Winnipeg Free Press

Winnipeg Free Press (Newspaper) - July 24, 2015, Winnipeg, Manitoba C M Y K PAGE A8 Fringing it up They say Winnipeg has a good arts scene. I guess I'll find out tonight at the fringe festival. @ JoshGiesbrecht1 Nine shows seen at # wpgfringe, six to go. Most entertaining so far: Sea Wall , Coriolanus , For Body and Light , and especially Twelfth Night ... @ nodelmania Nothing to Declare is such an interesting and exciting tale told by a master storyteller. Really enjoyed it. @ Bogg_ Art In line for Simply Barbra . Quite possibly the longest line I've ever seen for a # WpgFringe planetarium show. @ OtherDaveBedard # SnackMusic was a great pick- me- up after a long day at work. This show deserves to sell out every night. Go see it! # WpgFringe @ drewwpg # WpgFringe pro tip: if you don't check which venue you're going to, you will go to the farthest wrong one. @ tenbruggencate OUR VIEW �o YOUR SAY WINNIPEG FREE PRESS, FRIDAY, JULY 24, 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 251 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 Enterprise / SCOTT GIBBONS Associate Editor Operations and Engagements / SARAH LILLEYMAN Associate Editor Digital News / WENDY SAWATZKY Night Editor / STACEY THIDRICKSON Director Photo and Multimedia / MIKE 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 Government, developments don't mix We're in the midst of the best political/ construction development whodunit Winnipeg has witnessed in years and, once again, Bartley Kives is in the middle of the fray with an excellent expos� ( Stadium architect fires back , July 22). I hope this debacle goes all the way to the Manitoba Court of Appeal, and that parties don't conclude with a settlement featuring endless untold details. Unless and until interested parties learn and understand that direct involvement in construction and development are not the purview of governments, government agencies and public bodies, we will continue to see such developments go well over- budget, with mismanagement and corruption running wild. Simply stated, governments, government agencies and public bodies do not have the all- round experience, expertise and extremely tough character required to run the show, maintain order and keep tight cost control over such developments. BILL STEELE Winnipeg Tickets clearly a cash grab The recently released crime report divulges a fact that most Winnipeggers would not describe as surprising - a whopping 20 per cent increase in photo- radar traffic tickets ( Crime in city outpaces Canada , July 23). Even the words used by the Winnipeg Police Service spokesman are truly revealing - words such as " capitalize," which removes any doubt that raising money for the civic budget takes priority over safety issues. The present unhealthy situation is driven by the city's desire to squeeze as much money out of citizens to keep the mill rate down. We need a new, better way to account for revenue generated - take it ( and related expenses) out of the budget and put them in a reserve account to be used for worthwhile projects. Once the financial incentive is diffused, the focus of the police can go back to where it is supposed to be - safety. TONY BROOKES Winnipeg No need for skimpy outfits Re: Focus on flesh diminishes all of us ( July 23). As a grandmother of teenage girls and mother of three former elite athletes, I think I speak on behalf of most women when I say there's absolutely no need for female beach volleyball athletes to compete in these skimpy outfits. These young women have worked for years honing their skills in this sport, and are likely well- equipped to compete in many other sports. The outfits are a cop- out to the ever- increasing demand for sexual appeal. The photo used to illustrate Jen Zoratti's column simply confirms my opinion. Women deserve a higher call. Sometimes the older and wiser of us must step up and raise the bar. MARILYN STEVENSON ADAM Winnipeg City must take care of parks So here we go again with the City of Winnipeg dumping its responsibilities ( Toil and trouble brewing at witch's hut , July 22). Jim Zacharkiw has volunteered his time to maintaining the witch's hut in Kildonan Park so we taxpayers can enjoy it. Each year the city collects tax dollars, and every year they dump more and more responsibilities on the taxpayer. The city needs to take care of this park. If not, taxpayers might need to go on a witch hunt at city hall before this gets carried away. DIANA FRANTZ Winnipeg Tax credit too costly If I understand correctly, the federal government is using our tax dollars to provide the universal child care benefit, which will be taxable - in effect using money acquired through taxation and then taxing it again ( Christmas in July just more Tory PR , July 21). It will cost $ 1.50 in administration costs for every dollar of our own tax money returned - there's a twisted logic to it all. If this tax credit was simply a line deduction on individual income tax returns the administration costs would be saved - but then the Conservatives would have to find another way to try and buy votes. JONN HOOTON Winnipeg Oil, gas price discord telling The fact that the price of a barrel of oil is still about $ 50 a barrel and the price at the pump for gasoline is now about $ 1.10 per litre litre tells you everything you need to know about capitalists. DAVID AHRONSON Winnipeg Trudeau in town Re: Trudeau saves all barbs for Harper - not Mulcair - at Winnipeg campaign stop ( July 22). Here is Justin Trudeau in a nutshell, as reported by Nick Martin in this story: " Without making specific funding