Winnipeg Free Press

Winnipeg Free Press (Newspaper) - January 13, 2025, Winnipeg, Manitoba Picturing the Bloc in Congress Repeated musing (or threats) by incoming U.S. president Donald Trump that Canada could become the 51st state prove that he can’t count as high as the number of fingers he has. If — and that is an enormous and horrible to contemplate “if” — Canada was ever to merge with the U.S., we would enter as 10 states and three territories, or just go in as 13 states. Each province would certainly be an individual state, and each territory could be as well. That would give us 20 to 26 senators in their expanded Congress. And with their ridiculous electoral col- lege system, we’d have enormous clout in future U.S. presidential elections. Prince Edward Island is too small to be a state you say? Rubbish! It is more than double the area of Rhode Island, and double the population that Rhode Island had when it joined the Union. Further, while P.E.I. has only about a third of the population of the currently least populous state, Wyoming, it is still double what Wyoming had when it became a state. And since Wyoming now has only 1.4 per cent of California’s population, I don’t think population ratios can be used as an ar- gument anyway. The vast differences now would just be a tiny bit vaster. But if Canada did merge with the U.S., wouldn’t it be fun to watch how the two probable Bloc Québécois senators and all the Bloc members of the House of Representatives debate and vote in the American Congress? BOB MARTIN Winnipeg Prepare for a wild ride We are in dangerous territory. The United States, Canada’s closest ally and greatest friend, is due to inaugurate a new president. This leader threatens tariffs to pay for tax cuts. If implemented, his action would effectively scuttle the trade agreement among Canada, Mex- ico and the United States. He taunts our current prime minister. He calls the border between the United States and Canada an imaginary line with the implicit threat that it could be drawn further north or even erased in its entirety. His comments on Greenland and Panama are enter- taining talking points for his media allies, who so willingly assist in making his ideas normative within the voting populace. Some say Trump is bluffing as part of a deal-maker’s bravado. Perhaps he is. But he’s not bluffing in the disdain he holds for Denmark, the people of Greenland, Mexico, Canada and Cana- dians. His record demonstrates that what he’s prone to test as a funny, spontaneous aside can, with a little strategy, become groupthink in the most powerful country on the planet. Buckle up, Canada. We are going on a wild ride to a dark place. DONALD PETERS Winnipeg Don’t add to nurses’ stress Re: Man dies in HSC ER waiting room eight hours after arriving (Jan. 8) After reading about the death in the HSC emergency room I am saddened. My condolenc- es go out to the man’s family and friends. I am concerned that the blame will be placed on the nurses. The article states they were short three nurses on the shift, but that was a common occurrence. That does not make it safe. Staffing is based on needs and standards. The nurses carry all the bedside responsibilities. It is the system’s failure. Those nurses are doing their best in a failing environment. Please don’t add more stress on the nurses who showed up. SHARON ENNS Winnipeg Fending for ourselves Re: Police again warn of man’s release (Jan. 8) We are again being asked to take suitable mea- sures to protect ourselves from another predator released into our society. And we are told to not take any unreasonable action against him. What does this mean? What is reasonable to me may not be reason- able to you. Maybe we all just sit back and let him harm another innocent person. Anyone remem- ber the faces of the last few predators released into society in 2024? Perhaps our justice depart- ment would like to issue a plastic card to us with photos of the top 10 predators in our society … how else are we supposed to identify and avoid these people? This does sound a bit ridiculous, but this situation is repeated again and again. Time to push for judicial change … before harm comes to your family. IAN WALKTY Winnipeg Get rid of ‘me first’ thinking Re: Building on altruism, not aggression (Think Tank, Jan. 8) Dennis Hiebert’s piece is a great directive for Manitobans in this post-Trudeau era. Ten per cent of low-income people already know this and the richest 10 per cent will find their self-im- posed will to get in the way. That leaves only 80 per cent who can learn what neoliberalism, our present economic system, really means. When profits are the main goal, people usually take second place. Placing altruism and empathy above me-firstism will reverse this economic goal. Competition, greed and selfishness appear invisible in the market system. Groceries cost more if my corporation must receive more than your essential needs. Hiebert’s op-ed is a must read for those of us blind to the invisible goals of the present system. An election is a good time to look at our real needs. Let us choose candidates who can place values like altruism above the need for a more competitive lifestyle. Humanity needs people values above economic ones. Read Hiebert to see the difference. BARRY HAMMOND Winnipeg Put speed limit on all bikes After reading about the proposed bylaw regard- ing the speed of e-bikes on trails and some of the letters regarding it I felt that e-bikes are being wrongly villainized. I own an e-bike and I ride it as my old body no longer allows me to ride a regular bike. I ride daily in the warm months on various trails and numbered by regular bikes by at least 50-1. I ride at a speed between 18-25 km/h and most if not all regular pedal bikes pass me and some at extremely high speeds. If you want to implement a speed restriction bylaw I have