Letters, Aug. 19

Winnipeg Free Press

a day ago

Opinion
What a waste
Re: Trump-Putin takeaways: no agreement, no questions but lots of pomp (Aug. 15)
You are so very accurate in your headline reporting on the Trump-Putin 'summit.' What a colossal waste of effort and global attention. Just another Trumpian waste of time that could been handled by an email.
Slava Ukraine!
Roland Stankevicius
Winnipeg
There are things one encounters that can never be unseen and remain in memory forever. The sight of U.S. President Donald Trump smiling and applauding as Russian President Vladimir Putin emerges from his plane in Alaska and walks toward Trump on the red carpet awaiting him, like a conquering hero, and then gleefully smiling and chatting jovially together like best buds reuniting, is one.
The memory of emergency workers in Ukraine removing bodies and wounded women from a bombed maternity hospital is another. Others are sights of bombed apartment blocks in Ukraine, both the 'military targets' Russian Foreign Affairs Minister Sergey Lavrov claimed are the justified Russian targets of the Ukrainian offensive.
That Trump says he 'gets along great' with a war criminal like Putin and 'understands him,' is beyond repulsive, as it goes far beyond appeasement.
Len Lewkowich
Winnipeg
An embarrassing display
Wow! Did you watch the TV coverage of this much anticipated summit. What an embarrassing event for the American people and the world.
Russian President Vladimir Putin, an alleged war criminal, pariah, kidnapper, and murderer, being warmly welcomed by the president of the United States, Donald Trump, giving Putin the appearance of legitimacy?
Then after a short two-hour meeting, both leaders attended a scheduled news conference, where Trump made the mistake of allowing Putin to speak first, setting the stage in his direction and leaving Trump with little to say. At no time were the words ceasefire or peace used. This was a complete letdown, a nothing conference, with Putin winning the day and Trump being played by a skilled dictator.
Terry Meindl
Winnipeg
Hiding hog realities
Re: Agricultural fair shuts down Humane Society's pig-crate display (Aug. 17)
On Aug. 15 the Hanover Ag Society asked The Winnipeg Humane Society (WHS) to pack up their display of a life-sized sow model in a real gestation stall, along with another stall the same size which was open for humans to step in to help them understand the intense confinement experienced by female pigs. The WHS was asked to leave the ag fair in Grunthal even though they had received permission to set up a display.
This move on the part of the Hanover Ag Society can only be interpreted as their desire to keep the public in the dark about the use of gestation stalls in the hog industry.
Although the cessation of the use of these stalls by 2024 had been agreed to by the hog industry in Canada, there are still many thousands of sows confined in them in Manitoba. The sows are moved into the stalls around six months of age and remain in stalls that size for the remainder of their adult life, perhaps another 12 to 18 months. Imagine forcing any animal to live in such a tiny space that they can only take a step or two backwards or forwards and they must eat, sleep, relieve themselves and give birth in that confinement.
The practice of using gestation stalls in the hog industry is considered to be one of, if not the most, egregious practice in industrial animal agriculture. The Hanover Ag Society's recent action towards the Winnipeg Humane Society says it all. They know how inhumane this is, and they want to hide the truth from the public.
Vicki Burns
Winnipeg
Air Canada strike a test
Air Canada's flight attendant strike isn't just about wages. It's about a broken industry standard called 'block pay,' where attendants are only paid once the plane pushes back from the gate. Boarding, deplaning, delays — the very moments when attendants do some of their hardest work — are unpaid.
Forward-thinking executives like Ray Dalio often remind us that businesses thrive when they align with reality. The reality is this: attendants are working long hours they're not paid for. Correcting that is not only fair, it's good business. Customers increasingly choose brands that reflect their values — just as people pay more for fair-trade coffee, many would welcome the chance to fly with an airline that treats its employees with dignity.
The truth is, full pay for ground duties would add only a few dollars to the cost of a ticket. For that, passengers would get better morale, better service, and the satisfaction of knowing the people responsible for their safety are compensated for every hour they work.
Progressive executive leadership would seize this as an opportunity, not a burden. Imagine Air Canada announcing: 'We pay for all hours worked, because fairness isn't negotiable.' Like fair-trade coffee, many Canadians would gladly pay a little more for fair skies.
This strike is a test. Air Canada can cling to outdated norms, or it can set a new standard in aviation. Leadership means choosing the latter.
Robert Mitchell
Winnipeg
Don't give up on U.S. market
Re: Confusion as exemption pause nears (Aug. 16)
Some small business owners are pausing their offerings to American customers because of tariffs imposed by U.S. President Donald Trump. Why would you pause and take the U.S. market completely out of your books instead of adding the tariffs to your prices and telling American customers that the price increase is because of their president?
If they choose to not buy then you're no worse off. Some may continue to buy at the increased price. And some will certainly complain to their representatives that these tariffs are ridiculous because Americans are the ones paying for the supposedly billions of dollars coming into the country. At the very least you can make these people realize how much tariffs hurt their economy.
Small businesses have an opportunity to reach individual Americans and highlight the effects of tariffs. Don't throw in the towel yet.
Chuck Halikas
Winnipeg
Cattle don't cut it
Re: 'Benefits of grassland' (Letters, Aug. 15)
The beef producer who wrote in last week raised a very important issue: Canada's Prairie grasslands are an indispensable ecosystem – teeming with biodiversity and serving a number of key roles including carbon sequestration – yet 75 per cent have been dispensed with over time.
However, contrary to what many in the beef industry would have us believe, cattle grazing is not the be-all and end-all of grassland maintenance. While cattle are essentially the modern-day analogue of bison in this regard, the two ruminants differ considerably in how they move, stand, and graze. For example, unlike bison, which walk with a relatively light gait and move in smaller groups, cattle can actually damage the soil crust with their trampling, compacting the soil and hindering root growth. A study in 2022 that analyzed nearly three decades of data bears this out.
The fact remains that industrial animal agriculture is inherently unsustainable on account of its contribution to greenhouse gas emissions and its inefficiency as a means of food production. True, not all land is suitable for crops – which is why innovations like vertical farming are gaining momentum.
If we are to come out on the other side of the ecological crisis we are in, it will mean embracing alternative ways to feed ourselves – and yes, manage grasslands. Let's get on with it.
Tracy Groenewegen
Winnipeg