Winnipeg Free Press

Winnipeg Free Press (Newspaper) - February 13, 2014, Winnipeg, Manitoba C M Y K PAGE A14 EDITORIALS WINNIPEG FREE PRESS, THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 2014 Freedom of Trade Liberty of Religion Equality of Civil Rights A 14 COMMENT EDITOR: Gerald Flood 204- 697- 7269 gerald. flood@ freepress. mb. ca winnipegfreepress. com EDITORIAL H OCKEY Winnipeg is joining other jurisdictions across Canada, rolling out a mandatory online course to give parents of minor league players a new perspective on how their behaviour affects others, particularly those on the ice. The idea is to show spectators the damage that can be done when a little emotion morphs into abusive conduct. More parental education might help shift attitudes, but sports organizations need to step up game- day efforts to defuse or prevent conflict in the stands. A survey of more than 1,000 hockey parents in Calgary, where the Respect in Sport course has been used for three years, found respondents were generally supportive of the move. Children there cannot be registered in minor hockey until one parent completes the course. Respondents also said, however, that both parents should take the course and that hockey associations must get tougher on enforcement. Hockey Winnipeg officials say they've noticed more incidents of abusive behaviour and conflict involving spectators. While fan sentiment in the crowds can generally run high, the extreme examples of hostility or violence from a small number of parents can mar the game for everyone, as the recent punch- up involving parents and coaches from Winnipeg at a Fargo tournament reveals. Parents who willingly embarrass themselves and their children at sports games by their outbursts may be impervious to an hour- long course premised on self- reflection and new awareness. Players and refs, many of whom are teenagers still learning the skill, need quick intervention on game day to thwart abusive behaviour on the spot. Hockey and other sports associations should look to the practice of soccer associations that require teams to designate referee liaisons, parents tasked with the responsibility to help keep conduct in the stands in line. At root, it is a kind of peer pressure: Calling out misbehaviour on the spot can serve as a short, sharp shock and curb conflict. It can prevent the necessity of official sanction, rescue refs from distraction and save children from the humiliation and potentially lasting harm that flows when parents forget to act like grownups. WAG gala misguided The idea of dressing up as another race for entertainment has a long history in North America ( WAG and the peril of yellowface , Feb. 12). In Hollywood, yellowface refers to white actors taping their eyelids and using other prosthetics to play " authentic- looking" Asian characters instead of casting Asian- American actors. Mickey Rooney in Breakfast at Tiffany's ( 1961) stands out as one of the most offensive examples, with his buck teeth, thick glasses and exaggerated Japanese accent serving, supposedly, the goals of comedy. Considering the well- documented legacy of yellowface, this year's fundraiser at the WAG, which until Wednesday morning had been entitled Big in Japan, seems all the more insensitive. The event's website boasted superficial and stereotypical references to Japanese culture: Hello Kitty, samurais, geishas and the command to " grab your chopsticks, throw on a kimono, and celebrate everything Japanese." It's disappointing the WAG assumed Japanese culture is funny and kitschy, and therefore would have been a great theme for a party. Education is one of WAG's strategic pillars, and its mission is to promote a place " where people of all ages and backgrounds gather to experience art and the cultural well- being of their communities." It seems clear to me that Japanese- Canadians and other Asian- Canadians in Winnipeg would not have felt welcome at the WAG event. SERENITY JOO Winnipeg Head shops not the issue Closing stores that sell apparatus that can be used for smoking marijuana is ludicrous ( Support flies in for head- shop owners , Feb. 12). Should we not allow stores to sell glasses? They might be used for drinking alcohol by minors. Better yet, should we stop sales of soft drinks? They might be mixed with liquor put into the glasses by those minors. In an age where marijuana is being increasingly legalized, our province is moving backwards. A lack of head shops didn't stop drug use in the 1970s and won't stop it now. BARBARA WINESTOCK Winnipeg Manitobans react to budget I assume many will be happy to hear the federal budget is once again attacking the federal public- service compensation to the tune of $ 7.4 billion over the next six years ( Tories batten down hatches , Feb. 12). Read a little further and you'll see the federal government plans to cut more positions and programs. That translates to fewer services. Have you tried to visit a Canada Revenue office lately? Need help at Service Canada? You're lucky to find an actual service worker that will help you and not just direct you to the computer kiosks because they are short- staffed already. And then there are the cutbacks at Agriculture Canada, Veterans Affairs, Health Canada, etc. The transfer payments to the provinces are pathetic - it's no wonder Manitoba had to increase the PST. How else would the province pay for the services it provides? Our current government is costing us more and more to get less and less service - something to remember at the ballot box. DON DUPUIS St. Adolphe �� As we struggle to find elusive funds for preventing pollution and reducing the damage to land and water from off- road vehicle use, the feds have announced $ 10 million for the creation of new trails in the recent budget ( Not much to cheer about , Feb. 12). Snowmobilers have at least organized to lobby and avail themselves of this subsidy. All- terrainvehicle users, however, are resisting joining, cleaning up, and paying up for the harm their leisure activity causes to public and private property. Where is the concern for wildlife, wetlands and conservation in this funding? We ought to be spending $ 10 million over the next two years on erosion control and protection of sensitive wildlife areas, with generous donations of earmuffs, signs and speed barriers for those of us who wince when ATVers ride by. LINDY CLUBB La Salle �� Remember how the parliamentary opposition was all in a twist about the government's audacity in bringing down a budget during the Olympics? Canadians have proven they have the flexibility to handle both while the national press has done an admirable job in their respective reporting. Which leads one to wonder: How would the NDP and the Liberals fare if walking while chewing gum were an Olympic event? MARK RASH Winnipeg Mayor's move lacked tact Polls are being conducted in the city to determine how people would vote for mayor ( Let's start talking, people , Feb. 11). An excellent guide for the undecided voter is the recent incident involving the current mayorand a university newspaper. Two important attributes to look for in a city leader are business acumen and creative thinking. Mayor Katz shows a serious deficiency in both. In order to stand a chance of success in business, you must have either the natural or the trained ability to turn every disadvantage into at least some sort of advantage. The mayor should have complimented the writer on his interest in local politics, then asked the paper to publish a subsequent article with documented proof of the claims made. Failure to do so would imply both a retraction and an apology in the eyes of those being polled. KEN HOLT Winnipeg Proof that vitamins work Bill Ross recommends taking vitamin D daily, calling it the most important vitamin to take ( The benefits of vitamins , Feb. 11). He does not mention other equally important and beneficial vitamins, including vitamins B, C, calcium- magnesium, folic acid and omega- 3. I am 90 years old and have been taking these vitamins daily for 73 years. I never spent a day in the hospital until I was 89 years old. ISSIE OIRING 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 204- 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. �� LETTERS OF THE DAY The Fargo police force should lay criminal assault charges on the people involved in the fight between parents, thereby restricting their movements between countries ( Dressing- room punch- up in Fargo , Feb. 12). The local hockey associations, meanwhile, should ban them from attending any hockey game for life. These kids are eight years old - what kind of an impression are you making? Parents should instill in their children that it is only a game, and in the game there is a winner and a loser. PAUL ROY Winnipeg �� Something is terribly wrong when we have to control grown- ups at their child's hockey games, or any other activity their children are involved in ( Parents to learn some respect , Feb. 12). And people wonder what's happening to our kids? Rydell Lasko, president of the St. Vital Hockey Association, hit the nail on the head: It's about life lessons, teamwork, work ethic and respect. DIANA FRANTZ Winnipeg JOHN WOODS / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS FILES Gary Ostrowski watches his child play hockey at a local rink Tuesday. A matter of respect I T'S often said the Olympic spirit can be found in those who give their best but finish last. But it's also been evident in a variety of other ways during the Sochi Games and in previous Olympics. The latest example was demonstrated by the selfless conduct of Canadian speedskater Gilmore Junio, who voluntarily surrendered his spot in the 1,000- metre race at Sochi to teammate Denny Morrison, who had fallen in a pre- Games qualifying race in Calgary. Mr. Junio said he believed Mr. Morrison, at the Olympics for the 1,500- metre race, was a stronger skater, so he gave up his spot " in the best interests of the team." Mr. Morrison won silver in the event Wednesday, but Junio was the true Olympian. Earlier, the coach of the Canadian crosscountry ski team offered another version of the Olympic spirit when he rushed to the aid of a Russian competitor who was struggling to finish the race with a broken ski. The coach, Justin Wadsworth, gave the Russian a Canadian ski so he could finish with dignity rather than hobbling to the end. Canadian skier Sara Renner benefitted from a similar gesture at the 2006 Games in Turin, Italy, when a Norwegian coach gave her a new pole to replace one that had broken. The gift helped Canada to a medal finish, bumping the Norwegian team off the podium. These acts of altruism and kindness are what true sportsmanship is all about, and they should be an inspiration to competitors everywhere. The Canadian Olympic team should consider allowing Mr. Junio to carry the flag at the closing ceremonies. He put his sport, his team and his country ahead of personal ambition in a true and moving display of the real Olympic spirit. True Olympian Checking parental misconduct A_ 14_ Feb- 13- 14_ FP_ 01. indd A14 2/ 12/ 14 6: 16: 01 PM ;