Mr. Peter Dyck (Pembina): Madam Speaker, do I have leave to make a nonpolitical statement?

Madam Speaker: Does the honourable member for Pembina have leave to make a nonpolitical statement? [agreed]

Mr. Dyck: Yesterday morning I, along with the Minister of Rural Development (Mr. Derkach), had the opportunity to participate in an Internet Opportunities Workshop held in Winkler. This event, organized by the Rural Advisory Committee, the Pembina Valley Development Corporation and Manitoba Rural Development, led participants through the exciting world of the information highway.

The focus of the workshop was to show community members what a unique tool the Internet can be for the community. It also introduced participants to community round tables, the community access program and community Enterprise Development Centres on how the Internet can benefit these programs.

I want to thank all those community members who participated. I especially want to acknowledge the assistance of students from the Garden Valley Collegiate who served as experienced surfers and guided the small groups through the world of the Internet using a live computer connection.

Without the support of sponsors such as Power Corp and MTS, this event would never have been the success it was. Their commitment to the betterment of rural Manitoba is admirable.

I am confident that all participants found the workshop relevant and one more additional tool in discovering the potential that lies within each of us. Thank you very much.

Mr. Tim Sale (Crescentwood): Madam Speaker, do I have leave to make a nonpolitical statement?

Madam Speaker: Does the honourable member for Crescentwood have leave to make a nonpolitical statement? [agreed]

Mr. Sale: Madam Speaker, I want to rise and pay tribute to an organization which has done a great deal of work over the last eight to 10 years to bring Manitobans' awareness of the severity and spread of Lyme disease in this province to public awareness. I have, with your permission, distributed a fact sheet which this group put together in consultation with Dr. Guilfoyle in the public health area. They have pointed out that we now have a certified case of Lyme disease on a tick found on an animal in Winnipeg which was an animal that had not been outside of our city. So there is no question that the disease is present.

I hope all honourable members will take the opportunity through various means to let their constituents know that this is a very serious but very curable disease. If it is caught in its early stages, it is relatively easily cured with a course of antibiotics. If it is left to become a disease that becomes systemic, it is extremely hard to cure, but more importantly, it affects central nervous system organs and the heart and liver and can have very, very serious debilitating effects.

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I want to pay particular tribute to Elizabeth Wood, who is a victim of Lyme disease, and while I am not attributing any blame here, the medical community in Manitoba was not up to speed on this disease because it was rare. She was not diagnosed. She passed the disease on to her unborn child. Her child then was born with Lyme disease, and the family has gone through an extremely difficult time in coping with this disease. They have also gone through a difficult time with the Lyme support group in getting agreement on the part of the medical community in Manitoba and the members of the public health field in Manitoba that this disease should be taken seriously and preventive measures should be taken. I am glad that the minister, I suppose through his Director of Public Health, Dr. Guilfoyle, has now made this a reportable disease. I commend him for that, but I am sorry that it took so long to persuade the department that this was a serious disease.

I would like to ask, Madam Speaker, if members opposite would consider, and I particularly ask the Minister responsible for Manitoba Hydro, Mr. Newman from Riel, if he would consider putting this information in the Hydrogram mailing so that all Manitobans could receive this information before the tick season begins this year. It will save families a lot of grief. It will save the Department of Health a great deal of expenditure because it is a very cheap disease to cure at its early stage and a devastatingly costly disease to cure when it becomes systemic. So I ask the Minister responsible for Manitoba Hydro to consider that request, and I hope he will agree to put this information in the Hydrogram.