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Winnipeg Free Press
3 days ago
- Politics
- Winnipeg Free Press
Wildfire evacuation underscores need for Red Dress Alert system
Opinion The grassroots organization Giganawenimaanaanig released an interim report this week on the progress of the proposed Red Dress Alert, an initiative that would notify the public and help co-ordinate responses when an Indigenous woman, girl, or two-spirit person goes missing. Similar to an Amber Alert, which is issued when a child goes missing, the program responds to the calls for justice in the national inquiry on murdered and missing Indigenous women and girls and the parliamentary motion put forward by Winnipeg Centre MP Leah Gazan in 2023 to create the initiative. After receiving unanimous support in Parliament, a $1.3-million fund was established to research and make recommendations on how the program could be implemented nationally. Manitoba stepped up to take the lead. RUTH BONNEVILLE / FREE PRESS FILES Giganawenimaanaanig called on all governments to implement the Red Dress Alert program by early- to mid-2026. After consulting with 29 urban, rural, and First Nations and Métis communities throughout Manitoba, Giganawenimaanaanig called on all governments to implement the program by early- to mid-2026. 'Every day that the Red Dress Alert is not implemented,' project lead Denise Cook said, 'is a day that someone could go missing.' In the wake of four murders of Indigenous women by a serial killer in Winnipeg, and countless other MMIWG in Manitoba, the value of a Red Dress Alert is obvious. When considered alongside the amount of young women and two-spirit people in the child welfare system, the rise in domestic violence, and a city of Winnipeg police force that called the search for Indigenous female remains at a landfill 'unfeasible,' the initiative is need more than ever. It's needed now, in fact. More than 17,000 evacuees, mostly from northern First Nations, have been displaced owing to wildfires. In excess of 10,000 of them are in hotels or other lodgings in Winnipeg. That means this city has had an influx of thousands of Indigenous women, girls and two-spirit peoples — individuals preyed upon by many forces here. It's well-known that when Indigenous peoples are evacuated due to fires, floods, or some other traumatizing disaster, certain considerations in the health, justice, and emergency management systems must take place. For instance, many First Nations are alcohol-free due to a long history of complicated relationships with substance use. This community law is impossible to maintain off-reserve but community leaders combat the issue in other ways: such as by providing extra mental health services, family-building events, and even patrols to support people during their time as refugees. The same could be said about health, justice, and even governance. Simply put, due to a long history of political mistreatment, Indigenous communities require specific considerations when displaced by disasters. The issue of MMIWG2S+ is a disaster, too. Combined with recent fire evacuations, the situation has become critical. All this week, Indigenous social media has been full of individuals working overtime to protect Indigenous women, girls, and two-spirit peoples from nefarious forces. 'I'm gathering a crew of helpers this evening,' posted activist Rylee Nepinak of the downtown patrol group Anishiative. 'After speaking to multiple sources (mainly our women), it's clear we need as many boots on the ground watching for any predatory/exploitative signs (and) talk to the kids about safety.' Indigenous leaders are reporting that predators have approached displaced vulnerable individuals online and in person to offer drugs, alcohol, and invite them to 'party' in a private home — where a sexual or physical assault can easily take place. Advocates have created a list of 'safety tips when heading out in Winnipeg' that include: travelling in pairs, informing family and support staff of travel and return plans, and keeping location apps activated on their cellphones. Isabel Daniels, a vulnerable person advocate, warned in a post: 'Nothing is for free: if people are offering FREE substances SAY NO… Please be cautious of the things people are offering, Fentanyl is in a lot of street drugs.' Daniels also posted a dire message: 'People offering you FREE clothing, cellphones and liquor can be human traffickers, ALWAYS SAY NO.' Winnipeg police are joining the fight to educate and keep Indigenous people safe by providing extra officers and visits to evacuee shelters and printing 3,000 pamphlets with emergency contacts and tips to remain safe. Similar situations have been reported in other cities where evacuees are being sheltered, such as Thompson and Brandon. Wednesdays Sent weekly from the heart of Turtle Island, an exploration of Indigenous voices, perspectives and experiences. Community groups have recommended Indigenous families take photos of their female and two-spirit members in case a missing person report needs to be filed. If one didn't know better, one might see the release of the Red Dress Alert interim report, alongside a real-life emergency related to the safety of Indigenous women, girls, and two-spirit individuals, as a well-planned political move. It isn't. It's evidence the issue is urgent, laid bare right before our very eyes, now more than ever. Red Dress Alert report Niigaan SinclairColumnist Niigaan Sinclair is Anishinaabe and is a columnist at the Winnipeg Free Press. Read full biography 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. Our newsroom depends on its audience of readers to power our journalism. Thank you for your support.
