Winnipeg Free Press

Winnipeg Free Press (Newspaper) - January 15, 2025, Winnipeg, Manitoba B2 ● WINNIPEGFREEPRESS.COM M ANITOBA chiefs relayed their support for an Indigenous man suing health officials at a press conference Tuesday, criticizing his treatment as an example of racism in the province’s health-care system. Legal representation for Justin Flett, a Tataskweyak Cree Nation man who lives in Winnipeg, filed a lawsuit Dec. 19 alleging his appendicitis was mis- diagnosed as a hangover at a hospital in The Pas in 2023, forcing him to take an 11 ½ hour bus ride to Winnipeg. He claims his appendix burst while he waited for care, leaving him with on- going health problems. As previously reported in the Free Press, the lawsuit alleges that his mis- treatment was at least partially due to racist stereotypes about Indigenous people that led to an assumption he was intoxicated. At a press conference Tuesday, As- sembly of Manitoba Chiefs acting grand chief Betsy Kennedy said many of their members with serious medical issues have experienced being “given Tylenol and (told) to go home” because of those stereotypes. “This experience is a grim reminder of the systemic racism and inequalities our people continue to face in access- ing health care in this province,” she said. The lawsuit names the Northern Regional Health Authority, Winnipeg Regional Health Authority and a doc- tor at St. Anthony’s General Hospital in The Pas as defendants. None have filed a statement of defence. Manitoba Keewatinowi Okimakanak Grand Chief Garrison Settee called the situation an issue his membership had “been dealing with in our North for a very long time.” “We are in a position now to start moving forward confronting a system that is discriminatory, it’s prejudiced against Indigenous people,” he said. “And we continue to bring these issues to governments and still our calls and our priorities remain unheard. So what recourse do we have?” Flett was in attendance Tuesday, but did not speak. One of his lawyers, Vilko Zbogar, read aloud from a letter Flett wrote outlining his experiences. “I don’t think that what happened to me was right,” he read. “The doctor in The Pas should have taken me seriously and properly diag- nosed and treated me, not assumed that I was hungover … I know my case is not unique, I hear stories like this all the time, but I want to do something about it, because it shouldn’t be happening.” Zbogar, a Toronto-based lawyer, represented the family of Brian Sinclair, a wheelchair-bound Indigen- ous man who sought medical help at Health Sciences Centre in 2008 and died after 34 hours in the emergency department waiting room. malak.abas@freepress.mb.ca THERE’S a new place of worship in Morden — the city’s first mosque. Operated by the Pembina Valley Islamic Society, the mosque is locat- ed in an 1,800-square-foot former commercial space in a downtown strip mall on North Railway Street. Approval for the mosque, called a masjid in Arabic, was granted by Morden city council on Dec. 23. The mosque, which will serve about 150 Muslim families in the area, joins 17 other places of wor- ship, all of them Christian, in the city of nearly 10,000 people. “It’s a divine feeling to see the mosque become a reality,” said Rubaiyat Zaman, who worked with his friend, Syed Faizan Nasir, to establish the non-profit society and create the mosque. “It feels really good.” The two found and rented the space for the mosque, then co-ordi- nated the renovations to turn it into a place of worship. “There had been a lot of talk about starting a mosque in Morden, but nothing came of it,” said Zaman, 45, who came to Canada four years ago from Bangladesh and owns an information technology business in the city. The presence of the mosque means Muslims in Morden no longer have to drive to the mosque in Win- kler, about 15 minutes away. Not only was the distance incon- venient for those who wanted to go there for daily prayers, it also was problematic in winter with icy roads and bad weather. “We no longer need to make that drive,” said Nasir, 39, who came to southern Manitoba from Pakistan in 2019 and runs a pest control busi- ness in Morden. Now, Muslims in Morden can stop by the mosque during the day for one or more of the five daily prayers and then make it back to work, he said. That’s especially important for the main Friday prayer service, which is held at 1 p.m. and lasts only 30 minutes, so people can attend during their lunch break. About 70 to 80 men attend the service each Friday, while women pray at home. Although already in use, the mosque is not quite complete; they are awaiting the arrival of a special prayer carpet that will be installed later this month. The carpet, which is custom-made in China, features lines to help worshippers pray in the direction of Mecca and has a grid to mark off spaces for each person to stand and kneel to pray. “It’s very soft,” said Nasir, adding that there will be a grand opening for the mosque after the carpet is laid. The mosque is also used on Saturdays to teach about the Islamic religion to children, Nasir said. “They can learn about Islamic history and the Qur’an,” he said, adding that the mosque is a place where the whole Muslim community in the area can connect. Zaman and Nasir also want to see the mosque provide other services, such as a food program and pro- gramming for youth and women. It could also serve as a shelter for those needing a place to go during the winter. Morden Mayor Nancy Penner is “delighted” to see the opening of the new mosque. “We were very pleased to assist in helping them get that space,” she said. The presence of so many Muslims in the community “enriches the diversity of our city,” she said. Currently, there are 17 mosques or Islamic prayer locations in the province, in Winnipeg, Steinbach, Morden, Winkler, Brandon and Thompson. Muslims in Selkirk and Portage la Prairie are discussing plans to establish places of worship in those communities. faith@freepress.mb.ca NEWS I LOCAL WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 15, 2025 PHOTOS BY SYED FAIZAN NASIR Worshippers at Morden’s new mosque, which is awaiting a custom-made rug from China that is to be laid