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Winnipeg Free Press
3 days ago
- Politics
- Winnipeg Free Press
Putting people before cars — finally
Opinion The first time I encountered the barriers at Portage and Main was in September of 2004 when I was visiting Winnipeg for research interviews. I walked from my hotel to city hall after consulting Google Maps (remember those?), feeling confident that it was a straightforward jaunt down Main Street. I couldn't have been more wrong. I was confounded when I was forced to go underground into a dark, nearly empty mall that had me going in circles to find way out and finally in desperation, with the clock ticking, I gave up. I got out, above ground on the south side of Main, pulled my skirt above my knees, carefully watching for traffic and jumped the barriers, to cross safely. That was my introduction to the famous Portage and Main. I, for one, am not sad to see those barriers go. I say this as a longtime resident of this city, living in the southside. I regularly drive downtown. I will be happy to cross the intersection come Friday as a pedestrian, without having to hike up my skirt. I have never understood the logic. In 2014, former mayor Brian Bowman pledged to open Portage and Main within five years of winning office. Of course, he failed to do that. Instead of championing the opening as a way of reinvigorating the downtown, he turned it into a plebiscite question in 2018 — with 65 per cent of Winnipeggers supporting the status quo. Fast forward to 2024. A new city report revealed that carrying out repairs on the intersection while maintaining the underground walkway would cost $73 million and disrupt traffic for up to five years. Much of the work would involve repairing a leaky membrane that prevents the underground from flooding. That changed the ball game. Closing the underground mall and opening up the intersection became a no-brainer after that. The problems with the leaks, by the way, were no surprise to the Vote Open group advocating for the barriers to come down. It was well known at the time of the plebiscite that the membrane was going to cost considerable dollars to fix but just how much was not clear. As Dan Lett has already argued in a column earlier this week, Winnipeg has made it to the 'bigs' now — following in the footsteps of other major cities like Boston, San Francisco, Halifax and Milwaukee who have also deconstructed their monuments to the automobile and envisioned a downtown that's people-friendly. Even when it's -50 with the windchill. Ian McCausland was a tireless advocate for the Vote Open Team in 2018 and has become a voice for making this city more accessible and less reliant on vehicles in the years since. Does he feel a certain degree of satisfaction now that the historic corner is opening after all the debate? 'While I wouldn't have loved to see the Yes vote win in 2018, I am still very excited to see the changes happen now. Winnipeg doesn't change very fast, sometimes that a good thing sometimes it's a frustrating thing, it's very much a Winnipeg thing.' Yes, it's a Winnipeg thing. In 2014, the Winnipeg Chamber of Commerce unveiled its 'Bold' campaign outlining policy initiatives that it hoped city leaders would implement to — in part — transform the downtown into a livable, organic neighborhood. It seems that more than 10 years later, it's finally starting to take place with Portage and Main opening and other new initiatives like the closure of Graham Avenue to create a pedestrian mall. McCausland sees this as exciting. 'I think we're seeing a beginning, a move toward a more walkable, friendly and equitable downtown. As the city continues to grow in population, we have to find ways for everyone to get out of the 'one person/one car commute.' These are positive steps towards that.' Wednesdays A weekly dispatch from the head of the Free Press newsroom. Also part of the 2014 'Bold' vision from the chamber was the implementation of active-transportation initiatives and that goes directly to how we can become a more inclusive city. McCausland explains: 'Since 2018 I have learned so much about how transportation is a reflection of our community. How we move round each other is just as important as when we get there. Transportation equity is where we factor in the 25 per cent of the population that doesn't own a car and make efforts of inclusion and accessibility.' This week marks my 20th anniversary in this city. I am still somewhat baffled yet enraptured by all its proclivities. And I am glad I am living here as it makes its 'Bold' transformation. And just like most things Winnipeg, I also know there will be a ton of naysayers on the sidelines telling us it will never be successful. That too is a Winnipeg thing. Shannon Sampert is a political scientist. She can be reached at shannon@
Winnipeg Free Press
16-06-2025
- Health
- Winnipeg Free Press
Manitobans voted to ‘fix' health care; it's quite possibly beyond repair
Opinion There is a story behind the story of longer waiting times for priority surgical procedures, and Manitobans are not going to like it. This week, the Canadian Institute for Health Information released its annual snapshot of priority surgical wait times. In Manitoba, as is the case across the country, more people are waiting longer to have surgeries to treat cancer, remove cataracts and replace hips and knees. Politically, this is bad news for provincial governments that are often judged by voters on the ability to provide timely health care. That's certainly true in Manitoba, where the NDP rode to victory in the 2023 election largely on its bold plan to fix the tattered health-care system. Despite adding nearly 18,000 additional MRIs and 91,000 more CT scans between 2020 and 2024, the median wait time for both diagnostic procedures had gone up, writes columnist Dan Lett. (The Canadian Press) Premier Wab Kinew and his government have, since that victory, been working to keep that promise. However, as the CIHI report this week showed, the situation is