Winnipeg Free Press

Winnipeg Free Press (Newspaper) - January 23, 2015, Winnipeg, Manitoba C M Y K PAGE A8 OUR VIEW �o YOUR SAY WINNIPEG FREE PRESS, FRIDAY, JANUARY 23, 2015 Freedom of Trade Liberty of Religion Equality of Civil Rights A 8 PERSPECTIVES AND POLITICS EDITOR: Shannon Sampert 204- 697- 7269 shannon. sampert@ freepress. mb. ca winnipegfreepress. com EDITORIAL LETTERS FP COMMENTS TWITTER VOL 143 NO 73 Winnipeg Free Press est 1872 / Winnipeg Tribune est 1890 2015 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: 204- 697- 7000 Publisher / BOB COX Editor / PAUL SAMYN Associate Editor Engagement / JULIE CARL Associate Editor Enterprise / SCOTT GIBBONS Associate Editor Production / STEVE PONA Associate Editor Digital News / WENDY SAWATZKY Night Editor / STACEY THIDRICKSON Director Photo and Multimedia / MICHAEL APORIUS W What's your take? The Free Press wants to hear from you. Email: letters@ freepress. mb. ca Post: Letters to the Editor, 1355 Mountain Ave., Winnipeg, R2X 3B6 Please include your name, address and daytime phone number. Follow us on Twitter @ WFPEditorials For a how- to video on writing letters, visit winnipegfreepress. com SCAN PAGE TO LEARN HOW TO HAVE YOUR SAY . Main Street strip worth saving Christian Cassidy's intriguing article projects a kaleidescope of the significant historical events and people connected to Winnipeg's oldest commercial blocks of south Main Street ( Building block , Jan. 18). Their rare, Romanesque, visually cadenced brick walls help make Winnipeg quite special. Isn't this what downtown redevelopment seeks to do? These buildings should be kept and creatively revitalized. SHIRLEY KOWALCHUK Winnipeg Improving cardiac care In the Jan. 14 editorial Fixing hearts faster in Manitoba , Canadian Medical Association ( CMA) president Dr. Chris Simpson is quoted as saying that " One solution ( to the backlog for echocardiograms) may be to follow Ontario's example, where nurses can be trained in three months." The training referred to by Simpson was used in the past at his own centre, and predates current training standards. The current standard for training in cardiac sonography is through educational programs accredited by the CMA. Programs are based on a national set of requirements developed and maintained by Sonography Canada to ensure graduates are competent at entry- to- practice. National credentialing examinations administered by Sonography Canada represent a final hurdle for graduates. One option for increasing the number of cardiac sonographers in Manitoba would be the implementation of a CMA- accredited cardiac sonography program in the province. Winnipeg's Red River College currently has a diagnostic medical sonography ( medical ultrasound) program for generalist areas of medical ultrasound such as obstetrics and abdominal ultrasound - a possible starting point. Training existing staff on- site often takes well in excess of a year to reach the level of competency required to pass Sonography Canada's national examinations. For the safety of patients, we strongly recommend that anyone performing echocardiography be credentialed through Sonography Canada - an achievement that requires significant time, energy and commitment. There is no shortcut to training qualified cardiac sonographers. TOM HAYWARD Executive director, Sonography Canada Clinton comes with baggage Dan Lett may be correct in naming those who can present a problem for Hillary Rodham Clinton in 2016, should she decide to run for president of the U. S. ( Glimpse of a great motivator , Jan. 22). And while I supported Clinton's presidential bid in 2008, think the world of her as a female politician and respect her wealth of knowledge, let's not forget the baggage she carries. I'm speaking of her moderate to conservative Democratic party position - she will do almost exactly what former president Bill Clinton did in his time in office. This makes her toxic to the party's progressives and liberals. Sen. Elizabeth Warren is the better female choice for the 2016 presidential election cycle. Warren is everything Clinton is not, especially since Warren does not have the hatred and disrespect of the Republicans and the Tea Party in the U. S. NATALIA COGGINS Winnipeg Parent unjustly vilified Letter- writer Don Wood's comparison between leaving a six- year- old child at home alone for 90 minutes and a person driving " very drunk" for 90 minutes is fatuous ( A question of crime , Letters, Jan. 22). Driving a car is inherently dangerous - the driver must have judgment and the ability to react to constantly changing stimuli in order to safely navigate the road for 90 minutes. Drunk driving is even more dangerous than normal driving, which is why it is clearly a crime - and why drunk drivers are vilified. A child of six at home, with access to all his or her needs, is not inherently at risk. Being left alone for 90 minutes is far less dangerous than a drunk driver. Comparing the parent's actions to those of a drunk driver implies the same vilification, which is undeserved. IAN TOAL Winnipeg Satire's aim is to reform Harry McFee's letter on the Charlie Hebdo matter betrays a misunderstanding about the very nature of satire, making an unfortunate analogy between its aims and those of bullies ( Faith, free speech and respect , Letters, Jan. 19). The satirist derides with the aim of reformation; the bully derides for the sole purpose of harming individuals. If we want to eliminate the risk of hurt feelings amongst followers of a satirized world view, we will have to ban Aristophanes, Plato, Voltaire, Twain, Orwell and more. Chris Kennedy's letter, by contrast, features an irony of which he seems unaware. He takes aim at those who produce " blasphemous" cartoons, but his response to ones that mock his faith is to say a " prayer of peace." Would that the Paris murderers thought the same way. MARK DUNCAN Winnipeg Time to talk racism Maclean's cover stories are silly and provocative, but this one is probably correct. Now's the time to talk about racism, not boosterism. @ robgalston Whether or not Winnipeg is the " most" racist city in Canada is irrelevant. The fact is, the city ( and province) has a race