
Louise Hedman
Transcona community correspondent
Louise Hedman is a community correspondent for Transcona.
Recent articles of Louise Hedman
Beware the Instagram hackers
3 minute read Preview Wednesday, Jun. 1, 2022The stories are everywhere; tales of how people are duped into succumbing to scams or fraud, whether through online romance sites, Instagram, Facebook, multiple emails in your inbox or those annoying phone calls for those who still have land line phones (and many who don’t).
For the most part people are savvy to the fraudsters and either hang up or block them. But the hackers seem to be getting more sophisticated, and they are so good at pulling at people’s heartstrings or circumventing their better judgment. It appears our best strategy may just be to trust no one, and thus take no risk. We can no longer have a land-line phone without screening every call. No one under the age of 50 will ever answer it anyway.
Lately there have been numerous reports of Instagram accounts being hacked and taken over by who knows who and then being used to solicit the account’s followers to purchase bitcoin or other fabulous things for sale. The hackers will send requests through Messenger accounts and offer a convincing story that the account holder is making the request. Most people will double-check through other means but not always — and that’s how they get you. A recent CBC news story told of an account whose hackers even used the account-holder’s personal photos to promote adult content.
When your account is hacked, you can try to change the password or get multiple access codes to re-enter, but these methods often do not work, and it is truly impossible to contact Meta to have it corrected. You can email them every day to no avail. When they respond they will tell you they are too busy to help you at this time and instruct you try again later. Meanwhile, your name and your account are being used as a fraudulent tool to fool people into believing you are soliciting things that don’t fit the profile of your account or promoting that doesn’t represent your beliefs or values.
The true meaning of ‘team’
3 minute read Preview Wednesday, Apr. 20, 2022An expression of frustration
6 minute read Preview Saturday, Feb. 19, 2022Enjoy our winter wonderland
4 minute read Preview Tuesday, Jan. 25, 2022Transcona says farewell to an old friend
6 minute read Preview Friday, Oct. 8, 2021Preserving our history
4 minute read Preview Saturday, Sep. 4, 2021South Transcona CC offers plenty
6 minute read Preview Tuesday, Aug. 17, 2021Development raises questions with residents
6 minute read Preview Friday, Feb. 19, 2021Finding hope for 2021 in little and big things
6 minute read Preview Wednesday, Dec. 23, 2020As we near the end of the year, we are all hopeful that 2021 will offer optimism for a near-normal existence. Although some countries have experienced devastating health issues and rampant disease, never before has the entire world been in a pandemic at the same time. As I look around me I wonder what other people are thinking as they go about their meeting their basic needs — are they coping with life as we now know it, are they suffering from depression or is there no difference in their lives. All are wearing masks, most keep their distance and most are abiding by the rules set out to protect us. Sadness, loneliness and depression are on the rise and I can clearly see why. It is more apparent than ever that most people need other people to feel alive and to function in society. Family members suddenly become closer now that we cannot see them anymore. All those disagreements seem trivial now. A funny thing happened in Transcona recently. There was a tremendous buzz over the new Wendy’s restaurant located at the corner of Regent Avenue East and Plessis Road. It was almost as if someone important was coming to town. Everywhere you went people were talking about it.“When it will ?” was the common question. The lot on which it sits has sat empty for many, many years, concrete overrun with weeds and an old chain link fence leaning to the left. I tried to understand the hype and began to think it must represent a glimmer of hope in these terrible times. People have been going about their daily routines with nothing to look forward to and this was a little thing that made them feel good. On opening day the traffic jams began, a line of cars looped around the building and onto the street with at least a one-hour wait before they could leave. People didn’t care; they were just thrilled there was somewhere they could visit with Frosties flying, burgers grilling and bank accounts dwindling. In the end they were happy, and Transcona welcomes Wendy’s back to the neighborhood. The New Year will be great. There is hope on the horizon with vaccines rolling out and case numbers falling. Winter has been kind so far and spring is not that far away. If we can all just hang in there, as the old cat poster use to say, we can make it through. To all you young people out there, we feel for you, this is not nice and we can see how you are affected. Try to think of it as just a blip in time that will eventually move forward and never be spoken of again. The lesson you can take away is that friends are super-important and shouldn’t be taken for granted because you need each other, now more than ever. Your parents are also way more important than your friends because they made you and love you to the moon and back. So although home life can be stressful right now, be nice to everyone. Happy holidays to all. Louise Hedman is a community correspondent for Transcona.
As we near the end of the year, we are all hopeful that 2021 will offer optimism for a near-normal existence.
Although some countries have experienced devastating health issues and rampant disease, never before has the entire world been in a pandemic at the same time.
