Winnipeg Free Press

Winnipeg Free Press (Newspaper) - August 29, 2006, Winnipeg, Manitoba A10 Winnipeg free press Freedom of Trade tuesday August 29, 2006 Liberty of religion comment editor Equality of civil rights Gerald flood 697-7269 editorials Highway priorities t he list of Manitoba a most hated highways published in the free press yesterday included most every major Highway in the province. That might come As a Surprise to those Winnipeg Gers who confine their driving to Winnipeg a most hated streets but it does to come As a Surprise to Rural Manitoban or to organizations whose Busi Ness both literally and figuratively depends on having within the province the kind of modern transportation networks that Are found beyond our Borders. Whether the list of hated highways compiled by the Manitoba trucking association the Canad an automobile association and Manitoba heavy construction association is the same As the doer administration a list of highways to be fixed on a priority basis however is any body a guess. Unlike the City of Winnipeg which annually publishes and passes a one year and a five year capital budget for Road construction and renewal that tax payers can examine and judge the doer govern ment refuses to make its highways priorities Public. Why again is anybody a guess. But the most obvious answer is that the province does to want Mani to bans to know How Little it has been doing to fulfil one of its most Basic responsibilities ? to ensure the transportation system is Safe and reliable. In the absence of a list of priorities the governments decisions seem Little More than old fashioned pork barrel politics. The evidence is everywhere this summer. Regional streets in Brandon that double As highways Are suddenly being resurfaced. Highway 3 from the perimeter Highway to Mcgillivray was a last minute $5-million decision which amounts to a subsidy for commuters to avoid City taxes. Inside the City the government has decided to fund construction of the Kenaston Boulevard Extension through Waverley West. Is this to help the City per haps. But it can to be ignored that it also protects the governments political investment in developing Waverley West according to its priorities while helping to ensure its capital investment returns the Money it claims will flow from developing Crown lands in Defiance of Good Public policy. The capper was the recent announcement by Premier Gary doer that extra Money from Ottawa might be used next year to repair roads and maybe fix the Dps potholed popularity prior to the expected election. This secrecy and and Hockery persists despite years of pleading by affected industries that the province set out its transportation priorities in a Long term plan in order to Cut costs by As much As 20 per cent and to keep construction capacity from fleeing to Greener pastures West. The government must Stop paving with secret intentions. A Start would be to publish its priorities so that Manitoban know that it is their future and not the future of the government that is at the top of the list. A Green Leader the Strong suit of the Green party a new Leader Elizabeth May is that she is a Well known Environ mental activist. But that single Issue profile can also be a weakness forms. May who won 2,145 of 3,200 votes cast at a convention in Ottawa saturday. Is. May appeared ready to talk about broader issues calling for the renegotiation or death of the North America free Trade agreement. She can grab publicity and that can to Hurt the greens. Indeed the party a leadership race enlarged its membership to 9,000, about double its size when the party got 4.5 per cent of the vote in january a Feder Al election. Although the Green party had expanded its support under former Leader Jim Harris ? popu Lar support in 2004 lurched to 4.3 per cent from the 0.8 per cent in 2000 ? it has suffered from a Lack of a National profile and or. Harris complained about the Lack of Media attention. The whining could end. Is. May is Media savvy and an engaging lobbyist who served As a policy adviser from 1986 to 1988 to the environment minis Ter during the Mulroney administration. She has since led the Sierra club of Canada where she developed a National profile that proved too much for her opponents on saturday. Her closest rival David Chernu Schenko was a Distant second. Or. Harris tried to Appeal to a Broad spectrum of Vot ers including the Young. Is. May is targeting youth but in her leadership run up talked about building a Core of support among traditional voters of the left ? women environmental and civil rights activists Union members first nations and ethnic communities ? and outlined issues that historically framed the Dps platform. Tilting at Naftal defending the environment and demanding a better lot for the poor in Canada is unlikely to change Many Liberal or conservative votes. Is. May appears to be set Ting her sights on Jack Layton and that might Sim ply fracture the vote on that Side of the spectrum. The Green party ran a candidate in All 308 Ridings for the first time last january but has yet to put a representative in parliament. Is. May has said she will run in the first by election available. Her own chances Are probably Best in her native Nova Scotia while the party a largest base of support is in Alberta and British Columbia. She has no experience As a politician but can work a crowd. If she can Muster compelling policy alternatives on More than the environment ? which with the demise of the Kyoto Accord in Canada is expected to remain a hot topic ? she May finally put the party in the House. Have your say the free press welcomes letters from readers. They must include the authors name address and Telephone number. Letters May be edited. Letters to the editor 1355 Mountain Avenue Winnipeg r2x 3b6. Fax 697-7412. Email our rights Are important re thank you is. Hor ski aug. 24. I wanted to thank you very much for print ing that great mention about my Case. I think it is very important for the Public and All Citi Zens to know that we All have rights and what can be done if our rights Are not granted or they Are taken from us. The past three years has been hell for me and my family and we will live in a night Mare for the rest of our lives. Our lives have been taken away from us. If i help one per son with my Case it would have made it All worthwhile. The truth has to get out there i cannot be afraid. The police instilled in me and my family fear and i Hope to use it to help others. I am in the process of writing a Book about our Case and it will also be a handbook of sorts to help others and let them know that there Are places to go for help and what Steps you can take because our system does work. I think my Case proves it. We Are inviting others to step