Letters, Feb. 4

Opinion

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 03/02/2021 (1324 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Vaccine passports wanted

Re: Province urged to issue vaccine cards (Feb. 2)

Issuing a vaccine card to those who have been vaccinated against COVID-19 virus is a no-brainer.

When things resume to normal, these vaccine cards should be part of passports for a quick check for airlines for travelling. The cards should not be used in any way to discriminate against those who do not wish to get the vaccine, but the cards can possibly be used to track outbreaks for those who do not have it accompanying their passport.

I also want to receive a vaccine card for my personal record-keeping. It should indicate when the first dose was administered as well as the recall date for the second dose. It would also name the vaccine, such as Pfizer or Moderna.

Immunization records are also important for getting the appropriate coverage when travelling to another country that perhaps has a known high risk.

Let us hope that this never happens again, as it has produced much concern around the world.

Lydia Bartel-Zobarich, Winnipeg

 

Ex-cop speaks out

Re: No charges for officer in teen death (Jan. 29)

No doubt the shooting of Eishia Hudson was a tragedy, but the outcome was unavoidable.

Remember that she and four others were involved in a liquor store robbery at a time when there were violent incidents surrounding these robberies. Then followed a high-speed chase in a stolen vehicle driven by Hudson, resulting in an accident. Hudson decided to use the vehicle as a weapon, placing the police officer and possibly others in harm’s way.

When this occurs, any police officer has to right to defend him/herself or others from injury or death. It must be a traumatic situation for the family of the deceased but, remember, this also holds true for the police officer and his family.

The writer of a letter to the editor asks what our government could do to address this situation. Well, I will tell you: nothing.

Robberies take pace almost daily, ask any police officer. Society will not change. Look around you and in other countries. You will not stop robberies, shooting and muggings. It’s time to dismount from those high horses and realize what sort of society we now live in.

We did not have all these problems 20 to 30 years ago. I know, as I was one of those police officers back then.

Dan Herzog, Winnipeg

 

Re: Be accountable for Eishia (Letter, Feb. 2)

Letter writer Gary Summerfield offered “guidelines” to prevent tragedies such as Eishia Hudson’s death. Here are further guidelines he neglected:

Don’t invade and steal land.

Don’t murder Indigenous inhabitants.

Don’t steal children from families.

Oh, wait! He knows nothing of Canada’s history, as schools don’t teach it.

Jo Ann K. Nault, Winnipeg

 

Funeral rituals important

Re: Lost rites (Feb. 1)

I wish to commend Melissa Martin on an article that is poignant and carefully thought out.

Closure about death happens during a large gathering in which people tell stories about the deceased person, hug each other and shed tears. For some churchgoers, the music chosen is important, as is the reception after the service when friends and family get together over sandwiches and dainties, look at pictures of the deceased person’s life and share stories. There is no way of getting this back later.

Margaret Owen, Winnipeg

 

Bus shelters appalling

Re: Need for social supports visibly on display (Editorial, Feb. 3)

I walk up to three hours daily on Pembina Highway. Many bus shelters are appalling, with individuals claiming them as their personal property. I have witnessed some passed out on the bare concrete amid used needles, empty alcohol containers and food containers. The odour of urine is overpowering.

In some instances, the elderly and others must wait outside in the cold for their bus because of the above.

My concern is whether these shelters are being disinfected. They are super-spreaders.

Victor E. Husak, Winnipeg

 

Leading in pandemic tough

Re: Sympathy for Pallister (Letter, Feb. 2)

In response to letter writer Rennie Bodi, who said Free Press columnist Dan Lett should be running the province:

It’s easy for Lett, Tom Brodbeck and others to criticize Premier Brian Pallister from the cheap seats. Their opinions have no effect on the lives of Manitobans. One day their columns call for more restrictions, and the next day they criticize the same restrictions for causing businesses to close. Their only sources are union leaders or NDP leader Wab Kinew, who also criticize everything.

Their columns also do not contain insight as to how to correct whatever they are complaining about.

There isn’t anyone alive who has handled a pandemic like the world is experiencing. Every leader in the world has made mistakes, but if you compare Manitoba’s record for the past year with others, we fare very well.

Robert Baldwinson, Winnipeg

 

Re: Manitoba leaving COVID-19 money on the table (Opinion, Feb. 2)

Premier Brian Pallister has done a poor job of leading our province through the pandemic. Reading the piece by David Macdonald and Molly McCracken exposes the worst of his mismanagement.

Andrea Sanderson, Winnipeg

 

What was McWhirter’s crime?

Re: WRHA board chairman who escaped winter steps down (Feb. 1)

Could someone please explain what it was that Wayne McWhirter did as board chair of the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority that required him to be in Manitoba, given he has nothing to do with the day-to-day operation of the health-care system? My guess is that whatever he had to do could be done just as well from Arizona as from Manitoba.

The optics were bad, but let’s all agree that nothing he does requires him to be in Manitoba 365 days a year and, until last week, no one even had a clue who he was.

James Roberts, Winnipeg

 

River signs not exclusionary

Re: Stop Claiming River Ice (Letter, Jan. 30)

It is regrettable that letter writer Diana Epp-Fransen had a negative experience while strolling the Wolseley Winter Wonderland along the Assiniboine River. She states “As a Wolseley resident, I have been very disappointed to see some of my neighbours who own riverfront property try to claim the public river ice for their own private use.”

As one of countless Wolseley volunteers who cheerfully maintains the trail for all to enjoy, I was surprised.

I walked the trail Monday solely to look for signage staking private ownership to patches of ice. One sign politely requested people refrain from skating on the curling rink as it wrecks the surface.  Another said “Breathe.” Another said “Love Where You Live.” Yet another, written in a child’s scrawl, said “Please do not climb on top of the quinzhee.”

Occasionally, some neighbours will place a “Reserved for 1 p.m.” sign on a skating rink for a game of shinny or family gathering, but this is hardly exclusionary.

The Wolseley Winter Wonderland Trail is truly a gem in the heart of our gorgeous city. It is completely inclusive. I am proud of my community and thankful for the strong volunteer spirit.

Press on, Winnipeg.

Michael Bennett, Winnipeg