As I look around me I wonder what other people are thinking as they go about their meeting their basic needs — are they coping with life as we now know it, are they suffering from depression or is there no difference in their lives. All are wearing masks, most keep their distance and most are abiding by the rules set out to protect us.
South Transcona’s ‘path to nowhere’
6 minute read Preview Friday, Oct. 2, 2020Taking stock of modern life
3 minute read Preview Tuesday, Aug. 11, 2020Spring is just around the corner, honest…
4 minute read Preview Thursday, Apr. 16, 2020This moment is our real-life movie
5 minute read Preview Friday, Mar. 20, 2020The next few weeks will be a true testament of love, hate, tolerance, forgiveness, relationships and survival. Families will be forced to spend way more time together than they ever dreamed of — at home, close to each other, actually talking and figuring out how to make the most of the endless amount of free time. OK... some of that may not happen — but one can hope. However, families may find themselves enjoying each other’s company and having some fun and laughs. Life is usually so busy we often don’t stop to really see each other, to appreciate what we have or who we are sharing our everyday lives with. Even though this whole coronavirus thing is freaking everyone out, this time can also help humanity analyze our whole approach to existence and realize what we need to change. Will we become involved to prevent a recurrence in the future, or is that beyond our scope as individuals? Will governments review food safety practices going forward, or will this become a new reality? Will relationships change as a result of social distancing and a dependence on online information? Will those distant connections be enough to fulfill our social needs? Kids are over the moon with joy, their faces stuck in their phones as they strive to keep connected with their friends and carry on with online learning. But this is where the online restriction tools available from the phone providers may come in handy. They may not say it, but young people are looking to us for direction and reassurance. How can we direct if we have never experienced anything like this before? Calmness, humor and love are what come to mind at this point. There are already many posts about people coming together to remain sane and keep connected. I feel there will be endless good news stories that will overshadow the bad. The sad story is there are many people who are not computer-literate or have no means of connecting to the outside world other than a TV or the good, old-fashioned landline telephone. These are the people who will become isolated and alone if an effort isn’t made to include them. Make an effort to check on your neighbours or friends who fit this bill. We are now in the middle of an uncharted world experiment; this is our real-life movie.How it will end, nobody knows. But we should all come out of it educated, closer to our loved ones and still have the ability to love.That’s a good thing. Louise Hedman is a community correspondent for Transcona.
The next few weeks will be a true testament of love, hate, tolerance, forgiveness, relationships and survival.
Families will be forced to spend way more time together than they ever dreamed of — at home, close to each other, actually talking and figuring out how to make the most of the endless amount of free time.
OK... some of that may not happen — but one can hope.
Lighten up when watching kids play
5 minute read Preview Friday, Jan. 24, 202015 minutes of feel-good stories each week
3 minute read Preview Monday, Dec. 23, 2019Every time I pick up the daily newspaper or click on a news app certain feelings are evoked. More often than not, it’s not a nice feeling. No warm fuzziness or words that might bring a smile to my face. More like feelings of anger, sadness and hopelessness.Our city is in the midst of financial change, our province has a few issues, as well. I won’t even talk about the world.But then there’s that little paper published by Canstar Community News that shows up once a week, tucked within the flyers, that provides at least 15 minutes of good feelings. You can read the entire paper and rarely find a story that makes you feel bad. It’s filled with positive stories about our communities and the people living in them. Our neighbours and friends are actually out there having fun, participating in a variety of sports and bringing home the medals. Members of our communities are singing, laughing, creating and doing great things for one another. If someone is ill, they rally around to support financially or otherwise. If people are down and out, they will serve meals or knit some socks. You name it and our neighbours will attempt it. Although it’s good to keep up on the world around you it’s even better to take the time to read the stories that evoke the good feelings we all have inside us to help us make it through the day.Happy holidays everyone!Louise Hedman is a community correspondent for Transcona.
Every time I pick up the daily newspaper or click on a news app certain feelings are evoked. More often than not, it’s not a nice feeling. No warm fuzziness or words that might bring a smile to my face. More like feelings of anger, sadness and hopelessness.
Our city is in the midst of financial change, our province has a few issues, as well. I won’t even talk about the world.
But then there’s that little paper published by Canstar Community News that shows up once a week, tucked within the flyers, that provides at least 15 minutes of good feelings. You can read the entire paper and rarely find a story that makes you feel bad. It’s filled with positive stories about our communities and the people living in them. Our neighbours and friends are actually out there having fun, participating in a variety of sports and bringing home the medals.
