Of babies and bathwater

It’s the little things that matter, and on those, the City of Winnipeg talks tough enough.

Here, for example, is what it says you have to do with your yard.

“The owner/occupant of a property is responsible for the maintenance of their property, which includes the conditions of the grounds, fence and accessory buildings.

“For example: noxious weeds must be controlled on a property; fences must be maintained in weather-resistant condition by application of paint or preservative and kept in good condition; properties must be free from any accumulation of dog or animal wastes; properties must be maintained so that litter, refuse or other debris do not accumulate so as to be unsightly; properties must kept free of derelict vehicles or auto parts; accessory buildings must be maintained and be protected with a weather-resistant paint or preservative.”

The critical need to succeed

Saying the right thing at the right time can create, for those doing the listening, a sense of comfort and confidence. It can quiet doubts, allay fears and instill a belief that those encouraging words will soon be followed by meaningful actions.

Donald Trump, J.D. Vance and the bigger picture

Two editorials on American politics over two straight days might seem like a bit of overkill for a newspaper based in Winnipeg.

Republicans must reckon with their own rhetoric

Former U.S. president Donald Trump joined a short, infamous list on Saturday, as the latest target of a political assassination attempt in U.S. history.

Supervised consumption site long overdue

It appears at long last Manitoba will get its first supervised consumption site. Manitoba’s Addictions Minister Bernadette Smith on Friday announced $727,000 for the proposed site, which will be located in downtown Winnipeg. It will be an Indigenous-led operation run by the Aboriginal Health and Wellness Centre and is expected to open in 2025.

Pothole pilot project not well thought out

There can be such a thing as too much technology.

For example: earlier this week the City of Winnipeg announced its plans to use artificial intelligence (AI) to, officials say, more quickly identify potholes as they open up along the city’s streets. The pilot project is estimated to cost about $75,000, and is expected to start at the beginning of next year’s battle against our crumbling roads.

Despite its shortcomings, AI is currently as hot as a climate-change-exacerbated heat wave, being looked to by governments, farmers and across the tech sector as a tool for all problems. But it’s hard to believe we need a pilot project to explore whether or not the city needs to use AI to deal with its pothole problem.

It doesn’t.

Justice is served — but the work continues

Jeremy Skibicki was found guilty on four counts of first-degree murder Thursday for the slayings of Rebecca Contois, Morgan Harris, and Marcedes Myran, and an unidentified woman known as Buffalo Woman (Mashkode Bizhiki’ikwe).

All four women were Indigenous. They were targeted by Skibicki because of their race.

Families of the deceased and their supporters cheered outside Law Courts in downtown Winnipeg, relieved that justice had been served, hoping this will be the beginning of a healing process that could restore some peace to their lives.

That relief was not a given, considering the scores of missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls in Canada who have not found justice, such as Tina Fontaine from Sagkeeng First Nation, who went missing in July 2014 and whose body was found wrapped in plastic and a duvet cover the following month in the Red River. Raymond Cormier was charged with second degree murder in her death but was acquitted.

Absence of supports guarantees repeat offences

It only took about 10 minutes for Brendan Jordan Lee White to make the most compelling case to date for better post-release treatment and support.

White was arrested and charged for a series of unprovoked assaults on four people, including two seniors, on June 26 between 10:15 and 10:25 a.m in Winnipeg’s Exchange District. It was the latest in a series of similar incidents White had been involved in during a long and violent criminal past.

It would be easy to dismiss White as just another case of random street violence except for one thing: a closer look at his criminal history shows that although he was clearly and desperately in need of help, none was forthcoming.

White suffered a traumatic brain injury in 2017, which led to struggles with substance abuse and mental illness. He had been ordered to undergo counselling and addictions treatment, but it is unclear whether he was actually able to access those supports. What is known is that every time he was released from custody — either on remand or upon completion of a sentence — he quickly became homeless and often lashed out violently against strangers.

Arts centre’s woes reflect village’s struggle

When acclaimed 20th-century American actress and drama teacher Stella Adler described theatre as “the place people come to see the truth about life and the social situation,” she was no doubt referring to the art that is presented on the stage inside.

But recent events in Winnipeg suggest the sentiment can also relate to what goes on outside a theatre’s walls. Specifically, the new security measures announced last week by the Gas Station Arts Centre are a reflection of life and the deteriorating social situation in the city’s once-thriving Osborne Village.

Management at the beloved performance space, which is celebrating its 40th year, unveiled plans to rip up its outdoor courtyard and redesign its entrance in an effort to create a more secure and patron-friendly entry space. The move, according to GSAC executive director Nick Kowalchuk, is in response to increased violence and drug use in the area directly outside the facility.

“What we’re looking at is establishing our courtyard for our patrons,” Kowalchuk said. “What I want is (for) a patron to feel comfortable.”

Poilievre’s pledge to scrap proposed act premature

Last week, Conservative Party Leader Pierre Poilievre vowed that should the Liberals’ proposed Online Harms Act pass into law, and should Canadians elect his party to form government, he would repeal the act.

Better systems, capacity what hospitals really need

It doesn’t seem to matter which political party is in power in Manitoba when it comes to managing health care – they all come to the same false conclusion about how to reduce emergency room overcrowding.

Council should heed financial wake-up call

The City of Winnipeg’s finances are in such dire straits, city hall can barely maintain the fiscal cushion it has traditionally relied on to balance the books during lean years.

Poll on pride reflects an increasingly partisan Canada

First, the good news: 76 per cent of Canadians surveyed recently said they would call themselves “proud Canadians.”

And the bad: 45 per cent said they were feeling a little less proud than they did five years ago.

How did Leger, the polling firm, account for this erosion of national pride? The stressed-out health-care system topped the list of things that made Canadians less proud. Economic inequality and poverty was second.

And in third place for those things that strain our pride, the current federal Liberal government, led by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

By refusing to step aside, PM risks a knockout

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is, like U.S. President Joe Biden, facing questions about whether he should continue to lead his party. Obviously Trudeau — who at 52 is still young by prime ministerial standards — has not left his base fearful of their leader’s senility.

SCOTUS ruling paves way for future despotism

When Donald Trump’s administration successfully installed three conservative judges on the Supreme Court of the United States, many observers feared — rightfully, as it turned out — the first major agenda item of the reconfigured and decidedly right-leaning high court would be to repeal the landmark Roe v. Wade decision that had, since 1973, enshrined constitutional protection for a woman’s right to an abortion.