Letters, April 22

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 22/04/2023 (991 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

School absenteeism problem not so simple

The Manitoba government has released its latest action plan for students called Safe and Caring Schools: A Policy Directive and Action Plan to Enhance Student Presence and Engagement. In summary, the plan acknowledges the many issues that contribute to attendance issues for students. Things like poor health or poor mental health, work responsibilities, homelessness and the accompanying issues it brings.

These are real issues for students across the province, the kind of issues that require real life supports — basic needs like food, housing, medical assistance. Many students who are struggling to attend school want to be there, but they’ve worked a full nightshift to help support their family. Or they haven’t had a proper meal in several days and now feel ill. Or they have made it to school the entire week and by Friday have run out of money for bus fare.

It’s unlikely that these students, who want to go to school but who are facing these real-life challenges, are watching TV commercials and saying to themselves, “Gee, if I just plan what I want to wear tomorrow and pre-make my lunch, then I’ll get to school, no problem.”

Of course not. Our students who are facing chronic absenteeism need us, including our government, to step up and start meeting their needs so that they can attend school regularly and have a chance at a life out of poverty. When we commit to providing necessary nutrition to sustain our children, affordable housing so our families can thrive and easily accessible medical and mental health services, that’s when we will have success in student attendance.

Instead of an advertising campaign that won’t be seen by most of the target audience, maybe we should focus our dollars on giving educators the tools to “locally develop strategies that are responsive to the community, school and classroom needs”.

It really isn’t as simple as saying “School — keep going.”

Betty Edel

Chair, Winnipeg School Division Board of Trustees

Time for government to accept new way

As a public servant, I care about our country and all peoples that make up our diverse culture. I love my work, and I am passionate about serving the Canadian public to the best of my ability.

When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, me and thousands of fellow public servants came together to continue serving the public. We went through unprecedented changes to accomplish this, like setting up home offices, even if it was at our dining room tables. We developed and learned new technology to provide our services remotely.

We struggled with daycare issues, alongside many working Canadians. But we did it. We accomplished the goal collectively. We proved that our services can be provided remotely.

Our current telework policy is vague. It can change at any time at the discretion of managers and other government officials. The government needs to accept this new way forward and confer with the people that made it happen.

Let’s keep it simple:

Listen to our voices.

Make the change.

Sincerely,

Patty Pollock

Winnipeg

Health-care fumbles clear

Re: Calling verifiable letter from doctors fake an odd strategy (April 20)

It continues to become blatantly clear and strikingly obvious that the current premier does not understand nor care that her legal, ethical, and moral duty is to govern for the whole population in Manitoba; not just a select group that can be wooed into electing her in October 2023.

In his opinion piece of April 20 Dan Lett references the divide-and-conquer approach being used by the premier to convince the electorate that she knows what is best for Manitobans. Ironically her approach of reducing individual taxes to solicit votes is reducing core services to all Manitobans. This is so diametrically opposed to the role of government which is to provide a fairness of care and concern for all peoples. Rather, the premier is concentrating on gaining the attention of individuals to legitimize her ideology that the best government is had by giving to the rich and neglecting the poor.

This neglect is a profound travesty that resonates so grossly in the minister of health’s obvious neglect of her duties in providing a level of basic health services to Manitobans. In Tom Brodbeck’s opinion piece of April 19 he refers to her as “incompetent.” This is a just characterization of a politician who pretends to be caring for the health care of people.

Her pretense is causing many Manitobans to suffer from health-care neglect as she purports to render an immediacy of initiatives to address the increasing urgency of diminishing health-care services. Current example being the hiring of 150 new doctors now when the need has been dire for several years.

Why does the premier allow and support this charade? Some would know and others would speculate that she is tone deaf to the needs of Manitobans who are suffering from health care neglect. Her priorities are elsewhere as her behaviour contests: money and re-election. Perhaps the premier does not understand that some Manitobans see her game for what it is: a colossal manipulation of people for personal gain. However, she misses the point that the truth be told in a democracy.

Fortunately the Free Press is a critical and essential means for communicating this truth to Manitobans. Journalists such as Dan Lett and Tom Brodbeck have the integrity to state the truth, not “gild the lily” and be supported by their newspaper administration.

Those of us, as readers, who know and understand the truth, are waiting for October election to see the provincial government do its job for all Manitobans.

Donna Michaels

Brandon, Man.

Too long a wait for surgery

I’m approaching 69 years of age. My right knee is troublesome but walking is not an issue, yet. Stairs are another matter. I have been put in the queue to be examined and then surgery.

I have been told to expect a 12 month wait to be examined and then an additional 22 months before surgery can happen. Got the news yesterday. Is this an example of reducing the backlog?

By my math, I’ll be 72 or maybe dead. Then my knee won’t bother me anymore. That strategy does not appeal to me.

Ed Friesen

Winnipeg

Case for commons elegantly made

Re: Time to invest in the commons (Think Tank, April 21)

Dear editor,

I had planned to write a letter to the editor of the Free Press regarding the erosion of our public services as a direct result of policies that allowed the wealthy to become wealthier.

There is no need. Andrew Lodge and Matt Henderson have articulated the reality most elegantly in their piece published on April 21. If “everything seems broken” we can look no further than a lack of funding for our shared institutions, designed to ensure that the rich retain more of their tax dollars.

This piece should be required reading for citizens of Canada.

Lynda Loewen

Winnipeg

This well-written column should be mandatory reading for Premier Heather Stefanson, Alberta Premier Danielle Smith, and many other political leaders who fail to see the dangers inherent in a widening rich-poor gap and lack of investment in social programs.

I would add Pierre Poilievre to that list, but as a career promoter of self-interest and misinformation, I fear he is beyond redemption.

Ron Menec

Winnipeg