Winnipeg Free Press

Winnipeg Free Press (Newspaper) - May 08, 2020, Winnipeg, Manitoba C M Y K PAGE A6 Remembering war's end Italian dictator Benito Mussolini was captured and shot April 28, 1945. Germany's Adolf Hitler took his own life on April 30, 1945. Canada's Lt. General Charles Foulkes, com- mander of 1st Canadian Corps, accepted the ca- pitulation of all German forces at Wageningen in Western Holland on May 5, 1945 in the presence of Prince Bernhard of the Netherlands. The unconditional surrender of German armies fighting in Europe was signed by Col.- Gen. Gustafson Jodi, German chief of staff in the War Room at HQ SHAEF, Reims, France on May 6, with hostilities to cease one minute past mid- night on May 8, 1945. It was stated from London "that the surrender was to be ratified and con- firmed by Berlin yesterday and it is probable the Russian announcement will follow this encore." This came to be known as "VE Day" (Victory in Europe). The Allies' war with Japan continued for three more months with Canadian, British and American armies preparing to invade. A new and horrifying weapon was developed and tested by scientists in the United States. The world's first atomic bombs were dropped on Hiroshima on Aug. 6 and the second dropped on Nagasaki on Aug. 9, 1945, causing the com- bined deaths of an estimated 150,000 civilians. Emperor Hirohito persuaded the government to surrender, which finally occurred Sept. 2, 1945. This was called "VJ Day" (Victory over Japan). An estimated 60 million people died during the Second World War. "Every soldier had to face and overcome deep unspoken fears within himself before he faced the German (Japanese) defenders. These private terrors were, perhaps, more formidable than the enemy. The soldiers who defeated both made the liberation of Europe possible. Free men every- where should remember them.": Col. C.P. Stacey, The Victory Campaign. HARRY F. MCFEE Winnipeg Do not collect $200? Re: Seniors to get $200 for pandemic expenses (May 6) I can only speculate on what motivates our premier, but giving a $200 cheque to every senior over 65 years of age regardless of income is outrageous, especially at a time when only 14 per cent of seniors are in real need of help. Premier Brian Pallister makes it sound like some mag- nanimous gesture in appreciation of seniors, but in reality it is a waste of resources which can be put to much better use. If he wants to help seniors, then take the $45 million and give it to the 14 per cent who are in real need. If the premier is looking for accolades from us, he will receive none. While I can't speak for the rest of the 86 per cent, I suspect there will be general agreement with my point of view. JAMES PENNER Ste. Anne Why are the seniors of Manitoba getting $200 each without any means test of their actual eco- nomic assets or needs? This government is beg- ging poverty on one hand and yet it gives money to all and sundry with the other hand. Even Premier Brian Pallister, he of the Wel- lington Crescent and Costa Rica homes, is eligible to get the cash, along with another half-dozen MLAs! None of whom is probably worrying about how to buy a gadget so their younger families can log on to remote learning at home. Hopefully they will donate their $200 to Winnipeg Harvest. It is reported that 86 per cent of seniors live above the poverty line, so why not just save the $200 that would go to those above the poverty line and send a more helpful $1,000 each to the 14 per cent below it? Alternatively: tax it, so that those at the lower incomes benefit, in pocket, more than the Pallisters et al. of the province. BOB SALES Winnipeg Re: Pallister not above pandemic pandering (May 6) I cannot believe the attitude displayed by Dan Lett in his column. Lett is outraged that reasonably affluent seniors are receiving a cheque for $200. He fails to mention that these seniors have paid a ton of taxes over the years to support government social welfare programs. He also fails to mention that the reason many are affluent is because they worked hard and were prudent in spending. There may be a few who will put the money in the bank, but I am certain the vast majority will use the money to support local businesses or make donations to charities in this time of need. I am a relatively affluent senior and I have been supporting local restaurants via curbside pickup and donating money to the Assiniboine Park Zoo. So a big "bah humbug" to Lett. KURT CLYDE Winnipeg News you can use The teachers, parents and children are all doing a great job with home teaching, but there are days when it can be very frustrating for all of them. One day, it might be fun and educational to bring a "substitute" in for the day: the "hands-on" edition of Saturday's Free Press. It can be spread on the floor where the kids can sit and begin their lessons. It would be a change from using the com- puter, Chromebooks or textbooks to learn from. Here is how I would plan a typical day, us- ing the newspaper as my guide. My examples would especially be workable with middle-years students (grades 4-8). The subjects all could be integrated into their learning. The morning could start with calendar time where children can refer to the page with short- and long-term weather forecasts. By using this guide they can also en- hance their predicting skills by making their own forecast. By looking on the date of the paper they can add up the number of days they hadn't gone to school since the virus started. Kids love reading aloud, so take the comics section of the paper out and have everyone read a character's dialogue. For teaching social studies and science, children can refer to the world and local news sections of the paper. They can learn how many different countries have