\t\t\tMore than an investment<\/p>\n
Re: City starting to see the forest through its trees<\/a>, June 6<\/p>\n For many of us who love trees as our relatives, it was encouraging to see the article about increased tree planting\/care in Winnipeg along with explanations about their value to human well-being, the earth and life in the city. I appreciate the efforts of city crews to plant and care for trees and for Julia-Simone Rutgers for sharing the research with us.<\/p>\n What also struck me about the article is the economic\/financial language used around trees, their value as investments and assets,<\/p>\n \u201cValuing trees based on their size and condition would provide a better indication of the true cost of replacing Winnipeg\u2019s tree assets and the cost avoided by investing in maintenance to maximize their safe useful life expectancy.\u201d<\/p>\n Indigenous knowledge keepers along with some western paradigm scientists have shared about trees having cultures and language, trees being part of our collective circle of life, trees as our relatives.<\/p>\n When walking beneath the incredible variety of trees in our neighbourhoods, we can reflect on the wonderful and reciprocal nature of our relationship with them, one where we are responsible and care for each other. As Braiding Sweetgrass author Robin Wall-Kimmerer has shared in her learning from elders, trees are not fundamentally \u201cits\u201d or assets or investments, rather they are \u201cAakibmaadiziiwin\u201d, \u201ca being of the Earth.\u201d<\/p>\n Humans and trees are beings, sharing the world together in what can be recognized as a good way.<\/p>\n Peter Krahn<\/p>\n Winnipeg<\/p>\n New drug policies needed<\/p>\n Re: Seize control of drug supply, rather than seizing drugs<\/a> by Jerry Storie, Think Tank, June 4, and \u201cBe like Portugal and Scandinavia\u201d by Andy Maxwell, Letters<\/a>, June 6.<\/p>\n Our electoral system preempts the life-saving, money-saving drug policies Andy Maxwell admired in Portugal and Scandinavia in his letter to the editor.<\/p>\n Premier Wab Kinew is smart not to go too far with European-style drug policy.<\/p>\n Without political consensus on the way forward, when the PCs eventually take power, they will undo his policies.<\/p>\n The countries in Europe with stable, life-affirming drug policies, agree on a way forward via proportional representation, which aims to find consensus..<\/p>\n Here, in Manitoba, drug policy has to be a political wedge issue due to our winner-take-all electoral system which animates two governing parties, not to find agreement, but to find disagreement.<\/p>\n As neither of our two governing parties supports a politics based upon finding consensus and a fair vote, we\u2019re stuck with the divisive, stalled-out drug policy we have.<\/p>\n One possible work around would be for the Kinew government to set up a Manitoban citizens\u2019 assembly to hear the evidence, the experts and the experiences of other locals and then draft drug policy recommendations. This deliberative body would be a randomly selected group who works like a jury.<\/p>\n Randomly selected citizens were key in ancient Greek democracy, so this is a long tradition in the west.<\/p>\n To work towards a drug policy that survives a change in government, the jury\u2019s recommendations could then be put to Manitobans in a referendum, which would be a form of direct democracy. Maybe then we could move on with a better battle plan for the war on drugs..<\/p>\n Sheri Oberman<\/p>\n Winnipeg<\/p>\n