Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 8/1/2011 (3552 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

JOHN WOODS / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS After viewing the Bodies Exhibition (L to R) Cole Cey, Bob Cey, Kyle Cey, and Janelle Belbas comment on the experience on Saturday.

The controversy that continues to dog the Bodies exhibit had little impact on Saturday's visitors to the downtown Winnipeg event.

Several people who exited the exhibition hall opposite the MTS Centre at the corner of Portage Avenue and Donald Street during the lunch hour said any moral issues that cloud the exhibit are outweighed by the educational benefits of the display.

Residents from Brandon, Selkirk, Boissevain and Winnipeg said the unusual anatomical display of the human bodies is an excellent learning opportunity that should be taken in by everyone.

"I'm 86 years old and this is the best exhibition I've seen anywhere in the world," Georges Menard, of Selkirk, said. "It's very educational."

Menard was making his second visit to the exhibit, along with his son Dave.

"This is the type of exhibit that requires you to come back for a second time," Menard said. "You have to look at it and think about it for a while and then come back a second time."

Bodies: The Exhibition has drawn 100,000 visitors since it opened four months ago. The displays of preserved and dissected cadavers in lifelike poses has also drawn significant criticism from those who say there's no proof the bodies aren't those of Chinese political prisoners or members of the Falun Gong spiritual movement, which is persecuted in China.

Human rights lawyer David Matas has called on the Selinger government to seize the exhibits before it closes Jan. 16 and bury the bodies. Health Minister Theresa Oswald said the province doesn't have the authority to seize the display because the individuals did not die in Manitoba.

Retired teacher David Skinner has also called on the Winnipeg police to investigate the exhibit, alleging it violates Sec. 182 of Canada's Criminal Code by committing an indignity on human remains. Police are reviewing the complaint to determine if they should get involved.

Menard said he was aware of the controversy and allegations that the exhibits were remains of unwilling Chinese prisoners but said the exhibit had produced a positive from the questions surrounding their deaths.

"Their bad luck is our good luck because this is something to be seen," Menard said.

Health-care workers Diane Bell, of Brandon, and Myrna Houston, of Boissevain, said the exhibit's presentation is done in a positive and educational manner that broadens knowledge of the human body.

Janelle Belbas, of Winnipeg, said she was unaware that the exhibits were likely the remains of political prisoners who hadn't given their permission to be put on display, but added she believed it's worth seeing.

"It's a really good learning opportunity," Belbas said. "It's been done for a good purpose."

aldo.santin@freepress.mb.ca