Letters, Aug. 29

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 29/08/2023 (1009 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Mobile service can’t fix all

Re: On the road, saving lives (Aug. 25)

Ms. Abas and Ms. Clarke’s piece on the MOPS (Mobile Overdose Prevention Service) van presents a convincing case for further investment in harm reduction as a tool for combating Winnipeg’s persistent issues. It’s too bad a service like this is dependent on funding from the feds which, as explained in the article, is subject to periodic funding gaps. This is the type of thing I’d like to see Gail Asper or other prominently rich Winnipeggers step up to the plate and provide the funding for — not just to maintain it in its present form but even expand it. A fleet of these vans would likely put a significant dent in how resources are applied to the issue of drugs and homelessness.

Two stories struck me as particularly relevant to the real-world benefits of this service, the first is “Casey” who, despite being addicted to meth is CPR and first aid certified, which is an actual, marketable skill, Casey deserves a chance to get clean and be the kind of citizen we expect, perhaps a member of this very team if only he could get off the drugs and find stable housing — which brings me to story No. 2, an unnamed woman: “She explains that without MOPS, she’d likely be trying to use at the shelter she’s staying at and she’s thankful she’s not at risk of being kicked out because this site is available to her.”

It’s commonly understood that shelters and living spaces designed as transitional housing often have a dry requirement and you can understand why in insurance and staff safety terms. It’s not like there’s a Damien around to be the muscle to stop disputes and other violence in these spaces, so a service like MOPS that allows people to do the drugs they’re addicted to without fear of losing their housing, which they need to climb out of drug addiction, is absolutely critical.

The only thing I don’t see addressed here is actually getting people clean and housed. That’s because it’s sort of on us, society writ large, to elect the kind of government that cares enough about these people to put the funding together to provide treatment beds that require no wait times, therapy supports once clean to reduce recidivism, and finally, housing and income supports to transition people back into society and being productive members of it, something a Stefanson PC government has no interest in doing, so vote carefully.

Will Jones

Winnipeg

 

Health workers deserve more

I just don’t understand our provincial government. Health care was asked to settle for increases between 0.5 per cent to two per cent for the past five years, yet MLLC employees are being offered three per cent for the next four years. Where is the fairness in this? How can one group of workers be more deserving than another?

Sorry, our health-care workers deserve better. Without them, our hospitals and nursing homes would not run. Very sad state of affairs.

Can’t wait to see what MPI workers are offered.

Debbie Zajac

Winnipeg

 

Correcting Swiss record

Re: Politics and inflation (Letters, Aug. 26)

It’s important, especially now with the upcoming election, that factually inaccurate information, such as that espoused by Mr. Buors in a recent letter to the editor, be countered.

To begin, to say that the Swiss haven’t spent money on COVID relief is false. They are also focused on similar budgetary priorities as the Liberal government, such as improved access and funding to daycare and reaching net zero. Since climate change is a huge contributor to inflation brought on by increasing costs to food production and transportation, just to name few, reaching net zero is important to numerous world countries including Switzerland and Canada.

Further, a country’s credit standing internationally demonstrates the security foreign investors have in a country’s overall stability. The Canadian credit rating is AAA+ which is as strong as it has ever been. Canada’s debt to GDP ratio is dropping back fast and is well managed. According to a recent article in the Winnipeg Free Press (Aug. 26, page A19), the federal government posted a $3.62-billion surplus in the first quarter.

Despite what Mr. Buors claims, interest rates and inflation have not been caused by overspending by the Canadian government. Even the COVID aid offered to individuals and families that the PCs would have let suffer while the wealthiest Canadians enjoyed unprecedented net worth increases kept the Canadian economy afloat.

Thank goodness the Bank of Canada is independent and focused on inflation despite attempts by PCs to politicize the bank.

Brent Bjorklund

Winnipeg

 

Keep the AI, thanks

Re: Manitoba teachers benefit from AI helper (Aug. 25)

As I prepare for my 16th year teaching, I’ll take a hard pass on ByteAI, the artificial intelligence platform designed for teachers.

It is my job to work with the students, get to know them, and design lessons and a classroom tailored to their interests and needs. This requires expertise, which I’ve worked hard to develop, and is also why I get paid. Embracing shortcuts in this important work is, to me, lazy and a disservice to the profession. If young teachers need guidance, nothing replaces a good chat with an older colleague or observing a lesson.

I’m sure many of my colleagues will find great ways to use this technology, but I’ll wear the Luddite label proudly on this one.

Gordon Fritzsche

Winnipeg

 

Oversight is key

Re: Deadly encounters, limited accountability (Aug. 26)

It has long been established that professional self-regulation operates in its own best interests versus that of the public interest. But one would think that the justice system would be different in facilitating accountability and transparency especially as it pertains to the judicial oversight of fatal shootings by the police.

Unfortunately, based on this article, that seems not to be the case. Perhaps the key word here is “oversight.” It has also long been established that people who work in a system are often constrained from saying critically important things as a result of political, professional and organizational considerations.

Where is the justice in this justice system? Justice delayed is justice denied. More importantly, where is the oversight? Where does the buck stop?

It has to stop with the government officials who oversee the justice system. Someone has been asleep at the switch.

The Free Press investigative writers are playing an important role in describing a “justice system” drastically in need of remediation.

Mac Horsburgh

Winnipeg

 

New ‘Battle of the Bombers’

Re: Election strategies becoming clear (Think Tank, Aug. 22)

Deveryn Ross writes that there are only 13 Tory-held seats that the governing party has to “realistically worry about defending” in October’s provincial election. Surprisingly, he fails to include Fort Whyte — where the second instalment of the “Battle of the Bombers” is set to take place — in his list.

In Round 1, PC candidate and former O-lineman, Obby Khan, bested Liberal candidate and former running back, Willard Reaves, by under three per cent. There is currently no NDP candidate. If only a few per cent of that party’s members vote strategically (recognizing that their party was nearly 25 points behind the Liberals), Khan could easily be turfed.

For the NDP, a Liberal win in this riding would dramatically improve their chances of forming government. It would also take an important political chess piece off the board, as Khan is seen by many as Heather Stefanson’s heir apparent.

Sean Petty

Winnipeg