Winnipeg Free Press

Winnipeg Free Press (Newspaper) - January 13, 2009, Winnipeg, Manitoba C m y k Page a10 Good news from Africa w Ith All the bad and often bloody news coming out of Africa today Zimbabwe Kenya Guinea Nigeria the Congo it is a Relief to finally hear something positive even optimistic to counter the depression. A new government installed in the West african nation of Ghana this month after a hard fought election in december May provide that tonic. For the second time in its 50 year history of Independence Ghana is being held up As an example for other sub saharan governments to emulate. With Goodwill and great determination this second Chance May be More successful than the first All the signs Are positive. In 1957, Ghana became West africans first Independent nation under the elected government of Kwame Nkrumah the first president. It was seen As a Beacon for the rest of Africa an example of How the emerging nations could break the shackles of colonialism and become free and prosperous democracies. But that was not the example that Nkrumah set for Africa. Instead he became a dictator the redeemer he called himself ordering legions of uniformed school children to March through the streets of Accra singing Nkrumah never die / he forever live. That was an example most african leaders found easy to follow and the continent has never recovered from the excesses that the redeemer taught it. Ghana itself however is recovering. After a bloody interregnum following two successive coups the last led by an air Force lieutenant Jerry Rawlings who did an astonishing about face and returned the nation to its Long lost democracy in 1992. The inauguration of John Atta Mills this month confirms that the democracy is taking Root that it May be As the new president said the Dawn of a new Era for Ghana. The election was not without incident but International observers declared it free and fair and most of the country is own politicians including the losers accepted the reality of it. This was All the More remarkable considering the closeness of the vote or. Atta Mills received 50.2 per cent of the vote in a Runoff contest Between him and Nana Akufo Addo the Leader of the party that had previously formed the government. That is a Victory margin of four tenths of one per cent a slim win by the standards of any democracy. This is clearly a Triumph for Ghana which has been building its political legitimacy and International credibility since or. Rawlings who is still Active in ghanaian politics abandoned dictatorship. It can also be a Good thing for Black Africa where outside of Botswana and South Africa democratic principles Are held onto Only precariously. There has been a recent coup in Guinea a doubtful vote in Nigeria fixed votes in Kenya and Zimbabwe and outright civil War in the Congo. If Ghana stays the course it can Only give Hope to All africans that there will one Day be a new Dawn for them As Well. Editorials Winnipeg free press tuesday january 13, 2009 Freedom of Trade Liberty of religion Equality of civil rights a 10 comment editor Gerald flood 697 7269 Gerald. Flood free press. My. Ca Winnipeg repress. Com 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. E mail letters free press. My. Ca letters represent the opinions of their writers and do not reflect the opinions of the Winnipeg free press or its staff. Poll vote online at wow. Winnipeg repress. Com Bunker style architecture re main Street Complex not As billed Jan. 9. Politicians who Are disappointed with the Winnipeg regional health authority yes new building on main Street have Only themselves to blame. They Are elected to look out for the Best interests of All Winni Eggers and in this Case they have failed us. While some City councillors talk the talk when it comes to Urban planning none of them seems willing or Able to walk the walk. As a result we end up with the Type of Bunker style architecture now emerging on main Street. The Mammoth office building is out of scale with the rest of the neighbourhood. The four Storey parking Structure fronting main Street will forever be a pedestrian dead zone. There is no mixed use component. The Warha building under construction at Portage and Broadway is equally horrific two dimensional and devoid of anything architecturally interesting or aesthetically pleasing. Winni Eggers expect and deserve better. Shame on City Council and the downtown development committee for allowing these projects to proceed As is in the name of downtown revitalization. And shame on the Warha instead of assuming a leadership role and setting the Benchmark for future developments it has blighted our Cit yes landscape for years to come. Scott Carman Winnipeg uninviting monstrosity what is rising before our eyes on main Street is an uninviting monstrosity that was to begin the transformation of this seedy strip. Are we really surprised that a pedestrian Friendly Street scape and an edifice that complements the fabric of the historical thoroughfare have been rejected in favour of what we see being constructed sadly no. It was too Good to be True that the Kickoff to the revitalization of main Street would have consisted of a Structure that follows the principles of proper Urban design. More tragic than the architects final design is that the City of Winnipeg Gas so called Urban design committee approved this design and the exclusion of retail on the main level. I am thinking it needs to be replaced by a team that truly understands what ingredients Are needed to transform Winnipeg Gas downtown into a thriving hip place to live work and play. Downtown Winnipeg deserves better. Kyle Snihur fort st. John b. C. The True moral imperative re supporters of both sides let their voices be heard Jan. 9. Surely at least some Manitoban will react with great sorrow to the news of the pro Israel rally attended by several members of government. My Vic Toews affirmed that defence of Israel is a moral imperative for Canadas government. You can hardly get stronger rhetoric than that. The fact is however that Israel is carrying out a massive reprisal action in Gaza with its fully equipped and awesomely powerful armed forces. The 3,000 wounded in this defensive action Are lets be Clear palestinians. The bombs rain Down in Gaza not tel Aviv. Why is the moral imperative for Canada not for peace in that troubled Region do we not every time we engage in the stand by Israel rallies just enable More and More violence lets forget who started it. No Side is innocent. Why would our country a supposed peacemaker not cry out for a viable two state solution and condemn either Side for the murder of women and children there is the True moral imperative. What is blinding us David Skinner Winnipeg kudos to sport Manitoba re sport Manitoba to revisit inner City Field House plan Jan. 7. Kudos to sport Manitoba on its decision to relocate to a heritage building on the fringe of the