Winnipeg Free Press

Winnipeg Free Press (Newspaper) - September 14, 2020, Winnipeg, Manitoba C M Y K PAGE A6 Criticizing leaders Re: Trump change? (Letters, Sept. 8) I strongly disagree with Kurt Clyde’s letter, both in regards to U.S. President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. Having followed both Canadian and U.S. poli- tics for decades, I have never seen an administra- tion with as much turnover as Trump’s. This is because his narcissistic personality and lack of political experience has exposed the flaws in his thinking as a president. Whereas his “win-at-all-costs” business acumen may have kept his unethical practices to a small audience, these practices as president are not ac- ceptable to a majority of the American people. The small number of electors who tipped the scales for him in the last election were giving him a chance to show whether his traits as a disruptor were what the electorate wanted. He has failed the test. Look at all the books that have been published in the last two years from people he has picked, then with whom he had a falling-out. I do not recall a president who has had so many negative books published against him. Even people who willingly accepted positions within his adminis- tration have turned against him in large numbers. As for Trudeau, the Free Press generally sup- ported his pledges and policies and may have shown a bias towards him at the start. Who wouldn’t, after so many years enduring the Harper government? But now, as I have, after voting for his party in the 2015 election (not the 2019 election), the Free Press has been rightfully more critical of his flip-flops on election pledges, his continual flouting of ethical behaviour and at times his lack of leadership. Finally, if we accept Clyde’s opinion about find- ing some good things to say about a politician be- cause no one is perfect, it leads me to think about Adolf Hitler and his rise to power. Unfortunately, I’m thinking the press were too lenient in their appraisal of him until it was too late. There is not a direct analogy here but I believe the majority of press have it right about Trump being unfit to serve as president given what we have seen from him in his first term. If given another term, there may no longer be a “United” States of America. GARY MCGIMPSEY Winnipeg Since Kurt Clyde is enquiring regarding a perceived lack by the Free Press newspaper of positive factors regarding the current president of the United States, it is interesting to note that he also cannot mention any in his comments. JO ANN K. NAULT Winnipeg Evaluating EV demand Re: Making the leap to electric (Sept. 10) Every few months, we’re guaranteed an article assuring us that electric vehicle (EV) sales are “leaping” forward until we examine the actual numbers. Then the leaps become sporadic short hops. Reporter Kelly Taylor concedes this when he points out that Canadian sales were only 2.6 per cent of the overall vehicle total. In the U.S., the 2019 figure was a mere 1.9 per cent, globally it was 2.2 per cent, and in supposedly environmen- tally-concerned California, it was all of five per cent. And let’s not forget that these sales were ac- celerated by generous government incentives. Re- move those, and watch sales plummet as they did in Ontario, Georgia, Denmark and Hong Kong. Further studies have revealed that in the U.S., one-third of EV buyers were earning more than $150,000 yearly, so other Americans were demanding to know why these people should get taxpayer-funded subsidies when, if they were so concerned about emissions, they could afford to buy the cars without them. When the Tesla S was introduced in 2008, Canadian auto analyst Dennis Desrosiers and a number of his U.S. counterparts were asked when they thought EVs would comprise an appreciable segment of the overall market. They agreed that it would likely be beyond 2030, and according to the above figures, their predictions are on track. And if the manufacturers want to increase demand for them, they first and foremost need to figure out a way to lower prices. EDWARD KATZ Winnipeg Setting an example Re: Pallister touts government record one year after election win (Sept. 10) The words under the photo of the premier speaking with three young women suggests that the photo was taken Wednesday. Surely not! Surely it is a pre-COVID-19 photo? No distancing. No masks. Much different from the back-to-school photos of small children carrying bags and wearing masks. Much different than the rules our church building is trying to follow as we let many rental groups back into the space. I realize it is out of doors, but restaurants are getting penalized for people being that close to one another. We are all living in very stressful times. Let us all, even the premier, try to be good examples. DIANNE COOPER Winnipeg Food for a few Re: ‘The heart beat of True North Square’ (Sept. 9) In a downtown with primarily low-income resi- dents, where many residents continue to struggle to access an affordable grocery store within a reasonable distance, True North Square seems to be putting the cart before the horse. I wonder how many of the inner-city’s low- income residents will be making their weekly grocery run to this gourmet grocery store to pick up their share of the New Zealand Lamb on offer, or Swedish personal care products. Not to men- tion the $200/pound Japanese Wagyu beef. This must really feel like a slap in the face for the current lower-income residents who have been supporting the downtown for decades. I look forward to seeing a future article celebrating a new affordable grocery store