Letters, Aug. 1

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 01/08/2025 (241 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Fixing the system

Re: Stranded without home care for weeks (July 31); ‘It’s very good to be home’ (March 12)

After reading Kevin Rollason’s articles — Crystal Rondeau’s fight to secure end-of-life care hours and the Wigderson/Guards’ five-week blackout after a 10-minute move — I’m struck by systemic failures: a lack of intrasystem portability and a lack of patient-centred care when life’s needs evolve.

When funding and scheduling rigidities punish those who change homes or approach the end of life, dignity is sacrificed. No one should lose essential care because they moved across town or because their needs shifted.

We need across-the-aisle provincial health-care reforms that guarantee seamless support: Intrasystem portability: transfer care plans and accessibility funding within 48 hours of any move; flexible funding: tie hours and grants to dynamic needs assessments, not fixed addresses; and patient-centred scheduling — allow clients to choose two to three preferred visit windows to fit transportation and routines. We need local co-ordination champions: neighbourhood liaisons to manage real-time staffing and troubleshoot transitions; and transparent accountability. Publish metrics on transfer times, missed visits, and staffing vacancies.

Launch a Manitoban pilot project in select urban and rural zones to test these reforms, gather data and scale successful practices.

I urge Manitoba’s policymakers to adopt these changes immediately — and to fund a pilot phase that proves how a flexible, person-first home-care system can save dollars, reduce caregiver burnout, and uphold the dignity we all deserve.

Anne Thompson

Winnipeg

 

A reminder we must do better

Re: Stranded without home care for weeks (July 31)

Recently my daughter, in charge of a seniors’ day club, asked me to speak to them on the topic of “People on the move.” Since I’m a poster child for that subject I was happy to oblige, using examples from my own life as a child refugee and later as a church worker in the Congo.

I did the presentation twice and since I was dependent on my daughter for transportation I spent the whole day there each time and had lunch with the members. I was profoundly moved by this experience and couldn’t stop thinking about it. Many of the members had fairly major physical challenges. Among them was the former history professor featured in the July 31 Free Press.

He told me he had Parkinson’s and could not speak above a whisper, but we had a good conversation over lunch about his profession as a history professor before retirement, and that his wife was in that same profession, still teaching. He did not complain about his situation, or even mention it, but socialized and related as best as possible under the circumstances! That takes courage and resilience!

This article is a reminder that we need to do better in providing for our seniors who have contributed so much to society.

Elfrieda Neufeld Schroeder

Winnipeg

 

Avoiding distraction

Re: Attention must be paid — not earned (July 31)

Thank you, Paul, for putting into words the frustration I’ve been feeling lately. It seems that more and more of my precious time is taken up by distractions. Some of it is due to the situation south of our border, trying to keep abreast of what’s happening, but a lot of it is just trivial.

I feel at times almost addicted and when I finally come up for air I’m amazed at how much time has gone by. Could you please ask your amazing people at the Free Press if they could maybe come up with some guidelines to help us all get our focus back?

I don’t have cable TV anymore so your newspaper has been my lifeline to the world. I’ve been an avid subscriber for a great many years and thank all of you for your excellent work, and look forward to many, many more years together.

Cheryl Lavigne

Winnipeg

 

Time for fresh ideas

Re: “Poor local leadership” (Letters, July 31)

Linda Boughton’s commentary has captured extraordinarily well the biased leadership of our Mayor Scott Gillingham and Coun. Janice Lukes. Their short-sighted leadership has cost the taxpayers of Winnipeg millions or more dollars! They have indeed ignored the northern and eastern quadrants of the city.

Winnipeg voters must remember their abject failure to govern and manage our city when it comes to the ballot box down the road. It’s time for fresh ideas. It’s time for fairness across the whole span of the city and not just pandering to the southwest.

Cliff King

Winnipeg

 

Time to throw a punch

Re: The clock is ticking on tariff negoatiations (Editorial, July 30)

The time has come to drop the gloves and throw the first punch. There is no need to extend the deadline and hope for an agreement, given Trump’s negotiation tactic of take, take, take and no give. Reciprocal tariffs is not the way to go as this will only hurt Canadian businesses and consumers.

A better strategy would be export taxes and or export restrictions levied on everything that Trump said that the U.S. don’t need from Canada such as oil and gas, potash, uranium, softwood lumber, steel and aluminum, critical minerals and water. Export taxes would mean that U.S. consumers would pay the tax.

It is best to set the tax rate at 10 per cent with the express purpose of driving up inflation which would increase the Fed rate and this would negatively impact the U.S. stock markets. Export restrictions would also serve to drive up prices by limiting supply of goods. Again this will negatively impact the markets. Canada could ratchet up the export tax rate to 15 per cent, should escalation be necessary.

Bring back the digital services tax at five per cent in keeping with our EU allies. Keep diversifying our markets and forge closer trading relationships with the EU and Pacific rim countries. Repeal the the 100 per cent tariffs on Chinese EVs and set a quota on number of EVs allowed in Canada as the low-priced Chinese EVs are not competing against the higher priced Canadian-made EVs. Canada should no longer follow in lockstep with U.S. initiatives and show its sovereignty for the world to see.

Gary Yip

Winnipeg

 

Camera placement

Re: Photo radar gets thumbs-up in CAA survey (July 30)

While I support the use of automated traffic cameras, I feel many of them could be better placed.

For instance, there are no automated traffic cameras along Peguis Trail where motorcycles are often travelling at twice the speed posted and endangering the lives of others, not to mention the excessive noise they generate.

If the cameras are truly there to calm traffic and get people to slow down, then put them where driving behaviour needs to change.

I’ve stopped calling the police because they do nothing about this situation. If the Winnipeg police are understaffed, then by all means put cameras where dangerous driving occurs so that our roads can be safer.

Weldon Neufeld

Winnipeg