices of Manitobans during the pandemic, particularly our brave health-care workers. Apart from literally putting their lives on the line to look after us, the pandemic has also taken a grave toll on their mental health and the well-being of their families.

The design of the memorial should be a collaborative and inclusive effort. Families of those who passed, front-line workers and all Manitobans should be consulted.

DeGurse is right: we can expect no support for such an initiative from our current provincial government, which, for political reasons, wants us to forget the pandemic.

My hope is that an organization such as the Winnipeg Foundation will step up to lead this important effort.

Sean Petty

Winnipeg

‘Misognist’ label unfair

Re: Double standard in Canada Day debate (Opinion, June 30)

In a province governed by a female premier, columnist Shannon Sampert is wrong to paint local politics as misogynist because of online attacks on Jenny Motkaluk. The root cause of the attacks on Motkaluk were her comments, not her gender. Note that Rana Bokhari was not attacked for either her gender or her stance, which was more supportive of The Forks’ decision, and while Lloyd Axworthy’s comments were assertive, they were also sympathetic to the grievances of Indigenous peoples, unlike the confrontational and divisive tone of Motkaluk’s comments.

Furthermore, Sampert states that a woman leaving local politics for provincial and then federal politics would never be taken seriously if she was to return. Well, perhaps she should tell that to Shelly Glover, who came extremely close to being our premier.

Randy Clinch

Winnipeg

Cover abortion issue fairly

Re: Sadly, unborn babies die (Letter, July 2)

The points by letter writer Hans Froese are valid, and a clear indication of how convoluted the term “rights” has been twisted in today’s culture. Canada considers our enlightened society to be compassionate, having eliminated the death penalty, despite the heinous crimes of mass murderers; conversely, the unborn baby, the most innocent of all, is given the death penalty.

The letter you published from Froese was less than 20 lines; however, in section A18, an entire half page was filled with an enormous picture of pro-choice protesters, accompanied by clear signs of their message, one proudly displaying her sign using the most vulgar language.

The Free Press should strive for equal and fair coverage of the abortion issue. That, without question, would be viewed favorably by thousands of potential subscribers.

Irene Myrna Howard

Winnipeg

Leave reptiles in habitat

Re: Expo hopes to shed the skin of reptile resistance (June 27)

I was disappointed to see the Free Press promote a reptile expo. Sadly, these reptile lovers don’t love them enough to leave them in their natural habitat. Instead, they think these creatures need to live their lives in containers in Winnipeg homes. How anyone could fail to recognize this as abuse is mind boggling.

Rick Hisco

Winnipeg

July 1 should be celebration

Re: Protesters march for freedom on Canada Day (July 1)

How sad that our children are growing up and witnessing such discontent among the adult generation holding demonstrations. Time was, Canada Day was a day to celebrate with street parades, picnics or barbeques in a park.

We live in one of the most free countries in the world, and some people are still not happy. These discontents should visit countries where freedoms are truly restricted.

Sherry Hunt

Winnipeg

WSO takes it outdoors

Bravo to the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra, which gave a spectacular performance on The Lyric stage in Assiniboine Park on Sunday evening. The orchestra was magnificent in its delivery of many symphonic classics and even a medley of some Beatles songs.

Conductor Daniel Raiskin, with his distinct personality, delivered everything the huge crowd was waiting for. It was a delightful way to spend a summer evening. It made me proud to be a Winnipegger.

Ken Butchart

Winnipeg