Winnipeg Free Press

Winnipeg Free Press (Newspaper) - November 8, 2025, Winnipeg, Manitoba Too bad for Bombers So the Bombers won’t be in the home town Grey Cup this year. Certainly disappointing, but not surprising to me. I felt the season was lost in free agency when management (who have been great in the last several years) fell down on the job. They let too many good players get away and didn’t sign any free agents of significance. How- ever, I know Bomber fans will still show up for the big game because we are also big fans of the CFL. I was at the Grey Cup in Regina a couple of years ago and was shocked that thousands of tick- et holders didn’t bother to show up just because their team was not in the game. I have faith that Manitobans will still show up to demonstrate our support of our unique game. I hope it won’t be the last time we get to honour our special brand of football. To that end, I encourage all CFL fans to write to the CFL and the Bombers to let them know we are opposed to the Ameri- canization of our game. And while we are not happy that the league chose an American entertainer for halftime — look on the bright side — we can spend the time in bathroom lines and not worry we have missed anything. Let’s enjoy the Grey Cup Festival and the game. Party on, Blue Bomber fans! SHARON TOD Winnipeg Put aside squabble, work together Re: NDP, Tories bicker over breast cancer screening (Nov. 7) As a breast cancer survivor, I want to see Kath- leen Cook and Uzoma Asagwara work together to ensure more women in Manitoba get screened for breast cancer. I want to be assured that the screening age will be down to 45 by the end of this year, then down to 40 by the end of next year — not eventually lowered to 40 as was mentioned in the article. I am frustrated this issue has been going on since September 2024. Now is the time to put words into action. CINDY KELLY Winnipeg Call out lying for what it is Re: The perils of dealing with a serial liar (Edito- rial, Nov. 7) Thank you for not dancing around the issue and finally calling U.S. President Donald Trump exactly what he is: a liar. A serial liar, at that. I would venture to say a pathological liar. It’s been enormously frustrating in recent years to see media outlets dance around a word that rings as clearly and loudly as Big Ben, and refer to Trump as “someone who isn’t a stranger to falsehoods” or “a man who moulds truth like clay into forms that better meets his needs.” Oh for heaven’s sake, say it! The multiplicity of ways the media have avoided the plain truth that’s before their and the entire world’s eyes . . . he is a liar. Full stop. I appreciate you having the backbone to say the quiet part loud. It should have been the loud part years ago, but there’s been a shortage of courage these days. CHERYL MOORE Winnipeg Demanding better service Re: Health minister intervenes to get drug ap- proved for child with genetic disease (Nov. 6) Regardless of which political party holds pow- er, why is it that tragic situations, such as the one described in the article, never seem to receive the expedited attention they demand until the media gets behind the issue? It is my understanding that a physician in an Aug. 21 communication with the province, made clear the diagnosis, its terminal nature and the need for expedient address. The latter clearly did not occur until this paper saw fit to intervene on behalf of the family. One need only wonder how long it would have taken for this matter to work its way through the system had intervention not occurred. It would, in my opinion, be a worthwhile exercise to determine where this request sat for approximately 75 days. Manitobans deserve a better level of service than is obvious here. C.R. CORMACK Winnipeg Imagine that Imagine a downtown where the hum of traffic is softened by rustling leaves, where neighbours gather under the shade of trees and where public spaces invite you to linger, connect and belong. This summer, Winnipeg got a glimpse of that future on Graham Avenue. The Green Corridor Advisory Circle, of which I am chairperson, was established in 2021 by a group of community members and organiza- tions who share a vision for a downtown that is welcoming, diverse, green and alive with public activity. We’ve long advocated for investment in Graham Avenue as a central spine of our city’s core: a place where nature, culture and communi- ty intersect. This summer’s temporary installations on Graham were more than just beautification. They were a powerful demonstration of how thought- ful design and community spirit can transform public space. Trees, native plants, benches and playful elements turned a stretch of pavement into a place where people could sit, talk, play and enjoy the city. It was a glimpse of what’s possible when we prioritize people in our urban planning. We are especially grateful to Ron Paul Gar- den Centre for their generous donation of trees, benches and plants. Their contribution made a remarkable difference — not only in how our downtown looks, but in how it feels. What makes their gift even more special is the spirit in which it was given: quietly, without any request for recognition or reward. This kind of generosity is the heartbeat of a thriving city. Creating spaces where people can find shade, rest, connect and move freely is about more than aesthetics, it’s about belonging. It’s about building a city where everyone feels invited to participate in public life. Let’s build on this momentum. Let’s encourage more partnerships, more greenery and more spaces that invite connection. And let’s celebrate the quiet champions like Ron Paul Garden Centre, whose generosity helps us grow not just plants, but community. The seeds of a better downtown have been planted. Now, it’s up to all