Winnipeg Free Press

Winnipeg Free Press (Newspaper) - February 18, 2022, Winnipeg, Manitoba C M Y K PAGE A6 ● WINNIPEGFREEPRESS.COMNEWS I TOPICA6 FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 18, 2022 Emerson pays unfair price Re: Emerson border open for business; convoy rolls away (Feb. 16) As a resident of Emerson, I’m concerned the RCMP reported there would be no arrests, no tickets, no ramifications of any kind against the convoy that blocked the border for six days in our community. It sets the precedent that anyone can block a major port of entry between the U.S. and Canada without accountability for the loss of millions of dollars to our local economy, including the thousands of dollars lost by two of our Emerson businesses. The RCMP were proud that they handled these misguided and selfish protesters with kid gloves, that after six days of holding our border hostage, the protesters were sent on their merry way while we law-abiding citizens were left to pick up their tab. It is a sad indication of our society when bad behaviour is not penalized. GAYLE KNUTT Emerson If a person parks in a snow-removal zone, they likely get ticketed or towed. But if they drive a huge truck, block traffic for days, disturb people trying to get to hospital and cause businesses to lose money, they get kind words from our premier, our “justice” minister and the RCMP for leaving peacefully. It might be peaceful, but it certainly isn’t justice. DIANNE COOPER Winnipeg I am befuddled by the bragging response by Premier Heather Stefanson and the RCMP that the Emerson blockade has been ended without any tickets issued or arrests made. Why weren’t any arrests made, as the blockade was clearly illegal? Doesn’t this cartel owe Manitobans for the loss- es that their illegal actions caused? How about we start by seizing all blockade vehicles and selling them off to help pay the debt? JO-ANNE IRVING Winnipeg Given that no one was charged, will the pro- testers’ wages be garnished to cover the cost of the trade that was stalled/lost as a result of this illegal blockade? What restitution will be provided to those who were impacted? GRANT SHAW Winnipeg When I watch coverage of the border blockades and see dozens of large pieces of farm machinery across roadways, it makes me wonder how the farmers would feel if their access to fields was blocked by protesters. I’m sure they would be out- raged and demand the government do something to protect their livelihood. RANDY RASMUSSEN Winnipeg I wonder if protesters ever think of the conse- quences of staying until the end and possibly get- ting arrested, which would include having trouble crossing into the U.S. for their jobs. Any kind of arrest draws a red flag to the border patrol and they can deny you entry into their country if they choose. ARNIE PRIES Winnipeg I see a lot of Confederate and American flags at the illegal blockades. I have the perfect solu- tion. Do not block the border, cross it. Take your American friends who are trying to subvert our democracy with you. Find yourselves a Republi- can state where you will be free from government interference, such as medicare and a better social safety net. It will be a win for you and will certainly be a win for us. SHARON TOD Winnipeg Every day, a “convoy” of first responders, nurs- es, doctors and other health-care professionals heads to work to care for patients with COVID-19 and other medical conditions. Maybe the conver- sation should shift to support for this “convoy.” NICOLE CARON-BOULET Winnipeg Real truckers help people in need Re: Truck drivers used to be heroes (Letters, Feb. 15) Letter writer Henry Wedel asks what happened to the truckers he used to admire, such as the one who stopped to help his family in a roadside emergency. The truck driver who towed the Wedel family car when he was a boy could have been my father, Eugene Lowen. I can assure you that just because those people who occupy our cities and borders know how to drive trucks, that does not make them truckers. Real truckers are out there right now, proudly serving our country and helping anyone in need, just like my father and grandfather did. MELANY LOWEN St. Andrews Racism in prisons decried Re: Use of force unevenly applied in prisons (Edi- torial, Feb. 16) As a member of the Caribbean community, I find that against the backdrop of national support for Indigenous reconciliation and Black Lives Matter, it’s stunning that changes in our federal prison services are hard to come by. Referring specifically to Indigenous, Black and other racialized inmates, correctional investiga- tor Ivan Zinger said, “We have seen incredible increases in use of force in the past couple of years.” It’s ironic; Canada’s prison system is cited by the U.S. and other countries as a correctional model. DEREK DABEE Winnipeg Too early to doff masks Re: Premier courting disaster with Manitoba’s ‘new normal’ (Opinion, Feb. 17) I wholeheartedly agree with Dan Lett’s column. I have COVID-19 right now. I have had both vac- cines and the booster shot, so my symptoms are only cold-like. Yes, it is an inconvenience having to isolate, but it could definitely be worse. However, if I hadn’t been wearing a mask, washing my hands frequently and following the rules, how many people could I have infected before my symptoms showed? Even when restrictions are lifted on March 15, I will continue to wear a mask. As the soothsayer in Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar says: “Beware the Ides of March!” LESLIE WALSH Winnipeg With the vaccine passport, I could go to a restaurant, see a movie or go to a Jets game and know that everyone there was fully vaxxed. When the restrictions are lifted, I won’t do any of those things, as the person next to me could be infect- ing me with a life-threatening disease because they were too selfish to get vaccinated. They won’t even have to be masked. Unbelievable. British Columbia has it right: remove capacity limits, but keep vaccine passports and masking. KAY LITTLE Selkirk I want to thank Premier Heather Stephenson for keeping her election