Winnipeg Free Press

Winnipeg Free Press (Newspaper) - July 25, 2015, Winnipeg, Manitoba C M Y K PAGE A15 IDEAS �o ISSUES �o INSIGHTS THINK- TANK A 15 Winnipeg Free Press Saturday, July 25, 2015 W E live in the age of the political idiot. In a culture increasingly bloated with sound- bite warriors, social- media heroes and politician and journalist extremists whose only intention is to gratify the most callow and caricatured expectations and arouse their constituencies. While the left boasts a few such types, it's the hard right that now births them, it seems, by the week. At a potentially dangerous level there is the manufactured and absurd Donald Trump, who screams platitudes and inanities that have little basis in truth but earn the man not less but greater support. The more he can depict himself as an outsider willing to speak truth to media, liberal elite and even conservativeestablishment power, the more the hysterical right adore him. Indeed it is this " daring to take on the powerful and speak what others think" mantra that is the order of the day on the right. As well as being intellectually dishonest and morally repugnant, it's also downright hypocritical in that most if not all of those competing for this crown are privileged, wealthy and influential. Trump is the most pernicious and obvious and, alas, some of his more responsible conservative rivals will follow suit to various degrees because they can see it works. But Canadian conservatives are not that far behind. While there is still often decorum and moderation in traditional Tory circles, the new right bases its ideas, and especially its tactics, not on Canada but the United States. The Conservative war machine - and it is precisely that - is efficient, controlling and most of all relentlessly partisan. Witness the decay in political advertising, the personal attacks, the obscuring of ideas and the appointment of so many deeply flawed people considered useful rather than deserving. Journalism has seen this phenomenon abundantly. Right- wing websites attempt to outdo each other in hyperbole and screaming, using ambush, shock tactics, character abuse and circus tactics to activate the mob. And that mob is willing to donate money and spend time - many of them seem to have much of both - to further the cause. The more their champions are attacked the more it proves they are right in their conspiracy theories. This is no longer the preserve of the sewer- dwelling Holocaust deniers and racists but the less bizarre who obsess about gun control, oppose abortion, deny climate change, are terrified of sex education, reject equal marriage and are convinced government is out to get them. This paranoia is not only big but big business. Then we have the " type," the younger versions of the Ann Coulter original who are so ubiquitous now. Attractive, young, usually blond and never profound, they appear on American and Canadian television and utter the same banalities. Just last week Tomi Lahren, the 22- year- old host of One America News Network's On Point , broadcast a two- minute rant against U. S. President Barack Obama after the tragic murder of four marines. She blamed Washington for a soft response to terrorism and Islamic terrorism, dismissed all of Obama's accomplishments and appeared to downplay the murder of nine black churchgoers in South Carolina. It was an empty shout but one that has been watched more than two million times on the Internet and made Lahren a national hero to countless Americans. The obligatory photographs of the woman wearing tight jeans and smiling at the camera as she fired a gun were released, the stories of her military family and special forces boyfriend were fed to the press, and I'd be surprised if she were not a highly popular Fox News host by Christmas. Yet the truth is Islamic radicalism has little to do with Obama. It was controlled and powerless until armed and encouraged by Ronald Reagan and George Bush Sr.' s vicarious wars against the Russians and was given massive impetus by the disastrous Iraq wars. If anybody made Islamic terrorism the force it is today it was Republican rather than Democrat and George W. Bush rather than Barack Obama. But this defies the facile narrative of the new right and demands thought rather than reaction. Donald Trump, blonds with assault rifles, histrionic websites. The outward sign of the demise of intelligent conservatism and political discourse. And it's probably going to get even worse. Michael Coren is a Toronto- based television host, radio personality, syndicated columnist, author and speaker. mcoren@ sympatico. ca. MICHAEL COREN The age of the political idiot E ARLIER this week, many Winnipeggers were surprised to discover graphic anti- choice literature in their mailboxes, from the Campaign for Life Coalition and the Canadian Centre for Bioethical Reform in a targeted political campaign. The issue of abortion has always been political and polarizing. The power of this postcard is rooted in abortion stigma. It's time to end the practice of making political gains founded on the shaming of women. It's time to end abortion stigma and shift from conflict to conversation. Concerted efforts to create