Winnipeg Free Press

Winnipeg Free Press (Newspaper) - June 11, 2001, Winnipeg, Manitoba Focus a7 to jink 2001 letters to the editor the free press welcomes letters from they must include the authors address and Telephone number letters May be edited letters to the 1355 Mountain r2x fax email bibles not forced on students i disagree with statements made by school trustees Kristine Barr and Lori Johnson about the distribution of bibles to Grade 5 students in the Winnipeg school division Bible Battle june first of contrary to what is Barr the school Divi Sion is not promoting one form of religious expression Over it is the Gideons distributing the not the if a Muslim group wanted to distribute copies of the Koran to Grade s students in Public in sure it would not be pre religious groups should not be prevented from offering religious literature or although they should be prevented from forcing it on and i dont think that offering a Bible to students consists of forcing it on Sarah Poysti senior 4 Grade 12 student Winnipeg Bible respected by Many groups Kristine Barr is at it according to the article Bible Battle is Barr is beginning a holy War against the distribution of bibles in Winnipeg school i was completely is Barr claims when she found out that the division has been distributing bibles donated by the Gideons to Stu in Case the school Board is not aware of the Bible is respected by Chris and muslims and is quoted in the founding documents of Canada and the United while youre at Why dont you take the singing of 0 Canada out of the schools that hymn May be too religious for your Comfort James Uttley Winnipeg wrong to give religious material in school the Battle brewing Over the distribution of Gideon bibles in Public schools is not Over 10 years my Grade 5 daughter brought one without any advisement or Opportunity for consent from her Mother or provision of religious material in pub Lic schools is pure and it offends every religious including christians such As and it violates our rights As citizens and Steve getting Winnipeg Bible ban weakens Public school system it is disturbing to see Winnipeg school division considering Banning the free distribution of Gideon bibles to Stu dents who have asked for in a multicultural there should be room in the Public schools for students to express Faith on an optional just As we have other expressions of cultural proposals like this weaken the Public school system by advancing the impression that they have no room for people of Faith and encouraging parents to seek Independent schools More consistent with their Randy Rae Winnipeg do away with school trustees the article in the May 13 free adding Winnipeg trustees would improve representation intrigued there is no doubt that smaller wards would give easier Access to what guarantee is there that More voters would exercise their right to participate in an election Only per cent of eligible voters turned out for the 20 is not that proof that per cent were not interested in school Board politics our costs of education have been skyrocketing and adding More trustees can Only add to those in place of increasing Winnipeg trustees it might be Wise to reduce the number of suburban trustees to bring them in line with win Nipges i have even a better recommendation to reduce the costs of for a country of 30 Canada is already Over governed and i would suggest that we do away with school As a former i am aware that trustees Respo Sibili mostly the t supreme court decision cart Riding fitting for disabled de Andrieski associated press Casey shown reaching for his Putter from his Caddie As he rides his cart Down the has won the right to use a cart on pea in the Wake of the recent supreme court decision requiring the professional Golf association pea to allow the use of a cart by a Casey who needed it on account of a physical editors of the free press called for people with disabilities to reject the decision recognize june the editors argued specifically that the rules of the concept of do not apply in the context of elite sport As in other areas of rather than level the playing the editors the supreme courts decision effectively sets a lower entry Standard for a golfer who has a disability than for one who does these statements Overlook Many pertinent facts of the for example 1 carts Are permitted in qualifying rounds of the other elite Golf tournaments such As the and the rules of developed by the United states Golf association and the Royal and ancient Golf club of Scot 2 the pea refused not Only to allow Martin the use of a but also to study his Peti 3 although stamina does affect performance in for most professional the exertion of walking the course contributes Little to As reflected in expert testimony before a lower court in this fatigue in Golf results primarily from psychological such As stress and or from fluid loss under conditions of severe heat and the Energy demands of walking the course have been estimated at a Mere 500 the nutritional equivalent of a big in a typical round of this Energy is expended Over a five hour period with numerous the logic of the editors statements is not apparent to the concept of equal Access is that no one should be barred from Access to services or places of Public accommodation solely on the basis of a the fact that not everyone has the ability to be a professional golfer has no bearing on the fair and equal treatment of those who no one disputes Martins qualifications in this in allowing Martin to use a the supreme court has not enforced the unequal treatment of him in comparison to other for All golfers in the pea could be allowed to use carts under this the editors claimed that the greatest service that society could offer people with a disability would be to and make use of the abilities that they yet it is often our enshrined