Letters, Dec. 11

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 11/12/2024 (358 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The importance of school

Re: “Tackle truancy” (Letters, Dec. 10)

Finally, a proposal that gets at the root causes of crime in general, and by young offenders in particular. Addictions, homelessness, machetes, and the like are not root causes; they result from earlier influences.

Schools and truancy are quite rightly identified by Beverly McIntyre as one point at which intervention holds more promise of success and prevention of later criminal activities by adolescents, who become young adults too often afflicted with addictions and other manifestations of antisocial behaviour.

But schools are just one aspect of the early environment, albeit an important one. Families and communities play central roles in attitudes toward school, propensity to violence, susceptibility to drug use, and myriad negative consequences of inadequate support structures for young people in their homes and communities.

To plug an endless stream of young people aging into criminal activity will require social agencies and governments at all levels to address the actual root causes, which undoubtedly start before birth and need to be addressed at the earliest possible moment, schools being one early point of universal contact with Manitoba kids.

Jim Clark

Winnipeg

 

Concur on candy canes

Re: “Too many flavours” (Letters, Dec. 10)

Flavour apocalypse indeed! Albert Chambers was spot on in his treatment of the question of non-peppermint candy canes. I am fully in his corner and would welcome more of his very articulate views on critical social issues like this one.

There are certain things that should not be tampered with, innovated on or compromised, and candy canes are among those things. Thank you, Albert, for saying what so many of us are thinking. And all the best of the season to you as well!

(Not 10 years old, but young at heart.)

John Trevor

Winnipeg

 

People over pavement

Re: Higher density key to fixing budget woes (Dec. 9)

Per Brent Bellamy we are told that a poll lists spending on infrastructure as the top civic issue affecting quality of life. Really? If it’s true all I can say is, what is wrong with people? Fixing our roads is more important than fixing our homelessness and drug crises?

Instead of spending half a billion dollars on Kenaston, why not spend money to do the following: provide housing for the homeless; provide a safe supply of drugs to those who want them so they can stop committing crimes to pay the drug dealers; provide the support services required to help people overcome homelessness and drug abuse.

Let’s prioritize people over roads.

Rene Vincent

Winnipeg

 

Strange designs

Re: Confusion crossing (Dec. 9)

I cannot understand the logic behind the design of this interchange. I am a fan of the roundabout concept but still, a simple cloverleaf at this location would have produced the same results in both safety and traffic flow, while not creating the resulting confusion that was written about. It would certainly not have used up so much land, or concrete, or tax dollars.

Manitoba Transportation and Infrastructure seem to be having some kind of competition to design the most what-the-heck kind of roadway designs, like the Route 90 at 165 interchange.

We will see what the next Perimeter interchange will challenge us with land mass loss, design issues, and tax dollars.

Bob Haegeman

St-Pierre-Jolys

 

I totally agree with the comment by Sage Garden owner Dave Hanson on the new intersection: “There just has to be a better way.”

I am an ardent promoter of roundabouts, but in my opinion this is not one. I am not sure why such a seemingly convoluted method was used. What is wrong with the simple clover leaf?

I would definitely like to see a reasonable explanation as to why this the best way. In many decades of driving, I have never come across such a confusing interchange!

Alan Inness

Winnipeg

 

Long-term care needs investment

Re: Report uncovers high use of antipsychotics on seniors in care homes (Dec. 5)

This article shines a necessary spotlight on a critical issue affecting Manitoba’s long-term care sector. Overreliance on antipsychotic medication is often a symptom of deeper systemic challenges — understaffing, challenges with adequate training in high turnover roles, and inadequate care environments.

When care homes are adequately staffed, care providers can provide the personalized attention residents need to have their unique and changing needs met. Education and training equip staff with the skills to address behaviour associated with dementia without resorting to medication. At the same time, well-designed environments reduce residents’ stress, often eliminating the triggers for agitation.

Care home doctors and nurses conduct quarterly reviews of all medications, including antipsychotics, to ensure they are appropriate and beneficial. Programs like Sparking Change by Healthcare Excellence Canada offer valuable tools to reduce inappropriate antipsychotic use, but their success requires sustained funding. Unfortunately, stalled funding from the Stevenson Review threatens to undermine these efforts and the delivery of person-centred care that residents deserve.

Long-term care needs continuous investment in staff, education, and infrastructure to ensure Manitoba seniors receive compassionate, person-centred care. Thank you for shining a light on this systemic issue. Without action, this and other critical issues will persist.

The Manitoba Association of Residential & Community Care Homes for Everyone (MARCHE), of which I am chief executive officer, is committed to working with government, health-care leaders, and the public to create long-term care support where residents thrive, and medications are a last resort, not the norm.

Gladys Hrabi

Winnipeg

 

Immigration problem

It is time for all levels of government, including municipal governments, to wake up to the reality that thousands threatened with deportation from the United States may flee north.

It is ironic that the federal government will spend more than $1 billion to beef up the border to prevent people entering the U.S. from Canada, yet asks nothing of the U.S. which threatens to deport 11 million, a great number of whom will make their way to the Canadian border.

The flow southward puts little pressure on communities in the United States; the flow northward will stretch Canadian resources to the maximum. Because of the Safe Third Country Agreement, thousands will be turned back to the U.S., but others will go into hiding to avoid detection, be allowed to stay because of family connections or because of humanitarian concerns.

What is the federal government’s resettlement plan for the expected flood of newcomers and what are the provinces and municipalities doing to prepare? Manitoba, for example, plans to toughen border surveillance with Conservation Officers but what is it planning to do to provide for the influx of those deported?

Peter Kirby

Kenora, Ont.