Cheap Houses Rule

This letter is in response to an opinion piece published in yesterday's Free Press. Here's a link to the original.

It is short-sighted of Dave Angus (Build it, and they may stay, Apr. 22) to state that the generation of teens he is currently consulting has a value set is so much different than the generations who came before. The adolescent idealism of previous eras has shown as much of an interest in ecology, social justice, novel forms of entertainment and the chance to earn more money in a thrilling career as the current one.

In the case of making Winnipeg a more attractive destination given these youthful desires let’s be clear. We are nowhere near being a world city on the level of Shanghai, Toronto or Vancouver. Career options, exciting as some may be in Winnipeg, will never be what they are in these places, and the night-life will always compare poorly. So how can we be the city that inspires our youth to stay and/or return? Precisely by encouraging them to see Winnipeg in the way that Mr. Angus seems dismissive of.

Our often stubborn frugality is seen by many as a terrible failing. A world that prompts us at every turn to consume, consume, consume is unlikely to celebrate an achievement so grand as constructing a city that gears itself towards measured sustainability. And yet if we want to build a dream that is fit for our children, something that will give them good reason to stay here, nothing could be more inspiring than to promote and practice a life that is founded on thriftiness and respecting the planet and it’s future. As a city that loves a deal I think Winnipeg has a natural advantage in this respect.

This is a letter published in today's Winnipeg Free Press and a response I submitted:

Baffled by article

In regards to the April 8 article, Teens' arrests mean youth can sleep again, I am absolutely baffled why this article was even written, let alone given so much coverage. According to the article, the 10-year-old kid covered in the article never had anything actually done to him and it never states that he even knew anyone who had anything done to him -- he just happens to live in a neighbourhood where something happened.

And let's talk about his "posh" neighbourhood for a minute. Those houses in Charleswood are big, alarmed and expensive, yet the mother says that she now has a connection with the city and its problems with crimes. Come on! Is she saying that she feels the same way that someone on Furby Street feels? She "knows" what it feels like to have to sleep with one eye open for fear of a drive-by? Or living on social assistance, deciding whether or not to turn up the heat or eat a meal?

Alena Gower

Baffled by bafflement

In response to Alena Gower’s caustic letter regarding the 10-year-old child who will sleep better with the teens who fired paint-ball guns in his “posh” neighborhood arrested I must remind her that all of our responses are relative to our circumstances. The fact that this young man and his parents live on a street with big houses does not in any way diminish their experience.

To a family in war-torn Africa the social assistance and extremely remote possibility of a drive-by shooting that “someone on Furby Street” experiences would seem like a boon. Should we then say that the person on Furby has it too good to know what it feels like to really worry? One does not need to be a direct victim of crime to feel increased anxiety because of it. The fact that the family from Charleswood can feel empathy for others because of their experience speaks highly of them. On the other hand, Ms Glower’s unkind response indicates that she restricts her compassion based on a person’s particular neighborhood and income.