Long-term solutions required

Winnipeg is plagued by problems that appear to be getting worse: growing numbers of people with addictions, mental health issues, HIV and hepatitis A; open drug use; homelessness; shoplifting; petty crime; school absenteeism; overcrowded prisons, jails and remand centres.

These problems are rooted in complex poverty, the growth of which governments have paid too little attention to for the past half-century.

Those chickens have come home to roost — you can’t ignore social problems for decades and expect there to be no consequences. The only solutions are long-term solutions, requiring consistent investment year after year in strategies proven to work. Adult basic education is one of several good examples.

Blind bidding deserves second look

Manitoba’s real estate market is legally bound to the blind bidding process, whereby prospective homebuyers are asked to submit their best offer without knowing the amount of competing bids. The real estate division of the Manitoba Securities Commission is the provincial regulator of the real estate market.

Supporters argue that the process is fair, because all buyers are treated equally and sellers are free to choose how they market their properties. However, this misses the central question — is blind bidding good policy?

Buying a home is often the largest financial decision a person will make. Yet buyers are expected to commit hundreds of thousands of dollars without access to information that would allow them to make an informed decision. In a blind bidding environment, buyers are forced to guess what others may be offering and frequently bid far more than would actually be necessary to purchase a property.

Answers hard to come by

Re: Judge health care by results, not whether it’s for profit (June 3)

When universal health care was first rolled out, doctors pushed back against it, thinking it would limit their ability to earn a living.

After it was implemented, the single-payer model meant they were no longer part-time doctors and part-time debt collectors. They didn’t have to turn away patients who couldn’t pay, so the number of patients they had increased. Ultimately, they made more money with fewer headaches. They were, as said in the article, private contractors who negotiated the rates for their services with the government — a practice that continues today.

Business knows what time it is

Re: Considering a unified prairie time zone (Think Tank, June 1)

I must reply to Bryan Oborne’s op-ed regarding a unified prairie time zone. There is absolutely no reason to have a unified prairie time zone. Oborne suggests it will be better for business and help make Manitoba a “have province”, an assertion that has no evidence to back it up, in my opinion.

Time zones do not interfere with business. Big businesses operate around the world and time zones are not a problem. I know of many very small businesses (five employees or less) that have done business in Asia (10 to 12 hours difference) for 30 or 40 years with no problem. If there is a good business case for doing business in a different time zone, businesses will find a way to do it.

Honouring vitality

Re: No road map for dementia’s daunting journey (May 30).

Janine LeGal’s profile of Interlake couple Paul Chorney and Carol Radway that details their personal journey through Carol’s health challenges connected to Alzheimer’s disease and Paul’s struggles in his caregiver role, is honest and insightful. I was lucky to have met Carol when volunteering at an Alzheimer’s Society art program and can remember her expressive eyes and sweet smile.

I’ve found, sadly — through working with residents in long-term care centres — that it’s often hard for workers and others to acknowledge and honour the vitality of those whose communication and cognitive abilities have been impaired by dementia.

Funding defence

Re: “Snowbirds can wait” (Letters, May 26)

Gerald Farthing’s claim that there are greater priorities for Canadians than funding the Snowbirds is dead-on, and what’s ironic about the fuss some Canadians are making over the issue is the fact no one has seemed particularly concerned as successive governments during the past half-century continually underspent on the nation’s military in general.

Most of this neglect began when Pierre Trudeau was prime minister. He pointedly avoided service during the Second World War; then, as prime minister, he was quick to criticize American involvement in Vietnam while cynically claiming Canadian defence spending could be minimized since the U.S. would protect us regardless. Former prime minister Jean Chretien was no better, as he stated that any money designated at all for the military was too much from the outset. Other national leaders, from Brian Mulroney to Justin Trudeau, were in much the same category with the result being that, after 50-plus years of neglect, the new defence commitments might take even longer to rectify, especially as the Canadian government has the reputation of consistent foot-dragging and indecision when it comes to modernizing its armed forces and attracting new recruits.

Up the creek without a…

Last Sunday I launched my kayak in the Red River for the first time this season, late as it may be (thanks, spring). The launch, from St. John’s Park, my home base, was quite muddy and is usually quite awkward. The next available and accessible kayak launch/dock is at The Forks Historic Port and that isn’t in yet.

Sure, there are other options. Louise Bridge has a concrete pad, there’s the Canoe and Kayak Centre on Churchill Drive, the Main Street launch at the Perimeter. The only other easily accessible launch is at John Bruce Park on the Seine River, on the other side of the city from me.

