Letters, April 11

Opinion

Fix what we have

Re: Building a better city isn’t rocket science (Think Tank, April 10)

Erna Buffie hit the nail right on the head. Our city should not be thinking about widening Kenaston or extending Chief Peguis considering our current financial predicament.

Fix what we already have. Give Kenaston a facelift, that’s it! Fund those community pools, don’t close them. The same with our libraries, our tree trimming and planting program and many other core municipal programmes. I hope our councillors read Buffie’s article and take her suggestions to heart. She’s right on the money!

Cliff King

Winnipeg

Win-win plan

Re: Inconvenient truth: saving lives takes backseat to ideology (April 10)

In this article, Mr. Lett states that Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre is “wagering enhanced treatment will save more lives than the ones lost with no access to supervised consumption.”

This is partly the Portugal model, which has been internationally recognized as a very successful model. They don’t have safe injection sites, but they do hade readily available treatment centres for rehabilitation. The other part of their success is the funding for this model.

By decriminalizing drugs and hence, less penal processes and policing, the money saved helps fund treatment centres. A win-win.

Willson Caetano

Winnipeg

Carefully choosing partnerships

Re: “Free our foreign policy” (Letters, April 10)

In response to Evan Marnoch’s letter regarding breaking free from the chains of American policy dictate: while I agree that breaking ourselves free from the chaos imposed by the current U.S. administration and diversifying our trading partnerships is a good idea, I absolutely disagree with Mr. Marnoch’s suggestion that we turn to China to bolster that trade.

China is currently experiencing economic difficulties, and has been since 2022, as reported by the BBC.

China has a long history of using convict labour — hence the reason they are able to produce goods so cheaply.

China’s “justice system” does not treat either its citizenry nor foreign partners with the due process we’ve come to expect from our own western systems — did he forget that last year they executed four Canadians on “drug crimes” and imprisoned Michael Spavor and Michael Kovrig for three years?

China has a very long history of human rights abuses, particularly under President Xi Jinping.

I believe that Canada can do much better than turning to China as a major trading partner — to switch from the U.S. to China would be jumping from the frying pan into a volcano.

Jacqueline Cassel-Cramer

Winnipeg

Cost differences

Re: “High price of patriotism” (Letters, April 10)

Ron Robert laments the sometimes higher prices of Canadian good versus American.

I think we need to look at why that is. Locally, our minimum wage will be $16 per hour in October. Many people feel that this is not enough. The U.S. federal minimum wage is US$7.25. Some states have a higher one. In North Dakota, it is US$7.25, California US$16.50. Compare the cost of living in those states to Manitoba.

In Manitoba (as in the rest of Canada) we have health care. The U.S. does not. The U.S. as a potential consumer base 10 times as large as Canada, and thus is able to produce items in a larger quantity.

One could go on, but the above examples gives one a snapshot of why sometimes Canadian goods are more expensive.

Karl Lang

Navin

Important election issues

As I watch the two-horse election race from time to time, I find it alarming that neither of the potential prime ministers have said anything about the problems plaguing First Nations communities.

I hope they do not think that it is OK and normal for a child to be cleaned with baby wipes as opposed to having a bath in safe water. And that third-world medical treatment is OK as well, since many of these communities go weeks without a doctor. And let’s not forget about the housing conditions they are living in.

Yet there is talk of no GST on the sale of a home under $1.3 million. I challenge any of the parties to step up and acknowledge that they will work to end the third-world conditions on First Nation reserves and communities.

Alfred Sansregret

Winnipeg

Health-care crisis must be dealth with

Re: Union demands better security after nurse assaulted in ER (April 8)

Nearly 18 months into its term, Manitoba’s NDP government has failed to deliver on its core promise to fix the province’s crumbling health-care system. Despite lofty rhetoric and incremental hiring, emergency room wait times remain catastrophic, violence against staff is escalating, and patients continue to suffer in overcrowded, understaffed facilities. It is time to hold this government accountable for its lack of progress and demand urgent action.

The NDP vowed to reduce ER wait times, yet median waits in Winnipeg hospitals have surged to record level. At Grace Hospital, waits jumped to 5.85 hours. Despite hiring 1,255 frontline workers, the government has not opened enough staffed beds to alleviate hallway medicine, leaving admitted patients languishing for days.

Frontline workers face escalating violence, with nurses bearing the brunt of patient frustration. A recent attack at Grace Hospital’s ER — where a nurse was violently assaulted — highlights the perilous environment. While the province has deployed 96 institutional safety officers (ISOs), unions argue this is woefully inadequate to protect staff in facilities like HSC, where overcrowding and drug use in waiting rooms are rampant. Manitoba Nurses Union president Darlene Jackson rightly notes that violence is “incredibly underreported,” as staff fear retaliation or dismissive responses from management.

The NDP’s claim of hiring 1,255 health workers obscures harsh realities. Only 162 were allied health professionals, and just 14 were paramedics — far below the 1,000-plus vacancies in specialized roles. Retention is crippled by stagnant wages, poor benefits, and a toxic workplace culture, driving professionals to provinces with better conditions.

While the government touts AI weapon scanners and amnesty lockers at HSC, these measures fail to address root causes: understaffing and patient desperation. The WRHA’s “balancing act” between care and security has left staff vulnerable, with aggressive patients often prioritized for fast-tracking to reduce facility time — a practice that undermines worker safety. Nurses argue that without universal ISO coverage and stricter consequences for violence, the cycle of abuse will persist.

The NDP can no longer deflect blame onto the previous government. While PC cuts exacerbated the crisis, the current administration’s sluggish response — delayed bed openings, inadequate recruitment, and piecemeal security—has worsened morale and outcomes. Health Minister Uzoma Asagwara’s admission that “it’s going to take years” rings hollow to Manitobans suffering now.

Manitoba’s health-care system is at a breaking point. The NDP must move beyond listening tours and token investments. Immediate steps should include mandating ISOs in all hospitals to protect staff and patients.

The time for excuses is over. Manitobans deserve a health-care system that prioritizes safety, dignity, and timely care — not empty promises.

Yog Rahi Gupta

Winnipeg