Letters They Publish
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Letters/Comments you asked us to publish
The politics of MAID
| Several days ago, the Global Mail printed an opinion piece about Medical Assistance in Dying. It called for a rebalance of MAiD, and one of those calls was to revoke track 2 MAiD. For those who do not know, there are two tracks for MAiD in Canada. The first, track 1, is for people at end of life. The second, track 2, is for people with chronic conditions that cause immense suffering. There are often calls to revoke track 2 MAiD. People claim it is because it will force disabled people into taking it as an alternative to poverty. There is a flaw in this logic. If we revoke MAiD access on the justification of protecting disabled people, who have we helped? Certainly not those most vulnerable. They will still be unable to afford food, housing, and other supports. They will still be unable to access medical care or denied medication. They will still be left suffering with no recourse. Nobody should die from lack of supports, of that we agree. The difference is that I do not see MAiD use in vulernable populations as a problem in and of itself. It is a symptom of a much greater problem, that of underfunded and lacking supports. Focusing on it will distract from the issue. Politicians are already proposing MAiD restrictions alongside support cuts. Look at Alberta, where the government has raised rent for disabled people and is cutting benefits in August. They also want more MAiD guardrails. Why? Because it’s bad optics if there’s an increase in deaths because of their policy. They want disabled people silenced even in our suffering. They don’t care about us, and neither do the other government officials proposing laws and new restrictions. They only care about control and optics. They can revoke MAiD and then claim they helped without ever lifting a finger. I am not a child. I don’t need somebody to make decisions about my life for me and then tell me it’s in my best interest. I need a government who actually cares. I need better funded supports. Emily Johnson |
Beautiful Photo
| Greetings: The photo by Sammy Kogan of the lady shoveling snow, is very beautiful. I think it is worthy of a painting. How nice that she was willing to pose for you. Keep up the good work. Elizabeth Harmelink |
Ignorance is not bliss
| The Editors Globe & Mail Dear sirs, In a recent article about how drought is affecting hydro generation was included the following : Hydro generators are also grappling with increasing electricity demand due to the rise of electric vehicles and the push to decarbonize the economy. Surely there is somebody on the Globe & Mail staff who can find the time to get informed about EVs… But just in case you do NOT have such a person: As governments and Hydro producers get into the New Electric Economy there are two wonderful technological possibilities that will make the transition seamless and successful…If we can stop the spread of false and ignorant information: 1- During sunny periods and windy periods a serious expansion of solar and wind production will make hydro resources far more effective… i.e. during peak production of ‘green’ energy the Hydro reservoirs will BETTER be used as batteries… i.e. lower production form Hydro and SAVING water for times when solar and wind are not providing enough power. 2- RE: EVs. With the installation of bi-directional meters EVs can be a fantastic resource for “balancing” the peak demand times with the lower demand times… the concept of paying more for the return of energy to the grid than they charge consumers would make such an opportunity very attractive to EV owners…. and there would be a large savings in cost of production PART of which would be shared with EV owners. But please- If you are going to publish “information” about energy, get informed and stop listening to the messages from people like Bruce Owen at MB Hydro, a particularly ‘last century’ mind and ignoramus. N.B. All my attempts to get the city of Winnipeg to recognize and deal with inefficient and blatant light pollution (Waste of Energy!) have been undermined by Bruce who cannot visualize anything past 1975 in electric use, efficiency and is certainly NOT a supporter of the necessary change in energy understanding. Deena Blair |