Letters, June 14

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 14/06/2023 (1086 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Nobody’s a perfect traveller

Re: City moves forward on revamped bike registry report (June 13)

Coun. Jeff Browaty does his best to manipulate a proposal to improve our city (using an evidence-based approach for bike theft reduction) by trying to squeeze in a ridiculous plan to licence cyclists.

Because the police need to “enforce rules of the road for cyclists,” you know. Typical divide-and-conquer approach to “leadership” from a politician well past his best-before date. Licensing vehicles certainly doesn’t do much to enforce rules of the road for drivers, so I’m not sure why this would be different for cyclists. Browaty talks about cyclists “rolling through every stop sign down a street.”

I almost laughed out loud at this comment. Have you ever seen a motor vehicle drive down a residential street? In our neighbourhood, at least 80 per cent of motor vehicles do a tap-and-go at stop signs, slowing down to maybe five km/hr. A good number barely slow down and sail through stop signs. Yesterday, while cycling southbound on the Empress Street separated bikeway, I had to completely stop when a delivery van failed to look right at a stop sign and pulled out right in front of my wife and I. This was in broad daylight, crossing a main cycling route. Didn’t. Even. Look.

This is not an uncommon occurrence. I cycle daily during the summer and I can say with certainty that a very high proportion of drivers don’t even quickly glance to their right when going through a stop sign to cross a sidewalk or bikeway.

I see constant bickering in the letters to the editor between Winnipeggers who are just trying to get where they are going using their desired form of transportation. I use all methods to get around — I own a car and use it a few times a month.

I normally cycle, and sometimes walk. And occasionally, I’ll even take a bus. As a non-denominational Winnipeg traveller, I can tell you that none of us Winnipeggers are perfect. Some cyclists travel too fast on a multiuse trail. Pedestrians frequently take up an entire multiuse path with friends or a dog, and wear ear buds so they can’t hear cyclists alerting them to their presence. Drivers don’t look out for pedestrians and cyclists. I could go on and on.

None of us are perfect and we can all do a lot better to be respectful to others out there on the road. But Jeff Browaty’s ongoing one-man war against cyclists is a cynical (and very odd) attempt to divide and conquer. We are not “cyclists.” We are not “pedestrians.” We are not “drivers.”

Those are just transportation choices. We are really all just “Winnipeggers.” If Browaty really wants to make this city better, he’d work towards better active transportation infrastructure to help Winnipeggers get around safely, by whatever transportation option they choose.

Providing pedestrians and cyclists with proper infrastructure using best practices from other cities would go a long way to eliminating friction points between Winnipeggers. It’s time for divisive old-school politicians like Jeff Browaty to retire and let a new generation work together to make this city a better place to live.

Patrick Dirks

Winnipeg

Health system problems precede PCs

Re: Taxpayers paid $24M for out-of-province surgeries (June 13); Out-of-province surgery priceless for long-suffering patients; for taxpayers? Tories just can’t put a price on it (June 12)

As a Free Press subscriber for decades, I am getting sick of the one-sided, negative coverage of provincial health issues. All provinces had their health resources overtaxed by COVID. But to read the Free Press you would think only Manitoba had issues.

A recent article had NDP MLA Uzoma Asagwara complaining because Manitoba had a health agreement with another province for surgeries and health treatments.

Regarding Dan Lett’s Out-of-province surgery priceless for long-suffering patients; for taxpayers? Tories just can’t put a price on it, the price per surgery or total cost is meaningless to the average Manitoban. However readers are left believing this is a “Tory” issue.

Well let’s just go back to 2001 when my mother had a mastectomy under the then-NDP government. Mom was told she needed weeks of radiation and chemotherapy treatments after the surgery because the cancer was an aggressive, fast growing type of cancer that could spread into her lungs. The wait to start treatment was only eight months long. An absolutely intolerable situation.

Finally, the NDP government admitted they had an out-of-province agreement with ALTRU Health Centre in Grand Forks, N.D. Mom started treatments started within three to four weeks. All travel and lodging costs were covered by Manitoba Health for her to stay in Grand Forks during the course of treatment. There were dozens of other Canadians from Manitoba and Saskatchewan staying in the same fully furnished three-storey apartment block They were there for various treatments as well. The NDP also had an agreement with Ontario for treatments in Thunder Bay.

Let’s have some balanced reporting for once.

Glenn Dickson

La Salle

Closure worth the cost

Re: Clock ticking on federal commitment for landfill search before Parliament’s summer break: Manitoba grand chief (June 8)

I read this article with great interest. I cannot believe that the Stefanson government is not holding meetings with the families of the murdered and missing woman who are working with the federal government to get what is needed done, a search for their remains.

What the families should be asking for and receiving is something put in place at these landfills so that they are not able to be dumping grounds for human beings. I would suggest that they have a X-ray system that each garbage truck goes through before it is dumped and also cadaver sniffing dogs put in place so that it will never get to this point again.

I know some people are going to say that is too much of a cost. I say in return, to ensure closure and the return of one’s remains is the only responsible thing to do.

Will Franklin

Winnipeg

Inspired to shop local

Re: Cheap clothes, high cost (June 12)

I read the article Cheap clothes, high cost and the article reinforced the need to ask questions about sustainability.

Up until about two years ago, I didn’t pay attention to where my clothing was manufactured. I was reading a lot of articles about fast fashion, including a book called Consumed by Aja Barber. I decided to find places in Winnipeg where I could purchase sustainable clothing, and better yet, made in Winnipeg.

My search came up with at least four local businesses that design and manufacture their clothing lines right here in Winnipeg. I visited one place where I was given a tour of the design area, where I saw everything from pattern making to the final product.

Slowly, my “made in India” tops and tunics were replaced by “made in Canada” or “made in Winnipeg.” I think it’s important to ask where your clothes are made, and how factory workers are treated. Find out what businesses do with clothing that is not selling well or is out of season.

Thank you, Allegra Catelli, for bringing awareness to this important issue.

Cindy Kelly

Winnipeg