ahead of a grand opening. JOHN LONGHURST Mosque becomes a reality for Morden’s Muslim families ‘A divine feeling’ Syed Vakeel (left), one of two volunteer imams at Morden’s new mosque, speaks to worshippers there. MIKE DEAL / FREE PRESS AMC acting grand chief Betsy Kennedy said many Indigenous people with serious issues have been told to take Tylenol and go home. Voice support for Indigenous man’s lawsuit alleging diagnosis by stereotype MALAK ABAS Chiefs decry health-care system racism MIKE DEAL / FREE PRESS MKO Grand Chief Garrison Settee (left) speaks at a press conference Tuesday with Justin Flett (centre), who has filed a lawsuit alleging his appendicitis was misdiagnosed at a hospital in The Pas in 2023. GRAFFITI ● FROM B1 MONEY ● FROM B1 “There was no intent to target a specific individual or location,” she said, while declining to reveal the sus- pected motive. Federal legislation defines a hate crime as one “motivated by bias, preju- dice or hate based on the race, national- ity, colour, religion, sex, age, mental or physical disability or sexual orientation of the victim.” Three Criminal Code offences spe- cifically pertain to hate under a hate propaganda section, said Kenneth Grad, an assistant professor in the University of Manitoba faculty of law. The offences are advocating geno- cide, public incitement of hatred and wilful promotion of hatred. A subsec- tion says a person wilfully promotes antisemitism by condoning, denying or downplaying the Holocaust. A separate section includes the of- fence of mischief against religious property motivated by hate, Grad noted. Mischief under $5,000 “is not one of the offences in the Criminal Code that, essentially, the government has charac- terized as a hate crime offence,” he said. Hate can be applied as an aggravating factor at sentencing. “That could turn any crime into a hate crime or a hate-motivated offence,” Grad said. If the Charleswood incidents lead to a conviction, “the aggravating factors of this investigation will be provided and considered at sentencing,” McKinnon said. Police asked anyone with information about the Charleswood incidents to call 204-986-6219 or Crime Stoppers at 204- 786-8477 (TIPS). The start of the Israel-Hamas conflict in October 2023 led to a surge in reports of antisemitic and Islamophobic graffiti or incidents. “I do believe it’s settled down, except for this incident,” McKinnon said. “This incident is attributed to one individual. I need to be clear, though. It’s unaccept- able. “When we see this type of graffiti, it’s incredibly concerning. It’s tough be- cause the criteria of the Criminal Code really ties our hands, so that’s where the hate motivation piece comes into this.” Jewish Winnipeg resident Avrom Charach has removed more than 100 graffiti messages or symbols through- out the city, including some in Charles- wood, since the conflict began. He removed a swastika from the wall of the Ashkenazi Synagogue in the North End. Elsewhere, some messages targeted other minority groups. “I’m very disappointed when I see hateful graffiti,” he said. “We should fight against hate, no matter who it is against.” Charach said federal politicians should consider changes to the Criminal Code as it relates to hate crimes. “I would love to see this become a hate crime,” he said of graffiti like that sprayed in public in Charleswood. “If the Criminal Code doesn’t allow for it, it doesn’t allow for it, but it definitely is pure hate.” Zentner said his organization is work- ing with lawyers “to ensure the govern- ment has impactful policies and laws in place” to protect communities. Zentner and Charach said more edu- cation and public awareness is needed to deter hate. The Manitoba government announced mandatory Holocaust education before the start of the 2024-25 school year. chris.kitching@freepress.mb.ca The federal money also relies on an agreement being reached between the Canada and Manitoba governments. Mayes believes that would require addi- tional funding from the province, creat- ing another potential hurdle. Coun. Evan Duncan, chairman of council’s water and waste committee, said he understands the federal desire to direct funding toward housing but is concerned about having new zoning rules imposed. “I hope that the folks in Ottawa would appreciate that we, as Winnipeg, don’t need to be hand-held and told how to run the city here,” said Duncan (Charles- wood-Tuxedo-Westwood). However, Mayor Scott Gillingham said there’s a clear need for sewage treatment to expand and support new homes, so the two priorities are linked. “I understand the rationale behind it…. The leader of the official (poll-lead- ing federal Conservative) Opposition has also indicated that if he was in power (he) would tie funding to muni- cipalities to getting more housing built. The only way we can get more housing built in Winnipeg is to get the North End (sewage treatment plant) built,” said Gillingham. City officials have warned part of Winnipeg’s current sewage treatment system is on track to run out of capacity within four to six years. The North End upgrade would increase that capacity. The entire three-phase sewage up- grade is expected to cost at least $2.38 billion, which city staff recently warned could rise to nearly $3 billion. The mayor said that hefty price tag means the $150 million of federal cash is greatly needed, in part to help avoid a significant water and sewer rate hike. “I will work very hard to convince councillors to not do anything to jeop- ardize access to that $150 million,” said Gillingham. The sewage funding is earmarked within the Canada Housing Infra- structure Fund, which is set to provide $6 billion over 10 years across Canada to help increase housing supply and boost services to support that growth. A federal web page said the infra- structure dollars are needed to support new home creation and alleviate a na- tional housing crisis. “CHIF aims to accelerate the con- struction and upgrading of hous- ing-enabling drinking water, waste- water, stormwater and solid-waste infrastructure, directly supporting the creation of new homes and increasing densification,” it states. joyanne.pursaga@freepress.mb.ca X: @joyanne_pursaga ;