Letters, Nov. 4

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This article was published 04/11/2024 (571 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Move on MAID now

Re: Quebec MAID example worth following (Think Tank, Nov. 1)

My wife Lynne had early onset Alzheimer’s disease and would have made an advanced notice for MAID if it were available while she was alive. She survived 13 years. During the last five of these years, despite the excellent care that she received, Lynne suffered indignities and pain that MAID would have relieved. Since her passing in 2011, I have advocated for an advanced notice for MAID, to no avail.

Jerry Storie’s op-ed highlights all of the reasons why the federal Liberals need to get off the fence and listen to the professional advice that they have received regarding advanced notice for MAID. Further delay will result in some people with Alzheimer’s advancing to a stage where they no longer have the cognitive ability to make a declaration. This cruel ending for these folks is entirely due to a government that lacks the fortitude to do what is morally the right thing.

It’s a small thing. I’m only one vote. But if the Liberals don’t right this wrong I will never vote Liberal again, and I will work to see them voted out of office.

Tom Pearson

Winnipeg

Thanks for service

Re: “Honour all vets” (Letters, Nov. 1)

I would like to personally thank Pierre Parent for his 20 years of service to Canada. It takes a special kind of person to enlist to serve and protect democracy in an increasingly volatile world.

I agree with Parent that living veterans should also be recognized in some regard. In the U.S., the last Monday in May is Memorial Day to honour all American veterans who died in service to their country. Veterans Day on Nov. 11 honours all who served in the U.S. military in war or peacetime. Remembrance Day in Canada is dedicated to honouring those who died in service to their country only.

However, although it is not well publicized, I would like to remind all Canadians that Nov. 5-11 is known as Veterans’ Week, to honour all Canadians who served their country in war and peace. Take the time to thank a veteran at this time.

I’m not a veteran myself, but I know many who would appreciate this small gesture.

Bill Parkes

Winnipeg

Bounty a good idea

Re: City so broke it might end up sacrificing children’s safety (Nov. 1)

According to Tom Brodbeck it would cost the city $262,884 to clean up needles and weapons in our parks. In a letter to the editor one reader suggested that a cheaper alternative might be for the city put a bounty on discarded needles.

There is a historical precedent for putting a bounty on the return of undesirable items to a collection site. In the 1920s and ’30s there was a bounty on gopher tails. In this war on gophers they were vilified as “Bolshewheaties” striving to liberate wheat fields in the name of proletariat critters. The war against gophers eradicated thousands of these crop-destroying animals.

Perhaps it would be useful to promote the idea of citizens being engaged in a war against drugs. A bounty on used needles makes eminent sense!

Mac Horsburgh

Winnipeg

Let’s hear a proper estimate

According to the construction tender, M.D. Steele Construction must demolish and remove the concrete barriers at Portage and Main, add new curbs and sidewalks to allow pedestrians to cross at all four corners and extend the curb at the southeast corner.

It is going to cost $16.1 million, plus GST, to do the above work on Portage and Main! We are not building a mall, we are removing barricades and altering the lights to include pedestrian signage. Can’t the city use their own staff to do the bulk of this work? Or at least see if other construction companies out of province are interested on bidding on this seemingly long, eight-month project.

When competition is removed from the bidding process, the lone competitor can ask for a king’s ransom to take on the job. And for M.D. Steele Construction Ltd. to say it is difficult to say how much this project would cost is absurd. Certainly, in the past, they have demolished a couple of hundred feet of concrete and formed and poured a couple of hundred feet of curbing.

Alfred Sansregret

Winnipeg

Thoughts on truckers

Who is a truck driver?

They are a father, mother, son, daughter, brother, sister but, most importantly, an intricate part of the general public’s day-to-day life.

They haul and deliver almost everything imaginable that employs and feeds you.

Truckers bring in everything from food for us as well as our pets, clothing, furniture, electronics, fuel, building materials, medical supplies, entertainment goods and a lot more.

Without food we can’t survive, without clothing we can’t go out in public, without furniture we can’t relax while having dinner or entertaining. No electronics means no lights, no vehicles, no heat, etc. Without fuel we can’t drive our vehicles to and from work or appointments, no building materials means no homes to live in and, most importantly, no medical supplies means no health care.

When the pandemic hit the world hard, the truckers were there to ensure that the supplies required for us to survive were still made available to us by continuing to transport the merchandise from all over the country. And they did it without thinking about themselves.

A truck driver doesn’t have someone to fuel up their truck for them when they pull into a fuel station and it’s -40 C outside, nor do they sleep in the comfort of their own bed at home, eat breakfast or supper with their loved ones, sit in the family room to watch a movie or TV show with their family; instead, they sleep alone in a small bed with a running truck during extreme cold and heat, dine alone at a truck stop before hitting the road again and very rarely get the chance to enjoy family time.

They share our roadways and all the frustrations that come with that.

Construction, accidents, extreme weather and any other delays that occur slow them down as well and they all have the same time restrictions as everyone else.

When a truck driver signals to merge, give them the courtesy to do so and don’t speed up to impede their chance to keep moving, when they leave a big gap between themselves and the vehicle ahead it’s because they need that space to stop safely when required so please don’t whip in front of them and jam on the brakes because now they are forced to make critical decisions that could mean colliding or not colliding with you.

A fully loaded semi at 100 km/h takes the length of a football field to stop safely and half that distance at 70 km/h.

Just remember that a truck driver isn’t sharing the roadway with you to prevent you from getting to work on time, home on time or an appointment on time when in fact they are there to provide a comfortable lifestyle for you.

Please give them the courtesy and respect that they deserve just like anyone else does.

Jeff Lamboo

Winnipeg