promises, Trudeau said he recognizes the value and the need of fixing cities' infrastructure." And in the last line of the article: " But he made no specific promises." - Peter 12 �� It appears young Trudeau doesn't know where his real opposition is. It's not Harper, but rather Mulcair he should be worried about. - J Haier �� @ J Haier: The same could be said for Harper. - Deliese �� If he gets three seats in Manitoba I'd be surprised... actually I'd be shocked. - user- 6917899 Graphic leaflet lands Re: Graphic campaign in Winnipeg ( July 24). I don't support these antichoicers' methods of getting their message out. It is crude and in poor taste and I doubt it sways anyone to their point of view. However, I also don't support Justin Trudeau's exclusion of people who are not pro- choice from running as Liberals. The big red tent used to have room for everyone, but not anymore. There are people who have strong opinions on the issue and there always will be. I don't agree with the antichoice people, but I respect their right to have different views than I do. - nana2 �� I never got one of these pamphlets. If I do, it will go straight into the recycling bin after I shred it. - 23698142 �� That is just the way the world work nowadays. Shock the monkey. - ve4mm Justice served? Re: Deadly vigilante justice nets man 5 years in prison ( July 22). If you show up at a person's home with the intent to do harm to that person, you deserve whatever you get. If you show up to beat him up - whether you are one of the people doing the physical violence or not - if you get some retribution, you had it coming to you. If you don't want to get killed or shot, then don't go to a person's house to harm them. It really is that simple. I don't think Schmidt should have spent a moment in jail. - nana2 �� Just can't feel any sympathy for five guys that come with bats to harm one guy. I think they are the real cowards. - JustMyOpinion2 W ITH a federal budget of nearly $ 300 billion, what difference does it make if the fiscal year ends with a $ 1- billion deficit or a $ 1- billion surplus? Not a heck of a lot in pure economic terms. Unfortunately for the Harper government, however, there's this little thing called politics. Prime Minister Stephen Harper has defined himself as Canada's great economic leader, the only politician who can lead the country to the promised land of surpluses and balanced budgets - if he is re- elected. The truth is Mr. Harper has squandered the federal government's potential surpluses on boutique tax credits and other cynical gifts that are not in the best interests of an economy that is in decline, with no evidence it will rebound anytime soon. The Conservatives last year promised all kinds of boutique tax credits worth about $ 4.5 billion. They will cost more this year, on top of some $ 3 billion that has already been spent on the universal child care benefit as a partial payment on what will be a larger regular benefit on annual basis, albeit taxable. Economists and pundits warned Mr. Harper last year it would be wiser to build up the surplus, rather than spend it, to prepare for the possibility - now a reality, according to growing number of economists - of a recession. It now looks like Canada could be in for long- term period of slow or anemic growth. It's a situation that normally signals a time to watch spending, while building a surplus to weather the storm. If rapid growth returns and oil prices increase in the near term, well, nothing will have been lost by preparing for the worst. Unfortunately, no one, including the Bank of Canada, is forecasting such an optimistic scenario. The question of whether Canada is facing a small fiscal deficit or surplus, then, is relevant in political terms. If Mr. Harper intends to ignore the dark clouds hanging over the economy in order to meet his arbitrary, even anti- intellectual, agenda of balancing the budget at any cost while cutting taxes and handing out enhanced baby bonuses, that is something that should be of interest and concern to voters. The prime minister's promised surplus, combined with tax cuts, was supposed to be the pillar of the Conservative election campaign. But if the surplus is actually a deficit, it raises questions about the wisdom, if not the integrity, of tossing cash at taxpayers in order to get reelected. The fact is many Canadians don't particularly like Mr. Harper and many of his policies, but money always talks the loudest. Mr. Harper has spent the surplus Canada might need in the near future on election gimmicks. But if he was determined to throw it away, it would have been wiser to increase the national infrastructure fund and invest in strategic infrastructure in cities, which would have produced a greater return than an enhanced baby bonus or income splitting, neither of which will generate much in the way of new taxes or economic activity. Since the Conservatives formed government in 2006, they have cut taxes by more than $ 30 billion. The result was an increase in debt and fiscal deficits, which are only now being brought under control - or not. Deficits and debt rarely decide elections, unless there is evidence of incompetence, waste and corruption. Thus, it remains to be seen if Mr. Harper's politically motivated economic policy will affect his base or swing voters. In the end, it's all politics, at least to politicians with short- term agendas. Let's hope it doesn't leave Canada behind the 8- ball when the long game becomes important. Deficit politics can be a dangerous game Stephen Harper A_ 10_ Jul- 24- 15_ FP_ 01. indd A8 7/ 23/ 15 7: 02: 28 PM ;