Letters, Jan. 15

Buy Canadian

Your reporting that Canadians strongly support a continued ban on U.S. alcohol products (75 per cent of those polled) is heartening for me and demonstrates some spine and determination on our individual parts through better choices.

Whatever economic madness is going on and how it plays out in Donald Trump’s America, we as Canadians cannot be party to their very bad form and reckless disregard for their good neighbours.

Let’s continue to do what we can, with whatever purchase power or cultural choices we make to strengthen our own, and hold our hard line against the ugly American bully.

Roland Stankevicius

Winnipeg

Follow the money

Re: International student capacity drops 40 per cent, Jan. 10

Blaming revenue woes of post-secondary institutions on fewer international students misrepresents the origins and solution of the problem. Over the years, provinces, including Manitoba, decreased the percentage of university and college expenses they cover, off-loading the cost onto students and their families, mainly through tuition.

As tuition became more and more important to their survival, institutions had little recourse except to maximize student funding as best they could. Their hands were tied, however, again by provinces like Manitoba that limited tuition increases.

To replace the reduced provincial funding and avoid cutbacks, institutions aggressively pursued more international students who paid higher tuitions. It worked for a few years, but led to societal issues when institutions and communities could not absorb the massive increase in student numbers.

Ultimately, the federal government restored traditional levels.

Manitoba was particularly hard hit by restrictions on tuition, as revealed by a comparison with Saskatchewan. Across all fields of university study, tuition is about $3,800 less in Manitoba than Saskatchewan. The difference for medicine is a whopping $10,000 less. Universities in Saskatchewan get almost twice as much in tuition per medical student.

Advanced Education and Training Minister Renée Cable was almost correct when she stated that high-quality education relies on “stable student numbers.”

Not quite. High-quality post-secondary education requires stable funding. The best way to achieve that is for Manitoba to remove restrictions on tuition, dramatically increase financial support for students in need, and directly fund post-secondary education at historical levels.

Jim Clark

Winnipeg

Pondering membership

I appreciated the piece by Rebecca Chambers (More and more parking spaces amid empty promises, Jan. 10) about the Canada Life parking lot history. I knew some of this but not all of it.

It underlines my continued disbelief that there seems to be no ability for the Granite Curling Club and Canada Life to strike a parking use agreement.

As a member of the Granite for many years I wonder if the problem is the Granite having unreasonable expectations? Or is the fault primarily on Canada Life’s end? In any event, it is disheartening that these parties can’t seem to find a solution. And I am left concluding that maybe I should move my curling membership and my insurance premiums elsewhere if they aren’t willing or able to collaborate for an affordable housing project.

Andrew McLaren

Winnipeg

Doing more

I read the Free Press and the Globe & Mail regularly, and while there are days when the news is too heavy and I feel that I should instead escape to the beautiful outdoors or to a good book, I was so encouraged this past weekend to hear of all the ways our Canadian community is stepping up.

Lloyd Axworthy reminded us that we can defend our sovereignty and rule of law, in Victoria and Winnipeg and across this great country the community rallied to support the protesters in Tehran, and in a myriad of ways people are reaching out to offer solace to those struggling with these tumultuous and dangerous times.

Reading those stories, reminds me that newspapers and journalists are doing great work, and my job is to build a better community by discussing those stories and defending our right to be heard, and refusing to be silent.

Donna Alexander

Winnipeg

Going nuclear

Re: More for hydro rates because of drought conditions, Jan. 5

Manitoba Hydro is having major problems due to drought and weather factors, requiring massive electricity imports from the high CO2-emitting U.S. electricity grid. Hydro will lose hundreds of millions of dollars for fiscal year 2025-26 and has announced a four per cent increase in our energy costs for 2026.

Relying on weather-dependent renewables like hydropower, wind and solar has major issues. Our grid needs reliable baseload power to continue operating, hence the need for imported power. Without baseload, the grid could fail, as happened in Spain in April 2025.

In the short term, Manitoba Hydro will have to use imports or fossil gas to produce the baseload power we need. But to cut our CO2 emissions, we must move to nuclear energy as quickly as possible. In 2019, Saskatchewan, Ontario and New Brunswick signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) regarding moving forward with nuclear plants. Alberta signed on in 2021. We need to get in the game now!

I realize that some Manitobans are leery about nuclear energy. I was in that boat a year ago.

A friend recommended I read a book available in the Winnipeg Library called Going Nuclear by Tim Gregory. I am now firmly convinced that Manitobans need nuclear energy to both stabilize our energy costs and provide reliable, clean electricity. In that book, you’ll learn about Small Modular Nuclear Reactors (known as SMRs). If the Manitoba government signs on to the nuclear MOU quickly and starts negotiations on an SMR being installed as a test plant, we can have nuclear energy in our grid as soon as 2029.

We have a ready-made location for demonstration and operational plants in Pinawa, the town which has housed a Canadian research nuclear reactor since the 1960s.

I urge Manitobans to start pressuring Manitoba Hydro and our provincial politicians to get going on this vital part of our future.

Brad Mundy

East St. Paul

Bad medicine

Re: Charter challenge of religious exemption to assisted dying law heads to court in B.C., Jan. 13

As someone who used to work in health care I could never understand why the provinces, including Manitoba, were granting exemptions to some faith-based health institutions from allowing legally approved medical procedures in their facilities. These facilities are funded by the provinces (the taxpayer), yet have been allowed to treat their patients with disrespect by forcing them to move out of their institutions to access the services they need and have requested.

The story of Sam O’Neill in Vancouver is a tragedy as she was forced to endure excruciating pain being transferred out of St. Paul’s hospital in Vancouver, while at the same time preventing her family from having a chance to say goodbye.

I hope that the Charter challenge is successful and once and strips away the rights of these offending institutions to treat their patients in such a hideous manner.

Irwin Corobow

Winnipeg

Time for action

Re: Skywalk attacks raise alert levels, Jan. 13

It is time for Mayor Scott Gillingham to describe for us his plan to make Winnipeg’s downtown safe again.

Our downtown and core are nationally recognized as being unsafe and that can no longer be ignored or sugar coated.

Stan Tataryn

Winnipeg