Winnipeg Free Press

Winnipeg Free Press (Newspaper) - June 07, 2012, Winnipeg, Manitoba C M Y K PAGE A13 T ORONTO - Most Canadians will have heard of the lethal shooting at Toronto's downtown Eaton Centre last Saturday evening, but the cruelties since inflicted upon the hapless citizenry may have escaped anyone outside the GTA. As if the shooting spree in a crowded food court - leaving one young man dead, one critically injured, a 13- year- old boy shot in the head and in serious condition in hospital, and others hurt - wasn't terrible enough, Torontonians have been subjected to a barrage of bad writing, oft- moronic commentary and a tsunami of hyperbole. " Bang," wrote one Toronto Star columnist on Sunday. " A life is gone, and so is our innocence." The writer went on, " we've lost it before." Well no, actually. Assuming cities have innocence, which is a hell of an assumption, and can be essentially deflowered of it, they, like virgins, get to lose it only once. If Toronto ever had such a day of reckoning, it may have come almost 35 years earlier, on July 28, 1977, when shoeshine boy Emanuel Jaques, 12, was lured to an apartment above a tawdry body- rub parlour and repeatedly sexually assaulted before being strangled and drowned by three men. Such is the collective memory, though, that as far back as could be remembered was 2005, when 15- year- old Jane Creba was shot to death on Boxing Day. " Gutless and pure evil," is how a Toronto Sun columnist began his Sunday piece about the shooting. " It's time to stop sugar- coating it and admit that there is a war in this city. A deadly war." ( If the first casualty of war is truth, the first casualty of gunfire on the streets is complete sentences.) Now in the long- lost days when I did a lot of police reporting, much of it for the Toronto Sun , I was sometimes referred to as Sergeant Blatchford for being what was then called " pro- police." The current Sun columnist could never be described the same way, but he occasionally lapses into detective mode in that he appears to be under the impression he can solve a particular crime, or should at least be quarterbacking the solving. " There are dozens of killers loose," he wrote with what has become familiar faux authority, " and even more shooters, on the streets of Toronto, and, who knows, one day you could be in the food court in the Eaton Centre. " It happened to a bunch of people Saturday. One solution that comes to mind on a night of anger is to go into the gang world, smash them and show them who is boss." If Toronto police did anything of the sort - kicking in doors and rounding up bad guys willy- nilly - this fellow would be among the first to decry the tactics and demand Chief Bill Blair be fired. Speaking of Blair, he was at the scene Saturday night and held a press briefing. On Sunday, he left that job to acting Deputy Chief Jeff Maguire. There, the deputy chief said the single smartest sentence I've heard about the shooting: yes, the shooting was a bad thing, a sad thing, but, the deputy said, " one idiot with a gun doesn't speak to the state of affairs of Toronto." Blair's failure to be at the Sunday press conference, and again Monday, was fodder for the next wave of media outrage: where was the chief? a radio talk- show host thundered. The Sun columnist, a regular on Sun TV , was on the host's show Monday; both harrumphed that the chief was missing in action, and sniffed that, " I guess if we listen to them there's no problem." Boys, by the time a fellow gets to be chief, he doesn't do door- to- door canvasses any longer. Blair showed the flag when it mattered, on Saturday night, and said all the right things, which is all a police chief can do. Thereafter he did what chiefs usually do - leave the case to the homicide cops in charge of it. On Monday, the Sun detective was still insisting that the killing was part of a gang war, even though Det.- Sgt. Brian Borg, the homicide officer in charge of the case, said hours before that it definitely wasn't, although there were street gang connections between shooter and victim. By then, less than two days after the shooting, the Star also reverted to form; no more Mr. Nice Paper and all that stuff about life's " peach- skin fragility." This is what the paper's front page said, in world- is- ending- size type: Wanted: answers , and above that, the following, Police withhold information on suspect who killed 1, wounded 6 in Eaton Centre shooting spree . What had actually happened was that police had identified the dead man ( Ahmed Hassan, 24) and said they knew who the alleged shooter was, but declined to name him or release a picture. That was the extent of the " withholding," and there was a perfectly valid reason for it: witness accounts, often unreliable because of the heightened circumstances from which they're drawn, are easy to discredit; detectives were simply protecting their case. By about 2: 30 Monday morning, Christopher Husbands, 23, turned himself in to police. Later in the day, he was charged with one count of first- degree murder and six counts of attempted murder. Hassan was the 21st homicide this year in Toronto. The public nature of this shooting, and the innocents who were hurt, make it legitimately newsworthy. But it is less a sign of the impending apocalypse than all the nonsense being written and spoken about it. Christie Blatchford