Letters, May 9

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 09/05/2022 (1486 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Use less water in rainstorms

Re: Plant dumps massive volume of partially treated sewage into Red (May 4)

If we have another storm during the current flood, I suggest Winnipeg residents conserve water by postponing laundry and dishwasher use, postponing or shortening showers, eliminating baths and generally cutting down on large amounts of water being flushed into the storm sewers. Since the ground is still frozen and water on the ground runs off rather than soaks in, we should avoid sending more water into the sewers which will run off into the rivers.

I wish the city leaders would suggest this to help overloading our old infrastructure.

Ruth Swan

Winnipeg

Don’t redraw boundaries

Re: Commission asked to push boundaries as it redraws map (May 6)

Coun. Kevin Klein advocated before a federal commission that Winnipeg South Centre become part of the Conservative-led Charleswood-St. James-Assiniboine-Headingly federal riding.

Never. Winnipeg South Centre is a constituency featuring the grand ol’ houses of Tuxedo at one end of the economic scale and Manitoba Housing social housing units for families and seniors at the other.

Some of the residents are immigrants on their way to enriching Manitoba culturally and economically, while others, including some over 65, live with incomes that make life challenging.

There is nothing to recommend this as a good move if the record of the PC party in Manitoba is any benchmark.

Premier Heather Stefanson and the PC government have done an outstandingly poor job of managing health care, and in 2019, the government of the day was reported to have sold off more than 90 Manitoba Housing properties across the province from 2016 to 2019, at a time when more than 8,000 people waited on a list for public housing.

Now, when Manitoba’s minimum wage is the lowest of all Canadian provinces, there is little reason to believe a Conservative government on a national scale would be more empathetic to the needs of people than our own PC Manitoba government appears to be.

Manitoba’s record of austerity has brought our province to new lows in numerous areas, yet Klein advocates for an amalgamation that could eventually put us under Conservative-member control such as it stands today in Charleswood-St James-Assiniboine-Headingly.

I would rather have Mickey Mouse at the helm.

Gloria Taylor

Winnipeg

Hospital staff shortage severe

Re: Surgery backlog grows as Doctors Manitoba seeks info (April 29)

Both Premier Heather Stefanson and Health Minister Audrey Gordon say the new St. Boniface Hospital emergency room will reduce wait times, provide more space for patients and improve experiences for patients and staff alike. I am amazed that this upgrade is going to accomplish all that.

We have a severe shortage of doctors, nurses and technologists. As of last September, there were approximately 5,000 Manitobans trying to secure a family doctor and the list is growing. Right now, there are more than 160,000 surgeries waiting to be done, and that number is not decreasing very fast.

Currently, more than 90 per cent of Manitoba municipalities are reporting doctor shortages. But we’re supposed to believe that upgrades to the hospital will make everything better?

Rick Gallant

Morden

EV impact understated

Re: EVs not a ‘silver bullet’ solution (April 26)

Columnist Brent Bellamy is correct. I firmly believe the true environmental impact of an EV over its total life is grossly understated.

Consider this for example. A typical service station may have a dozen pumps available as you travel with your family on vacation. Now it might take 10n or 15 minutes to fuel the car, take a comfort break, and carry on. Sometimes you may have to wait for access to a pump.

In your EV world, there will need to be at least twice as many charging stations to handle the same volume, as the charge time is longer than a gasoline-fill time. Extra real estate is required at these locations. These rapid-charge station each need about a 70-amp service. A 12-charger installation will need the equivalent of a small electric substation to feed it, as electric systems have to be designed and built for peak demand.

Vehicle electrification is important but, as Bellamy points out, it is only a part of the solution.

John Frostiak

Balmertown, Ont.

Ouellette has credible history

Re: Ouellette vows to make city safer if elected mayor (May 4)

Kudos to Robert-Falcon Ouellette for tossing his hat into the ring for the mayor’s office. Robert-Falcon Ouellette came in a strong third in the race for mayor in 2014, and he was my member of Parliament in Winnipeg Centre after that. Rumour has it that former mayor Glen Murray may also be considering another run for his old office.

Brian Bowman will be a hard a act to follow, but I think that either Murray or Ouellette would be excellent in this position.

Rich North

Winnipeg

Please, keep masks on

Re: Poilievre’s politics refreshing (Letters, April 27)

The allusion by letter writer Christine Cockerill to the pandemic mandates as “draconian” is very disturbing.

Mandates were put in place worldwide as a measure to protect people from dying from the deadly virus. Mandates were not desired by anyone, but were necessary to protect the public.

Currently, with masks in public indoor places left up to the discretion of individuals, the virus has spread like wildfire. Is it too much to ask that people wear masks in such places in consideration of the welfare of others?

Margo Lancaster

Winnipeg

COVID-19 prevalence unknown

I tested myself yesterday. I’m positive.

The only interest public health has in my positive test is how I contribute to “waste water” through bathroom functions. The reality is, we have no idea how much COVID-19 is around.

I have avoided the virus since March 2020 by following all public-heath rules. I mask in public places, but somehow that sneaky COVID-19 found me. The premier seems to think we are done with COVID-19 but, sadly, I have found that’s not true.

For five to seven days, I will stay home, cancelling trips to buy plants, lunch plans, trips to the gym, seeing family and friends. In other words, normal life that includes spending money and contributing to the local economy and government coffers via PST and GST.

The silver lining is that, while my symptoms are annoying, thanks to two doses plus a booster I am not living in fear that I might die from this.

Laurie Allen

Winnipeg

Death certificate stalled

When it comes to vital statistics, a death certificate is indeed vital. I applied online to obtain this essential document: fill in a form, send it off to a provincial office.

Their job entails copying the information and pasting the details onto another form. Then hit the print button, insert a single sheet of paper into an envelope and mail it. Basic secretarial work.

Estimated time of delivery? Six to eight weeks!

I’m not sure if this ridiculous time frame is due to ineptitude, or laziness. Whatever the reason, it needs to be fixed.

John Jackson

Winnipeg