Letters, Nov. 24

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 24/11/2023 (724 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Bridge closure an opportunity

The decision to close the Arlington Bridge presents an opportunity to finally address a much broader issue in Winnipeg — the relocation of a railroad network that imperils the safety of the city. Here is a chance to recast our transportation system so as to open up land for inner-city housing and eliminate barriers that have geographically bifurcated the city on a north/south axis for decades.

Since the tragedy of Lac Megantic in Quebec a decade ago, there is a growing understanding of the extreme hazard of moving dangerous chemicals and petroleum products through urban areas. A single derailment could cause widespread destruction in heavily populated neighbourhoods in Winnipeg. Furthermore, the changing nature of railroad technology enables large spaces to be turned over to surface transport pathways replacing ancient infrastructure.

A committee of citizens have made proposals to both the city and provincial governments on the need for a major study half the cost of which would be covered by the federal government.

It is a chance to tackle in an imaginative and comprehensive way a forward looking initiative that would have significant long-term benefits.

Lloyd Axworthy

Former federal cabinet minister

Ottawa

Replace the bridge, period

Endless discussions and consultations to consider the future of a 111-year-old decrepit bridge are ludicrous at best. Idiotic, perhaps. A complete waste of time and money.

If the Arlington bridge was in any other area of the city there would have been no question as to whether it needed to be replaced. Either in past years or now.

Because it is in the North End, it has been endlessly patched up.

The problem is, it doesn’t just service the North End; its closure affects those in the Maples, Amber Trails, West Kildonan, and the Garden City areas.

Thousands of people are impacted by reduced access to downtown and will be severely slowed at rush hours because McPhillips and Salter cannot handle all the traffic. (Not even with ‘upgrades’, Janice Lukes).

The Arlington bridge needs to be replaced. Studies and consultations will not change this fact.

Cindy Burkett

Winnipeg

Chance to lose rail yard

With the Arlington bridge being condemned, what a great incentive for the City of Winnipeg to renew the elimination of the Canadian Pacific rail yards from their present location separating north Winnipeg from the rest of the city, thus eliminating any need to rebuild or refurbish the bridge!

Is there no way the city can increase the taxes on Canadian Pacific Railways on their lands within the city? Or do they even pay taxes? And if so how much? Hit them in their wallet and they may be more receptive to move their yards outside the city.

I am sure considerable funds are available from the federal government to help in getting this project done. Time for our new mayor to grab this bull by the horns and getter done!

Jack Keating

Winnipeg

Why such slow progress?

Question: why was Waverley overpass built in a fairly short time and some type of an overpass of the CP rails needed from Dufferin Avenue to Logan has hit a brick wall for well over 50 years?

During the 1980s I was involved in at least three different delegations to city hall requesting a new overpass — as even at that time Arlington Bridge was an important link to the south end of the city.

As I recall the Free Press printed an architectural plan of what the development could look like if the rail yards relocated when those living in the North End had hopes that at last there would be some movement on this very old problem.

It seems that North End of Winnipeg is still facing the same old problem (north versus south).

And just to add another concern — by not having the Arlington Bridge people have no choice. They must take a longer time to arrive at their destination — which adds to global warming.

Dora Rosenbaum

Winnipeg

Keep menopause expertise here

Re: Lost in transition (Nov. 19)

Thank you for your excellent articles bringing attention to the challenging situation that perimenopausal and menopausal individuals in Manitoba have faced since the abrupt and unexpected closure of the Mature Women’s Centre in October 2017.

As one of the family physicians who practised menopause medicine at the MWC, I had the privilege of working for nine years alongside gynecologist Dr. Richard Boroditsky, who started the centre in the 1990s using a before-its-time multidisciplinary team-based nurse-managed model. MWC was not only a specialized menopause care centre, it was also a teaching centre where medical students, residents, nurse practitioners, and other allied health members learned to manage menopause. Since MWC’s closure, there are only a handful of us physicians who have menopause-focused practices, and we are scattered among different clinics around Winnipeg.

Sadly, it is not uncommon for me to hear from patients that their family doctor was reluctant to refer them, because their doctor doesn’t “believe in” menopausal hormone therapy. Misconceptions abound, and the lack of a dedicated teaching centre where new doctors and nurse practitioners can learn about menopause management propagates these misconceptions, to the detriment of Manitobans experiencing perimenopause/menopause and to students who could be learning about menopause care from experienced practitioners. This represents an ongoing, huge gap in midlife care.

I can relate directly to patients who still have kids at home, are caregivers for elderly parents, and are often at the peaks of their careers, all while going through perimenopause/menopause. Hot flashes disrupting our lives are the last thing we need.

Half of our population is going to go through this transition and clearly deserve to have access to providers who have the knowledge to engage in shared decision-making discussions about treatment options for controlling menopause symptoms to maintain function and quality of life. That, however, requires informed menopause care.

I challenge the NDP to keep their promise to bring an expert team-based menopause centre back to Manitoba. Let’s keep the dialogue open. Menopause deserves more than just a moment.

Janice Pan, M.D.

Winnipeg

Prevent cruelty everywhere

Re: I am Jewish —and I want freedom for Palestinians (Think Tank, Nov. 22)

I commend the article by Alison Moule in regards to her stance for freedom and equal rights for everyone. I, a Ukrainian Canadian, have also been labelled “antisemitic” because on my social media I posted what I believed was morally right, and that is to stop the disproportionate bombardment of Palestinian civilians which is viewed by some as ethnic cleansing or genocide.

As a member of an ethnic community that has had family suffering extensively at the hands of Russian totalitarianism, I want more than anyone to have all the barbarism and hatred stopped in this world. My parents did not want to leave their homeland in the late 1940s during the war but I am grateful to them for doing so, because here in Canada at least I felt I had the freedom of expression and I knew the value of human dignity through equal rights.

Western democracies would do better if they stopped paying lip service to the values they purport to defend but actually acted upon them without political interference of lobby groups, electoral ambitions and personal self interests.

The strength of democratic society, its leadership and institutions needs to be measured according to how well they prevent genocides and cruelty in a modern world.

Christine Krucko

Winnipeg