Winnipeg Free Press
4 days ago
- Health
- Winnipeg Free Press
Health minister's political interference with nursing college puts Manitoba lives at risk
Opinion When you find yourself in a hospital bed, you want to believe the nurse taking your pulse knows exactly what they're doing — not just because they passed a test once upon a time, but because they've been in the field, working with patients, staying sharp, staying current. That's the reason the College of Registered Nurses of Manitoba exists — to make sure nurses practising in the province are competent, qualified and actively maintaining the skills needed to keep patients safe. But right now, the college is being told to step aside. RUTH BONNEVILLE / FREE PRESS FILES Deb Elias, of the College of Registered Nurses of Manitoba, centre, and Darlene Jackson, president of the Manitoba Nurses Union, right, want tighter restrictions on incoming nurses. Health Minister Uzoma Asagwara has issued a directive that, in essence, tells the college to stop doing a key part of its job, which is to ensure nurses recruited from other provinces have recent, hands-on experience before they're licensed to practise here. The college has been requiring nurses transferring from other jurisdictions to have at least 450 hours of nursing experience in Canada over the past two years, or 1,225 hours in the past five years. That's hardly an onerous requirement. It translates into a little over four hours per week of nursing work, on average. It's a reasonable practice to ensure nurses transferring from other jurisdictions are up to date on the rapidly evolving demands of the profession. However, the province has told the college to drop that requirement, arguing that it's inconsistent with interprovincial labour mobility and the principles of free trade between provinces. That's wrong and it interferes with the college's statutory responsibility to regulate its own members. By issuing this directive, Asagwara is putting trade policy ahead of lives and the safety of patients. That's a pretty disturbing place to land. The college was first ordered in 2022 by the former Progressive Conservative government to drop its minimum working requirement for out-of-province nurses to comply with inter-provincial trade college complied. 'The moment we start issuing licences to nurses without verifying recent practice, we're lowering the bar. And in health care, lowering the bar has real-life consequences.' But after monitoring the outcome of that decision for two years, the college found there were disturbing consequences. Two patients died as the result of the lax policy (one of the nurses surrendered their licence voluntarily and the other was suspended) and there was a significant increase in complaints about nursing incompetence linked to the labour-mobility applicants. According to the college, many lacked basic nursing knowledge, including the ability to take or interpret vital signs, perform a health assessment and safely administer medication. That's pretty scary. As a result, the college reversed the policy and, in December, reinstituted the minimum standards. Asagwara, in turn, demanded in an April 30 letter that the college revert back to the previous government's 2022 directive. Nurses are the backbone of our health-care system. They're the ones who catch the early signs of trouble, who juggle the needs of a dozen patients at once, who make critical decisions in real time. Making sure those nurses are up to speed should have nothing to do with trade agreements and everything to do with professional standards — determined by an independent self-regulating body, not government. 'The government should stand behind the college, not overrule it.' The college is now pushing back against Asagwara's directive and has gone public with its complaint about government interference, as it should. The public has a right to know. Professional self-regulation is a long-standing principle in this country. Whether it's doctors, engineers or lawyers, we count on regulatory colleges to maintain public trust and uphold standards — not because they're infallible, but because they have the expertise to do it. The minimum working-hours requirement isn't about excluding qualified nurses from other provinces. It's about verifying that they're ready to hit the ground running, not arriving with credentials that may be stale or no longer aligned with Manitoba's standards. If we start bending the rules to meet short-term staffing targets, we invite long-term consequences. The moment we start issuing licences to nurses without verifying recent practice, we're lowering the bar. And in health care, lowering the bar has real-life consequences. The directive issued by Asagwara undermines the authority of the college and, more importantly, undermines the trust the public has in our regulatory system. What the province should be doing is working with the college to address the underlying issues — such as nursing shortages and recruitment bottlenecks — without compromising patient care. That means investing in training, supporting internationally educated nurses and improving working conditions so we can keep the nurses we have and attract the ones we need. Weekday Evenings Today's must-read stories and a roundup of the day's headlines, delivered every evening. Patient safety should be the top priority of every decision made in our health-care system. That means trusting the experts — in this case, the regulatory college — to set the rules that keep Manitobans safe. MIKAELA MACKENZIE / FREE PRESS FILES Professional regulators should be free to do their jobs without political interference. When that independence is compromised, so is the integrity of the system. Asagwara should reverse this directive. The government should stand behind the college, not overrule it. And Manitobans should expect that their health and safety never take a back seat to trade agreements or political expedience. Let the college do its job. Our lives depend on it. Tom BrodbeckColumnist Tom Brodbeck is a columnist with the Free Press and has over 30 years experience in print media. He joined the Free Press in 2019. Born and raised in Montreal, Tom graduated from the University of Manitoba in 1993 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in economics and commerce. Read more about Tom. Tom provides commentary and analysis on political and related issues at the municipal, provincial and federal level. His columns are built on research and coverage of local events. The Free Press's editing team reviews Tom's columns before they are posted online or published in print – part of the Free Press's 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. Our newsroom depends on its audience of readers to power our journalism. Thank you for your support.
