Letters to The Province, April 29, 2022: Inquest should be held into Winters Hotel fire

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Re: Questions remain over delay in probing for missing resident of Winters Hotel fire

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A coroner’s inquest into the death of two people found after the Winters Hotel fire on April 11 should be mandatory, not questioned. These two were vulnerable people whose families and friends need the truth of how and why this fire happened in order to reconcile and mourn.

Imagine if either of the “deceased fire victims” were your relative who died in a fire where the sprinklers were apparently shut off. I live in an over-55 apartment complex where the sprinklers give tenants peace of mind. I am extremely conscious of how little time one has once a fire starts. Smoke inhalation can be deadly even before flames are seen.

My thoughts are with the family of Mary Ann Garlow and members of the Oneida Nation from Six Nations of the Grand River in Ontario. She was a residential school survivor. As Mother’s Day approaches, what about her are Johnny, who has disabilities and managed to escape the blaze that killed his mother from him. Does he not deserve the truth?

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Lavinia Treliving, Vancouver

We need to create healthy working conditions for family doctors

I am a family doctor practicing in Vancouver. My dream was to have a large longitudinal practice — accept 1,000 to 2,000 patients, work in my clinic 90 per cent of the time, and practice cradle-to-grave medicine. I expected family medicine to be a balanced and rewarding career. Unfortunately, the compensation for family medicine is extremely poor: I can’t pay my bills even when working full-time, five days per week in my clinic. I’ve been forced to limit my practice to 500 patients, and two days per week. I now am increasing my walk-in practice via mobile platforms due to decreased overhead costs and shorter appointments. I’m also increasing my specialized hospital work. This means our more-complicated patients are being weeded out. This is not a balanced career. I have two small children and spend my evenings and weekends doing paperwork, since this is unpaid work. How can a family doctor barely afford to live in Vancouver?

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The growing amount of paperwork for family doctors is taking us away from providing patient care. We need to create healthy working conditions for family doctors, including reducing administrative burdens and providing substitute/locum physicians for when we are away. Supporting family doctors will result in healthier patients and communities.

Almost 900,000 British Columbians do not have a family doctor, and that number is growing every day. We need action to ensure that British Columbians can receive the care that they need and deserve. Everyone deserves a family doctor.

Jessica Fenn, Vancouver