of us to help them flourish. WENDY JANZEN Winnipeg Slow down, save lives Re: “Focus on bigger issues” (Letters, Nov. 6) Ray Hignell’s letter caught my attention. I am writing to comment on the 30 km/h speed limit on residential streets. Many, many years ago, I was walking to Isaac Brock school and witnessed a sedan cruising down the street at an unusually slow speed, may- be 24-30 km/h. Most cars travelled the speed lim- it, around 50 km/h. Suddenly, a young girl, maybe nine or 10 years old, ran from between parked cars, right into the path of the above mentioned car. The driver slammed on the brakes and hit the girl hard enough to knock her off her feet. The driver helped her to her feet, crying, but otherwise none the worse for wear. The mes- sage: slowing down does save lives on residential streets. MICHAEL DOWLING Winnipeg Speed bumps may be solution Re: “Reasonable limits” (Letters, Nov. 4) This is in response to the letter from Terry Dann regarding school zone limits. I also know how Dann feels, to suddenly realize you’re in a school zone, wondering if you’ve been tagged. I totally believe the whole concept is, without a doubt, a cash grab. A simple solution that would simplify things for drivers while still keeping our children safe is to install three speed bumps. One at each end and one in the middle of every zone. If you hit one of these at 50 or 60 km/h, you’ll only do it once. There is no point in speeding up between bumps as you will know there is another one ahead. They would also reduce or remove the need of police monitoring them as much, which would allow for better allocation of police resources. Also, drivers wouldn’t need to worry what day or time it is. Self monitoring would be 24-7, 365 days a year. The only problem I see with this solution would be the reduced revenue to the city. (But it’s not a cash grab.) RALPH KUTROSKI 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 SATURDAY NOVEMBER 8, 2025 Other encampment options possible A UTHORITIES in Winnipeg will soon launch their latest response to homeless encamp- ments, though sadly actual solutions to the problem remain elusive. Beginning in mid-November, the city will roll out its new policy for dealing with the encamp- ments, in an effort to prevent them from being established and presenting risks near sensitive sites and public spaces. The system outlines three different levels of encampment response, each calling for a different degree of involvement from police, fire-paramedics and support work- ers. Some responses call only for outreach, rather than removal of encampments. The new policy is sure to bring relief to Winni- peggers who have been alarmed by the emer- gence of homeless encampments in public spaces, near schools or at other locations where they may present unwanted risks to residents in the area. What it does not do, however, is get the city any closer to a long-term solution to its home- lessness crisis. The number of homeless people in Winnipeg nearly doubled last year — End Homelessness Winnipeg’s annual street census reported that about 2,469 people are homeless in the city. The Manitoba government has imple- mented a strategy to get people into housing, but the process has been slow, with the results to date underwhelming. About 100 people had been successfully placed in housing as of the end of October, but that still leaves more than 2,000 people living rough. Encampments are a reality for Winnipeg in the short term. Policies to keep them from being established at certain public, high-traffic or sensitive spots are not entirely without merit — although it’s difficult not to see the cynics’ point that it amounts to shoving a very real problem out of view for propriety’s sake. There is another proposal worth considering as the province continues its efforts to get people out of encampment life: a permanent encamp- ment site, co-signed by the city itself. One propo- nent, Claudemier Bighetty, an outreach worker who was once homeless, urged the city to pair their camp-relocation policy with an initiative to set up a sanctioned camp earlier this week. It’s a proposal rife with complications. First of all, in this case, if the city builds it, the homeless may not come — there would have to be some incentive to moving where the city says to move, rather than set up an encampment according to one’s own preference. It would need to be well-monitored and frequently visited — if not outright staffed — by outreach workers capable of helping the encampment’s residents. A city-approved encampment site would, in essence, place its residents under the care of the city. If the city creates the zone and tells the homeless population to camp there, then whatev- er happens in that encampment is a result of the city’s invitation. But where there’s a will, there’s a way. Despite the cost, risks and liabilities which go with such a plan, it’s worth doing — at least for now. The homeless population of Winnipeg is one comprised of our fellow Winnipeggers. If we believe that Winnipeg should be a city where people can find shelter that is safe and warm, that sentiment goes for the homeless, too. Yes, it would be preferable if there was more shelter space, or if there were more affordable housing units. But there aren’t yet, and the city is in dire need of a solution that works for everyone in the meantime. Kicking encampment residents out of public view to try their luck elsewhere is not the way to move forward. Setting up a place for them to go and letting them remain is the compassionate approach as we work to solve a terrible problem before it gets any worse. EDITORIAL Published since 1872 on Treaty 1 territory and the homeland of the Métis RUTH BONNEVILLE / FREE PRESS FILES An encampment near St. John’s Park this summer ;