The need to screen children for lead exposure in Manitoba

On Thursday April 8 I commented in Question Period on the action President Joe Biden is taking in the United States to address lead exposure of children and the need for screening of children in Manitoba as is done in many jurisdictions in the United States. My comments (from Hansard) are below:

Lead Exposure Screening

Hon. Jon Gerrard (River Heights): Madam Speaker, very recently, the President of the United States, Joe Biden, announced funding of $45 million. This would go toward the funding of replacing all the lead water lines in the United States.

The United States has been ahead of the curve, recognizing that lead is a very serious neurotoxin and is especially harmful to young children, causing developmental delays, learning disability and behavioural problems. And particularly important to our discussion of education, it results in poor performance of students in schools.

In Manitoba, we are behind on lead screening. Lead screening of children in the United States has been routine. Indeed, up to 30 per cent of children in the United States have been screened every year within their first few years of life. In Rhode Island, the number is up to 70 per cent. In Winnipeg and Manitoba, we have serious problems with lead pollution, and yet we don't have any lead screening of children early in life.

Indeed, in this budget there was a complete lack of any attention to this, as has been the case under NDP and Conservative governments for many years. It is time that we start screening children for blood lead levels so that we can pay attention to where the lead is coming from and we can then proceed with abatement programs effectively.

It's time we act here in Manitoba. I call on the government to act on lead screening of children in our province. Let us help and protect our children

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Comparison between Manitoba and South Dakota shows dramatic impact of Physical Distancing

Manitoba implemented physical distancing measures in mid-March. South Dakota has still not made physical distancing mandatory. The result is a dramatic difference in the incidence of covid-19 viral infections between the two jurisdictions. This graph shows the number of people with Covid-19 infections from March 27 to April 14. Manitoba ( red line ) started leveling off about April 4 and has seen only a small increase in Covid-19 infections since then. South Dakota ( blue line ) has seen a dramatic increase in Covid-19 infections since April 4. Those who are skeptical of the impact of physical distancing in Manitoba should look at this graph! Data are from the Johns Hopkins daily tabulations

Pushing for safe consumption sites and safe supply to reduce overdose deaths

On Monday June 20th, Thomas Linner of the Manitoba Health Coalition, Arlene Last-Kolb Regional Director of Moms Stop the Harm and Winnipeg City Councillor Sherri Rollins were at the Manitoba Legislature to advocate for better measures to reduce deaths from drug overdoses, most particularly for safe consumption sites and for a safe supply, measures which can reduce overdose deaths.

There is an imperative to have a provincial plan to ensure every child learns to read

Too many Manitoba children with learning disabilities like dyslexia are not being identified and helped early on starting in Kindergarten and grades 1 and 2. The Supreme Court ruled in 2012 that it is the provinces responsibility to ensure that every child learns to read, and even when, in the case of a child with dyslexia intensive intervention is needed. In 12 years Manitoba has failed to produce a provincial plan to address this issue. We are holding a Forum (see below) on this subject. Please come out to the Forum. There is no cost. Everyone is welcome. To learn more about the need to do better helping children, youth and adults with a learning disability click on this link

The Gerrard Report

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