Letters, Sept. 25

More of the basics

Re: “Sage advice,” Letters, Robert Moskal, Sept. 21

I, too, can recall the ‘look both ways’ before crossing lessons but I often wonder whether that is part of our problem. And no — I am not suggesting that the onus is on pedestrians to watch for e-scooters, rather it is a question of common sense having gone by the wayside.

Whether it is basic life lessons, general etiquette or respect for others, much seems to have been lost along the way.

Sidewalks and e-scooters aside — how often has someone stepped out on to the road, completely distracted and without looking?

Let’s get back to the basics — ‘look both ways’, common etiquette and yes, I would add — some enforceable regulations regarding e-scooters.

Debbie Ristimaki

Winnipeg

Costs and benefits

Re: Students and rising tuition, Think Tank, Sept. 23

Universities require adequate funding to serve overlapping educational and research needs of students and the province well.

Sadly, current funding falls short, in large part due to unnecessarily low tuition.

Canadian universities had revenues just over $55 billion in 2024/2025. Manitoba institutions received about 3.1 per cent of those funds, considerably less than our 3.6 per cent of Canada’s population.

Much of the shortfall was due to tuition with Manitoba universities receiving only 2.3 per cent of total student fees. If universities had received 3.6 per cent of tuition, proportional to our population, revenue would have been more than $200 million greater, a significant sum.

Ironically, low tuition leads to less “free” money for students and universities given fewer students qualify for federal grants that are based on need and do not have to be repaid. In 2023/2024, Manitoba students received only 2.8 per cent of the $2.6 billion in grants distributed across the country, about $21 million short of 3.6 per cent.

Moreover, Manitoba students are less likely to graduate with any debt than students in other provinces, and Manitoba students with debt owe less than graduates across the country. And much debt would be loans from the federal government that do not charge interest and are often forgiven.

In short, students, universities, and the province would be better served by higher tuition that would qualify more students for federal monies. Increased provincial grants and loans would address legitimate concerns about ability to pay for disadvantaged students.

Jim Clark

Winnipeg

Closing of program a loss

I would like to add to Patricia Paddey’s letter to the editor on Sept. 22, “Losing critical resources.”

My husband and I are similarly affected by the closure of the Charleswood Adult Day Program. My husband has only been attending since May (after five months on the waiting list) but he has really enjoyed the activities and the social connections.

For me, six hours per week of respite from caregiving has been tremendously helpful.

Media reports so far have identified the Lions Housing Centres Board of Directors as the “bad guys” but from what I understand, the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority, which has been the partner in this program, has some hard questions to answer — specifically, why didn’t they work with the Lions Board to address their funding concerns and ensure the continuation of the vital program which has been serving seniors and their families for over 30 years?

Another question to be asked is why the daily fee participants pay is not based on income, as it is for Personal Care Homes. The flat fee of $18.88 per day is very low considering participants are provided with transportation, activities, lunch and snacks. I understand that the program needs to be accessible to all, however if some of us had been paying more, perhaps there would have been enough to cover costs and avoid this very significant disruption.

Linda Fearn

Winnipeg

A horrible disease

As a person who lost his wife of 49 years in April of 2025 to Primary Progressive Aphasia, this Tuesday’s letter to the editor, “Losing critical resources” stuck a still very sensitive nerve in me.

I identified with Ms. Paddey’s observations about the rarity and paucity of awareness even in the medical community about this neurological condition.

In our case, it took five years to get a definitive diagnosis of my late wife’s illness.

This was despite three weeks of tests while an inpatient at the Health Sciences Centre and being subjected to a battery of CT, MRI, and PET scans as well as a muscle biopsy and a spinal tap as well as many blood tests. All of which led to a misdiagnosis, then an inability to find what was causing my wife’s symptoms.

If there are others out there who may be exhibiting early symptoms of PPA, you will need to do some research about this disease and ask questions of your health care providers, because in our case PPA was never considered by the doctors that we worked with initially.

It took my persistent requests to be referred for second and third opinions before we were connected to a neurologist who observed my wife for five minutes then diagnosed her.

He then gave us some pamphlets about PPA, informed us that there was no treatment and the prognosis was that the disease would lead to death in six to 13 years.

My wife passed away a little less than two years later.

Ms. Paddey mentions in her letter that her husband’s doctor gave him about five years and said that, “They will be difficult.”

The cruel and ugly reality of this disease is that he is so very right about that. She mentions that she is her husband’s primary care giver, a role that I naively took on myself.

It is not a role that one can take on alone, especially as the disease progresses towards its latter stages. It took the insistence of my daughters to convince me to reach out for help.

I can’t stress enough how great the Home Care program was for us. The program offers assistance with daily routines and respite for those choosing to care for their loved ones at home.

While there have been reported problems with the administration of the program, the care givers who worked with us were incredible. And when the time comes, the palliative care program is just as great.

Ms. Paddey’s main concern in her letter was the disappearance of a vital respite program in her area and it is a valid concern. Caregivers need and depend on respite to be able to continue with what is a task that wears the caregiver down no matter how deep the love they have for the person they are caring for.

Programs such as the Charleswood Adult Day Program offer such respite and there needs to be more of them not fewer. In the meantime, for anyone in Ms. Paddey’s situation, they can find the help they need through the Home Care and Palliative Care programs.

Alan Beilman

Winnipeg

Kudos for Frampton

I just want to compliment Pam Frampton on her brilliant column (Ignoring AI warning could be the death of us all, Sept. 23) using the Pandora’s Box metaphor.

It clearly crystallized the complex issue of AI and the existential threat it poses. Well done.

Glenn S. Hansen

Winnipeg