opening in Winni- peg’s downtown. STEPHEN KURZ The Hague, Zuid-Holland, Netherlands Stick to non-violence Re: Changing face of statues (Letters, Sept. 10) Francis Newman writes: “the eruptions of violence and destruction by thugs who give only lip service to BLM could very well strangle this same movement.” Readers of this newspaper should keep in mind that protests intended to be non-violent can be disrupted by agitators who are not part of the movement and may be hired by outside forces to give the movement a bad name from looting and violent incidents. The young man who shot two other young men at a protest in Kenosha, Wis., is an example of someone who chose to bring a dangerous weapon to a protest demonstration and who ended the lives of two people who were trying to disarm him to prevent further violence. I agree that non-violence is the best approach as it does not give law enforcement the excuse to arrest people. As a historian, I am aware that the FBI had various programs to infiltrate many left- wing groups like the American Indian Movement (AIM), Black Panthers and labour unions with the intent to disrupt their plans and destroy the groups through distrust. Canadian Mi’kmaq leader Anna Mae Pictoe Aquash was executed by an AIM member, believ- ing she was a government spy. This tactic was largely successful. I would advise local protest organizers to keep a disciplined, non-violent approach and do not allow the forces trying to undermine them to dis- credit them based on false allegations. I support Black Lives Matter and their concern for police violence against visible minorities. RUTH SWAN 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 MONDAY SEPTEMBER 14, 2020 Closing roads to cars showed promise AMONG the many assumptions the COVID-19 pandemic has forced us to confront is: why are we driving everywhere? An initiative that let people physically distance while getting fresh air and exercise was the restriction of motorized traffic on certain city streets. It was instituted in the spring and city council voted to extend the restrictions through the summer. The limitations were lifted on Tues- day. In a city where many events were cancelled, fitness and entertainment venues were shuttered, and many people worked and studied from home, the street closures allowed many thousands of Winnipeggers to get out and enjoy themselves. Wide, paved surfaces are good for pedestrians, cyclists, wheelchair users, skateboarders and many more to travel safely while maintaining physical distance. The move on the city’s part coincided with a boom in bicycles, as sales of new bikes increased and many Winnipeggers hauled out their dusty bikes and tuned them up. To paraphrase Field of Dreams: if you build it, they will ride. Of course, the streets in question didn’t neces- sarily form a connected network, so they weren’t a permanent solution to provide space for active transportation. And many residents in the affected areas weren’t happy about the effects the restricted streets had on traffic in the area — often, motor- ists trying to get through the neighbourhood merely shifted to a nearby street, which concen- trated more vehicles on fewer routes. Clearly, what is needed is a long-term approach. Blocking off certain streets from motorized traffic, as has been done for many years on Wel- lington Crescent and Wolseley Avenue — but only on weekends, for a designated period of summer months — is a piecemeal approach that treats ac- tive transportation as a diversion. Instead, as the city upgrades road infrastruc- ture, many streets and neighbourhoods are getting an active transportation component. This is often done in consultation with the affected residents, and the various stages each project is in can be found on the city’s website. If the city keeps building its active transporta- tion network, will more people use it? Maybe. It will largely depend on whether the network is a reliable way for Winnipeggers to ditch their cars and power their way to work, school, errands or entertainment. But if they do, then motorists and area resi- dents win as well, even if they never use those protected lanes or bike paths. More people using bikes, rollerblades, skateboards or scooters means fewer vehicles on the road, making the traffic less clogged. And that also means resi- dents tired of blocks-long lines of cars and trucks will see fewer of those. The city has been slowly improving the active transportation infrastructure over the years and, despite the recent cash crunch owing to the COVID-19 pandemic, continued investment in such improvements should be part of every street renewal project. It will pay dividends in people’s quality of life and better health for decades. There’s also the fact that merely increasing road capacity doesn’t solve traffic jams, it merely results in more vehicles using the streets. What if we apply the same logic to active transporta- tion — increase capacity, and see how many more people take advantage of it. The temporary, improvised open streets trans- formed neighbourhoods by showing Winnipggers what they can do with their streets when they’re not behind the wheel. Long-term, continued active transportation investment could transform the entire city. We’d all be better off for it. EDITORIAL MIKE DEAL / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS Churchill Drive, between Hay Street and Jubilee Avenue, was among the streets that reopened this week after being closed for active transportation. Published since 1872 on Treaty 1 territory and the homeland of the Métis A_06_Sep-14-20_FP_01.indd A6 9/13/20 4:14 PM ;