problem. @ coreyshefman According to Maclean's , my city is the most racist city in Canada. As an aboriginal, I don't think they're wrong. @ heyxkaylee Winnipeg is a lot of things - many of them good, some of them bad - but calling it Canada's most racist city is a low blow. @ renbostelaar I see all the faces at the city hall press conference, and am extremely proud to live in Winnipeg and Manitoba. @ loewenchris Congrats and thanks to Manitoba Grand Chief Nepinak and Winnipeg Mayor Bowman on facing racism head- on. @ larryrousseau Winnipeg ' most racist'? Re: Magazine cites Winnipeg as ' most racist' ( Jan. 22). Once again, Maclean's can't resist a spurious ranking. There is all kind of racism in Winnipeg, no doubt. As others have noted, the comments often provide ample evidence of that. But to say that any particular place is the " most" anything is just stupid. If Winnipeg is more in the headlines with respect to race issues lately, perhaps it's because we recognize it, talk about it, and try to do something about it. If Maclean's thinks that makes our city more racist than a place where everyone is in denial, that's their problem. - Maudoug �� I think these rankings are ridiculous, but I find racist attitudes in Winnipeg to be quite troubling. The future looks better though, as conditions improve for aboriginal people and they take up more leadership roles in the broader community. I also believe that the CMHR will gradually influence community attitudes in a positive way. - luvstb �� Denying the racism problem in Winnipeg is not much different than denying that we have some aboriginal societal problems in Winnipeg. Both are true... so what now? - patsy1 �� The last sentence of this article sums it up. The more anyone is subjected to any entitlement group, be they aboriginal or landed immigrant, and hear how much of a financial burden they are to the working class, the more resentment and lack of respect there will be. - 23710647 �� We could certainly look at the " most racist" tag as an opportunity to leverage our room for improvement... and there's plenty. First we should discuss how we can measure progress. - kachina �� The truth hurts. - Spence Furby Bowman takes charge Re: Bowman shows he means business ( Editorial, Jan. 22). I trust Mayor Bowman and the new city council are beginning to realize that they must deal with the recent mismanagement and misconduct by their predecessors and most senior administrators, and send clear messages to all concerned. Otherwise, the horror stories will inevitably be repeated. Terminating acting chief administrative officer Deepak Joshi next Wednesday would be a good first step. - Fiorella �� Go, Brian, go - nice to see that the cleanup has begun. - brs22 W INNIPEG woke up to a body slam to the ego Thursday when Maclean's magazine called it Canada's most racist city. For many it was humiliating, an epithet that's hard to swallow in a city quick to defend its virtues. Numerous surveys that looked at racial attitude and incidents throughout Canada were cited in the article. According to the report, the Prairies scored high on prejudice toward aboriginal people - only 61 per cent of respondents said they would be comfortable with an aboriginal neighbour. None of this can be news to Winnipeggers. A Winnipeg Free Press / Probe poll last fall determined many believe the racial divide in this city is a serious problem. On Thursday, Mayor Brian Bowman faced the cameras at city hall - at times speaking with great emotion - to show Canada what else distinguishes Winnipeg: an impressive lineup of successful aboriginal leaders who are working with non- aboriginal leaders to break down the barriers of inequality plaguing the city and this province. Mr. Bowman said Winnipeg can lead Canada to reconciliation with its aboriginal people, but only if it walks the talk. He is right. This is an issue for city council because it strikes at how Winnipeggers live together. The successes and failures of this community, tied to this city's identity, will determine the prosperity of Winnipeg as a whole. But it also requires the commitment of the provincial and federal governments, which hold constitutional responsibility to address the causes of social and economic inequality: The unequal funding for schools and social services on reserves, the dismal graduation rates among aboriginal people, the need for skills training for unemployed adults - all of the factors feeding into joblessness, crime and addictions. Racism is the trickle- down effect of historical colonial policies and laws that continue to cause excessively high rates of aboriginal unemployment, addictions, poverty, violence and poor health. It's a chain of pain too few wish to recognize - the first step to dispelling prejudice. Ordinary Winnipeggers must also take responsibility. They must demand government make a difference. Provide affordable housing, enrich preschool programs and set welfare rates that do not force people to decide between rent and food. This will improve the chances of success for new generations of children. This is the challenge for Winnipeggers issued by civic leaders who stopped amid their busy days to get to the side of the city's first M�tis mayor to speak to the city's future. Walk the talk and face for themselves the truths starkly outlined in the Maclean's article. Mr. Bowman was right when he said Winnipeggers can lead Canada in a long- overdue reconciliation between aboriginal and non- aboriginal people. Manitoban Ovide Mercredi, former leader of the Assembly of First Nations, said it best. The racism he has suffered, he said, he would wish on no Canadian. Yes, he said, Winnipeg and Manitoba have a racism problem. But so too, he noted, does every city in this country where all groups - including white people - have felt its sting and been diminished by its effect. Everyone suffers in a divided city. It is time Winnipeggers got to know each other and to value each other as citizens. Trading on stereotypes fashioned by ignorance, fear and loathing just diminishes this city. How to fix Canada's ' most racist' city Ovide Mercredi A_ 10_ Jan- 23- 15_ FP_ 01. indd A8 1/ 22/ 15 7: 13: 42 PM ;