Winnipeg Free Press

Winnipeg Free Press (Newspaper) - February 20, 2014, Winnipeg, Manitoba C M Y K PAGE A10 EDITORIALS WINNIPEG FREE PRESS, THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 20, 2014 Freedom of Trade Liberty of Religion Equality of Civil Rights A 10 COMMENT EDITOR: Gerald Flood 204- 697- 7269 gerald. flood@ freepress. mb. ca winnipegfreepress. com EDITORIAL Shelter dogs not always best Re: Magnificent mutts , Feb. 18. I adore rescue dogs, and volunteered at the Winnipeg Humane Society every week for nine years - and I own a purebred dog. It never would have occurred to me to get anything but a rescue dog for my first dog. By the time I was able to get a dog, however, I had a seven- year- old daughter who was very sensitive around dogs - large dogs and barking caused her great anxiety, no matter how much I tried to acclimate her. I looked at many shelters for a small, gentle dog that didn't bark much, even taking one home with high hopes - only to have those hopes dashed. Reluctantly, I began researching breeds and discovered a good fit for my daughter was a whippet. They're gentle, and bark so rarely that they're almost mute. I found a reputable, registered breeder and we now give our dog a loving, permanent home. If all dog owners were this responsible in their research and care, there would be no need for shelters. I will continue to support and advocate for shelters, but now understand rescue dogs aren't always the perfect fit for every situation. CHERYL MOORE Winnipeg Fix child- welfare system first Re: Before we shelve the report , Feb. 18. Clark Brownlee isn't the first lobbyist to exploit the murder of Phoenix Sinclair, but he may be the first to be so brutally candid about it: " Before the findings of the Hughes commission report on the death of Phoenix Sinclair have been lost and forgotten and before the next child dies needlessly, we must all be reminded there are more issues at play than the effectiveness of the child- welfare system." If the child- welfare system isn't effective enough to prevent another child's needless death, there is no other issue more pressing. As vital as social- housing initiatives are, there is no indication housing was an issue in Phoenix's case. But it's not just the poor taste of lobbying over a child's grave; Brownlee is disturbingly casual with expecting general dismissiveness of the inquiry commission's report and the inevitability of further needless deaths. Prefacing an argument with cynicism is a poor choice, but to predict more deaths and still think the issue of affordable housing matters more than the effectiveness of the child- welfare system is to have made a moral calculation. Stop digging graves before you start digging basements. MICHAEL MELANSON Winnipeg Patient release inappropriate The Winnipeg Free Press article Discharge measures appropriate ( Feb. 14) smacks of the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority's fingerpointing elsewhere. After an internal investigation, the WRHA CEO stated " medical assessments were deemed appropriate" and " these gentlemen were deemed competent and discharges were deemed appropriate," indicating the health care system met the needs of these patients. Are we truly to believe such ludicrous statements after these patients' nearly immediate deaths after discharge? The discharged individuals felt sufficiently ill enough to get themselves to a hospital, unaccompanied, and obviously concerned about their well- being. I would expect that if these patients had remained in hospital for a longer period of time, their immediate medical outcomes would have surfaced within the hospital setting, which is why they were there in the first place. Where the appropriate care should have been given in the first place is still not being recognized and dealt with by the WRHA. JACQUELINE JOSS Winnipeg �� The NDP government and the WHRA have washed their hands of any responsibility for the deaths of two people shortly after being released from hospital. We now are officially in the era of taxicab medicine in Manitoba. DAVID MEUNIER Winnipeg Olympics ignore reality Thanks to Will Braun for his courageous article Olympism? Then call me an atheist ( Feb. 18). By pointing out the all- too- easily ignored global realities of poverty and justice, he unmasks the sense of entitlement that underlies slogans such as " owning the podium." Wake- up calls by truth- tellers such as Mr. Braun are sorely needed to hasten the fulfillment of the noble and worthy ideals espoused by the Games. EDWIN BUETTNER Winnipeg Libraries, archives at risk In Glover touts infrastructure funding ( Feb. 15), Ashley Prest describes the Shelly Glover's promotion of the new Building Canada Fund, although details about access to this fund have not been finalized. More disappointing, however, was the absence of any mention of Libraries and Archives Canada ( LAC), and the ongoing search for a new director willing to work under federal constraints. As heritage minister, this should be a priority for Glover. The fate of the major repository for our heritage and history appears muddled. Considering the recent dismemberment of federal institutes where key resources in fisheries, diagnostic imaging, as well as cereal research were discarded, I'm not surprised librarians and other scholars are worried about the low priority