Nine year old Zoriana greets her sister Sofiia, as her and their mother, Natalia arrive in St. John's after travelling from Ukraine, on May 9.Greg Locke/The Canadian Press
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Canada and Ukraine
Re Trudeau Makes Surprise Trip To Kyiv (May 9): While he is not popular in Alberta, I have come to admire Justin Trudeau for his support of Ukraine. He has come a long way.
As I watched him raise the Canadian flag in Kyiv, I felt a sense of pride. This was not an embarrassing use of our flag in support of anti-vaccine views, but a show of solidarity with real freedom fighters.
Let’s continue supplying Volodymyr Zelensky with arms and other aid. Canada is with Ukraine.
Larry MacKillop Nanton, Alta.
Re Dozens Of Ukrainian Refugees Are En Route To Newfoundland, Ready To Call The Rock Home (May 10): Newfoundland and Labrador puts the rest of the country to shame with its opening of a refugee office in Poland and welcoming of a planeload of Ukrainian refugees.
Yet more proof for me that the majority of our provincial governments do little to justify their existence.
Ritchie Leslie Vernon, B.C.
End of life
Re Assisted Dying Is Not Palliative Care (May 9): One of the most puzzling things to me about the legalization of medical assistance in dying is the opposition to it by many practitioners of palliative care, including contributors Ebru Kaya and Leonie Herx and the Canadian Society of Palliative Care Physicians.
It is easy to agree that “no one should feel compelled to choose an early death because of inadequate care.”
But the federal government’s 2020 annual report on MAID showed that more than 80 per cent of MAID recipients received palliative care. Of those that did not, just under 90 per cent had access to this care had they wished to avail themselves of it.
To their credit, a significant number of palliative care physicians have elected also to be MAID providers. MAID and palliative care can share the common goal of ensuring patients are able to navigate the dying process in the best way possible for them.
Wayne Sumner Toronto
My thanks to contributors Ebru Kaya and Leonie Herx, who present a clear explanation of palliative care and how desperately in need of resources these services are. But as a family doctor who provides palliative care, I disagree that one cannot develop it and medical assistance in dying in parallel.
Surely our desire as caregivers is to provide the most peaceful deaths possible in impossibly heartbreaking situations. The dying should be able to control this process and decide for themselves, with all information and resources available, as we advocate for their wishes.
Kate Prangley Hamilton
Medical assistance in dying should simply be another end-of-life choice that patients can opt for if they meet the stringent requirements – that is, unless they are in one of the many faith-based facilities across the country that do not permit MAID on their premises.
Although, as contributors Ebru Kaya and Leonie Herx point out, some facilities have had to integrate MAID in order to continue receiving public funds, many more continue to receive tax dollars despite denying Canadians their legal right to MAID.
Kerrie Hale Calgary
Patient testimonial
Re Sole Female Heart Surgeon Takes On Alberta (May 9): My husband underwent triple bypass surgery performed by Teresa Kieser in 2018. Raise her name to him and he always has the same thing to say: ”She is my hero.”
Dr. Kieser is the most proficient, professional, kind and caring doctor I have ever dealt with in my husband’s long history of medical care. Her technical skill was a marvel to us when we assessed his recovery versus others who had triple bypass surgery by other surgeons. Her technique of using an artery from the arm, we believe, is far superior and made a significant difference.
It is a complete mystery to me that anyone could question her competence. This doctor raises the bar. It’s sad to me that her colleagues can’t strive to reach her accomplishments.
Cara Cross Mississauga
Academic standing
Re Fight Over Athabasca U’s Future Continues (May 4): Athabasca Mayor Rob Balay’s lament that Athabasca University doesn’t attract the best and brightest seems neither true nor useful.
I am an internationally known researcher. I chair the federal health-funding committee in psychosocial behavioural research. I co-write a monthly column in the main magazine for Canadian academics. My work has been in Nature, the Guardian, British Medical Journal and Times Higher Education.
When I chose to leave the University of Alberta in September, 2021, I selected Athabasca University precisely because of its world-class reputation for online learning, the bright commitment of my new colleagues to providing transformative education and the gift of supporting students in Alberta and worldwide.
Staying centred but not bounded by geography is the essence of our postpandemic world. I urge Canadians to get behind this amazing gem of a university. For thousands of job-ready graduates every year, it shows that the local can truly impact the global.
Alex Clark Dean of health disciplines, Athabasca University; Edmonton
By the numbers
Re Watchdog Seeks To Block Rogers-Shaw Deal (May 10): My son lives in the United States and is amazed and dumbfounded when I tell him what my monthly bill is for telephone, cable and internet services. This is the situation with so-called competition between Rogers and Shaw.
Does anyone believe that if Rogers’ proposed takeover of Shaw was allowed and there was even less competition amongst providers, that prices would decline? The Competition Bureau has concerns and so should everyone.
Deny the takeover.
Michael Gilman Toronto
Built to last
Re Ujiri Controls The Narrative Well Into NBA Postseason (Sports, May 4): The subtle all-stars for the Toronto Raptors are coach Nick Nurse and the management team led by Masai Ujiri and Bobby Webster.
They started the season with three regular players from the team that won an NBA championship “way back” in 2019. Things were looking dark until they found a way to turn a lost season in Tampa, Fla., into two new stars: recently crowned rookie of the year Scottie Barnes and Precious Achiuwa.
As if by magic, these new players have produced a formidable squad along with Pascal Siakam, OG Anunoby and Fred VanVleet. They formed a team worth cheering for, especially when backed up by Montrealers Chris Boucher and Khem Birch, as well as Gary Trent Jr. and Thaddeus Young.
A team worthy of a nation’s support for the next half-dozen years, for sure. Well done, all.
Gregory Ast Victoria
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