Forward with similar cases that would like to be in the Book. We have Many people interested in the Book from around the world. It was very hard to be my own lawyer and i have never studied so Many Law books in my life. But i would do it again in a heartbeat. Someone has to make the first step and let others know that we can make a difference ? i Hope my Case certainly makes a difference. This is one for All the citizens of Winnipeg and of Canada. Sandra Hor ski Winnipeg Denmark a cyclists Paradise after spending vacation time in Denmark i have been asking myself Why Don to we have bicycle paths All Over Winnipeg it just does it make sense. If you want to ride a Bike in safety ask a Dane. I have never been to such a smooth running clean logically run place in my life As Copenhagen. I presume that most of the other scandinavian cities Are the same. Christine Richardson Winnipeg help for East Side Welcome re province providing funds for East Side land use plans aug. 20. I was delighted to read the Manitoba government is starting to make Good on its Long overdue commitment to support first nations on the East Side of Lake Winnipeg in producing Community lands management plans. Half a million dollars is a beginning but significantly More funding will be required for these 16 first nations to undertake plan Ning efforts that include scientific and traditional knowledge studies. Now is a Good time to remind the Manitoba government of the principles of the East Side planning initiative now known As Wab Anong Naka gum Oki Mawin. In Short they Are to maintain the ecological integrity of the bore Al Forest respect and Advance the needs of local first nations and ensure treaty rights Are upheld. Manitoban Are waiting for Gary doer to give them certainty that conservation and communities will come first in All planning letter of the Day Pluto change confusing the redefinition of Pluto has been on the horizon for awhile and although it could have waited at least until july 2015 when the new horizons spacecraft with a por Tion of Clyde Tombaugh a cremated remains makes the first Ever Fly by of Pluto it is a necessary correction. However in their attempts to alleviate on the East Side of Lake Winnipeg ? the heart of the worlds largest intact boreal for est. He can earn this Confidence by immediately granting outstanding local first nation land Protection requests As Well As providing official Assurance that conservation and Community driven land use planning will be completed before considering new or expanded Industrial developments such As logging and mining. Ron Thiessen Winnipeg fund mental health re More family ads offering services for mental health aug. 17. Regarding the article pertaining to an increase in the number of family doctors providing mental health services ? psychotherapy and counselling ? As part of their practice this should be of particular concern to the Public of Manitoba. There is an Ever increasing shortage of family physicians available to practise Medicine. Clinical and counselling psychologists Are trained to the doctoral level to provide psychotherapy and counselling. The training of psychologists vastly surpasses the limited training family physicians receive in psychotherapy and counselling and yet More family physicians Are providing this service instead resulting in less time to practise Medicine. The government should recognize that this increase in counselling and psychotherapy from family physicians will curtail the time family physicians have to provide medical care and contribute further to the shortage of physicians. Instead psychologists could be utilized to provide this service much More effectively and efficiently. However the government Falls severely Short in recognizing this since it has not found ways to allow Citi Zens in need of psychotherapy and coun Selling to receive this service in greater extent from psychologists. There has been no funding provided to citizens in need to pay for private psychologists services no significant increase of positions for psychologists in the Public health care sector to provide controversy by naming Pluto a minor planet they have made it even More cumbersome for astronomy educators. Is Pluto a planet no its a minor planet. But that a still a planet so when is a planet a planet they should have used the term Belt objects for those minor planets. Ceres then is an asteroid Belt object and Pluto Xena Buff etc., Are Kuiper Belt objects. Ronald Smith Winnipeg this psychotherapy and counselling and men Tal health care and no increased funding for training of psychologists. There is absolutely no doubt that increased Access for the Public to receive psychological services from Clini Cal and counselling psychologists who Are trained at the doctoral level would help fam ily physicians provide ongoing medical care to a greater extent. Until psychologists contributions to mental health Are fully recognized and funded the Public of Manitoba in need of medical care and mental health care will be shortchanged by a Short sighted government. Or. Bruce Hutchison Winnipeg question ribbon Campaign re there a a Stealthy message behind rib Bons aug. 26. Id like to thank Gordon Sinclair or. For having the critical thought and the courage to question the message behind the yellow ribbon Campaign. I be wondered about the same subject myself and although i see a growing number of yellow ribbons around the City i am not hearing any ideas on what supporting our troops actually Means. These ambiguous Little ribbons Are beginning to resemble War propaganda of the most effective kind ? one that is disseminated with honourable intentions but spreads an Unin tended message. Sinclair is Correct support our troops quickly translates into support the without buying yellow ribbon magnets we can write to our governments and let them know How we feel about putting Canadian troops on the line for an american War. We can have meaningful discussions with our Las the Media our Neighbours and our families about our Hopes and fears about global conflict. We can engage in critical thought and meaningfully support our troops who face mounting danger every Day. Shauna Fay Lockport Winnipeg free press. Today a question previous question do you think new Leader Elizabeth May will bolster the fortunes of the Green party Manitoba spends $257 million a year on highways. Is that enough yes 23% / no 69% / undecided 8% / total 458 vote online at poll ? 2006 Winnipeg free press a division of up Canadian Andrew s. Ritchie / publisher newspapers limited partnership Bob Cox / editor published seven Days a week at 1355 Mountain Avenue Patrick Flynn / Deputy editor Winnipeg free press est 1872 / Winnipeg Tribune est 1890 Winnipeg Manitoba r2x 3b6, pm 697-7000 ;