Winnipeg Free Press
20-05-2025
- Sport
- Winnipeg Free Press
Building on historic season a motivating next step
Connor Hellebuyck had a few things to tend to before his obligatory final meeting of the season with the media. As the Winnipeg Jets All-World goalie was grabbing one of his goal sticks off the rack, one couldn't help but notice the image of the Stanley Cup, painted on the doors that led to the home bench at Canada Life Centre, looming in the background behind him. With another longer-than-hoped-for off-season having arrived for these Jets, the pursuit of that elusive silver chalice very much remains top of mind. After surviving an exhilarating seven-game series with the St. Louis Blues to advance to the second round for the first time since 2021, the Jets were eliminated in overtime of Game 6 by the Dallas Stars. 'There is only one team that gets to say we've figured it out.'–Connor Hellebuyck The emotional toll of what transpired leading up to the game after the death of Mark Scheifele's father, Brad, coupled with the effort put forth by the Jets entire team, was admirable. Had one additional bounce gone the Jets way, they could have easily forced a Game 7 on home ice. But when exit interviews are held, the reality of the situation sets in. And the reality for this edition of the Jets is that they took an incredible step forward, but they also finished the campaign 10 wins shy of the ultimate goal. A year ago, after the Jets were bounced in five games (which included four consecutive losses) to the Colorado Avalanche in Round 1, the message was simple. Players, coaches and members of the management team spoke about the need to get five to 10 per cent better. The words weren't hollow and the premise led the Jets all the way to the best regular season in franchise history, a first Central Division title and a Presidents' Trophy banner. There wasn't necessarily one theme emerging from the eight players who spoke on Tuesday, but some longtime members of the core — and some newcomers — steadfastly believe the Jets remain on the right trajectory. RUTH BONNEVILLE / FREE PRESS 'We're going to take what we've built this year and take it to a whole new level next year,' Connor Hellebuyck said. RUTH BONNEVILLE / FREE PRESS 'We're going to take what we've built this year and take it to a whole new level next year,' Connor Hellebuyck said. 'The cruel part about our game is a lot of people are trying to answer that question right now, right?' Hellebuyck asked rhetorically, when the subject of those 10 additional wins was broached. 'There is only one team that gets to say we've figured it out. What's it going to take? I think it's kind of what we've been doing. We're just continuing to grow our game as a group and figuring out what we want to work on and tweak. We don't want to over tweak things because we did have a lot of success. 'But we have to build on that. Just because we had success it doesn't mean this team is going to sit back and say 'let's just do that.' No. I know this team and we're all a bunch of guys that love to learn the game and love to study the game. We're going to take what we've built this year and take it to a whole new level next year.' As thin as the margin for error is, a whole new level is precisely what will be required from this group — which will require further roster upgrades to a roster that already featured plenty of depth but could still use more. 'We've shown, (with) this group, the body of work we have done in the regular season the past couple years. And obviously taking a step in the playoffs this year, gaining that knowledge, gaining that experience,' said Jets left-winger Kyle Connor, who is eligible to sign a contract extension on July 1. 'Great regular season. But the season is always judged by the playoffs and what you do. We won a round, but at the end of the day, it was a failure. We didn't win a Cup and that's our job as players here and the organization. With how good of a group we feel we had, it's going to come back next year even more focused.' 'We didn't win a Cup and that's our job as players here and the organization. With how good of a group we feel we had, it's going to come back next year even more focused.'–Kyle Connor Connor wasn't trying to be a downer, though he's been around long enough to know that the clock is ticking for this core group. Sustained success isn't a guarantee, even when many of the important pieces are in place. Keeping the entire band together is a challenge and bringing in the right complementary pieces is something every team in the league is trying to do. 