Urban Green Team Initiative

Mr. Gerry McAlpine (Sturgeon Creek): Madam Speaker, as many of the members of this House are aware, our government has renewed our commitment to the youth of this province by continuing the successful Urban Green Team initiative. More than 650 Winnipeg youth will have job opportunities this summer through the $1.58-million program. In the last two years, over a thousand young Winnipeg residents have found summer work with the Urban Green Team, and these young people, in partnership with the community groups, have provided lasting benefits to the city of Winnipeg.

Although the Urban Green Team is an excellent way for the youth of Winnipeg to earn a summer wage, it also means much more than this. I in Sturgeon Creek have had the privilege of the many accolades that have been given to these members on the projects that have been carried out over the last number of years by the Green Team participants. Working with the Urban Green Team projects allows youth to obtain valuable experience and skills, and it is an excellent opportunity for them to learn first-hand, sometimes for the first time, abilities which a youth will retain for a lifetime. The Urban Green Team program also encourages nonprofit community groups to initiate projects focused on improving the environment. The projects in the past, for example, have promoted environmental awareness, improvement for conservation, park and riverbank cleanup, improvement of the public facilities, trail enhancement, recycling and conservation education.

We are anticipating that the work experience opportunities available this summer will be as interesting and diverse as in the previous years. Madam Speaker, the youth employed on an Urban Green Team project are university, community college and high school students, and I look forward to that again this year.

Parkland Regional Health Board

Mr. Stan Struthers (Dauphin): Madam Speaker, those of us on this side of the House have been trying to get from the government some information on how the health cuts will affect hospitals and health care in rural Manitoba. This is something I think all members are very concerned with, and I want to rise today in the House to try to make some suggestions that the government might be willing to take us up on, that would alleviate a lot of the mistrust that is developing in rural Manitoba in terms of health care.

I want to speak specifically in terms of the Parkland and the regional board in the make- up in the Parkland and specifically the lack of representation from the Grandview area and from the Winnipegosis area.

Madam Speaker, the Minister of Health (Mr. McCrae) has appointed 12 people in our Parkland region. He has the option to appoint two more, and the board has the option of appointing one more, for a total of 15. Now the minister has the power to appoint two people. Grandview and Winnipegosis in the Parkland are the only two communities with health care facilities that have been ignored so far in these appointments. These two communities do not have representation on the Parkland Regional Health Board.

My suggestion to the Health minister is that, with his power, he appoint somebody from Grandview to sit on this Parkland Health Board and he use his other appointment and appoint somebody from the town of Winnipegosis to sit on this Parkland Regional Health Board. It is in his power to do this. He can do this, and I believe he should do this.

One of the things the government has complained of is the rumours that get started in rural Manitoba and all the fear that is brought up. This government can take this positive step to relieve the fear and relieve the mistrust that is developing out there, and I would encourage the minister to appoint somebody from Grandview and somebody from Winnipegosis for the Parkland Regional Health Board.

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Home Care Services

Mr. Kevin Lamoureux (Inkster): Madam Speaker, I want to take this opportunity to appeal to the government with respect to the home care service deliveries and the way in which the government is moving in the province of Manitoba, with the focus being on privatization.

Madam Speaker, what we wanted to point out from a Liberal Party’s perspective is that the government, as it has not as of today, from what I understand, set out the tendering for the privatization--what they should be doing if they feel that is absolutely essential to move ahead in this area is allow for some form of preferential treatment for nonprofit organizations. I am thinking in particular of the Victorian Order of Nurses. I think, as history has very clearly demonstrated, that nonprofit organizations have a completely different focus and prioritization, if you like, their primary concern, of course, being that of the community and the clients, whereas in the private industry the primary focus will be one of profit.

So, if in fact they deem that they cannot change their current course, we would appeal to the government in terms of giving special consideration to nonprofit organizations, and that should be stated in the criteria that is put out when they issue the tendering for privatization.

Thank you, Madam Speaker.

Manitoba Telephone System

Mr. Gregory Dewar (Selkirk): Madam Speaker, the Manitoba Telephone System is a billion-dollar asset owned by the people of Manitoba. The company employs over 3,000 Manitobans in rural and urban communities, and that is a thousand individuals less than what it was when this government took office. The $100 million in profits that MTS has made over the past five years are reinvested into our province. They do not leave. They do not go to Toronto or New York. The money stays here. Of course, it is unfortunate, but the government opposes this, and they want rates to go higher in order to increase profits for private firms.

Madam Speaker, the Minister responsible for Telephones claims that universal phone service and jobs are not in jeopardy from privatization, but, when you look at the evidence from other provinces, you find that he is wrong. In Alberta, under a private system, local phone rates have increased by $6 a month so far this year. In British Columbia, the privately owned telephone system is considering charging people for local calls. In eastern provinces, Bell Canada, for example, which is the largest--

Some Honourable Members: Oh, oh.

Madam Speaker: Order, please. I wonder if I might ask all honourable members who are carrying on little private meetings if they would do so either in the loge or outside the Chamber. This is Members’ Statements, and all members should indeed have the respect they deserve in responding to the Members’ Statement portion of Routine Proceedings.

The honourable member for Selkirk, to complete his statement.

Mr. Dewar: Thank you, Madam Speaker. Bell Canada, the biggest private telephone company in Canada, is recording record profits, up 40 percent from 1995, and will be reducing its workforce by over 10,000. The worst admission on the part of the government is its failure to consult with the owners of MTS, which is the public of this province. It was only because we were able to leak information about the fact that this government hired a brokerage firm that the public was even notified that the government is considering the sell-off of this much-needed corporation. The decision to privatize MTS is bad economics, and what I am really concerned about is the government opposite who cares so little about jobs that will be lost in rural and northern and urban communities of this province as a result of the privatization of MTS. Thank you.