The Cambridge dictionary defines “a tempest in a teapot” as being an idiom for a great uproar, anger, or worry about a trivial, unimportant matter. It describes an excessive, exaggerated reaction to a minor issue.

As we review the outcome of the Olympic hockey USA/Canada gold medal game and the subsequent actions of star goalie Connor Hellebuyck, there are certainly many reasons to comment. Everyone, it seems, has an opinion that screams to be heard. These opinions cover all the fields of interest.

Politically, our hockey hero raised our hackles by accepting praise and honours from U.S. President Trump, who is generally held in great contempt by the vast majority of Canadians and elsewhere. Ethically, Hellebuyck is being judged as being disloyal to the many thousands who have enthusiastically cheered him on ice and in the community he lives. Called into question is his commitment to the essence of that community and in a much larger sense all that is fundamentally Canada.

Financially, it could be argued that Hellebuyck was enhancing his personal stock value in the market place by aligning himself with Trump. Does it raise eyebrows to know that our prized goalie earned US$8.5 million in 2025 and currently holds a seven-year contract with the Winnipeg Jets for US$59.5 million? It begs the question “how much is enough?”

On Tuesday, March 4, the standing policy committee on public works discussed the Wellington Crescent Bike Walk Project again. The public servants recommended the immediate implementation of the interim solution.

Every year in Canada and around the world, families are devastated by the loss of an infant sleeping peacefully yet never waking. These heartbreaking tragedies, known as sleep-related infant deaths, encompass SIDS (sudden infant death syndrome), accidental suffocation, and other unexplained causes.

In 2024, the Manitoba Advocate for Children and Youth (MACY) released Shifting the Lens, reporting that between 2019 and 2021, Manitoba experienced 48 such deaths — each one a life cut short, a dream shattered, and a family and community forever changed. Although overall rates initially declined over previous decades, progress has stalled, and inequities persist. As we approach Safe Sleep Week 2026, let’s reimagine our collective approach — from policy to public messaging — to make infant sleep environments as safe as possible for all.

Families facing poverty, housing instability, histories of colonization and systemic inequities are disproportionately affected by sleep-related infant deaths. Addressing these deaths requires shifting the focus from blame and fear to structural solutions and opportunity.

Sleep-related infant deaths are often framed as matters of parental choice or individual behaviours, yet social determinants of health play a decisive role in shaping the conditions in which families care for infants. Factors such as income, housing stability, education, access to culturally safe health care, and systemic inequities influence whether families can consistently follow safe sleep recommendations. For example, overcrowded or unstable housing may limit access to a separate, safe sleep surface. Financial strain can make it difficult to obtain cribs or bassinets. Colonialism, racism and geographic isolation further compound risk. Experiences of racism create barriers to accessing prenatal and postnatal care as well as reduce opportunities for culturally relevant guidance about safe sleep. Systemic racism also takes the form of unfairly judging parents as being unable to properly care for their children, resulting in families being involved with the child welfare system and children being apprehended.