no problem with it as I am within the proposed speed restrictions, however, the bylaw must include all bikes, not just e-bikes. The first reason I say this is because of my statement in the above paragraph and secondly if an e-biker did get a ticket and wanted to challenge it in court I think he would win because the proposed bylaw unfairly targets a certain type of bike. In my opinion it would be similar to a 30 km/h speed limit for motorcycles on Portage Avenue, but not other vehicles. The next thing I see bad about this bylaw, is enforcement. Would traffic services be sitting on trails with a speed radar gun or camera? The city already has a bylaw, that is unenforceable, stating all bikes must have an audible warning device and to be used when passing, but I can tell you from experience about 10 per cent of bikes have them and seldom do bikers give any audible notification. E-bikes come with bells as standard hardware. Some people want the public to believe that e-bikes are the root of all speeding on trails but the sheer number of them compared to regular bikes makes this impossible. The only way the city will ever get this problem fixed is by build- ing bike-only and pedestrian-only trails. ARTHUR MATTHEWS 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 inclu- sion 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@winnipegfreepress.com Think Tank submissions: opinion@winnipegfreepress.com ● Post: Letters to the Editor, 1355 Mountain Ave., Winnipeg, R2X 3B6 Please include your name, address and daytime phone number. OUR VIEW YOUR SAY COMMENT EDITOR: RUSSELL WANGERSKY 204-697-7269 ● RUSSELL.WANGERSKY@WINNIPEGFREEPRESS.COM A6 MONDAY JANUARY 13, 2025 MPI must ensure proper care for head injuries I T’S important that things are done right. On its webpage titled Find an Accredited Repair Shop, Manitoba Public Insurance spells out the need to find a repair shop “that is quali- fied to repair your specific vehicle” and properly estimate your vehicle’s damage. “It’s important to use an MPI-accredited repair shop for your MPI claim. Accredited shops meet repair standards and have the right tooling, equipment and training to complete proper and safe repairs. “This is increasingly important because more vehicles are being constructed with complex materials…” Yes, modern cars are complex — and they get more complex with every passing model year. Then again, they are probably never going to be as complex as the human brain. That’s why it’s passing strange that MPI doesn’t have the same kind of requirement for qualified experts to deal with the effects of head trauma suffered by Manitobans in car accidents. After hearing evidence in public hearings, the province’s Public Utilities Board recently took aim at the way MPI deals with people who have suffered head injuries, including those whose injuries may have left them less able to deal with the process. The PUB recommended MPI should appoint an “independent external expert who is a doctor and research clinician practising at a recognized institute that focuses on brain injuries.” The board pointed out that, while MPI’s process does include examinations by doctors and an in- dependent appeal process, the way MPI handles head injury claims is “slanted in a manner that makes it virtually impossible for them to receive the treatment and compensation to which they are entitled.” In fiscal 2023-24, more than 230 Manitobans reported head injuries as either their primary or secondary injuries from accidents. The MPI pro- cess for treating head injuries sees the claimant going to their treating physician to establish the level of care they require. But human brains are being constructed with more and more complex materials — actually, no, they’re not. A brain in a 2025 model human is pretty much the same as the one that came out with the 1960s model. But brain function and brain injury are areas where the complexity of injuries is becoming better and better known as specialists dig ever deeper into an organ that is crucial to everything we do and even who we are. Brain injuries can be discrete or obvious, and are life-changing in many ways. Their diagno- sis and prognosis is challenging, involved and may evolve over time. They require access to specialized physicians, ongoing treatment and clear supports over long periods of time — not an arbitrary injury checklists with a “one-and-done” approach. And when we suffer from such injuries, it also strikes at our ability to clearly stand up for our rights. Michelle McDonald, the CEO of Brain Injury Canada, explains it well: “Insurance can be a pretty intimidating process, so with someone who has a new cognitive disability and is having a challenge navigating the health-care system, this can be an insurmountable barrier.” Matt Wiebe, the provincial minister responsible for MPI, has said that the government is taking all of the PUB’s recommendations seriously. MPI says the issue is out of their hands, and depends on provincial legislation for guidance. That sounds a lot like early passing the buck and waiting to see what the public reaction might be before taking any kind of action. But the answer should be different. MPI should be forced to meet comprehensive insurance standards, including employing estab- lished expertise in brain injuries and establishing a process that doesn’t unfairly treat people whose lives are often permanently changed. It’s nothing more than the insurer already de- mands for our cars. And what’s more important? The correct repair of the front end of your SUV, or the correct treatment of your injured brain? EDITORIAL Published since 1872 on Treaty 1 territory and the homeland of the Métis GREG VANDERMEULEN / THE CARILLON ARCHIVES Manitoba Public Insurance has a responsibility to ensure those who report head and brain injuries from collisions receive proper care. ;