been affected by the coronavirus, where these places are and how scientists are trying to develop a vaccine. Math can be integrated when children graph our daily update of new cases that occur in Manitoba with the virus. Ask your child to find different areas of the paper that talk about events and sports that have been cancelled and make a list of them. In health, students can find a flyer or page in the newspaper that has grocery items with pictures on them. Let them cut out the food items and have them sort these items into the various food groups. For art class, the children can draw what they saw as changes in our world which are identified in the newspaper. Don't forget to insert a couple of recess breaks. The crossword puzzles and various game activi- ties for kids in the paper can be used as a calming time for kids after their breaks. Parents won't have to sign their agenda books at the end of the school day, but don't forget to give them some stickers for their good efforts and hard work! Most important, make sure you have fun! RON HUCAL Winnipeg LETTERS AND FP COMMENTS WHAT'S YOUR TAKE? THE FREE PRESS WANTS TO HEAR FROM YOU. The Free Press is committed to publishing a diverse selection of letters from a broad cross-section of our audience. The Free Press will also consider longer submissions for inclusion on our Think Tank page, which is a platform man- dated to present a wide range of perspectives on issues of current interest. We welcome our readers' feedback on articles and letters on these pages and in other sections of the Free Press ? Email: Letters: letters@freepress.mb.ca Think Tank submissions: opinion@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 OUR VIEW YOUR SAY PERSPECTIVES EDITOR: BRAD OSWALD 204-697-7269 ? BRAD.OSWALD@FREEPRESS.MB.CA ? WINNIPEGFREEPRESS.COM A6 FRIDAY MAY 8, 2020 Personal decisions will define next steps "IT'S up to you."It's impossible to quantify the number of times each of us has heard this phrase, from parents, teachers, siblings, friends, coaches, mentors, business associates, salespeople or even complete strangers. Most times, it's extended as a courtesy, offering the opportunity to choose - what to pick from the restaurant menu, where to meet for after-work drinks, which movie to see, where to go on a long- awaited winter vacation. Other times, however, it carries a sense of foreboding, reminding that the next action taken could have immediate and perhaps profound consequences - for personal health, for financial well-being, for future employment or for the long- term survival of a relationship. As Manitoba lurches into its hastily dispatched plan to relax COVID-19-related restrictions, the notion that "It's up to you" has never carried more urgency. Everyone in this province has a personal stake in making sure Manitoba's rela- tively positive COVID-19 profile is not upended by a sudden spike in cases brought on by a rush back to "normal" public behaviour. Outdoor patios are now open. Playgrounds are open. Golf courses and tennis courts. Shopping malls and retail outlets. Hair salons and massage therapy clinics. Museums and galleries. Campgrounds. What these things have in common is the op- portunity for people to gather in relatively close quarters - something the province's health-care experts have been advising us, in the strongest possible terms, to avoid completely for nearly two months. The calculation here, by a provincial govern- ment dead-set on limiting the financial dam- age caused by the pandemic, is that reopening the economy in a manner that will get Manitobans working, moving and spending can be accom- plished without unflattening the curve that has made the coronavirus's unwelcome incursion a so-far manageable health emergency. But the messaging related to Phase 1 of the "Restoring Safe Services" plan has been decid- edly mixed, and the reopening blueprint appears to have been created with only the most cursory of consultation with the industries now being "al- lowed" to resume operating. "It was kind of a broadside, with little to no communication with the government," was how the head of the Manitoba Restaurant and Food Services Association responded to last week's unveiling of the rules-relaxing roadmap. "I find it very disheartening. We would've liked to consult on how this happens." As the first week of Manitoba's trudge toward normalcy continues, Phase 1's nominated busi- nesses are trying to figure out how the new rules apply. For individual Manitobans, the challenge ahead lacks the financial stakes being considered by reopened enterprises, but there could still be a steep price to pay if we get this wrong. The virus lurks. Having flattened the curve doesn't mean Manitobans have outlasted it, or successfully avoided it, or in any way pre-empted the inevitable second wave of infection that will soon make its way around the globe. We are still very much in the midst of a pan- demic. And despite the mixed messages attached to Manitoba's reopening, what's clear is that behaving as if things have returned to what they were eight weeks ago would be a massive miscal- culation. Physically distance. Wash your hands. Cover your face. Stay home if you are experiencing symptoms. Don't stop doing these things just because a pa- tio is open on a sunny day or a long-overdue hair- cut beckons. A politician may have told you such things are allowed, but a physician would surely counter that they should be undertaken only with extreme caution. What happens next is up to all of us. EDITORIAL MIKAELA MACKENZIE / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS Restaurant patios reopened this week. Published since 1872 on Treaty 1 territory and the homeland of the M�tis A_06_May-08-20_FP_01.indd A6 2020-05-07 4:44 PM ;