Letters, Sept. 12

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 12/09/2022 (1300 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Drug crisis demands action

Re: Grief, anger permeate Overdose Awareness Day rally (Aug. 31)

As an individual who has lost a loved one to the toxic drug-supply crisis and who attended this rally at the legislature, I am frustrated and angry that our current provincial government is doing very little to address the current toxic drug poisoning crisis.

Premier Heather Stefanson keeps promoting the Rapid Access to Addictions Medicine (RAAM) clinics as the panacea to substance-use issues in our province.

As suggested in the article, RAAM clinics have been criticized by those accessing services and addictions advocates for their short operating hours and limited capacity. The Crisis Response Centre location sees patients three days a week, the River Point Centre location see patients two days a week.

As a researcher myself, I am wondering what specific evidence the premier has to support the claim the RAAM clinics are effectively addressing the current drug poisoning crisis in the Manitoba context. For example, how many people are turned away? How long is the wait to access detox or other provincially funded treatment services? How many clients are able to access medication assisted therapy? How long does it take to get longer-term, regular mental-health care for those with co-occurring disorders?

The RAAM clinics are certainly not effective in reducing overdose deaths, given that substance-related deaths have been increasing exponentially in Manitoba over the past few years. In Manitoba, 407 people lost their lives to an overdose in 2021, the highest number in our province to date.

I am also angry the only way the group Overdose Awareness Manitoba, of which I am a member, finds out how many Manitobans have died is by contacting the chief medical examiner’s office ourselves. Why is Manitoba the only Canadian province or territory that does not report the total number of substance-related deaths to the Public Health Agency of Canada?

Most of all, I am angry many people will continue to die unnecessary and preventable deaths as a result of the inaction of our current government to invest in harm-reduction policies and practices (e.g., access to a safe regulated supply of drugs, supervised consumption sites, decriminalization for personal possession) that have been shown to be effective in reducing harms, improving quality of life and saving the lives of people who use drugs.

Tamara Taillieu

Winnipeg

Indigenous effort appreciated

Re: First Nations seek protected wildlands, not national park (Sept. 6)

I applaud the Indigenous nations within Manitoba that are working to establish protected and conserved natural areas. These efforts are key to Canada achieving its target of protecting 30 per cent of Canada’s wild lands and waters by 2030. In an era of climate change and a troubling loss of species, we don’t have time to waste.

There is an array of imperilled wildlife species in our province that need habitat protection to recover and thrive. This includes Manitoba’s internationally treasured polar bears, which are important to northern economies. Protecting the lands where they give birth and raise their cubs is paramount to their survival.

Many of the Indigenous nations working to protect nature in Manitoba have received support for their initiatives from the federal government. As the executive director of the Manitoba chapter of the Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society, I strongly encourage our provincial government to do its part to ensure these efforts are successful.

Ron Thiessen

Winnipeg

Beware of U.S. need for water

Re: Should Canada help quench America’s thirst? (Opinion, Sept. 8)

Peter McKenna’s column raises interesting and perhaps frightening questions.

Ukraine has abundant reserves of coal, iron ore, natural gas, manganese, salt, oil, graphite, sulfur, kaolin, titanium, nickel, magnesium, timber and mercury. Russia has invaded Ukraine because it wants access to that and rich farmland without having to pay market value.

Could the same happen in Canada’s future?

The U.S. is facing severe water shortages in the southwestern states of Arizona, New Mexico, Nevada and especially California. As McKenna states, “Government officials in Ottawa ought to start thinking about what they are going to say when the U.S. inevitably comes knocking on our door to discuss water exports. And, of course, identifying what the implications would be if Canada unequivocally said no.”

I ask the same question as McKenna: “Would the U.S. consider military action if Ottawa flatly turned it down?” Unfortunately it might depend on the kind of administration the U.S. has at such a time.

In the meantime, we should keep our “spidey senses” on high alert, lest Canada becomes Ukraine to America.

Tim Proskurnik

Winnipeg

New hydro dams needed

Re: 17 states weigh adopting California’s electric car mandate (Sept. 3)

What will happen when vehicles in many states, including California, must be electrically powered? There will inevitably be a great demand for electricity.

Construction must start now on more hydroelectric dams, in both the U.S. and Canada, as it takes many years before clean hydro electricity actually becomes available.

Canada is fortunate to possess much terrain where such dams can be built. Canada could then sell clean hydro electricity to the hungry U.S.

Robert J. Moskal

Winnipeg

Cancelled flights problematic

Re: Swoop expands sun destination routes from Winnipeg (Sept. 1)

I am surprised to read Swoop Airlines is expanding routes with direct flights from Winnipeg to Orlando, Fla., and Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. I sincerely hope those flights will not be similar to the situation my daughter and I have experienced with this airline.

We booked and paid on July 7 for direct flights from Winnipeg to Kelowna on Sept. 7, returning Sept. 14. I am 90 years old with some mobility issues and rely on my daughter, so we also paid extra for assigned seats so we could sit together.

On Aug. 11, we received an email that our flights had been cancelled. We were now offered flights leaving Winnipeg on Sept. 5 with a return flight from Kelowna on Sept. 16. We no longer have the seats we were originally assigned, so we need to sit in different rows.

Yes, flights with this airline are inexpensive; however, the cost of extra days of hotel accommodation in Kelowna more than makes up for any cost saving.

Our trip is for a very important occasion, or we would just have cancelled the whole thing.

Jean Feliksiak

Winnipeg

Winnie the Pooh besmirched

Re: Winnie trades hugs for revenge (Sept. 6)

The upcoming slasher movie Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey is apparently a horror film depicting a deranged version of Pooh Bear and Piglet. Is there no end to adults’ attempts to spoil innocence?

Many children have developed a fear of clowns — they were once a delight of childhood — thanks to various movies with murderous clowns. Then there is Chucky, the scary doll. Let’s not even mention the dangers children face on their devices and social media.

Now we have the iconic childhood hero, Winnie the Pooh, as a serial killer with Piglet as his accomplice. What is next? SpongeBob SquarePants as a child molester?

It is time that creators of movies and media in general start thinking about how their exploits impact the youngest in our society.

Rudy Ambtman

Winnipeg