Quote:
Originally Posted by wags_in_the_peg
another great move by our current Provincial gov't (again shocking many of you NDP'ers that PC do fund social support systems too. they have hearts, not just big bank accounts).
New rapid access to addictions medicine clinic to open in downtown Winnipeg with $893K funding from province The government of Manitoba is spending about $893,000 on a new Indigenous-led rapid access to addictions medicine (RAAM) clinic in downtown Winnipeg, making it the third in the provincial capital.
The clinic will be in the Aboriginal Health and Wellness Centre on Higgins Avenue and will operate five days a week, with some extended hours in the late afternoons and early evenings to increase accessibility
When the clinic opens in spring, it will initially handle to 2,300 patient visits per year, with the potential to expand its capacity in the future
and of course the opposition just can't praise and be pleased, despite community leaders and Drs praising this
Bernadette Smith, the NDP critic for mental health and addictions, says the current government's strategy for dealing with substance use disorders lacks an important piece.
"The health experts are clear: we need a real plan that includes a supervised consumption site and better access to health care and supports for Manitobans struggling with addiction," Smith said in a statement.
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manit...ipeg-1.6724162 |
Yes it's good to see the PC's funding this addictions clinic. For me, the question still remains; does this show the PC' hearts have grown three times this day, and love and care for the most vulnerable in the province, or is this a one-of headline grabber prior to a provincial election?
I struggle with not wanting to be cynical, and not wanting to be fooled into voting for a party that historically has put social issues on the back burner.
As for Stephanson herself, like every human being she has made some good decisions and bad decisions. Like Wab Kinew, she has made some bad decisions in her past.
From Wikipedia:
"In 1999, Stefanson was suspended for seven months by the Manitoba district council of the Investment Dealers Association of Canada for failing to meet educational requirements. Stefanson was found to have made 34 inappropriate trades while she was working as an investment adviser at Wellington West Capital"
I firmly believe people can make changes in their lives, and I would be a hypocrite if held her earlier misconducts against her while excusing Kinew's. However, some of her recent political decisions are a concern for me.
Also from Wikipedia:
"During Manitoba's third-wave of Covid-19 Stefanson claimed on May 18, 2021 that Manitoba's health system could handle an additional 50 patients in the ICU for a total of 170. However, later that day, she announced ICU beds were at capacity and two patients had been sent to Thunder Bay for treatment. Shared Health had been aware that the healthcare system was unable to handle 170 patients, and on May 7, chief nursing officer Lanette Siragusa called a previous exercise showing capacity at 173 ICU beds a “paper exercise” that "did not reflect the reality of Manitoba’s capacity".
On March 15, Stefanson received widespread criticism for responding to Wab Kinew's question about Krystal Mousseau, an ICU patient who died during a failed transfer to a hospital out of Manitoba with a boast about her son's performance at a hockey game. Two days later Stefanson issued a brief written apology. The NDP has been calling for an inquiry into circumstances of the death citing a letter from the regional health authority released a letter explaining that the transfer team was lacking critical monitoring equipment and training. Additionally, the patient was being given medication at the wrong rate. On March 22, Stefanson admitted during a radio interview that she had not reached out to Mousseau's family to offer an apology or condolences.
Stefanson was criticized for making excuses for the out-of-province transfers saying "Manitoba was no exception, this is what’s happening across the country.",however Saskatchewan and Manitoba were the only provinces that transferred ICU patients out of the province. On April 6, Dan Roberts, a critical care physician and professor of medicine at the University of Manitoba, called on the government to open an inquiry into Krystal Mousseau's death He also criticized the Manitoba Progressive Conservative Party for "privatizing and dismantling" much of Manitoba's Air Ambulance Service in 2017 a change that was criticized by physicians who warned this move would compromise patient safety
Of course, she's done a few things I agree with. She seems to have stepped away from the confrontational method of dealing with the City of Winnipeg, and seems to have adopted a more conciliatory tone with the federal government than other conservative premiers. Many of her recent funding announcements have been welcome. The question for me remains, does it mark a change in direction for the PC's, or just a pre-election gimmick?
I think for many people healthcare is THE issue for the province, as it is for pretty much the entire country. My gut feeling is that she is hoping the Feds and provinces can come to an agreement over increased healthcare funding this spring, so by the fall she can say "all fixed", or "it's getting fixed".
Would that be enough for me to consider voting PC again? At this point, probably not. I haven't yet seen a "big direction" statement from her government on how she plans to deal with healthcare, grow the economy or deal with Indigenous reconciliation (if it's been posted I hope someone can give me the link). Her past statements seems to show a disturbing trend towards spinning serious issues as "not that serious"; fiddling while Rome burns, if you will.
If she DOES get re-elected, will I consider that a disaster? Not necessarily, if she continues to be willing to fund positive initiatives in the province and want to put more "progressive" into the "Progressive Conservatives". However, as I have said before, at this point in time I would prefer to see Wab Kinew elected for what I
hope will be a very proactive and positive approach to Reconciliation issues, crime prevention and healthcare. Of course I can't see the future and could be wrong about him, but right now that's my opinion, for what it's worth.
And about the NDP reaction to the spending announcement, as opposition they are
supposed to point out what they think is wrong, but yeah, it would be nice to see appreciation for any positives a government does, if only to avoid giving the extreme wing of the PC's an excuse to say "social spending doesn't help our party at all, let's ignore it".
My goodness I'm opinionated!
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