shame and stigma about sexual and reproductive- health services, such as disseminating misinformation and inaccurate images, does more harm than good. " Almost 90 per cent of abortions take place during the first trimester when the pregnancy bears no resemblance to anything depicted in these images," states Dawn Fowler, Canadian director of the National Abortion Federation. Scare tactics prevent us from talking openly about our needs and experiences. It discourages us from seeking helpful information and essential health and social services. As a not- for- profit agency, Women's Health Clinic's role is to work as best we can to protect our clients and provide them with good, ethical care. As feminists, we have a responsibility to uphold and yes, even demand for their rights when called for. Abortion is a common and legal medical procedure performed by highly trained professionals. In Canada, essential health- care services are a right of all citizens. Access to reproductive- health services isn't equal, within provinces and within the country. Access is important. Short of abstinence, no form of birth control works 100 per cent of the time. Menstruating women of all ages, from teens to grandmothers, from every background, may find themselves needing abortion care at some point in their lives. How do we shift from debate to dialogue, from censorship and control to collaborative conversation? Together we commit to move beyond pro- life vs. pro- choice debate to a culture of pro- voice. We make time and space for people who've had abortions to tell their stories and speak their truth, safely and respectfully. What's the impact when we're told, in ways both subtle and overt, that we should be ashamed of our bodies and our inability to control them? Ashamed of the choices we make about our bodies and our lives? We feel our bodies, and our very lives are not our own. We believe we're not capable of knowing what we need or able to make good decisions for ourselves. We become doubtful and unsure. Whether we're sure or uncertain, all who ask questions about sexual- health and reproductive- health matters deserve factual, evidence- based information every step of the way. At Women's Health Clinic, we believe every person has the right to choose what happens to their own body. We believe that all people deserve to be able to access high- quality sexual- health and reproductivehealth services, including abortion care. Women have a range of reactions to an abortion experience, just as they do to other procedures. Do most of them regret the decisions? Research tells us that they don't. Yes, some do, but most report feeling relieved to have the wondering and waiting over with and eager to return to their lives, hopes and plans for the future. Yes, for some there may be moments of wondering " what if?" just as with any other decision about their lives. But that doesn't mean a lifetime of regret, and that isn't a reason to be ashamed of the choice. Yes, some do regret their choice. For all who are touched by abortion, it's important to have safe places to talk about their experiences and get support without judgment or shame. Sharing our stories means women are safe to be able to say " Yes, I had an abortion, and I'm OK." And " Yes, I had an abortion, and I need support." Through storytelling, we find our human connection, we learn to respect and appreciate difference, we move past our fear and need for control and create a culture of compassion and care that benefits all. How then, do we move forward? Get informed. People with questions about the accuracy of pictures and information can look to evidence- based, neutral resources. Think critically about information. Knowing who creates or funds the information can reveal any possible biases. Listen. When we listen carefully, quietly, and with compassion, we learn. Now, more than ever, women are giving voice to their real- life sexual- health and reproductive- health experiences. Women are talking. It's time to listen. Women's Health Clinic is hosting a spoken- word event. Pro Voice for Choice: sharing abortion experience through spoken word. For more information, please visit www. womenshealthclinic. org. Leigh Anne Caron is the health services team manager at Women's Health Clinic. She oversees health service provision in two programs, including the abortion program. Rather than shaming, we should listen By Leigh Anne Caron F OR a couple of weeks this summer, the City of Winnipeg's chief planner, Braden Smith, found himself in the news on a regular basis. And each time the Free Press wrote about him, the story was accompanied by a particular photo that showed Smith frowning despondently. That made sense given that the stories dealt with a series of decisions by councilors to reject recommendations from Smith's department. The photo seemed to be one of those images that completely captures the essence of a story. Smith would like to say on the record, however, that he is not an angry man. And that the decisions council made contrary to his best advice did not make him despondent. " No, that wasn't really accurate," Smith said of the photo in question. And yet, there is no escaping two facts. First, that