promise to listen to the people of Manitoba. Unfortunately, the Manito- bans she is listening to are parked around her place of work. CLAUDE RUEST Winnipeg With the announcement that the Manitoba-is- sued vaccine card will no longer be a requirement for entering many public places, it appears to be a Pyrrhic victory for those who chose to ignore health mandates. I, for one, will not be rushing out to restaurants and businesses to risk getting infected. I feel for the financial pain this pandemic has foisted on these establishments, but in this instance I feel many others are of the same mind. THOMAS TIERNEY Winnipeg Columnists brighten morning Re: Paying a premium for ‘white gold’ (Opinion, Feb. 14) Tractors in the convoy may send bad message (Opinion, Feb. 12) There are many reasons why I await my morning delivery of the Winnipeg Free Press. The crosswords are one reason, but the various columnists are my ray of sunshine. Sylvain Charlebois’ article about “white gold” and the milk board, and Laura Rance’s piece on farmers hit the mark. Good information, properly articulated. I also read Prof. Paul Thomas every time he writes. I wish I had listened as hard when I was his student. At least he taught me how to listen and discern the wheat from the chaff. BOB SMITH Winnipeg LETTERS TO THE EDITOR WHAT’S YOUR TAKE? THE FREE PRESS WANTS TO HEAR FROM YOU. The Free Press is committed to publishing a diverse selection of letters from a broad cross-section of our audience. The Free Press will also consider longer submissions for inclusion on our Think Tank page, which is a platform mandated to present a wide range of perspectives on issues of current interest. We welcome our readers’ feedback on articles and letters on these pages and in other sections of the Free Press ● Email: Letters: letters@freepress.mb.ca Think Tank submissions: opinion@freepress.mb.ca ● Post: Letters to the Editor, 1355 Mountain Ave., Winnipeg, R2X 3B6 Please include your name, address and daytime phone number. ● Follow us on Twitter @WFPEditorials OUR VIEW YOUR SAY PERSPECTIVES EDITOR: BRAD OSWALD 204-697-7269 ● BRAD.OSWALD@FREEPRESS.MB.CA ● WINNIPEGFREEPRESS.COM A6 FRIDAY FEBRUARY 18, 2022 Action needed on First Nations fire safety SMOKE detectors range in cost from $20 to $60, a small price to pay to save lives.This bottom-line truth is being reinforced as inspectors pore through the charred wreckage of three separate house fires on First Nations in the past month. Three people under the age of 18 died in Cross Lake Cree Nation in Manitoba on Feb. 12, three people including a child were killed in Siksika Nation in Alberta on Feb. 6, and three children died in Sandy Lake First Nation in Ontario on Jan. 13. The determination of whether these homes had functional smoke detectors won’t be officially known until investigators’ reports are released, but the likelihood is informed by the bleak history of similar house fires on First Nations: a report last year by the chief coroner of Ontario found 86 per cent of the fires it investigated on reserves had either no smoke detectors or ones that didn’t work properly. A Statistics Canada study found First Nations people living on reserves were 10 times more likely to die in a fire than non-Indigenous people. This unacceptably high danger is a result of many factors, but making smoke detectors available and mandatory would seem a first step that is realisti- cally achievable. It worked in B.C. As part of a campaign in 2012, 20,000 smoke alarms were sent to First Nations. The result? No deaths in house fires during that time. When the campaign ended after seven years, the rate of fire deaths on First Nations began to rise. The installation of smoke detectors in every First Nation home would be helpful, but extensive long-term changes are also needed to prevent and fight fires in communities that are isolated and often impoverished, where houses are often overcrowded and can contain wood stoves and chimneys that would never meet the building codes common in off-reserve communities. Firefighting capabilities on First Nations are often inadequate, as was disturbingly illustrated by three separate fires in Manitoba in 2011. At a house with no running water in St. Theresa Point, a baby died in a fire while the community’s fire truck sat, broken, with no fire hoses and with the ignition keys misplaced. At a house fire on Roseau River, a woman died while firefighters had no water to battle the blaze because the fire hydrants were frozen. And a house fire on God’s Lake Narrows killed three people while residents tried without success to find an appropriate wrench to open a nearby fire hydrant. Such inadequate fire protection would be unthinkable in any Canadian city or town that is subject to building and fire codes. The reason why First Nations communities don’t have to be up to code is because of a legislative gap. Because the Indian Act makes the federal government responsible for delivering services on reserves, provincial building and fire codes don’t apply on First Nations. The federal govern- ment doesn’t have a national fire protection code, which leaves the responsibility for fire safety to individual First Nations. It’s been called a case of “jurisdictional neglect.” A possible solution, advocated by several groups, including the Canadian Association of Fire Chiefs, is to have federal politicians work with Indigenous political leadership to create a legislative framework for fire safety standards and enforcement on reserves. The long-term goal is to improve First Nations firefighting capabilities and housing so residents no longer live in danger of fire-related tragedy. In the near term, however, the priority should be to get smoke detectors in all homes, with regular inspections to ensure the devices are working properly and can sound the alarm to save lives. EDITORIAL MIKAEL KJELLSTROM/CALGARY HERALD FILES Properly installed and maintained smoke detectors save lives. Published since 1872 on Treaty 1 territory and the homeland of the Métis A_06_Feb-18-22_FP_01.indd 6 2022-02-17 8:33 PM ;