Letters, Aug. 15

Opinion

What young people deserve

Five months ago, when Mark Carney was on a mission to woo Canadians in his bid to lead both party and country, he wrote: “Young people deserve more from their government. They deserve to have optimism and confidence in their future. That’s the Canada I want to build.”

Fifty-eight days after being elected and nearly 10 years after his landmark “tragedy of the horizon” speech about acting with foresight to prevent climate harms, Carney’s government rammed through Bill C-5 – legislation that gives cabinet sweeping powers to bypass environmental reviews and protections.

As the second-worst wildfire season in Canadian history forces evacuations from coast to coast to coast and leaders muse about taxpayer-funded fossil fuel expansion, I have to ask: is this the “more” that young people deserve? Or are we seeing the continued sidelining of young peoples’ rights to a climate-safe future, leaving them with no choice but to litigate?

On International Youth Day (Aug. 12), I celebrated the bravery of the seven young Ontarians in Mathur v. Ontario for taking their government to court over climate harms. For them, and for me, actions speak louder than words.

Mark Olfert

Winnipeg

Expand deposit options

Re: “A better way” (Letters, Aug. 13)

I fully agree with letter-writer Leslie Vryenhoek that deposits on all beverage containers are the way to go to significantly reduce litter, not to mention also helping the environment. Deposits only on beer containers is simply not enough.

When I lived in Ontario, the government there legislated a move from beer-only deposits to deposits on all beverage alcohol containers: liquor, wine, beer, imported, craft — any and all beverage alcohol containers. This resulted in a massive reduction in litter. The only thing wrong with that legislation, in my opinion, is that it should have been on all beverage containers, not just those containing alcohol, and the deposit should be much higher.

I was an MLA in the ’80s and at one point I had introduced a bill to do just that. To me this is/should have been a non-political issue which should have received quick, all-party approval. However, it never got to second reading, never mind to a vote. I was an Opposition MLA so perhaps that is why the government of the day decided to let it die on the order paper. In the meantime, here we are in 2025 still with beer-only deposit containers.

Gilles Roch

Winnipeg

A decent meal

I have followed with interest your stories and letters to the editor regarding the quality of meals in personal care homes as my wife is in such an institution. I can speak of our experience there.

I assist her with meals and sample them myself to test the quality. I have found them to be acceptable quality, better than hospital food. Quantity is good as she cannot usually finish all food given to her. She always has fresh fruit, either apple slices or red grapes.

Our experience may not be typical of other care homes, but we have no complaints about the food.

Neil Harden

Winnipeg

Boycott Trump

Re: Time to take Trump’s actions seriously (Editorial, Aug. 13)

I agree it is past time. U.S. President Donald Trump, since taking office, has violated the constitution of the U.S., the rule of law and disobeyed court orders. He has attacked universities, law firms, the media, attempted to impeach federal judges and is establishing his own loyal army through the growth of ICE.

These actions and more will continue, as long as spineless Republican senators and members of congress sit on their hands and do nothing.

I like to think I know Americans fairly well, having wintered in Arizona for 18 years (we sold in the spring 0f 2024). I don’t understand how they can sit back and watch their country quickly moving to a dictatorship? Even the outcome of the midterm elections is contentious, with gerrymandering in Texas and Trump’s history as an election denier. At this point, seven months into his term, it doesn’t look like Republican lawmakers are going to intervene any time soon.

Perhaps the best course of action is for world leaders of democracies to boycott Trump, ignore him, refuse to take his calls and publicly denounce his fascist movement. America may be the world’s largest economy, but now is the time to unfriend the Trump White House and his executive branch of sycophant puppets. Their actions are causing chaos and disrupting world order.

Terry Meindl

Winnipeg

Benefits of grassland

I am a beef producer in southwest Manitoba and I feel sad and angry that our business has gotten such a bad rap. This is largely in part due to the narrow focus of methane emissions emitted by grazing ruminants, which is only a small piece of the beef production system.

Canadian grasslands are one of the most endangered ecosystems on earth with 80 per cent of Canada’s grasslands having been lost. The majority of the ruminant diet is grass. Grassland acres that remain intact, remain because of cattle production.

Grasslands provide numerous environmental benefits. Perennial grasses draw pollutants — including CO2 — from the air via respiration, storing stable carbon deep in the soil profile. Deep roots infiltrate water to mitigate flooding. In crop rotations, forages break herbicide cycles, provide wetland buffer zones, and reduce synthetic fertilizer application. Grasslands are also biodiversity hotspots, supporting pollinators, beneficial insects, rare plants, grassland birds, waterfowl, and other wildlife.

The reality is, not all land is suited to crop or vegetable production. Converting all perennial lands to cultivation would result in extensive erosion and water runoff issues, carbon losses via tillage, and a detrimental loss of biodiversity.

I am a proud to say that I am a beef producer. I am proud of what we do and how we manage our land and animals, which in turn provides many services to society – for which we are not subsidized for doing so. The next time you breath fresh air, avoid a flood, see a rare plant or bird, or enjoy a protein-rich, delicious steak, thank a cattle producer.

Charlotte Crawley

Rapid City

Paying more into the system

Re: “Paying the piper” (Letters, Aug. 9); Yet another hopeful patch on failing infrastructure (Editorial, Aug. 12)

After pointing out many major accumulated infrastructure deficits facing the City of Winnipeg, the letter notes that Winnipeg’s property tax increases since 1998 have been far below other major Western Canadian cities. The editorial calls out “a traditional City of Winnipeg method of dealing with infrastructure issues by kicking the can down the road for someone else to consider.”

The above, I think, raises an important and interesting question. When are we going to collectively agree that those of us who can afford to pay more taxes must do so to maintain the quality of life we all want to enjoy. Individual ownership and means is, of course, crucial to individual well-being but so too are shared community services and goods. And for both we must pay, either as a consumer in the marketplace or as a taxpayer in the public sphere.

So let’s, those of us who can pay more, step up and insist that our property taxes be adjusted accordingly.

Gerald Farthing

Winnipeg