Smith and the planning department were unusually prominent in news reports coming from city hall. Second, that those reports dealt with a string of defeats at the hands of councillors who seemed only too willing to reject the advice of the planning department. Councillors approved, for example, a plan by Sport Manitoba to construct a street- level parkade in their new field house, contrary to planning policies for the Exchange District. Councillors also approved surface parking lots for an Asian grocery store and at Upper Fort Garry Park. And to complete a less- than- exemplary session of council, councillors also approved a plan by owners of a jewelry store on Logan Avenue to rebuild their property set back from the street with a landscaped parking lot in front. Again, contrary to planning policies. These decisions might lead citizens to think council has gone rogue from planning policies, and is prepared to deviate on a whim from Our Winnipeg, the city's chief planning framework, and a host of secondary plans. And that the planning department has become persona non grata at council. As was the case with the offending photograph, Smith says those would be the wrong conclusions to reach. " From my perspective, we have more reports than any other department in the city, and the gross majority of those reports are positive and align with our decision- makers," Smith said in an interview. " As a department, our responsibility is to take Our Winnipeg and other bylaws and regulations and make recommendations for development proposals. By and large, our recommendations are concurred with by our elected officials. At the end of the day, both the elected officials and the public service have the same aim: to build a community. We just have different lenses through which we're looking at that aim." Is this just Smith being deferential to his elected overlords, or is there more agreement than disagreement in deliberations over planning matters? When you see the sheer volume of development proposals, zoning applications and other matters the planning department weighs in on, and the resulting votes at committee or council, there is no doubt there is much more concurrence than disagreement. And yet, occasional reminders that council holds a trump card in planning matters can be unsettling. There have been, in the past, numerous concerns that council is too easily swayed when developers try to get around planning restrictions. That was the case in 2013 when developers made a bid to construct a $ 70- million, 24- storey mixed- use tower on top of the historic pumping station on Waterfront Drive. A city committee approved the ambitious project despite the fact its height ran well above the eightstorey limit placed on Exchange District development. Neighbourhood residents strenuously opposed the project, calling it a " monstrosity." Despite that, councillors on a city committee and the planning department both approved the development plan, with some caveats. The project was ultimately abandoned. This was a prime example of the fact planning guidelines in any urban centre cannot possibly anticipate every development proposal. The pumpingstation tower did not meet existing zoning requirements, but many at the city believed it would have been a net positive for the neighbourhood. Smith noted even complex documents such as Our Winnipeg - a product of years of planning and consultation - and zoning bylaws can only provide broad guidelines for the planning department and councillors to use in making final decisions. " Our Winnipeg is an enabling document," Smith said. " It sets the framework but it's not prescriptive on how to get there." Inexact science or not, if there is a concern in the string of defeats suffered by the planning department, it is that deviating from planning policies ultimately disrupts and delays the planning process. Our Winnipeg is an attempt to create a denser and more functional, mixed- use, pedestrian- friendly community. That is a tough gig for an urban centre that has grown in fits and starts over the past 25 years. Smith agreed many people worry, sometimes with good cause, that the city will never evolve into the one envisioned by Our Winnipeg. However, much of that concern is due to the fact progress in planning is very incremental, and changes are hard to see. Smith noted the redevelopment of Sherbrook Avenue, where storefront improvements and new dedicated bike routes have created the best example to date of the vibrant, pedestrian- friendly neighbourhoods envisioned by Our Winnipeg. " It didn't happen overnight," Smith said. " It didn't necessarily happen after Our Winnipeg was adopted. There was a policy framework set in place and it has been incrementally growing ever since." dan. lett@ freepress. mb. ca Twitter: @ danlett DAN LETT City planner says most planning reports align with decision- makers City unfolding as it should City of Winnipeg chief planner Braden Smith is a man of many moods at city council. MIKE DEAL / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS FILES RUTH BONNEVILLE / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS A_ 15_ Jul- 25- 15_ FP_ 01. indd A15 7/ 24/ 15 6: 39: 31 PM ;