is a columnist for Postmedia News. 50 too slow for Grant Re: Photo radar unit passes muster ( June 6). The photo radar unit parked on Grant Avenue may indeed be working properly as the Winnipeg police claim, but that doesn't negate the fact that the 50 kilometres per hour speed limit on Grant is certainly 10 kilometres too slow for the natural flow of traffic. Near Nathaniel Street there are two service lanes and still the speed limit on Grant is the same as on an adjacent residential street. How does that make sense? Look at any comparable street in any major city: on Oak Street in Vancouver or Avenue Road in Toronto, for example, the speed limit is a reasonable 60 kilometres per hour. Instead, Winnipeg taxpayers fund the salary of a person sitting in a car all day long on a service road nabbing individuals driving safely between 55 to 60 kilometres per hour. ALLAN LEVINE Winnipeg NDP has a point Your June 6 editorial, Treasury isn't NDP trough , is correct to suggest that the public funding for political party advertising and messaging should be reviewed, but it misses the most important point: that the administrative costs for political parties to comply with the legislation are indeed real and merit support. In the beginning, I could look at the NDP decision not to accept party funding ( that has put it at odds with its rank and file) with some amusement. But even I must concede that NDP government House Leader Jennifer Howard makes a valid point that the old law doesn't work, since neither the NDP nor the Tories applied for the funds. The problem wasn't with the concept of party funding to help level the playing field and assist political parties with their administration; it was that the $ 250,000 ceiling was too high. Premier Selinger recognized this; he didn't want to take the eligible subsidy when the NDP posted a record deficit and risk being accused of being out of sync with Manitobans demanding better fiscal management. Manitoba Elections finance legislation requires that political parties do a great deal to comply with fiscal accountability, and there are very real costs involved. These are borne by all parties, whether we report donations of $ 10 or $ 100,000. The new legislation suggests that there will be a base amount of funding to support political parties and an additional formula that may or may not reflect the number of candidates a party fields or the votes it attracts. It's a step in the right direction, and is the more level playing field that Selinger believes in and that the Tories need to better understand. DENNIS TROCHIM Manitoba Liberal Party Winnipeg Vacuous excuses Buchko drops ball on stadium tour ( June 5). Did the brain trust ( i. e. the construction company and politicians) delivering the new Bomber stadium know anything about Winnipeg weather when they planned construction? After a relatively mild winter with very few windy days, we're still hearing vacuous excuses for the now three months of delays in construction. High winds? This was a particularly calm winter. Frighteningly cold? Guess again. Incompetent or just plain cynical underestimation of the time necessary to construct the stadium? Yes. SHANE NESTRUCK Winnipeg Denying medication Re: Federal health program ensures fairness for all ( June 1). Minister Jason Kenney should kindly stop talking in generalities and answer the following: a woman arrives in Canada from one of the worst human rights offending nations in the world, and has every reason to believe she will be granted refugee status once she has her hearing. She also suffers from diabetes and heart problems for which she needs medication and without which her life is in danger. Under the cuts to refugee health care that will take effect June 30, she will be denied that medication. She can't receive a work permit for several months and, not being a citizen or permanent resident, isn't eligible for any provincial medical benefits. What is she supposed to do? Roll up in a corner and die? Or wait until she is in crisis and go to a local hospital, which will have to treat her at far greater expense and then release her with the prospect of a return visit in the near future? RICHARD GOLDMAN Montreal Gas price mystery Crude oil prices are the lowest they have been in eight months, gas in the U. S. has dropped almost 20 cents per gallon, and up here in Canada the price of gas remains completely unchanged. How can this happen? Doesn't anybody police the oil companies and how they gouge the consumer? KEN MCLEAN Winnipeg �� Gas prices in the Toronto area have come down approximately 10 cents per litre. Their prices were $ 1.329 per litre a month ago. Prices in Regina have also come down several cents per litre in the past week. Prices in Grand Forks have come down 30 cents per gallon. So what is keeping Manitoba prices high? FRANK STROPPA Winnipeg Remembering our past Celebrating the Queen's Diamond Jubilee is not the same as " genuflecting" ( A royal pain , Letters, June 5). John Fraser's new book, The Secret of the Crown : Canada's Affair With Royalty, answers Michael Bagamery's complaints quite well. As Fraser puts it, it's not necessary to forget our past to have a future. That such a letter should refer to the " country I thought I knew and loved" on the anniversary of D- Day suggests he doesn't know it as well as he should. RON ROBINSON Winnipeg Sympathy