Letters, Oct. 3

Opinion

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 03/10/2024 (371 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Civility on display

The big takeaway from Tuesday’s vice-presidential debate? A hopeful glimpse of what American politics could look like if Donald Trump were out of the picture: A more mature, civil, mostly honest level of political discourse, leading to (dare I hope?) a more civil, less fractured American society.

Ron Menec

Winnipeg

 

Portage mall wrong place for clinic

Re: Portage Place health clinic price jumps nearly $30M (Oct. 1)

If the province wants to build a new health-care facility, it should be built outside downtown. This way, it would be easily accessed and parking would be free and plentiful and people would actually want to go there because they would not fear for their lives as they do going to Health Sciences Centre.

This would ensure we do not have another Manitoba Clinic (next to HSC) that no one wants to go to.

Ron Robert

Winnipeg

 

Replace CancerCare leader

Re: CancerCare denies it reneged on promises to doctor (Oct. 2)

CancerCare CEO and president Dr. Sri Navaratnam needs to be replaced by a more competent leader immediately. I also question the competence of CancerCare Manitoba’s board for failing to take action and allowing this to happen.

I hate to think about the enormous salaries they are being paid to create this mess.

Marilyn Bird

Winnipeg

 

Squires’s conclusion faulty

Re: Necessary resets for governments and the media (Think Tank, Oct. 1)

In her Oct. 1 op-ed, former Manitoba PC MLA Rochelle Squires sermonizes about the recent CTV News incident where edits were made to Pierre Poilievre’s statements and celebrates the firing of two employees, calling it “good news.”

What’s concerning is her description of the CTV employees’ actions as “nefarious” when, from what I have read across a range of credible sources, there is no conclusive proof of that. Instead, there’s been a lot of conjecture, spin and speculation.

As a result of her assumption, her whole piece and resulting conclusion is faulty.

While I absolutely agree tough sanctions against the journalists responsible for the unacceptable edits were warranted, Squires goes too far in concluding — again, without conclusive proof — that what happened was engineered as a deliberate political smear job.

I find it far more plausible that a combination of time pressures and lack of editorial oversight are the real culprits.

James Turner

Winnipeg

 

Speak up, make a difference

Re: Opaque diagnosis (Oct. 1)

I was pleased to read Opaque diagnosis. I understand the frustrations shared by Heather and Jennifer, and I applaud their courage to tell their stories.

For a mammographer telling Heather that she is really young and this is nothing (Heather was 44 at the time) was upsetting for me to read. Women in their forties as well as their sixties can be diagnosed with breast cancer (I was in my late sixties when I was diagnosed). Jennifer wants women over 40 with C or D dense breasts to get screened. My situation was different — my cancer was caught early (Stage 0) and treated in a timely manner — I was diagnosed in November, 2023.

I am encouraged reading that changes are coming, eventually for women between the ages of 40-49 to self refer for screening. With October being Breast Cancer Awareness Month, regardless of age, if there is a concern, speak up.

It can make a difference.

Cindy Kelly

Winnipeg

 

Congratulations to AV Kitching on an absolutely first-rate article, totally factual in every regard.

I have to tell you that, as an oncologist who treated breast cancer for over 40 years, I am appalled that in this day and age some doctors still don’t seem to know the facts surrounding breast density and the limitations of mammograms.

It is absolutely vital that women be told about their breast density and offered ultrasound in the presence of category C and D breast density if there is any concern about a possible lump.

I hope your story makes a difference to both patients and doctors dealing with this very important issue.

Lorne Brandes

Winnipeg

 

Bridge needed more than ever

Re: Other uses for bridge (Letters, Oct. 1)

Derek Rolstone, suggesting that the Arlington Bridge never be rebuilt, obviously doesn’t live in north Winnipeg. The four alternate routes he lists are incredibly overwhelmed. Rush hour on McPhillips has traffic backed up from Notre Dame to Logan (about a dozen blocks) for hours. You have no idea how north Winnipeg is expanding. We need an Arlington Street crossing more than ever.

Coun. Ross Eadie is correct about it being an affluent/non-affluent issue. North Winnipeg is always treated like the stepchild when it comes to amenities. Wolseley can moan about the quality of their bike lanes and get immediate attention, while north Winnipeg has only one bike lane built last year. It’s under a power line and doesn’t lead anywhere meaningful.

Kenaston will get widened at the cost of probably billions, benefiting most of us not one iota, but we North-Enders are again passed over. Oh, and look at a map. McPhillips and Arlington are “one block apart” only at Jarvis. They aren’t parallel for much of a distance.

Norm Bukoski

Winnipeg

 

Dirty streets

What a shame.

On Sept. 28 we attended the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra’s wonderful Community Celebration concert at the Centennial Concert Hall. We attend a number of WSO concerts throughout the year and have little hesitation to park in the vicinity of the concert hall. But on this night we were struck by the sheer volume of garbage on Main Street in the area.

Garbage cans were overflowing and garbage was strewn on the sidewalk and onto the street right in front of the Hall. Not a great advertisement for Winnipeg.

There is a constant refrain that we need more Winnipeggers to live and visit downtown in order to sustain its vibrancy. What a shame the city cannot at least prioritize keeping it clean. If the city has $40 million to commit to the redevelopment of Portage Place, surely there must also be enough funds to maintain basic services such as garbage pickup and street cleaning.

Irwin Corobow

Winnipeg

 

Headed the wrong way

Re: $2-B deficit biggest in non-pandemic year (Sept. 28)

The article highlights many of the reasons why our province is so deeply in the red. Some of the issues impacting the budget are due to the past PC government. Previous cuts in social spending, labour agreements that were finally settled after the defeat of an intransigent anti-labour government and tax cuts that benefit the “haves” rather than the “have-nots” certainly fall into this category.

However, the NDP government is also the author of its own fate. The cuts to the gas tax which will continue to the end of this year will result in the deferral of needed repair to infrastructure and ultimately cost us all more money. The same can be said for adjustments to income tax regimes which will have to be more extreme now that they have been unnecessarily delayed a year.

We all know that once you have paid off your mortgage you can live better with less money. We’re going in the wrong direction, Premier Wab Kinew.

Tom Pearson

Winnipeg