Questionable adviceRe: City report recommends reducing residential speed limit to 40 km/h (Feb. 25)

Although I may agree that a reduced speed limit on side streets in residential neighborhoods to 40 km/h would be appropriate, I question Jino Distasio’s conclusion that the average speed driven on residential streets is 36 km/h telling us the speed limit is too high.

He is apparently an expert in urban studies, but he certainly isn’t an expert in mathematics. If you leave one end of your street from a dead stop and get up to 50 km/h at some point and then come to a dead stop at the end of your street at the stop sign, your average speed will certainly be less than 50km/ h.

I hope our city council isn’t relying on this expert’s advice and can see through the errors in the conclusion, but I’m not holding out hope.

DEAR MISS LONELYHEARTS: I met an exciting woman at a conference in Winnipeg and took her everywhere to show her the sights. But since she has gone home to her own province, she has virtually disappeared.

She took a lot of photos of me, but she didn’t want photos taken of her. Only a dummy like me wouldn’t have noticed that she wasn’t leaving her footprint. She also took phone calls away from our dinner or bar tables. I thought they were business calls, but now I know better.

I realize now she was able to fool me because she seemed so interested in me and my life, and I was answering all her questions. I felt very important. What a fool I was!

I just found out about her other life with the help of a friend. It helps to know the truth, but it doesn’t erase the pain of falling head-over-heels only to find out you were used for fun by an out-of-towner just here for some laughs.

DEAR MISS LONELYHEARTS: On Valentine’s Day, I got a beautiful silver chain from my boyfriend. The problem is I feel it’s too much of a statement to everyone since we are so new to each other as a couple.

Also, the truth is I’m not super serious about him.

Should I just give the necklace back? This guy has a strong personality and will tell me to get lost if I do.

I don’t really want to break up yet, as he’s so sexy and funny. I just want to wait for when the time is right for me.

Manitoba was built through hard work, collaboration, and community. Every hospital, school, road, and bridge reflects the dedication of our construction industry. Today, the sector employs more than 57,000 Manitobans, contributes $4.2 billion annually to the provincial economy, and supports businesses in every region. We are proud of the role we play in building Manitoba’s future.

We are speaking out about the Manitoba Jobs Agreement (MJA) not to oppose the government’s goals, but to ensure public policy delivers real value, respects worker choice, and protects taxpayers. The practical consequences of the MJA are clear: fewer bidders, reduced competition, increased administrative burden, and higher project costs. When competition narrows, prices rise. When compliance complexity grows, risk premiums follow. All of this lands on a provincial budget already facing structural deficits.

The MJA imposes a specific labour relations structure on provincially funded projects exceeding $50 million. Successful bidders must hire union card-holding workers first if their own workforce is insufficient. Union membership becomes the deciding factor — not skill, experience, or performance. If the goal is to ensure Manitobans work on these projects, there is a simple solution: require contractors to certify that their workforce consists of Manitoba residents. A union card should not determine who is entitled to work on taxpayer-funded infrastructure. The agreement also introduces entirely new costs. All employers must pay 85 cents per hour worked to the Manitoba Building Trades Council; an unprecedented charge in Manitoba construction. On a typical school project, this payment alone can exceed $250,000, with no measurable benefit to taxpayers.

Open-shop contractors face additional costs, including compulsory union dues, numerous union fund contributions, and payments to third parties. Taken together, these requirements will add millions of dollars to publicly funded projects. It’s money that could otherwise be invested directly in classrooms, hospitals, and infrastructure.