is required I made a home for the mentally challenged for almost 20 years. I would like to assure the public that they are human beings with an illness perhaps comparable to multiple sclerosis. Both need medications to survive and both need understanding. A schizophrenic can operate like you and me with the right medications. I wouldn't hesitate to take Vince Li into my home if circumstances would permit it. I would agree with the May 25 letter from Svitlana Maluzynsky in which she asks " do we want to be a caring and forgiving society, or are we prisoners of fear and intolerance?" PHYLLIS KWIATKOWSKI Winnipeg Supporting sacred cows Re: Bargain- hunters less duty bound ( June 2). I seldom, if ever, cross- border shop, regardless of the bargains I might well discover in the United States. Lowering the import duty might well save a shopper money but can just as easily result in less funding for the sacred cows we cherish such as our public health and education systems. It also provides less incentive for business to set up production shops on this side of the border. Our retail prices will likely trend higher here in Canada simply because of the difference in economies of scale. As for the notion that we ought to be reconsidering a common North American currency, has anyone been watching what's unfolding in Europe? DAN DONAHUE Winnipeg HAVE YOUR SAY: The Free Press welcomes letters from readers. Include the author's name, address and telephone number. Letters may be edited. Letters to the Editor, 1355 Mountain Avenue, Winnipeg, R2X 3B6. Fax 697- 7412. Email letters@ freepress. mb. ca Letters represent the opinions of their writers and do not reflect the opinions of the Winnipeg Free Press or its staff. �� LETTER OF THE DAY Re: Necessary correction ( June 5). David Owens asserts that attracting more private industry would solve Manitoba's economic woes. History proves this simple- minded conservative ideology to be nonsense. To spur economic growth, U. S. President George W. Bush slashed corporate taxes to attract private industry investment. Corporations responded by outsourcing millions of American jobs to China, India and Mexico. Before he died, Apple Corporation president Steve Jobs was summoned to the White House, where President Obama asked him to create American jobs. He replied that it wasn't his responsibility to create jobs, even with Apple's $ 94 billion in cash reserves. This contradicts the Republican rhetoric that government should not tax the " job creators." If more private industry could solve Manitoba's economic problems, why does Alberta, an industry powerhouse, have a deficit twice the size of Manitoba's? DAN CHECCINI Winnipeg 100% 90% 80% 70% 60% 50% 40% 30% 20% 10% 0% Winnipeg Free Press Thursday, June 7, 2012 A 13 POLL �� TODAY'S QUESTION A national poll suggests Winnipeggers are unhappy with the services this city provides. What do you think? �� Vote online at winnipegfreepress. com �� PREVIOUS QUESTION Should the sale of tobacco products be banned? YES 59% 41 % TOTAL RESPONSES 3,769 Winnipeg Free Press est 1872 / Winnipeg Tribune est 1890 VOL 140 NO 204 2012 Winnipeg Free Press, a division of FP Canadian Newspapers Limited Partnership. Published seven days a week at 1355 Mountain Avenue, Winnipeg, Manitoba R2X 3B6, PH: 697- 7000 BOB COX / Publisher MARGO GOODHAND / Editor JULIE CARL / Deputy Editor RIA- NOVOSTI, DMTIRY ASTAKHOV, PRESIDENTIAL PRESS SERVICE The late Steve Jobs ( right) with then Russian president Dimitry Medvedev in 2010. A simple- minded ideology F OR a woman who wasn't supposed to be queen, Queen Elizabeth - Canada's queen - has served her people incredibly. She accepted an enormous responsibility when she was thrust into the monarchy 60 years ago following the death of her father, King George VI. She wouldn't have become an heir apparent if her uncle, King Edward VIII, hadn't abdicated in 1936. The queen has led during times of incredible political and social change. She has led through international crises of myriad forms. She has led through times of tragedy and family scandal. Through it all, she has led with a consistent determination, an elegance, a dignity and a courage that's admirable. She has experienced enormous changes in how the monarchy is regarded ( constitutionally and otherwise) within the Commonwealth of Nations she leads. Throughout this domain, she is widely respected for the person and leader she has proven to be through six very public decades as a world leader. And at 86 years of age, she shows no sign of becoming less of a presence or a leader. She continues to log an incredibly busy schedule, travels widely and engages people in groups of many sizes and backgrounds with an ease and an impact that continues to be a marvel to behold. She will be a most difficult monarch to follow. She became queen in an era when adulation for her throne was assured. She serves today when even admiration for such positions isn't guaranteed. But she has earned admiration and much more. This is an incredible milestone for an incredible woman. For 60 years, she has been a remarkable monarch. Congratulations, Queen Elizabeth, on 60 years as our queen. May you serve us for many more. CHRISTIE BLATCHFORD Hyperbole tsunami hits TO Incredible milestone, incredible queen OTHER OPINION The Guelph Mercury A_ 13_ Jun- 07- 12_ FP_ 01. indd A13 6/ 6/ 12 8: 49: 21 PM ;