such As the pea walking that prevent us from doing exactly unless we Are willing to examine these traditions and make reasonable accommodations to them and until we can discipline ourselves with a Legal requirement to do so people with a disability will be denied the Opportunity to display their Tal far from taking what the editors called a step the supreme court has made it possible for americans with a disability to be the ones who decide what abilities they have and in what areas of life they will strive for similar protections Are needed in striving for excellence is the essence of the rules of the game Are but the dignity of the athletes playing much More to Dis allow qualified athletes from taking part at any solely on account of a physical or mental Dis is to devalue sport in our we find it most fitting that the supreme court has decided to remove this Barrier at the elite level in Golf contrary to the editors Posi we Hope that people with disabilities will cheer this Daniel Bailis Jennifer Mactavish faculty of physical education and recreation studies University of Manitoba Winnipeg provincial department of education sets the curriculum and even sends inspectors to Check that schools Are following the departments i maintain that the civil servants can More efficiently run the firing and Hir ing of teachers and if parents have any complaints they can approach principals and the depart ment if the savings would be immense and our schools would be operated by professionals and not Amateur Isadore Wolch Winnipeg Ottawa wont listen to farm Aid ideas Large farms Are often biologically economically the inefficiency is caused by the tremendous time and scale constraints that Farmers of very Large farms face trying to run the production of Spring annual crops Over vast areas on the Short season Canadian there Are Many examples of biological and economic inefficiencies on farms that have become too big in their struggle to remain profitable under extraordinarily Low or Nega Tive the solution to our farm crisis is not As simple As an increase in farm i share Premier Gary doers frustration in unsuccessfully trying to have our Federal government consider ideas for the redevelopment of farms in Western Canada so that they May become More More efficient and More and not necessarily just there Are Many people involved in agriculture in Mani Toba who Are thinking of novel ways to redevelop farming in the Wake of the tremendous reduction in Federal sup port in the it is extremely frustrating that the Federal which made cuts that helped create the present is now unwilling to work toward or to even listen to ideas for a mitigation plan and a Way out of the farm Rene Van Acker associate professor of crop manage of Plant University of Manitoba Winnipeg Arena Deal tests democracy whether they agree or not to the pro posed every citizen who is committed to the ideals of democracy should be i am referring to the term Sheet that outlined the agree ment Between the Canada and the True North the agreements that City Council voted in favour of at the May 14 meeting contains a Section Xiv called Public state ments and confidentiality and it states and Winnipeg and the True North throughout All stages of the development of the True North cooperate and consult with each other with respect to Public the parties hereto agree that All discussions among the parties and All information exchanged has been in Confidence and the parties will not release or disclose this information to any third party including members of the Public without the prior approval of the parties except for any matters considered at a meeting of the City of Winnipeg since the mayor and the councillors who voted for the agreement agreed to keep information from the Public even though millions of Public dollars Are going into the one really has to wonder who they Are really working for certainly not the citizens they Are supposed to be representing in a True democratic Giovanni Geremia Winnipeg let Hydro use Eaton building Manitoba Hydro wants a new office Tower to converge their electric and Gas Utility and going Down town has to be a Good thing Square feet As suggested could easily Cost or about million a year in heritage conservationists from across the country oppose the Demoli Tion of the 96yearold Eaton which conducted business in the Struc Ture As through till Moose hockey officials have always stated they really do not need a new and the drop Down to Ahl affiliation May not be Well accepted at the Box office Here in Post nil even with cheaper prices for a political Leader with vision sure could make the Case to revisit the proposal and put a value package together to much better utilize the above mentioned retrofitting the Eaton building into the new Hydro place would save million to million Over building and create a Hub of activity and people All every in downtown visionaries step Chris Milton Winnipeg be vigilant Over Hydro development congratulations to residents of Paul for registering their health concerns Over transmission lines on the Provin Cial Agenda East Paul residents opposed to construction of new Power May it comes As no Surprise to the people of Pimp Cikamek Cree nation pc at Cross Lake that Hydro development is for a Quarter of a the unnatural water fluctuations caused by dams on pc territories have caused deaths due to water navigation dangers and serious harm to a fragile ecosystem and a resilient i Micikas Mak Cree East Paul and Selkirk Resi dents the latter re Coa burning Are witness to the variety of people directly affected by our Utility especially considering our provinces desire to feed the voracious Energy we must be vigilant about in whose interests All Hydro development Vivian Unger Consumers for responsible Energy Winnipeg doonesbury by Garry Trudeau an but i x ;