Exchange District National historic site. The decision to put aside plans to demolish the warehouse and the consideration to redevelop the space with a sensitivity to the importance of its heritage status is commendable and is the sort of thinking essential to the revitalization of our downtown. As an added Bonus sport Manitoba will bring with it the Manitoba sports Hall of Fame. Along with the Manitoba museum the costume museum of Canada of Sereduk and soon the Canadian museum for human rights we Are beginning to see a veritable museum District growing organically in the heart of our City. This development along with the redevelopment of old Market Square red River colleges move into the Union Bank Tower and the ongoing revitalization of waterfront drive just to name a few signal that 2009 will almost certainly be the year of the Exchange District. Lisa Holowchuk executive director Exchange District Biz judgment a disgrace re Manitoba judge says province not accommodating Metis Hunting fishing right Jan. 8. Regarding the Extension of special Hunting rights to Metis it is a sad Day when rights of any sort Are extended or withdrawn based on race. This judgment is a disgrace. Adam Dooley Winnipeg if it snows move your car i have found All the noise about the overnight parking bans and mayor Sam katzes magnanimous forgiving of the parking tickets ludicrous. Winnipeg gets Winter every year. It snows and gets cold. Folks living Here should have Learned this years ago and taken the necessary step of ensuring their cars Are off the streets in Winter and parked accordingly. If it starts snowing make sure you move your car into the garage or your parking pad. The outcry regarding notification is silly. Look out the window before bedtime and if it is snowing move the car. I guess common sense is out and now we need to hire people to Knock on your door and let you know the plows Are coming move your car. Give me a break. Richard Hinds Winnipeg Winnipeg free press est 1872 / Winnipeg Tribune est 1890 vol 137 no 63 2008 Winnipeg free press a division of up Canadian newspapers limited partnership published seven Days a week at 1355 Mountain Avenue Winnipeg Manitoba r2x 3b6, pm 697 7000 a member of the Manitoba press Council Bob Cox / publisher Margo Goodhand / editor to Days question would you like to attend Barack of amass inauguration previous question does Canada posts service justify a raise in rates yes 20% no 79% total 1,693 letter of the Day a smart plan for building in regards to the Prosperity knitwear owned building smart bag company building its sad to think that this building is up for demolition. Ism an architectural building development consultant who has orchestrated the conversion of three downtown warehouse buildings to residential uses. This particular piece of turn of the Century Beauty five storeys was on my list of buildings studied in 2003 05 in attempts to develop. Prosperity knitwear was not for Sale at the time and my investors were eager to buy properties for residential conversion. This building is so ideally suited to loft style residential that if i was in a position of Power i would require it to become residential. This building appears to be about 75 to 80 per cent Glass in its original state a prize Quality for loft style units. Next the place is in an Ideal location for Urban living close to Public transit employment services recreation restaurants culture and natural open space the River. Further this location is situated Between the new condos on the River and the More authentic warehouse units on Princess and Mcdermott Etc. And finally Winnipeg needs people living in the downtown not More office space for workers who will want to drive downtown adding to the parking problem. This building would have been my no. 1 Choice Over Many other available buildings in the Exchange a few years Back. So obviously i think it or its smaller sibling should not be torn Down and it should not be used for offices either. Finally Jenny Gerbasi is right with All the surface parking lost space and other substandard buildings that occupy acres of downtown Winnipeg heritage buildings should be preserved. Sport Manitoba should find some other real estate. Michael treble Lysenko Winnipeg smart bag company building talking to Obama there is no Date penned into the prime ministers Calendar yet but Washington has said that Barack of amass first foreign visit As president will be to Canada revisiting a Long standing tradition that was severed in 2001 by president George w. Bush a hint that relations May be warming at a critical time. It is not technically or. Of amass first foreign encounter As president elect he hosted mexican president Felipe Calderon in Washington monday the first foreign Leader he has met since his election. In the 21st Century age of Continental and Trade relations Canada and Mexico vie vigorously for americans ear and or. Obama seems to have found a Way to placate diplomatic sensitivities on both sides of the United states Continental Borders. Both countries parties to the North american free Trade agreement Are anxious for an audience. During the primaries debates or. Obama played to protectionist interests by warning that if he were president International Trade agreements would get some shaking up. Naftal he said must be renegotiated along with bilateral agreements with a variety of countries to even up Trade and labour standards. A country is cheap labour translates into cheap exports enticing Western manufacturers to move production overseas. There Are a number of items that will be on the table when prime minister Stephen Harper hosts the new president or. Obama himself has said it is time for americans to break their billion Dollar a Day addiction to Mideast Oil but an aide to or. Obama has also referred to Canadas Energy resources As dirty Oil. Recent rumblings out of the u. S. On Afghanistan May see or. Obama pressing or. Harper to revisit his pledge to take Canadian soldiers out of a fighting role in Afghanistan in 2011. Both of those issues will be Worth serious discussion. Neither however carries the weight of protecting Trade relations. Naftal has benefited both Canada and the United states and despite expanding globalization the countries continue to be each others primary trading partner. Since the Early debates or. Of amass sights have been set on countries further afield China especially but also in Central and South America which makes sense if one is searching for real evidence of uneven environmental and labour conditions. Still with mounting financial calamity and economic gloom investors lenders and Consumers Are desperate for a Ray of certainty. Everyone has a grievance with something in Naftal. If it is opened it will take years to sew it up again. That kind of disruption can be destructive. Or. Harper needs to hear or. Obama admit As much. A 10_ Jan 13 09. Ind a10 1/ 12/ 09 8 44 30 pm ;