Letters, Jan. 20

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This article was published 20/01/2025 (304 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Stand tall for Canada

Say what you will about Justin Trudeau, he is not Donald Trump. Unlike Trump, I am sure he understands that we cannot cure COVID by drinking disinfectant, that stealth bombers are, in fact, visible to the naked eye and that wind turbines do not kill whales. This is by way of saying that an individual who has claimed such things has somehow been elected to be the president of the United States. Scary, isn’t it?

But while this is laughable, what isn’t so funny is that Canada is being bullied and threatened by this man. In his expressed desire to reduce our sovereign country to another American state, Trump shows his true self, a far-right dictatorial leader who values centralized autocracy, militarism and suppression of opposition. This is truly a time for Canadians to reflect upon our democratic freedom, to honour those who valiantly gave their lives in the fight for that freedom and to stand together for a united Canada.

We have the privilege to stand tall and say “I am Canadian.”

Mary-Jane Robinson

Winnipeg

In defence of Smith

It would seem that the eastern premiers and the prime minister are frustrated about Alberta Premier Danielle Smith’s inability — in their view — to be a team player in forming a united front against the 25 per cent tariffs threatened by Donald Trump.

Smith and Alberta have had nothing but roadblock after roadblock, bordering on hostile treatment by the federal government, in relation to the production of oil and gas over the last nine years.

The U.S. is a crucial market for Alberta’s natural resources. It didn’t have to be that way. But the federal government must wear that after blocking the Northern Gateway pipeline and Energy East pipeline. (Quebec is equally complicit in that one).

Alberta is very reliant on the income from the U.S., through no fault of their own. And now Ontario wants Alberta’s oil to be the sacrificial lamb. With no offer of putting their own auto industry on the table, of course.

Perhaps this is the opportunity for a compromise. Alberta agrees to put oil on the table in exchange for Quebec and the federal government giving a green light to Energy East/Northern Gateway (without all of the onerous environmental regulations that make private ownership/investment unpalatable as an investment). Seems fair. Ottawa and Quebec boxed in Alberta to be reliant on the U.S. in the first place, after all.

Brian McWhirter

Winnipeg

Don’t discount importance of freedom to choose

Re: Kinew unveils plan to move homeless to safe housing (Jan. 15)

Regarding the premier’s plan, there’s a new plan to end chronic homelessness in Manitoba!

The strategy is to start by providing supportive housing for the people in encampments and continue by providing better housing support for everyone in affordable housing.

It appears bold, brilliant, and, in some ways, obvious. However, “obvious” solutions in the planning boardrooms often struggle when met with unexpected complexities in implementation. This is particularly true if the population you’re “serving” feels they are being coerced into something they have not had a say in creating. To be human is to desire choice.

In 2018, I led a group in a human-centred design process to find out what homeless people would want in a supportive housing project. We were surprised to find the degree to which autonomy was important. Right after safety and stability their next strong priority was agency/choice.

If the people in encampments are, or feel coerced, they will resist, they will not be open about their needs, their needs will not be met and they’ll go back to where they are “free” from well-meaning staff who neither understand nor respect the complex experience of homelessness and the resulting trauma.

On the plus side, the additional resources to support people in precarious housing should have a positive impact on preventing people from becoming homeless.

I wish them well and I hope they quickly find ways to make space for choice, for autonomy, for being human.

Johndavid Pankratz

Winnipeg

Taking sepsis seriously

Re: Saving my own life by taking drastic, unusual action (Think Tank, Jan.16)

As a sepsis survivor and patient advocate, Harriet Berkal’s alarming story raises a few important issues for me.

Did the triage personnel suspect that she might be in septic shock? And what did her blood tests reveal? For a septic shock patient, every hour medical treatment is delayed increases their chance of dying by eight to nine per cent.

How was it that ambulance attendants were able to diagnose her with a perforated bowel and in septic shock when hospital personnel assessed her as being of low acuity?

Why did a physician call to inquire if she was going to be taking legal action? Wouldn’t it have been better if he had called to say the hospital was going to critically evaluate her experience to see what they could learn from it?

Harriet Berkal’s experience and that of other sepsis survivors highlights the need for hospitals and their staff to be more accountable for the diagnosis and treatment of sepsis-related illnesses.

Mac Horsburgh

Winnipeg

Disgusted by hypocrisy

Re: Attempt to save downtown library hub fails (Jan. 11)

Since learning of it in late December, I have been saddened and angered by the City of Winnipeg’s decision to cut the meagre funding for the Community Connections program at the Millennium Library. Despite pleas from community members and organizations, this decision was supported by the community services committee last week because, in the words of chair Vivian Santos, “(W)e know money is tight right now; $650,000 to cut something else out is not what I want to hear.”

Contrast this with the announcement that city hall will likely not move forward with its plan to raise the threshold for residential snow clearing, a proposal that could have saved an estimated $2.5 million to $5 million per year. According to Mayor Gillingham, “We’ve heard loud and clear from Winnipeggers that maintaining our current snow-clearing standards is important… it’s clear (the pilot) does not align with the needs of our residents, so we’ll make that change.”

Is anyone else disgusted by the inequity and hypocrisy? Government jumps to meet the demands of more privileged homeowners, while refusing the smallest of requests from the poorer and marginalized members of our community.

While I am glad that the street in front of my house will continue to be efficiently cleared in winter, I also want the people who are less fortunate than I am to have their needs met.

If the city can find millions for street clearing, they can find the money to keep Community Connections open.

Susan Cuvelier

Winnipeg