St. James-Assiniboia Kiwanis Club
Mr. Gerry McAlpine (Sturgeon Creek): Today is a special day for the Kiwanis Club of St. James-Assiniboia as they are celebrating 40 years of providing independent living accommodation for seniors in our community. I have the honour of attending this evening's ceremony and a barbecue on behalf of the Minister responsible for Seniors and Housing (Mr. Reimer). Tonight's celebration will feature entertainment by young people who have been sponsored and helped by the Kiwanis over the years.
Seniors today value their independence. They are very active members of their communities and harbour a strong desire to remain close to the family, friends and the social amenities that they have grown accustomed to. That is why residential development like the Kiwanis Courts and Lodge are so valuable. They provide affordable, quality living accommodation in a seniors-style community that provides an alternative lifestyle for older adults who have been used to living in their own homes.
For 40 years, the Kiwanis Club of St. James has been providing seniors with exceptional housing by providing seniors with cleaning, meals and social programs. They have been allowed to live comfortably while giving them independence and dignity, security with freedom, and community with privacy.
So, on behalf of all honourable members, I ask that you join myself and the honourable Minister of Seniors and Housing (Mr. Reimer) in congratulating the Kiwanis Club of St. James and wishing them continued success in the future, Madam Speaker. Thank you.
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Mr. Gary Kowalski (The Maples): I would like to rise and say a few words about an event I attended on Saturday night and that is the annual Winnipeg Police Service charity ball. This is an annual event, and once again it was a very successful event. A number of MLAs attended, representing their various parties. It once again raised a large number of funds for the Children's Hospital Foundation along with other charities. Of course, it is always a pleasure for me to go because to be recognized by your peers is always an honour and a pleasure, and I think members of this Chamber should be aware next year is the 75th anniversary of the Winnipeg Police charity ball. It is also the last one of the millennium. So I hope that a number of members will take advantage and attend the police charity ball next year so that they could have a sell-out crowd and raise more money to help children. Thank you.
Mr. Ben Sveinson (La Verendrye): Madam Speaker, it is a pleasure to rise in the House today to comment on yet another initiative the Filmon government has undertaken to benefit young Manitobans.
Our government believes in offering young Manitobans the opportunity to pursue their goals and careers. As part of their commitment I am proud to comment on the 1998 Partners with Youth program which was launched today. This program will assist employers in hiring over 250 young Manitobans. Madam Speaker, it is a program that will do more than help young people gain experience and find fulfilling employment; it will assist employers who are looking for quality workers in Manitoba's robust economy. The Partners with Youth program will also operate as the Young Entrepreneurs program which will help young Manitobans enter businesses for themselves.
I think all members of this House will agree that there is no better place in all of Canada to be an entrepreneur than in Manitoba. Today, as our province reaps the benefits of 10 years of solid fiscal management, we have an economy that fosters small- and medium-sized businesses and gives them confidence for a stable future.
Our government has invested $625,000 in this program. It is an investment in our young people, it is an investment in our future, and it is an investment that will pay dividends for years to come. This program is part of building a strong community and a strong future for our young people in a strong province. Indeed, Madam Speaker, Manitoba is the best place in the world to live, to work, to invest and to raise a family. Thank you.
Mr. Gerard Jennissen (Flin Flon): Madam Speaker, the bungled health care reform policies of the provincial government, which include the loss of valuable programs at Misericordia Hospital, along with numerous other cuts and reductions across Winnipeg, are also having severe effects in rural and northern Manitoba.
As early as June 1, the Flin Flon Hospital may lose emergency surgeries and other services at night. Baby deliveries and other cases are being affected as well. Now many more Flin Flon residents will have to travel to Winnipeg for services that should be provided locally. Of course the government will expect them to pay the special Filmon transportation tax of $50 that only applies to northerners.
For three years I have sat in this Chamber as two successive Health ministers have claimed that they have a plan. Just wait, and in a month or two everything will be publicly revealed. Never happens. Instead, what Manitobans see is a government and a series of Health ministers who after 10 years in office have no overall plan. Instead, they lurch from one crisis to another. The band-aid approach to delivering health care is simply not working. The minister tries to use the regional health authorities to divert attention from the basic issue of accountability. Northern Manitoba has taken far more than its share of the questionable health care cuts that this government has used to balance its budget.
Patients, their families and the general public are being forced to pay the costs. This government is unsympathetic and uncaring. We say to this government: start providing the health services your own press releases claim are there for all Manitobans.
Ms. Jean Friesen (Wolseley): I would like to draw attention of all members of the Legislature to the graduation powwow at the University of Manitoba held on May 9 of this year. This is an annual ceremony to recognize the aboriginal graduates of both the University of Manitoba and the University of Winnipeg. This year the event was held at the new gymnasium. Indeed it is the first public event to be held in that important facility. This was a time for hundreds of First Nations people, families and communities to gather to celebrate the achievement of these young people, and we congratulate them, too.
Madam Speaker, I have taught some of those graduates, and I know that, for many, theirs has been a long journey, and they are and should be justifiably proud of what they have accomplished. But, as we look back at the history of this period in Manitoba, it will be one of the tragedies for our province that both the federal government and the Filmon government withdrew their support of the Access programs.
Madam Speaker, Access programs began under the government of Mr. Schreyer, and they were one of the most innovative programs in Canada's post-secondary education system. They brought First Nations into universities and colleges, provided professional training in medicine, dentistry, social work, science and education. The Access programs gave Manitoba's First Nations opportunities in post-secondary education at a time when they were closed elsewhere in this country.
Madam Speaker, the Access program has received international acclaim, but the hope and promise that it represented for First Nations have been betrayed by this Filmon government.
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