'Every year is different. It's got a way of ending on its own and its own script that has been written,' said Connor. 'You could say there could be more anger that we've gotten that much closer and we didn't win, so there are two ways of looking at it.' As the only player on the roster that's been to the top of the mountain and has his name engraved on the Stanley Cup, Jets defenceman Luke Schenn knows what it takes for a group to level up. He also knows that you don't get to hit fast forward when it comes to the process of team building and strengthening the foundation. 'Well, I mean, it doesn't get any easier. You've got to start from day one again, too, and it's a journey,' said Schenn. 'You look how competitive this league is and teams are going to obviously try to get a lot better in the off-season and make changes and make moves. Every guy has to go back in the summertime and try to get better themselves, too. 'If you rely on your past, that's not exactly a setup for success in the future. So, you've just got to continue to go back and try to get better and grind.' Winnipeg Jets Game Days On Winnipeg Jets game days, hockey writers Mike McIntyre and Ken Wiebe send news, notes and quotes from the morning skate, as well as injury updates and lineup decisions. Arrives a few hours prior to puck drop. Although he's only been around the Jets for a couple of months, Schenn knows what a winning team and organization is supposed to look like. He's seen what belief can do and by exorcising some long-lasting playoff demons this spring, the Jets have a better idea of the path they need to go down next. 'There's a lot to be proud of,' said Jets defenceman Josh Morrissey. 'This year, the disappointment is still there, but we pushed, obviously, a great Dallas team to six and overtime, and I think all of us felt if we'd managed a way to get that to Game 7 that there's no way we weren't going to win that game at home. 'At least that was our mindset. For us, we had a great season. The things we talked about improving, we did improve on. We worked extremely hard last summer to do that, and through this entire year. We won an incredible Game 7 and obviously moved forward.' Morrissey was quick to acknowledge that the hard work is just beginning. The road to going from one meagre playoff win in each of the past two springs to six in 2025 took a lot of sacrifice and effort, all of which was well worth it. 'To get to that next level of, obviously, the ultimate goal of winning the Stanley Cup, we've got to continue to push to go to that next level.'–Josh Morrissey But getting the job done requires even more. 'The sentiment is that drive that we had after last season when it didn't go our way, when we felt we needed to make some serious changes, we need to have that same attitude this summer in terms of pushing ourselves, and maybe even harder than we did last year,' said Morrissey. 'We saw the results of our hard work this season and how we got rewarded and improved. But to get to that next level of, obviously, the ultimate goal of winning the Stanley Cup, we've got to continue to push to go to that next level.' That feeling of being oh-so-close but yet-so-far is a driving force, yet separating your team from the rest of the pack is easier said than done. 'You learn more from losing than you do winning,' said Jets defenceman Haydn Fleury. 'There's a lot to learn, but there's also so much good that we showed in that series, and I think just the steps that we took as a group throughout the year is just a testament to what they're building here.' Arriving in next-year-country is the bus stop no team wants to arrive at, but 31 of the 32 clubs eventually do. It's also a great motivator. 'It's not the end result that we wanted. But we have all the keys in this room to have success and I think we'll be back stronger next year,' said Jets forward Vladislav Namestnikov. 'It's unfinished. I think the guys here understand what we can achieve. It leaves that sour taste and hunger to come back and do it again next year.' X and Bluesky: @WiebesWorld Ken WiebeReporter Ken Wiebe is a sports reporter for the Free Press, with an emphasis on the Winnipeg Jets. He has covered hockey and provided analysis in this market since 2000 for the Winnipeg Sun, The Athletic, and TSN. Ken was a summer intern at the Free Press in 1999 and returned to the Free Press in a full-time capacity in September of 2023. Read more about Ken. Every piece of reporting Ken produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print — part of the Free Press's 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. Our newsroom depends on its audience of readers to power our journalism. Thank you for your support.