apparently given to LAC. JEAN PATERSON Winnipeg MPI not a business Contrary to what the soon- to- be- retired CAO of the Manitoba Public Insurance Corporation said in a recent speech to a business audience, MPI isn't a business - it's an administrative process ( MPI here to stay: exiting CEO , Feb. 15). It was suggested in the Free Press article that those in Manitoba who still do not see the wisdom and benefit of this bureaucratic, impersonal set of regulations and edicts are " haters." It seems that MPI holds the view that reasonable people can't make a thoughtful argument that a private auto- insurance business model would be better. When MPI faces the sustained and battering winds of competition and a free market, it will have earned the right to call itself an enterprise or business. JIM BRENNAN 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. �� LETTER OF THE DAY Re: Hockey fracas probed , Feb. 17. In the various videos of the altercation at Southdale last week, the referee is seen skating up to two 12- year- old boys who are throwing punches at each other. Who's really to blame when things like this happen? What about the coaches and the parents? They have a lot more power than a referee to keep 12- year- old kids from fighting. Is blaming someone going to help their children curb their aggression, or just encourage it? BOB ALTEMEYER Winnipeg Don't blame referees BORIS MINKEVICH / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS FILES Parents watch a youth hockey at the Notre Dame Arena in St. Boniface. John Dafoe 1930- 2014 This is a reprint of the cartoon drawn by Dale Cummings in June 1995 for John Dafoe's retirement as Free Press editorial page editor. U KRAINIAN President Viktor Yanukovych has two choices to end the growing violence and unrest in his divided country. He can escalate the military crackdown, send in the tanks, arrest every protester and opponent, impose martial law and turn the lights out after dusk. Or he can resign with his government, call new elections and invite observers to ensure the vote is fair and true. Mr. Yanukovych himself cannot run for office again. He has too much blood on his hands. The disgraced president has reportedly agreed to a truce with the political opposition, but a tense standoff continued between riot police and protesters in Kyiv, while violence was breaking out in other cities. The idea that he can restore his government's legitimacy through violence or in negotiations with the opposition, however, is a false hope. Ukraine, a country divided along east- west and linguistic and cultural lines, could be facing civil war, or at least a period of sustained violence if the president does not reverse course and step down. If Mr. Yanukovych fails to learn from history, actually from very recent history, he could face a Ukrainian Spring that would leave the country bankrupt and bereft, even more dependent on Russia. Even if he is successful in silencing every critic, his government today lacks the credibility and moral foundation to rule. Canada, the United States and the European Union are considering sanctions against key Ukrainian officials, but it should be looking at stronger measures. Freezing the bank accounts and denying travel visas to a few government leaders is unlikely to generate much of a response, particularly when Russia is standing by Ukraine's side, ready to do what's necessary to prop up the regime. Russia, of course, blames western ambitions and the protesters for the troubles. Moscow wants the United States and the European Union to condemn the demonstrators and urge the opposition to work with the government. The crisis erupted last fall when President Yanukovych rejected deeper association with the European Union in favour of closer ties with Russia, which offered Ukraine a $ 15- billion bailout to help pay down its debt. That decision divided the western part of the country, where Ukrainian is the dominant language, from the eastern half, where Russian is the main language. The larger western portion has long wanted to be more closely associated with the west and its liberal democratic traditions, while the Russified eastern half is more comfortable with deep ties to Moscow. In that sense, Ukraine is really two nations under one flag, but its future direction is one that can be settled through civil dialogue and the ballot box. So much blood has been spilled and so much emotion unleashed, however, it is unclear if an amnesty or conciliatory gesture would restore peace. Despite the president's offer of a truce with the political opposition, the protesters have shown no signs of backing down, which they are unlikely to do unless something dramatic, or dramatically violent, happens. The trend in violent protests in recent years is that the disaffected and alienated do not give up until their government falls or a leader is toppled. President Yanukovych obviously hopes he can cling to power, but he must realize that only his resignation and new elections can reset the clock and give Ukraine the opportunity to renew and redefine its place in the world. Canada and other western nations should remind him it is better that he leave on his own than be swept from office by the tides of history. Ukraine has one option EFREM LUKATSKY / THE ASSOCIATED PRESS FILES A_ 12_ Feb- 20- 14_ FP_ 01. indd A10 2/ 19/ 14 6: 54: 03 PM ;