Winnipeg Free Press

Winnipeg Free Press (Newspaper) - October 22, 2021, Winnipeg, Manitoba C M Y K PAGE A6 ● WINNIPEGFREEPRESS.COMNEWS I TOPICA6 FRIDAY, OCTOBER 22, 2021 Income-based fines ridiculous Re: Councillor pushes for income-based ticket system (Oct. 21) Now I have heard it all. Every day in the news we read about discrimination, and yet the propos- al is to make fines different based on how much we make per year. So ticket prices should be based on your income, as rich people do not care if they get a $100 ticket? This would be a ridiculous way of enforcing laws. What’s next? If you make under $30,000, you only go to jail for half the amount of time? If you cannot afford the punishment, do not break the law. STEWART JACQUES Winnipeg Not religious persecution Re: Arresting pastor is travesty (Letter, Oct. 21) Letter writer Kenneth Olson seems to be mis- taken when he says the arrest of Pastor Tobias Tissen is religious persecution. The pastor has not been fined, arrested, nor jailed due to his beliefs, religious or otherwise. He has been subjected to penalties which apply to anyone who violates public-health orders intended to protect individual and collective health. The pastor did go to great lengths to distinguish himself by holding large gatherings clearly in violation of public-health orders. He could have expressed his beliefs while complying with the orders (just as many letter writers do). Instead, he sought publicity and encouraged others to violate public-health orders while sharing his beliefs. Rest assured, the same behaviours in a non-re- ligious context would be subject to the same penalties — hardly a “travesty of justice.” MICHELLE BURDZ Winnipeg Don’t bill travellers Re: Travel tests unreasonable (Letter, Oct. 20) My husband and I have been double vaccinat- ed since April. We wear masks and have missed family celebrations. These mandates seem to be going on forever. Our grandchildren live in U.S., and we have not seen them in nearly two years. Now, the border will finally be opened, but the cost for testing to get back into Canada is $150 per person and up. Meanwhile, the rapid testing sites in Manitoba are open for people who are not vaccinated. Are they also paying for their tests and paying for the people working there to test them? Something is wrong here. PAT SANDS Winnipeg Protect gig workers Re: New licence category aims to skip the liability (Oct. 21) Provincial plans to regulate third-party mo- bile-app companies that deliver food, liquor and cannabis are all well and good. There was no mention of plans to amend the Employment Standards Act to ensure gig workers aren’t denied basic labour standards, due to these same app companies treating these workers as “independent contractors.” There is a growing need for governments to muster up the courage to confront the dark side of Big Tech. Regulations ought to begin with protection for the growing number of gig workers employed by these corporations. PAUL MOIST Winnipeg Reopen downtown health office Re: Encouraging office staff back to downtown offices (Oct. 20) The Manitoba Health Office at 300 Carlton St. has been closed to in-person service through 2021. The sign on the door states Manitoba Health rep- resentatives are available by email or telephone. A phone call is a 45-minute wait on hold, if one has access to a phone. Email communication is not an option for many. The federal government has long reinstated its in-person service at the passport office and Ser- vice Canada. It is a mystery why Manitoba Health has not resumed its in-person service. Vulnerable populations in particular rely heav- ily on walk-in access. This extended period of closure seems excessive. BEVERLY MCINTYRE Winnipeg Mental illness stereotyped Re: No sympathy for Carey Price (Letter, Oct. 20) Assuming that because one has no financial worries they must be exempt from the throes of mental illness is a lot like assuming you won’t get cancer because you have a lot of money. Physical as well as mental illnesses know no borders; they affect the rich, the poor, the Black, the white, male, female: it makes no difference. Attitudes and assumptions like that of letter writer Kurt Clyde are the reason why people are silent about these issues. Shame on Clyde for per- petuating these antiquated stereotypes. DEBBIE AMMETER SIPLEY Cartier Don’t fear black-market pets Re: Allowable pets’ list is the wrong approach (Opinion, Oct. 18) Pet industry representative Christine Carriere argues that the city’s proposed “allowable pets list” could potentially create a “black-market bonanza.” This strikes me as baseless fear-mon- gering. Are great numbers of Winnipeggers really go- ing to purchase a prohibited animal only to have to hide their “specialty pet” from neighbours and visitors for fear of being reported? To not be able to post pictures of their pet on social media or talk openly about their beloved animal, worrying who they can trust? To potentially have to buy