Canadian kindness

I recently arrived back in Canada after being away for a couple of days. I was traveling alone as an unaccompanied minor and was glad to see that Canadians are still so friendly. While purchasing a water bottle, a woman overheard me asking how much it cost and whether the store accepted my airline voucher. When she realized they didn’t, she kindly offered to buy the water for me since I was on my own. This reminded me that, at our core, we Canadians still look out for one another.

Later, when my flight was delayed, I got into a conversation with two retired Canadians. They were also very kind, and we talked about our travels. Before long, more people joined in on our conversation.

These experiences reaffirm the true Canadian principles of kindness and empathy.

Keep the pressure on

Re: Developers say protection is ‘for the birds,’ (Dec. 18)

I would first like to thank Ms. Buffie for a cogent, articulate piece.

Winnipeg is smack dab in the middle of the Mississippi Flyway for migratory birds. As such, it was a cause for celebration when Winnipeg City Council included a requirement for bird-friendly construction in November, 2024.

Opportunity to reflect

Re: Pierre Poilievre may be his own problem (Editorial, Dec. 19)

My grandfather passed on words of wisdom that I’d like to share with Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre, although likely, too little, too late: “Look in the mirror kid, and you’ll see your enemy.”

I have a feeling Poilievre’s mirrors don’t work very well.

Resisting racism together

Re: The growing horror of antisemitic violence (Editorial, Dec. 17)

I very much appreciate the Free Press’s editorial. I was born shortly after the end of the Second World War into a Jewish family whose members had been murdered in the Holocaust. I have experienced antisemitic comments on different occasions throughout my life. So, I’m well aware that antisemitism is a light sleeper; that it emerges out of its slumber when the circumstances are ripe; that the current rise of fascism in North America and abroad provides fertile soil.

The deadly Bondi Beach mass shooting is a particularly tragic expression of this.

Ongoing fiasco

The fiasco of the transit route restructuring is becoming a never-ending and increasing cost to city taxpayers.

Recently, transit officials reported to city council about the drop in ridership due to the changes. This loss of ridership, along with the corresponding loss of revenue, is a direct cost to the citizens of Winnipeg. In addition, it was mentioned that transit officials anticipated a loss in ridership due to the change, without indicating how much of a loss they expected, in the hope of attracting new riders.

Every business person knows it is easier to retain current customers rather than attract new ones.

Serious challenge

Re: “Cultivating a better political culture” (Letters, Dec. 17)

It was most heartening to read the letter by former MLA and cabinet minister Leonard Harapiak. His advocacy for citizen engagement is sorely needed in these turbulent times.

Harapiak’s challenge either to “stand back or become engaged” ought to be taken seriously. I am reminded of the term “bread and circuses,” which can be traced back to first- and second-century Rome. It refers to appeasement; citizens are kept well fed, docile and happy so that dissent fails to materialize. Some might call it infantilizing the masses.

A health-care proposal

Re: Virtual medical ward may be just what the doctor ordered (Dec. 9)

In his column, Tom Brodbeck takes a realistic look at the government’s latest idea to reduce the dangerous overcrowding of our ER departments.

The idea is promising for patients well enough to recover at home, with help from paramedics, opening up patient beds for those seriously requiring hospital care. Sadly, many hospital beds are used by elderly patients waiting for an opening in nursing homes. It does not help those whose health would qualify them, but who are unable to communicate with medical staff through Wi-Fi. However, even if it frees up some hospital beds, it’s worth consideration.

Must condemn attack

The recent attack on a Jewish holiday celebration at Sydney’s iconic Bondi Beach is an act of unspeakable evil that has shocked Australia and the world. The deliberate targeting of innocent men, women and children who gathered to celebrate the sacred festival of Hanukkah is not only a crime against the Jewish community, but an assault on humanity itself.

This was not random violence. It was a calculated act of terror driven by hatred and antisemitism. That such brutality could unfold in a place associated with joy, faith and togetherness makes the tragedy all the more devastating. A celebration meant to honour light, resilience and hope was instead marked by bloodshed and fear.

Just last year at this time, we were in Sydney with a group of friends. We experienced the city as welcoming, vibrant and deeply peaceful. Reflecting on that memory now, in light of what has occurred at Bondi Beach, is heartbreaking and deeply disturbing. It is difficult to comprehend how such a serene and beloved place could become the scene of such hatred and violence.

Transit eroding

Re: Riding the bus ‘unbearable and stressful’ (Dec. 11)

In the article, Coun. Lukes says she expects good results in the long term but, as J.M. Keynes said, “in the long run we are all dead.”

Especially true of seniors, this quotation emphasizes the need for governments to fix crises now, rather than in slow, weak tweaks.

Too much information

Re: U.S. eyes tougher border steps (Dec. 11)

I’ve read about the new requirements for the border in your paper and on social media. Some of these steps seem intrusive.

Why would they need to know my parents and children’s names and where they were born? Where does this data go and who would benefit from it? Why five years of email and social media posts?

Criminal behaviour

Re: Fare enforcement doesn’t equal safety (Think Tank, Dec. 5); “On rushing to judgment” (Letters, Dec. 5)

After reading the letter to the editor from Jeremy Zehr and the opinion piece by Dagen Perrott, I have comments.

If someone steals my bicycle from my garage or knocks down an elderly lady to steal her purse, that person is a criminal, period.

Carney’s error

Re: Carney wins on oil, loses a minister (Nov. 28)

The resignation of Culture Minister Steven Guilbeault from Prime Minister Mark Carney’s cabinet marks a sad day for the future of our planet and exposes Carney’s promise to achieve our targets under the Paris treaty as a fraud. Carney has abandoned the little that was achieved on climate over the past 10 years, and is moving us back in time by committing billions of tax dollars towards expanding the fossil fuel industry. The downsides to building pipelines are so obvious that even Big Oil is unwilling to invest.

While economies around the world — with China at the forefront — are abandoning fossil fuels in favour of clean energy at breakneck speed, our federal government is preoccupied with pacifying Alberta Premier Danielle Smith. Carney needs a reminder that Smith’s supporters are never voting for him.

Don’t subsidize unsafe drivers

Re: NDP re-introduces bill to preserve MPI insurance model (Nov. 24)

The provincial government is only telling part of the story in defending its decision to introduce legislation contrary to Public Utilities Board orders.

Sure, the current auto insurance model where premiums are based on the driving record of the registered owner results in lower premiums for many “deserving” groups such as young people living with parents and new immigrants. However, do we really want drivers to enjoy this substantial financial benefit for more than five years?

Overbearing oversight

Re: Municipal Board needs oversight (Think Tank, Nov. 21)

I’m writing to say thanks for Daniel Leonard’s opinion piece.

Actually the problem here may be too much oversight. It’s strange that the previous Progressive Conservative government, which campaigned against “red tape,” actually expanded the oversight powers of the Manitoba Municipal Board in 2021’s Bill 37. That bill granted the board the power to override the city of Winnipeg’s planning decisions — like their proposed affordable housing next to the Granite Curling Club.

Sentence an outrage

Re: Man given 5.5 years for drunken high-speed hit-and-run that killed mom of three (Nov. 13)

The sentence handed down for the death of Akuch Machuor should outrage this province. She was a 43-year-old mother of three, new to Canada, struck and killed by a driver who blew through a long red light, kept going, and then stopped to pump gas.

He received five and a half years. With credit and standard release, he’ll serve about three. Three years for taking a woman’s life and leaving her children without their mother.