Letters, April 2

Opinion

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 01/04/2022 (902 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Angered by Concordia plan

Re: Concordia Hospital surgical program set for expansion (March 30)

My anger and disappointment rose to a new level when I read that our provincial government expects the Concordia Hospital Foundation to fundraise $350,000 for a new operating room when the government has just gifted the Royal Winnipeg Ballet with $4.5 million.

I am a staunch supporter of the arts, I have taught musical theatre for many years; however, there seems to be a mathematical error here. Orthopedic surgery is only going to become more important to the entire population of Manitoba, while not all citizens will embrace the ballet.

I approve of the government investing in projects that increase our popularity internationally, including spending millions to build a beautiful garden atrium in Assiniboine Park, but we must not neglect a surgical facility that requires a few hundred thousand dollars.

Bonnie Bricker

Winnipeg

The article states that “The Concordia Hospital Foundation must raise half of the $700,000 needed to refurbish the operating room, with the province footing the rest of the bill.”

The March 5 edition of the Winnipeg Free Press pointed out that businesses associated with newly elected Progressive Conservative MLA Obby Khan received $500,000 from the province.

So if you’re waiting for an operation, take another pain killer and hang tough. The province will eventually find the money for you.

Barry Elkin

Winnipeg

So the PCs want the Concordia Hospital Foundation to raise $350,ooo. Is this the same government that buys votes with tax cuts? The depth of the stupidity astounds me.

Rene Vincent

Winnipeg

Surgery follow-ups at risk

Re: Health minister announces added capacity to shrink massive wait lists (March 30)

It sounds like it will take a miracle to get a surgery right now. Then, another miracle to get surgical follow-up.

Just because you may get that knee surgery, for example, you aren’t miraculously all clear. Then comes the physio. Former premier Brian Pallister and friends chopped that support a few years ago. For example, gone are the group supports at the Victoria Hospital that were top notch and intervened in so many potential follow-up problems.

I cannot imagine what the follow-up system will look like over the next while. Although, I guess if you do not offer any follow-up, then there are no follow-up problems.

Val Kellberg

Winnipeg

Manitobans kept in dark

Re: Ridiculous to halt data (Letters, March 31)

I agree with letter writer Pat Malis that it is ridiculous for the province to stop providing COVID-19 data. I’m pretty sure our hospitals have the data available, as they must know who is in their hospital and why. It can’t take more than a couple of minutes per day to populate a spreadsheet with the data.

Checking and publishing the data for the whole province can’t take any more than 15 minutes per day. Surely, there must be an individual somewhere in the civil service who can spare 15 minutes a day to make our lives safer and more manageable.

Clearly the province thinks it’s better to keep Manitobans in the dark than fully informed about COVID-19.

Jack Riediger

Winnipeg

Ending COVID-19 data no joke

Re: Worries rise as pandemic defences dismantled (April 1)

The elimination of pandemic defences by the PC government is astonishingly, but not surprisingly, reckless. I couldn’t help notice the timing on the front-page story. Gives new meaning to the term April Fools.

Gareth Neufeld

Winnipeg

Don’t call city, pick up a shovel

Re: Trench warfare; drivers stuck in rutted back lanes (March 31)

Do we need more nanny state in our back alleys?

May I suggest instead a $12 bag of salt, or better yet, the slightly less environmentally damaging product called Ice Melter? Also, an ice scraper. Sprinkle salt on the ice and allow to sink in, repeat, then attack ice with the scraper or a strong bullnose shovel.

Physical exercise is good. I understand some folks are physically incapable of that task, but that is what neighbours are for. Community, right?

We live in a northern climate, but is it the job of government to eliminate our exposure to ice and snow? Should we harass the city for failing to bring Vancouver here? Or should we as citizens be resilient enough to deal with winter, including the snow on our sidewalks?

Grow up, folks. With climate change, even worse is coming. Get ready. Develop community. Build resilience. Contribute.

Gregory Teleglow

Steinbach

A total of 3,307 back-lane complaints so far this year, as compared to 214 in the previous year, shows the city has done a terrible job this winter.

We also have been unable to drive our vehicle out of the back lane due to high and solid icy ruts and ridges. In the article, a city spokesperson states it is the residents’ responsibility to clear windrows. The problem with our lane is that there are no frozen windrows because the lane was never plowed.

We were all amazed to see a tractor finally come a week after March 18 but, to our great dismay, the operator never lowered the bucket. No ridges or high ruts were removed. What was the motive of a tractor travelling down the backlane without lowering its bucket?

Our report of this situation, complete with pictures, was sent to 311 and also to our city councillor, who forwarded it to public works and asked that proper clearing be completed. No tractor has come, so we can only determine that the intention of public works is to let the ridges and ruts melt with no regard to the people who need their vehicles.

No one in public works seems to care. What are we paying them for?

Valerie Roskosz

Winnipeg

Consider victims first

Re: Lay off 90-year-old priest (Letters, March 31)

Letter writer Paul Roy questions the rationale for prosecuting a 90-year-old Jesuit priest who allegedly committed several assaults at residential schools 40 to 50 years ago. To this I would reply: “It is all about justice, not just for the perpetrator, but for his victims.”

Tom Pearson

Indian Wells, Calif.

Jets don’t know what ‘tired’ is

Re: Jets run out of gas in lopsided 7-3 loss to Leafs (March 31)

The suggestion is that the Jets played poorly because they were tired from also playing the previous night. Am I missing something, or are these not well-conditioned, elite athletes?

In a 60-minute game, most play 20 minutes or less. They should not use tiredness as an excuse for not playing well.

It’s not like they are working on a factory floor, five or six days a week, eight to 10 hours a day. Now, that’s hard work. The Jets should try that for a month, and then maybe they will appreciate what hard work really is.

Ron Robert

Winnipeg

The case of the missing ‘p’

I know people roll their eyes when they hear complaints about the state of English grammar, but I would like to share an incident which occurred a few months ago.

My wife and I were driving along Smith Street just south of Broadway when I saw a series of signs that said “Slipery when wet.” Your readers will know that the word slippery requires two ‘p’s, not one.

I can imagine the number of people who designed and erected these signs, yet not one apparently noticed that a ‘p’ was missing from slippery.

I certainly hope these same individuals are not in charge of bridge construction in Winnipeg.

Kurt Clyde

Winnipeg