Winnipeg Free Press

Winnipeg Free Press (Newspaper) - March 12, 2022, Winnipeg, Manitoba C M Y K PAGE A10 ● WINNIPEGFREEPRESS.COMNEWS I TOPICA10 SATURDAY, MARCH 12, 2022 Why buses are empty Re: Advertising campaign aims to attract riders back to Transit (March 11) Why can’t the city see the obvious problems with our transit system? I rode the bus for many years, but now don’t want to stand outside in inclement weather because people experiencing homelessness have taken over our shelters. Even when they leave, the shelters are still unusable due to garbage left behind and the stench of urine. I also got tired of the belligerent riders who think they should ride for free, and tired of the filth on buses that seem to be cleaned only once a month, if that. Another major mistake the city made was not building affordable housing along the rapid transit line. They let developers build expensive condos and apartments that start at $1,400 per month, instead of affordable housing students and young people can afford, thus leaving the buses empty. STEWART JACQUES Winnipeg Officer’s acquittal baffling Re: City cop off the hook in ticket-fixing case (March 11) I read with interest the case of Const. Sean Cas- sidy, who was caught speeding in a photo radar zone and was accused of trying to fix his ticket by logging into a police database. However, he was acquitted. I’m not sure how he was let off when even the judge claimed that his explanation — the officer said he was only doing an “integrity check” when he entered his own licence plate number into the photo-radar system — was highly suspicious, convenient and implausible. If we as a society want to trust the police, we need judges to be accountable for their decisions. If the judge truly believed he was guilty, the offi- cer should have suffered the consequences. KEN CAMPBELL Winnipeg It jumped out at me that this article said there is “a database of vehicles exempt from photo radar and red light camera enforcement.” Who is exempt from photo radar? When the city talks about these zones, it is always about the safety of the children. It is supposed to be a deter- rent to make sure drivers lower their speed. Why should anyone be exempt from these large fines? Let’s see who is on this list of exempt vehicles. Let’s hope it’s not our politicians, high-level do- nors or members of the Winnipeg Police Service. WILL FRANKLIN Winnipeg Unwise to threaten Putin Re: Putin’s steroid use alarming (Letters, March 11) Many letters to the editor demand leaders of NATO countries do more to remove Russian President Vladimir Putin. Whether he is insane due to steroid use or suffering from megaloma- nia, he still has control of nuclear weapons. He is paranoid enough that even his advisers aren’t allowed within 10 meters of him. He has threat- ened to use his weapons if any nations interfere in his war. What would he do if he was personally threatened? Nuclear winter is not a cure to global warming. BOB ROBINSON Winnipeg Conflict of interest concerning Re: Tories hint at lawsuit over NDP claims (March 11) It has been recently revealed that the company of the PC candidate in the Whyte Ridge election received $500,000 of an available $1.5 million in a COVID-19 support program announced by the provincial PC government. Only $1 million of the $1.5 million was disbursed. This program was administered by the Manito- ba Chamber of Commerce, an organization whose CEO is a former PC Manitoba employee. We’re now hearing that the PC party is consid- ering legal action against the NDP for comments that party made around possible conflict of inter- est between the premier, her husband, and a con- tract awarded to Exchange Income Corporation. There is a much simpler way for the premier and the PC Party of Manitoba to ensure other parties stop accusing them of conflict of interest: stop putting themselves in the position by award- ing contracts and financial grants that lead to conflicts of interest, actual or perceived. If they fail to understand that, then perhaps they require a refresher course on conflict of interest. BRIAN GILCHRIST Winnipeg Far right is real threat Re: Federal conservatives headed to the far-right fringes (Opinion, March 8) Columnist Dan Lett laments the Conservative Party of Canada’s move to the far right, noting the party’s enthusiasm for the convoy-supporting Pierre Poilievre. Lett’s premise is that Poilievre’s populism can only appeal to a “small, angry mi- nority,” thereby dooming the CPC to the “political wilderness.” That’s a hopeful thought, but is reality so rosy? They came blaring in trucks, bringing the wil- derness with them. They made camp for a month. They were dispersed. The noise has gone, but so too has the normality we knew. According to a recent national survey by Nanos, 22 per cent of Canadians are either “sympathetic” or “somewhat sympathetic” to the convoy protest movement. Other polls have found support for COVID-19 mandate protesters among about 25 per cent of the general population. In other words, seven to nine million Canadians are lost in the wilderness. Lett is right: an election can’t be won on that basis, but the far right was never interested in elections anyway, as they’ve told us. Are we listening? The threat posed by the far right is real. Let’s not get hysterical, there’s no need to be wild, but let’s get serious. DEVON HANEL Winnipeg Cartoon strip timely Re: Non Sequitur cartoon strip (March 5) A cartoon character attempts to thwart natural laws as she feels that “If you stop believing in sci- ence, then the laws of gravity should not apply.” Upon leaping off a snow bank