food and supplies as well on the black market on a regular basis? I understand Carriere’s concerns about the po- tential impacts to businesses in the pet industry. However, the reality is that many exotic animals’ physical, psychological, and social needs cannot be met in captivity. The changes proposed by the City of Winnipeg reflect this reality, and if enact- ed would make for the most progressive animal protection bylaws in Canada. TRACY GROENEWEGEN Winnipeg Don’t give up on Jets Re: Jets blow late lead in Wild loss (Oct. 21) Let’s hope this loss, one of the most embarrass- ing ever, shocks the Jets into competency. This is not an “all hope is lost” opinion. The Jets have played five new players from the start of the season, goaltender Connor Hellebuyck may still not be 100 per cent from his COVID-19 experience in the summer, and the Jets have been constantly shuffling their lines, first due to Mark Scheifele’s suspension and now due to COVID-19 quarantines of Scheifele and Blake Wheeler. I hope that, barring injuries, the potential for a contending Stanley Cup run will show itself a little down the road. I suggest the “boo-ers” who keep calling for Jets management and players to be sacked hold off for now. GARY MCGIMPSEY Winnipeg LETTERS TO THE EDITOR 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 A7 FRIDAY OCTOBER 22, 2021 Published since 1872 on Treaty 1 territory and the homeland of the Métis Hockey takes important stride toward diversity O N Oct. 16, Katie Guay made history as the first female referee to work a game in the American Hockey League, a professional tier one below the National Hockey League. She and her partner, referee Brandon Schrader, called 42 minutes in total penalties — 26 on the Lehigh Valley Phantoms, farm team of the NHL’s Philadelphia Flyers, and 17 on the Wilkes-Barre/ Scranton Penguins, farm team of the Pittsburgh Penguins. By all accounts, officiating was not an issue in the outcome of this game. The 39-year-old from Massachusetts, who had already officiated at the highest levels of men’s Canadian junior and U.S. college hockey, was praised for her fairness, skating and her ability to communicate with the players. With Ms. Guay’s appearance, and the appear- ance of nine other female officials assigned to the AHL this season, the debate over the ability of women to officiate at the top levels of professional hockey should be put to rest. Regardless of wheth- er they serve as head officials or linespeople, who are asked to intercede in physical disputes between players, women can do this job. As encouraging as this story is, we should remember that professional hockey has lagged behind other sports in promoting female officials. Both the National Basketball Association and the National Football League employ female offi- cials. Of the “Big Four” professional sports, only Major League Baseball has a worse record than hockey on gender equality in officiating. In 1991, professional umpire Pam Postema was released by MLB after seven seasons working AAA baseball, the highest level of minor-league baseball. Rarely do umpires work more than four years in the top tier of the minor-leagues, which are used specifically to develop talent for MLB. In 1991, she filed a sex-discrimination suit against MLB and settled out of court, on condition she not disclose the amount of money and, remarkably, that she wouldn’t apply for any umpiring jobs in any league affiliated with MLB. What the AHL has finally come to understand is that increasingly, sports fans are not just con- cerned with on-ice or on-field performance. These days, fans are letting the stewards of professional sports know they are just as concerned about the behaviour and attitudes of players and team officials as they are about wins and losses. Fans demand that professional athletes, as well as coaches, executives and owners, demonstrate some grasp of right and wrong. The business of sports has recognized this shifting paradigm and started to demonstrate a zero-tolerance for anyone guilty of criminal acts, including domes- tic violence, or behaviour that would qualify as racist, misogynistic or homophobic. There are still incidents that go unpunished. But in response to fan sentiments, the rules used to police the games, and codes of conduct for players and team officials away from the fields of battle, have evolved to reflect a higher ideal of personal behaviour. Breaching them can result in banishment. Promoting women to officiate in the AHL does not “fix” the problem of discrimination in sports. Women are still largely excluded from coaching or business roles. People of colour are still wel- comed to join the ranks of athletes, but are often denied opportunities to coach, manage or own teams. But Ms. Guay’s history-making game should serve as a reminder that progress is being made. EDITORIAL AP PHOTO/WINSLOW TOWNSON, FILE Katie Guay is the AHL’s first female referee. A_06_Oct-22-21_FP_01.indd 6 2021-10-21 5:41 PM ;