getting worse, not better, despite increased investments. Although the fact that provinces are falling behind is newsworthy, it is the low-hanging fruit in this story. The really alarming details can only be found by asking 'why' we're in this predicament. First, the basic numbers. CIHI tracks the volume of 'priority procedures,' which includes hip and knee replacements, cataract removals and cancer surgeries. In Manitoba, the data shows that median wait times went up in all categories and are now longer than they were in the pre-pandemic era. This is happening even though the total number of surgeries is, in Manitoba and across the country, increasing. Between 2019 and 2023, CIHI reported total surgical volume for priority procedures went up by five per cent. However, over the same period, Canada's population increased by seven per cent, and there has been a 10 per cent increase in surgical demand for people 65 years and older. Every province in this country is ready, willing and somewhat able to spend more money get more surgeries done. But without the nurses and doctors, it's a moot point. In Manitoba, the Kinew government has been rushing out announcements on increased surgical slates, including a pledge to complete up to 800 additional hip and knee replacement surgeries in Selkirk. The same is true for diagnostic tests. Despite adding nearly 18,000 additional MRIs and 91,000 more CT scans between 2020 and 2024, the median wait time for both diagnostic procedures had gone up. In terms of the macro demographic forces, we're losing ground. And the situation becomes worse when you consider two additional factors. First, our overall health as a nation is much worse now than it was when COVID-19 struck. To avoid a killer virus, patients with chronic health issues stopped going to their doctors, exacerbating existing conditions and promoting new illnesses. So, as we cancelled or delayed procedures, people got sicker and now require much more complex health-care treatment. The second factor is, of course, the continued shortage of nurses and doctors. Every province in this country is ready, willing and somewhat able to spend more money get more surgeries done. But without the nurses and doctors, it's a moot point; you can't make an insufficient pool of health care professionals work 24-7 to make up ground. Today, we're spending more money to do more procedures, and the situation is getting worse. That is the legacy of provinces that did not meet the needs of a growing and aging population before COVID hit. The shortage of medical professionals is acute now, but it's not a problem that you can lay at the feet of any one government. You could go back to the mid-1990s, when the provinces, en masse, trimmed medical and nursing school admissions in a moronic bid to control health-care costs. (Yep, that happened, look it up.) However, there have been some more recent, equally moronic mistakes made. When former premier Brian Pallister led the Progressive Conservatives back to power in 2016, he started a systemic starvation of health care that not only ignored the wait-times crisis, but angered most nurses and doctors. Nurses, in particular, were enraged at ill-fated plans to reorganize the Winnipeg hospital network and close several emergency rooms. All without, apparently, an iota of consideration about how nurses would react. Well, they didn't like it, and not only did it encourage older nurses to retire, it drove others to the private agency system, where they could choose where and when they wanted to work at a premium cost to the public system. The reaction by the Tory government to this conversion of forces was underwhelming. Each year, Pallister and his successor, Heather Stefanson, would pat themselves on the back for a history-making investment in health care. While it was true the budget for health care went up modestly each year to new heights, it wasn't enough to keep up with inflation or population growth. That made working in health care a much less-attractive option. And then the pandemic hit and the hole got exponentially bigger. Related Articles Northern MRI unit to benefit all patients, minister promises Northern MRI hits the mark, but better access needed across the province April data offers glimmer of hope on ER, urgent-care wait times Nurse fights to be heard after medical emergency kicks off 72-hour hospital odyssey Team of front-line workers to tackle hospital wait times Directive to better inform cardiac patients awaiting surgery 'great start' but not enough, family who lost mother says Heart patients to receive written timeline for surgery, minister announces Long road to recovery: ER, urgent care wait times return to disastrous levels It will be hard to find a better example of how 'penny-wise-and-pound-foolish' management can undermine a crucial public service. Today, we're spending more money to do more procedures, and the situation is getting worse. That is the legacy of provinces that did not meet the needs of a growing and aging population before COVID hit. We now face two possible fates. We accept the prospect of years and years of increased investment in a bid to catch up from the deficit we're in now. Or we accept that we've reached the point where there is no catching up. Dan LettColumnist Dan Lett is a columnist for the Free Press, providing opinion and commentary on politics in Winnipeg and beyond. Born and raised in Toronto, Dan joined the Free Press in 1986. Read more about Dan. Dan's columns are built on facts and reactions, but offer his personal views through arguments and analysis. The Free Press' editing team reviews Dan's columns before they are posted online or published in print — part of the our tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press's history and mandate, and learn how our newsroom operates. Our newsroom depends on a growing audience of readers to power our journalism. If you are not a paid reader, please consider becoming a subscriber. 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