in order to “float,” she is met with the inevitable conclusion. Seizing on this most impactful moment, her companions quote: “The good thing about science is that it is true, whether or not you believe in it.” Perhaps pandering progressives should dust themselves off before abandoning face masks during this continuing pandemic. RODERICK MACLEOD Winnipeg Respect funeral processions We were recently in a funeral procession from a church to a cemetery with vehicle lights flashing. In trying to keep up with the procession, we found others blew horns at us as we tried to proceed through intersections. Do Manitoba drivers know the guidelines for funeral processions? It appears some don’t, and perhaps this needs to be publicized more. JOSIE LANDRY Winnipeg Democracy treasured This afternoon, I voted in the Fort Whyte byelection. Given the horrible events unfolding in Ukraine, I cherished this act more than I usually do. It reminded me of when I was a deputy return- ing officer, and a frail woman — I assessed her to be in her 80s or 90s — came in to vote, assisted by her grandson. She had only recently obtained her Canadian citizenship, having spent most of her life in China. Her grandson told me she was voting for the very first time in her life. Let that sink in: she had never been allowed to vote before. Words cannot adequately express the magnitude of the honour I felt to participate in this woman’s very first exercise of this right. Never take for granted the importance of vot- ing. As messy as democracy can get sometimes, there is no better system. ROY SUTHONS 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 mandated 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 A10 SATURDAY MARCH 12, 2022 Time to restart handgun-ban discussion A POINT of pride for Canadians has long been that we are relatively free of handguns and the resulting scourge of injuries and deaths that are inevitable when citizens arm up, a plight that plagues our neighbours to the south. If we want to continue to be a country where handgun violence is relatively rare, it’s time to resume ef- forts to ban these weapons. The need for such a restriction became clear at the March 4 meeting of the Winnipeg Police Board, when police reported 182 handguns were seized in 2021, a 35 per cent increase from the previous year. Winnipeg Police Service Insp. El- ton Hall told the board, “Handguns have quickly become one of the biggest challenges facing front- line policing in Winnipeg today.” His observation should concern Winnipeggers, who legally cannot own handguns except for tar- get-shooting purposes and don’t want criminals to have them either. Polls show about two-thirds of Canadians want all handguns banned. The public will is clear; what’s considerably less clear is which level of government will step up and do what the electorate wants. Recent juris- dictional jockeying has seen the issue ricocheted between federal, provincial and municipal levels. Visiting Manitoba on Thursday, federal Pub- lic Safety Minister Marco Mendicino answered media questions about gun violence by recounting measures his government is taking, such as moving forward with a national ban on military-style assault rifles. Unfortunately, he didn’t mention the possibility of a national ban on handguns, perhaps because his government seems stalled on the issue. In November 2021, Mr. Mendicino said that rather than a imposing national ban on handguns, his government would help provinces and cities enact their own restrictions. Winnipeg Mayor Brian Bowman said at the time he supports a handgun ban, but would rather it be on a national or provincial level so enforce- ment is uniform. Then-premier Brian Pallister said he wouldn’t support a municipal or provincial ban, but might support the ban if it was national. While the politicians passed the hot potato, Sta- tistics Canada reported an 81 per cent increase in gun violence between 2009 and 2019. Handgun-ban legislation should also impose tighter penalties for possession of guns illegally smuggled across the U.S. border, for home-made devices sometimes known as Zip guns, for those assembled from mail-order kits and for those manufactured with 3D technology. With the exception of legitimate target shooters, there is no valid reason for law-abiding Canadians to own handguns. While long guns are used by some for hunting and controlling pests on farms, the use of handguns for those purposes is illegal. And when they are used (unlawfully) for purposes other than target-shooting, handguns are used primarily to intimidate people, to shoot people and in the commission of crimes. Responsible handgun owners who currently pursue their hobby of shooting on licensed ranges might initially oppose a ban but, as people skilled with firearms, one hopes they of all people will understand the danger of having a growing num- ber of such weapons in the hands of untrained amateurs, many of whom have criminal intent. Ottawa’s attempt to shift the ban responsibil- ity to provinces and municipalities has been a non-starter, and for good reason. A patchwork of handgun bans would create the possibility of people travelling to neighboring jurisdictions in search of less-restricted access. A unified approach is essential. Municipal and provincial representatives should support and work together with Ottawa, but their joint mandate should be clear — the handgun ban must be national. EDITORIAL ADRIAN WYLD/THE CANADIAN PRESS Public Safety Minister Marco Mendicino Published since 1872 on Treaty 1 territory and the homeland of the Métis A_10_Mar-12-22_FP_01.indd 10 2022-03-11 4:39 PM ;