Kerri Irvin-Ross

Minister of Housing and Community Development Minister responsible for Neighborhoods Alive! Minister responsible for Community Places Minister responsible for Co-operative Development

Biography

• MLA for Fort Garry  2003 – 2011
• Re-elected as MLA for Fort Richmond in 2011
• Co Chair, AllAboard Poverty Reduction Strategy and Missing and Murdered Women Strategy
• Vice Chair of Treasury Board
• Member of Healthy Child Committee of Cabinet and Aborginal Issues Committee of Cabinet
• Previously Minister of Healthy Living, and Minister responsible for Healthy Child Manitoba and Seniors

Raised in a small farming community in southern Saskatchewan, Kerri and her family moved to Winnipeg over 15 years ago. They established roots in Winnipeg and become a part of many community and school organizations. Kerri accepted a position at the Winnipeg Child Guidance Clinic and through her work as a school social worker she grew increasingly aware of the importance of providing positive opportunities in order to create and maintain healthy communities.

As a community builder Kerri has been recognized for her role in developing crime prevention initiatives and spearheading efforts to improve community recreation facilities. She regularly works with community clubs, parent councils, child care centres, schools, seniors groups such as the Fort Garry Seniors Resource Council and Pembina Active Living 55+ as well as other community initiatives. Kerri is also a strong supporter of groups such as the Fort Garry Historical Society and the Fort Garry Community Network. Her constituency office has become a meeting place for many such  groups.

During her three years as Minister of Healthy Living Kerri was responsible for introducing Healthy Child Legislation, implementing Age-Friendly Manitoba, establishing nutrition guidelines for schools, designing new suicide prevention initiatives, expanding the diabetes prevention programs in the North, introducing a new eating-disorders program, providing children with low-cost bike helmets, and building on our anti-smoking initiatives.

As Minister of Housing and Community Development, Kerri has prioritized a positive experience for tenants which has led to customer service training for staff, improved security services, and a bed bug remediation strategy for Manitoba Housing properties. She has worked to meet housing need in Manitoba through a variety of initiatives; which has resulted in hundreds of new units of affordable housing tailored to families, seniors, students and people with disabilities. A strong supporter of community economic development, she has championed the department’s partnership with Warm Up Winnipeg/BUILD and other community based employment training programs which has resulted in reduced energy and water costs for Manitoba Housing Properties, and job experience for hundreds of worker with barriers to employment. She believes in the power of Co-op Development for  Manitoba; and champions grassroots empowerment  and neighbourhood revitalization through the Neighbourhoods Alive! Program.

Kerri enjoys working with government departments, community groups, and citizens to support vibrant, healthy communities across Manitoba.