There are future options, such as Little Forks, the proposed new federal park development in Point Douglas, and The Forks’ plan for Alexander Docks, but neither is underway.

Watch Smith carefully

How can Alberta Premier Danielle Smith sit in a conference with the premiers from Western Canada and the northern territories and talk about business, trade and their neighbouring relationships while she is trying to separate her own province from the rest of Canada?

Prime Minister Mark Carney needs to watch himself in her presence — she is not to be trusted. From my own perspective, there is no way Danielle Smith can change our constitution. Regardless of what her referendum might indicate, we are one country, strong and free.

Ken Butchart

Walking off the cliff

Re: Carney, Smith all smiles while time runs out on climate change (May 18)

Excellent opinion piece by Dan Lett regarding the deal between Alberta and the federal government to build another pipeline. It is so refreshing to see that there still is some sanity left in this country and world and that someone is calling this pipeline out for what it is, a complete farce.

The comments made by Thomas Gunton stating that there is unused pipeline capacity available right now that could move another two million barrels of Alberta crude per day, more than double the capacity of the proposed new pipeline, shows how insane this project is. Not to mention, ignoring climate change and proceeding as if it’s business as usual is like walking off a cliff.

A cheque for some, a tax for others

Re: Manitoba renters to start getting quarterly cheques from the government (May 8)

I can’t help wondering who they hoped to benefit when someone came up with this ridiculous idea. Many of us look forward to our tax refund as a “mini lottery.”

We have a cheque to use for replacing an appliance or a piece of furniture. Or it may be used to buy the kids new bikes. A monthly cheque is too easily absorbed in buying overly expensive daily necessities. It’s rare that we could set aside that amount for a special purchase. If we don’t have it we can’t spend it.

Greed in Manitoba

Re: War spikes inflation to tops in Canada (May 20)

I disagree that the U.S./Israel/Iran war is the cause of Manitoba’s inflation rate jumping to new heights. Had the war been responsible, the inflation rate would have been more or less the same across Canada.

I acknowledge that the war has grossly affected supply line chains by hindering movement of goods, and the interruption in the flow of oil to international markets has affected fuel and transportation costs, but this is equally true across Canada. Manitoba has not been more affected than other areas. No, the cause is not so complex or nuanced. Our inflation rate is through the stratosphere because of corporate greed exploiting our vulnerabilities.

On personal accountability

Re: “How we got here” (Letters, May 14)

Like James Paskaruk, I am a “Gen-X kid.” Like him, I grew up in the 1970s riding my bike everywhere, and not seeing the issues that we see in Winnipeg today. However, despite this common background, we have very different views of the reasons for these problems.

Mr. Paskaruk seems to pin the blame on an increase in capitalism since our childhood, as though somehow the ongoing quest for a more economically prosperous life is the source of societal decline. However, if we look at the reality of how Winnipeg (and Canada) evolved since the 1970s, and what has changed in that time, it paints a very different picture.

On transit funding

Re: Province must resume role in transit funding (Editorial, May 12)

The editorial provides an excellent, fact-based rationale for the restoration of the Manitoba-Winnipeg agreement on 50/50 cost sharing of transit operating costs.

Instead of trying to ease traffic congestion by enabling the City of Winnipeg to go deeper in debt through adding more lanes it cannot afford to maintain, the province could move toward several important goals, at a much lower cost. These include improving affordability and availability, increasing transportation equity, and better care for the environment through more efficient use of fossil fuels (and, eventually, an electrified fleet).

Overreach by school

Re: School ditches Mother’s Day (May 7)

Mother Ashley Dolphin is correct when she asks “Where is the line? What is next?” Diversity and inclusion do not imply bending over backwards to do away with long established traditions and practices of the country the diverse groups come to live in. On the other hand, once one chooses to make another country one’s home, adapting to and adopting the practices in place should be fair expectations.

In this instance, Mother’s Day is not a religious occasion specific to one culture or another. All cultures have mothers. The newcomer schoolchildren should take pleasure in participating in treating their mothers to handmade treats. This practice has in fact been in place for decades and there have been no complaints or disrespect.

Vision problem

As storm clouds darken on our horizon, we are in desperate need of a vision for the city and the province that we can support, uplift our spirits, give us a sense of purpose and goals and invigorate the community. But our political class can’t seem to focus on the core issues facing our community. Housing for the homeless isn’t a grand strategy, it’s a fundamental obligation.

We need vision and leadership. I’m afraid the mayor’s enthusiasm for a new 7-11 and the province’s musing about increasing taxes are a big miss. “Make no little plans.” The alternative is a continuing slow drift to social instability and irrelevance.

Harold Westdal