Winnipeg Free Press

Winnipeg Free Press (Newspaper) - February 01, 2015, Winnipeg, Manitoba C M Y K PAGE A10 POLL Who are you rooting for in the Super Bowl? Previous polls: Do you believe monitoring patients for a time at home, the " virtual waiting room," will help reduce waits for hospital admissions? Yes. A novel idea to ease bottlenecks. 13% No. The fundamental issues with the health service will remain. 56% Maybe. It's worth a try. 31% Is the weak loonie influencing your travel plans? Yes, I'll stick to travelling in Canada. 35% No, I'll still travel abroad. 29% No, I don't really travel much anyway. 35% Will you be boiling your water until the city gives the all- clear? Absolutely, don't want to take any chances. 60% No, I'm sure it's fine. 27% I stocked up on bottled water instead. 14% Do you agree with EPC's decision to release construction company Stuart Olson from its hotel- building obligation? Yes. 27% No. 31% I have no idea, this whole thing is so confusing! 41% Should tobogganing be banned on city land? Yes 4% No 42% I can't believe any government would do that. 54% BLOG OF THE WEEK: TELLING TALES OUT OF SCHOOL OPINION WINNIPEG FREE PRESS, MONDAY, APRIL 21, 2014 A 10 Winnipeg Free Press Sunday, February 1, 2015 winnipegfreepress. com Vote online at winnipegfreepress. com I ' VE been watching the court registry for signs of a lawsuit being filed, after missing out on what our informant considered my chance to do a major story. It started a few weeks ago, when someone approached us as the go- between representing someone he described as a whistleblower who had information to share about the University of Manitoba. The go- between, initially anonymous, turned out to be a he. Eventually, he gave me the name of the supposed whistleblower and an opportunity to do an interview, under certain conditions. The whistleblower intended to sue the U of M, though this individual would have to remain anonymous in any story I wrote... a tough thing to do, since it's inherent in filing a lawsuit that your name be on it. That, and the described circumstances would identify the individual to anyone with knowledge of the situation. The gist of the information was a recent graduate of the medical school has so far been unable to obtain a residency in the medical specialization and geographic area of his choosing. This, I gather, is not all that unusual. What is unusual is what the young doctor alleged. Naming names within the medical school faculty, he alleged there was a deliberate campaign against him, his reputation had been smeared, and the U of M had tried to force him to go to northern Manitoba for his residency. I never talked directly to the young doctor. I exchanged emails with him and with the go- between, who also supplied me with copies of astounding letters the young doctor's father had sent to a senior member of the medical school, and to Theresa Oswald, when she was still health minister. I have had occasion to deal with parents of adult students who get involved in problems affecting their educated and empowered adult children, but never anything approaching the scope of this father's involvement. The letter to Oswald took up 10 pages as a computer attachment and took me more than half an hour to read. When supervising professors criticized the man's son in assessing and overseeing his academic performance, it appears, the family then made complaints about the supervising teacher to even more senior faculty and government people above that individual's head, right up to the minister herself. There is no indication Oswald even replied, and my inquiry to cabinet communications staff went unanswered. The family says there were threats against the continued employment of another family member if they didn't back off, though no names or details appear anywhere in the allegations. The go- between sent me the link to a YouTube post he said was the key piece of evidence in the family's case, and evidence of what it alleges is institutional racism. The YouTube post is 93 seconds long. It consists of a photograph of a senior member of the medical faculty, over which is played a conversation between two unidentified people, one of whom may not have been aware it was being recorded. Having listened to it, I told the go- between it sounds to me as though two adult men are having an amicable conversation about the advisability of doing rounds with patients in a hospital ward while dressed in black. We went back and forth for a couple of weeks before the go- between told me the family had decided it is not comfortable dealing with me and preferred to try its luck with my colleague Gord Sinclair Jr. when he's back in the office this month. I fear several things I said or did deterred the family from talking to me. First, I would not guarantee anonymity. I considered the young doctor a person with a complaint about his own situation, possibly legitimate, but not a whistleblower about systemic problems. We would be very unlikely to allow him to remain anonymous while making these kinds of allegations about people's character and integrity and professional abilities, and, anyway, everyone involved would know who he is. Filing a lawsuit would make his name public. Repeatedly, I told the young doctor and the go- between about the kind of extensive substantiation we require of each of the allegations, including anything on paper, and any independent witnesses who would support his accusations. We had been given absolutely nothing to prove any of the allegations were about systemic issues, and affected any other student, rather than about how one student's academic performance was assessed. In a word, we needed proof. It did not sit well that I pointed out I would go to everyone else the family named, and give all affected and involved individuals and institutions an opportunity to respond and to comment for publication. And I would not agree to submit any story to the family before publication. We'll see how all this plays out should the family file a statement of claim. Gord, just a heads- up: They'll be calling you. Nick Martin blogs on the Free Press website. Evidence essential when making allegations R EADERS were split on who is to blame for the postponement on the Heritage Classic hockey game that was planned at Investors Group Field next season. Winnipeg Blue Bombers president and CEO Wade Miller says the NHL - and its commissioner, Gary Bettman - was ultimately responsible for putting the outdoor game on ice. You tell ' em, Mr. Miller. Bettman doesn't own everything, even though he thinks he does. There are other people who exist in this world besides him. - lightning Given the fact the NHL - and the Jets, to a lesser degree - are making money hand over fist, they should have been able to cover keeping the stadium open until February. I don't blame the Bombers at all. They receive little to no benefit from the game, and they want to protect the Grey Cup. - 46444601 What a joke. An outdoor game one month after a Grey Cup, and the Bombers refuse to allow the NHL to host a game. In the U. S., major cities are beating down the door to host one of these things, as football and baseball stadiums basically have 200 open dates and would accommodate the game regardless. You get the chance to host one, you make it happen! Would not be surprised in the least if this game doesn't happen for a few years. - 23737777 The impossible can always be done. The Bombers did not try hard enough, just like on the field. - ve4mm Cry yourselves a river and get over it. These " Heritage Classics" are just a game, and not very good ones at that. Don't get me wrong, I love hockey, but I'd much rather have the sightlines of an indoor arena than those at a football stadium. - j knox Being lost in all of this was the NHL trying to find a suitable opponent to play the Jets so the league would get exposure across North America. Delaying this till next year was the right decision for Winnipeg and the Winnipeg Jets. The Jets are a team on the rise, and hopefully a year from now the Jets won't need a Chicago or Toronto to play to make the Heritage Classic a success for the league. - dsrattops Note to Wade Miller: With the Jets improving, the time has run out on the Bombers' excuses. The city will support a hard- working team that is improving, but the free ride of just blaming Joe Mack is over. Expect backlash if there is no improvement this year and you have taken our outdoor game away. - seneca There are probably several dozen ' reasons' why this came down the way it did. Love the blame game the executives play. - rimshot A lot of Bettman believers coming out of the woodwork... Well done, Mr. Miller. This is a case of the NHL altering a deal already done. - Waynefd So we get it in a couple years, big deal. - Bgt Smoke and mirrors. Sorry Wade, don't believe you for a second. - Shifty23 Picking sides over outdoor game's postponement NICK MARTIN A_ 10_ Feb- 01- 15_ FP_ 01. indd A10 1/ 31/ 15 5: 31: 50 PM ;