Letters, April 22

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 22/04/2022 (1395 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Pothole repairs last only hours

Re: Pothole claims for March up six times from last year (April 21)

I have just submitted my fourth request to 311 to repair an extremely large pothole on a heavy-traffic street. The hole has been filled in three times with loose asphalt and, within two days, it is as deep as ever.

The pothole was last filled on Wednesday. Two trucks arrived to repair the hole. Two men from one truck shovelled asphalt into the hole while two men from the other truck got out and watched.

When the hole was filled, one truck was driven over the asphalt two or three times and everybody then drove off, presumably feeling they had done a wonderful job. Within three hours, the hole was once again a car-swallowing pit.

Mary-Jane Robinson

Winnipeg

Potholes in my neighbourhood were filled on March 26 and popped on March 29. They were filled again on April 6; some popped that night and more up to April 20. We anticipate they will soon be filled for the third time this year.

At the April 2 EPC meeting, Coun. Matt Allard introduced a motion to take funds from the Road Renewal Reserve (which is for road projects) for other projects. His reasoning: “I don’t think we should be repairing roads where the effect is for vehicles to go faster, not slower.” City council’s priorities are wrong.

Kelly Ryback

Winnipeg

Private nurses problematic

Re: Premier OK with private nurses (March 20)

I want to weep. The premier and her health department just do not get it.

In my experience with personal-care homes (PCHs), agency staff, whether nurses or aides, are not the answer in any way. The elderly need continuity of care, and you don’t get that when agency staff are “dropped” into PCHs.

Given the physical and cognitive incapacity of the majority of elderly people in PCHs today, staff need to know their residents and identify when something needs addressing or altering. You don’t get that knowledge covering weekend shifts and filling holes here and there.

Heather Stefanson seems to think the solution is to expedite delivery of heath care, with the emphasis on delivery rather than care.

This is not to say that agency staff are not competent or caring. PCHs are supposed to be homes for the elderly in their final life stage. To feel at home, residents need to know or recognize their carers, otherwise, they might as well live in warehouses.

Dawn Harris

Gimli

Manitoba Health’s decision to use private-agency staff during our current nursing shortage is fiscally responsible. A flat fee is paid to the agencies, and this gives us a straight-line labour expense. There is no double-pay for overtime expenses, no benefits, no sick days, and no exorbitant pensions to pay. And most importantly, their contracts can be cancelled when/if they are no longer needed.

Randy Clinch

Winnipeg

Banning of books alarming

Re: Banning books stifles important classroom conversations (April 18)

I’m surprised and saddened to read in Jen Zoratti’s column that the people of Canada are banning books, including The Great Bear by David A. Robertson of Winnipeg. The banning of books is also happening here in the U.S. It seems like certain people are trying to sanitize our past mistakes.

Will we become like Russia and China? I hope and pray we don’t!

Jim Kerner

Bergenfield, N.J.

Rise up against absurd wars

Re: Absurd wars defined by absurd words (Opinion, April 20)

Thank you to John R. Wiens for his succinct description of war and its far-reaching negative impacts. As his quote from artist Bisteyk states,w war truly is “absurd” and “a product and producer of evil — a violation of life.”

Too often, what we read and see promotes the war narrative and glorifies war. Unfortunately, militaries and politicians are under intense pressure from the war lobby to spend billions on military equipment.

If only the war dead could speak, they would say: “Never again.” I suspect they would ask us to support peace organizations such as World Beyond War, Conscience Canada, Canadian Voices of Women for Peace, Mennonite Central Committee and Peace Alliance Winnipeg.

It’s time for a mass movement to call for an end to this inhumane absurdity called war.

Ernie Wiens

(no relation to John R. Wiens)

La Salle

Beloved dog lost will to live

Re: Desperate pet owner grateful for Humane Society’s last resort (April 20)

Three years ago, our border collie suddenly developed a large lymphoma. We treated it with steroids and one course of chemotherapy, which knocked her flat for 10 days. Our veterinarian offered further chemo every three weeks for a total of five to seven treatments over 15 to 21 weeks, to slightly lengthen her life by six to 12 months, while complicating it with chemotherapy side effects.

We chose no treatment, other than continuing the steroids. The dog had been an extremely active, affectionate companion for nine years, and we opted for euthanasia at the appropriate time, which our veterinarian endorsed.

Four months later, on a Saturday afternoon, our dog’s eyes disclosed no will to live. After a long night full of dread, we drove to Pembina Veterinary Hospital for euthanasia. Our reception, the intervention and its resolution could not have been more kind or respectful.

Chris Jensen

Winnipeg

Ukraine photography poignant

Re: Moved by Ukrainian plight (Letters, April 20)

Like letter writer Eva Haddad, I too am deeply moved by Free Press reporter Melissa Martin’s article on April 16, titled “Ukrainians who have sought refuge in neighbouring Poland are far from defeated.”

The accompanying photographs by Free Press photographer Mikaela MacKenzie are equally poignant. If Melissa paints the canvas with words, Mikaela adds texture, colour and depth with her touching images. Together, these two creative forces capture a sliver of humanity in a forest of evil.

Michael Bennett

Winnipeg

Civil cases don’t make criminals

Re: Clear case against Sheegl, Katz (Letters, April 20)

Letter writer Rowena Fisher responds to my request for evidence that ex-CAO Phil Sheegl and ex-mayor Sam Katz are criminals by providing a link to a case, but the case she references is civil. A civil case does not make them criminals.

It should be noted that even after the damning civil judgment against Sheegl, there was no movement by the RCMP to revive the closed criminal investigation and lay charges.

Will this ever change? Maybe down the road new information may be found and charges laid.

James Roberts

Winnipeg

Good riddance to school reform

Re: Province scraps controversial planks in education reform blueprint (April 21)

With a big sigh of relief, I read about the final scrapping of the wrong-headed Brian Pallister education “reforms.” The determined campaigns by the Manitoba Teachers’ Society, the school boards’ associations and the opposition political parties should get credit for igniting the public outrage voiced so powerfully on these important matters facing our children and our schools.

It seems public voices and democracy can still work to shift the balance of power. Perhaps it’s best captured by the words of Tommy Douglas: “Courage, my friends; ’tis not to late to build a better world.”

Roland Stankevicius

Winnipeg