Letters, May 31

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This article was published 31/05/2023 (907 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Paying for services

Re: Tax cuts need to be focus of provincial election (May 30)

In clamouring for tax cuts, Gage Haubrich fails to acknowledge that taxes pay for necessary services such as health care, education and infrastructure. All these provincial government responsibilities have suffered from tax-cutting.

Nobody enjoys paying taxes, but we should all support taxation levels that pay for what we all need. Governments have no money of their own. They need ours to pay for services.

Dennis Fenton

Steinbach

Broaden understanding

The editorial Religious class shouldn’t get blessing (May 29) is both succinct and eloquent in its analysis of the issues inherent in a current provision for religious instruction to be implemented in Manitoba’s public schools.

One of its strengths is the observation that “a strong case could be made that young Manitobans would benefit from the opportunity to study the histories of world religions from an academic perspective.” This solution-focused alternative to allowing a specific faith to claim time from core curriculum could have so many benefits for young learners, including greater respect for human diversity.

Inherent in resolving a dilemma created by legislation long overdue for a revision is the average person’s concept of what “public” should mean to the public education system. As various social influencers currently contrive to narrow people’s perspectives on many important issues in our society, the concept of public has reverted to “my own backyard; my parochial community; my religious or cultural affiliations.”

Truly public education strives to serve a much larger concept of “public.” Exploring universal values for human conduct—and thereby supporting priorities for principled societies — is a critical part of the mission of public education. It can be accomplished within the “three Rs” that many believe is still the primary mission of education.

We need to be guided by the integrity of preparing young people to live in a society in which broadening understanding of — and respect for — the diverse human experience can only do good.

Linda Chernenkoff

Winnipeg

A dream of streets

For more than eight decades, I have lived on the south side of Portage Avenue, enjoying seeing streetcars, Arctic Ice and coal deliveries, the Eaton’s stables and buffalo-coat-wearing police officers. During that time, I have witnessed the building of the Grant Park shopping centre and nearby school, the paving of Grant Avenue from Pembina Highway to Kenaston Boulevard (much of Fleet Avenue was a mud road), and the building of the Linden Woods, Waverley Heights, Whyte Ridge and Bridgwater areas.

Following the extension of Kenaston to join Bishop Grandin Boulevard and Pembina through to St. Mary’s and St. Anne’s roads, we find there is a free flow of traffic from St. Vital, Fort Garry and south Winnipeg, which then funnels to the north side of Portage Avenue (i.e. Portage Avenue, Polo Park mall and Red River College).

Presently, our Perimeter Highway is handling maximum traffic and needs expansion as soon as possible (a provincial responsibility) and surely Chief Peguis Trail sometime soon must be joined to the Bill Clement Way (a city responsibility).

From my viewpoint, the City of Winnipeg’s poor planning in assembling and expropriation of property has given us the current dilemma of trying to create a “super highway” (six lanes) through a residential area.

Not long ago, the rail line between Centennial Street and Lockwood Street was no longer in use. I wondered at the time if the city would acquire that rail bed and river bridge for a north-south rapid-transit corridor (from south Winnipeg to Red River College). Nope! It was not to be, and it was sold for development.

Also, the site of the former football stadium and Winnipeg arena would have been a great transit terminal area for perhaps other rapid transit plans from east to west. Well, nope!

Additionally, either of these ideas could have been developed to accommodate safe bicycle routes… but that’s just “silly me” thinking.

Of course, Winnipeg needs more bridges, and my thought is a second southbound bridge span, creating a roadway from King Edward Street across Portage Avenue (sorry, Riverbend area) and taking that route to the west side of the Naawi-Oodena / former Kapyong Barracks site, crossing Corydon, Grant and Taylor avenues and rejoining with the northbound route at the CN underpass. The current northbound Kenaston Boulevard would be expanded to three lanes.

Harry McFee

Winnipeg

Accelerate alternatives

Michael Leipsic (“Nightmarish commute,” Letters, May 29) can’t believe that commuting by car is such a nightmare.

My wife and I have cycled Wellington Crescent a couple of times in the past week — it’s a nice reprieve from car traffic hazards. Returning more car traffic to Wellington won’t fix his nightmare, but would create one for some cyclists.

It’s surprising Leipsic would express such car-centric views, commuting as he does from the southwest quadrant with its great bike commuting infrastructure.

Doing so, almost on the eve of United Nations World Cycling Day (June 3, which celebrates that cycling delivers on 11 of the UN’s 17 sustainable development goals including good health, good jobs and climate action), Bike to Work Day (June 5) and the Commuter Challenge (June 4-10, in which leading employers in Winnipeg regularly achieve national recognition for high levels of active commuting) is even more surprising.

This is the time to celebrate alternatives to cars not to add cars to cycling routes.

Daniel Prowse

Winnipeg

Not-so-virtuous cycle

I am appalled at the lack of consideration and protocol shown by some cyclists in this city. Twice in one weekend I had near-collisions with cyclists who illegally barrelled along the sidewalk in front of me at an intersection, both wearing earphones, as I was about to make a legal right turn in my car.

When I was young, I regularly rode a bike to work and social events in the summers. I welcome the proposed developments to support safe cycling in our city.

Kids were taught in schools and at community centres the rules of bike riding and safety. Though helmets were unheard-of, the rules of the road for cyclists were generally known and followed. Not so now!

I have witnessed cyclists ride fast on sidewalks, frequently forcing pedestrians to the side and rapidly driving through intersections, often surprising motorists. There are also a growing number of electric bikes and scooters driving at the speed of cars on pedestrian walkways.

Along with society’s consideration for cyclists, more priority should be given to the oldest form of green transportation: walking!

Surely the city and MPI can devise educational signage and other forms of communication to inform the public about the rules that apply to cyclists and car drivers alike.

It is important to emphasize the need to drive all vehicles with care and to have mutual respect for others, especially for pedestrians, as we attempt to avoid accidents and move away from fossil fuels.

Elvira Finnigan

Winnipeg