Best Western Premier a welcome addition
5 minute read Preview Friday, Nov. 29, 2019Be sure to exercise your right to vote
5 minute read Preview Friday, Oct. 4, 2019Thoughts on aging and the passion of youth
4 minute read Preview Friday, Sep. 6, 2019Celebrating all that Transcona is and was
6 minute read Preview Friday, Jul. 12, 2019Keeping an eye out for the neighbourhood
5 minute read Preview Friday, Mar. 22, 2019A home is one of the largest investments a person or family will make in their lifetime.They commit to a mortgage and take pride in their purchase. It is considered a safe and happy place where they will raise a family, create memories, make new friends and, in some cases, live their entire lives. When people choose a neighbourhood to live in they carefully consider schools, shopping, recreation and employment. When neighbourhoods begin to change due to aging infrastructure, declining interest in worship or various other reasons, developers begin to explore the possibilities.There are those developers who carefully plan their next steps within a neighbourhood and who design projects that fit in without disturbing the vibe, so to speak. Others design for maximum profit without regard for the people who have invested everything into their areas.I have lived in the Transcona area for many years and I have seen it evolve from a small-town feel, where everyone knows everyone else, to a place that is changing rapidly. I am beginning to see small empty lots filled with homes that don’t match the surrounding houses and towering complexes overshadowing the neighbourhood’s original one-storey homes. Most people are passive and don’t pay much attention when something new is proposed, while others will stand up to make themselves heard. In my daily travels I see multiple new complexes that have been approved by the City of Winnipeg that do not allow sufficient parking spaces per unit. The new norm is 1.2 spaces per unit, which means residents of these new complexes park on surrounding streets. Residents who are unwilling neighbors to these complexes now have difficulty finding spots in front of their own homes for an additional vehicle or visiting friends or relatives. Something else that has been overlooked is building height. Some units being proposed are three or more storeys high (35 feet), adjacent to homes that are 14 feet tall, on average. Homeowners will no longer have privacy in their own yards and, in certain circumstances, will no longer experience sunlight through the windows or in their yards. All of these things ultimately affect the value of our properties and not always for the better. Many neighbourhoods have been in the news lately, protesting these very scenarios.Should we be allowing those we elected to office and the committees making the decisions to continue with these approvals, or should we be standing up for the little things we enjoy in the biggest investments of our lives? It’s your call. Louise Hedman is a community correspondent for Transcona.
A home is one of the largest investments a person or family will make in their lifetime.
They commit to a mortgage and take pride in their purchase. It is considered a safe and happy place where they will raise a family, create memories, make new friends and, in some cases, live their entire lives.
When people choose a neighbourhood to live in they carefully consider schools, shopping, recreation and employment.
Ah, the joy of pets and parenting
5 minute read Preview Thursday, Feb. 21, 2019When someone you love asks you if your family can add a pet as an addition to your family, just say no! There’s always that thing that kids do when they ask a parent the all-important question: First they put their little hand in yours and give you a hug “just because” — then they look you in the eye, lower their voices and say, “Mom, can we get a cat, (or dog, fish, hamster, guinea pig, tea cup pig, hedgehog, horse, donkey or a rabbit)? It’s the way they do it that melts your heart and lowers your defences. The batting of the eyelashes, the cutesy voice and, of course, the promises. They will use that word more than they ever have or will in the next 15 years. “I promise I will take care of it, I promise I will feed it, I promise I will play with it,” and, most important of all, “I promise I will clean up its poop.” So what do we do? We agree, knowing that they may or may not live up to all the promises. It’s like we are conducting an experiment on our children to see if they are able to keep promises. I’d love to hear the stats on exactly how many families have had a positive result on this test. Once the pet arrives in your home, it’s a big deal for about two months and then the poor little thing starts to get lonely.The reminders start to come weekly, then daily. The pet may start to act out to get attention. It may chew your furniture, your hockey jerseys and anything paper-like. It will mark its territory on your precious things. In the end, someone other than the promiser will have to do all the necessary tasks involved with caring for the pet and each and every time they are performing the task the same thought will resurface:“I will never do this again.”The funniest thing is the kids keep on trying. Every few months they will say “can we get a dog? I love dogs, I will take care of it, and I will do everything.”That’s when the look will come out, they know exactly what it means but they don’t care, they will continue to test us to see when we are ready to crack again. Joey is a blue dwarf rabbit who is loved.Louise Hedman is a community correspondent for Transcona.
When someone you love asks you if your family can add a pet as an addition to your family, just say no!
There’s always that thing that kids do when they ask a parent the all-important question: First they put their little hand in yours and give you a hug “just because” — then they look you in the eye, lower their voices and say, “Mom, can we get a cat, (or dog, fish, hamster, guinea pig, tea cup pig, hedgehog, horse, donkey or a rabbit)?
It’s the way they do it that melts your heart and lowers your defences. The batting of the eyelashes, the cutesy voice and, of course, the promises. They will use that word more than they ever have or will in the next 15 years.