St. Vital Brainstorming Session

Mrs. Shirley Render (St. Vital): Madam Speaker, I am very pleased to report today that well over 220 residents from the riding of St. Vital came out to a brainstorming session that I sponsored last evening, April 17. Our topic was keeping our community safe. A panel composed of representatives from seniors, parents, students, the old St. Vital BIZ group, the community police and the Citizens for Crime Awareness told of some of their concerns. After the panel presentation, the audience enthusiastically participated in discussing possible solutions.

What made the evening so successful was the fact that all segments of the community were there--seniors, parents, young people, business people, representatives from community clubs, churches, schools, St. Vital and St. Boniface School Divisions, plus many resource people such as volunteers from the St. Vital Youth Justice Committee, Wyman Sangster from the Justice department.

Many in the audience, Madam Speaker, were unaware of CFCA, Citizens for Crime Awareness and the youth justice committee, so the evening gave them an opportunity to learn more about these organizations and also gave these organizations a chance to let people know that they needed more volunteers. I should tell you that the St. Vital Youth Justice Committee has a 95 percent success rate, the highest in Manitoba.

One of the highlights of the evening was the presence of young people and their very active participation in brainstorming. One of the strongest messages that came through from the residents was the need to strengthen the Young Offenders Act. However, perhaps the strongest message of the evening was the great community spirit that was shown by the huge turnout of residents to discuss crime prevention strategies that they could undertake themselves.

I want to thank St. George School for providing their gym, the panelists, and all the people who came out to support the evening, the concept of the evening, or who were unable to come out who phoned and gave their support for keeping our community safe. Thank you.

Healthy Flin Flon

Mr. Gerard Jennissen (Flin Flon): Madam Speaker, I would like to take this opportunity to draw the attention of all the honourable members in this Chamber to an organization of which I am most proud, Healthy Flin Flon. I am pleased to announce that Healthy Flin Flon has been awarded the health care forum’s prestigious international award for healthy communities and even as I speak, a small delegation of representatives for Healthy Flin Flon is in San Francisco to accept the award, and I believe it is today.

An Honourable Member: And you wish you were there with them.

* (1430)

Mr. Jennissen: And I wish I was there, right.

Healthy Flin Flon has for the past six years been instrumental in the promotion and implementation of the healthy communities movement, and its efforts are applauded not only within Manitoba and Canada but now throughout the world. Since its inception in 1990, Healthy Flin Flon, under the motto, community well-being hand in hand, has orchestrated action by more than 80 groups.

Healthy Flin Flon has established seven indicators of health and quality of life. These are cultural harmony, economic diversification, food security, environment, community participation, healthy individuals, and families and community. Two of the project’s key initiatives are: Project Smoke-halt, an education and smoke cessation program, mainly targeted at youth, and a race relations conference that explored cross-cultural issues related to area residents. Other project successes include establishing a centre for community-wide recycling; developing educational programs about family financial management; opening a food bank and community garden; the reinstitution of an outreach program for chemotherapy patients; and implementing a youth service program in community schools.

Madam Speaker, I invite all honourable members of the House to join with me in congratulating Healthy Flin Flon, and wishing Healthy Flin Flon best wishes in future endeavours.

Thank you, Madam Speaker.

Provencher School--90th Anniversary

Mr. Neil Gaudry (St. Boniface): Madame la présidente, grâce à la détermination et à la volonté des pionniers qui jadis se sont établis à Saint-Boniface afin de bâtir ce que nous appelons aujourd’hui le Manitoba, nous nous trouvons en 1996 une nouvelle fois au coeur de l’histoire à l’occasion du 90e anniversaire d’existence de l’école Provencher.

C’est dès 1818 que la chapelle du premier évêque de l’Ouest canadien, Monseigneur Provencher, servit de première école de la Rivière Rouge. En 1854, Monseigneur Taché invita les Frères des écoles chrétiennes à assumer la direction de cette école. En 1855, l’école Provencher voyait le jour et c’est en 1906 qu’un édifice scolaire fut construit sur l’avenue de la Cathédrale, lieu de la présente école. Malheureusement, un incendie détruisit l’école en 1923. En 1924, elle fut reconstruite sous l’image que nous voyons aujourd’hui au coin de l’avenue de la Cathédrale et de la rue Saint-Jean-Baptiste.

C’est de façon personnelle que j’ai pu au long des années reconnaître et apprécier les valeurs humaines et académiques qui sont enseignées dans cette institution scolaire. Non seulement mon épouse Léona et moi-même avons vécu la qualité de l’éducation que nos trois enfants Roger, René et Nicole ont reçu de la maternelle au grade 9 à cette école, mais j’ai eu le privilège de servir 10 ans sur le comité de parents. Et, Madame la présidente, je tiens à déclarer publiquement que mes dix années de service au sein du comité de parents de l’école Provencher furent pour moi dix années d’enrichissement qui me font dire dans la Chambre aujourd’hui et sans aucune hésitation que la société de demain est le reflet de l’éducation d’aujourd’hui.

Par conséquent, Madame la présidente, j’aimerais inviter tous les membres de cette auguste Assemblée à se joindre à moi en ayant une pensée spéciale la semaine prochaine à l’occasion des différentes activités qui célébreront les 90 ans de l’école Provencher.

Merci, Madame la présidente.

[Translation]

Madam Speaker, thanks to the determination and the will of the pioneers who in times past settled in St. Boniface in order to build what we today call Manitoba, we find ourselves in 1996 once again at the heart of history on the occasion of the 90th anniversary of the existence of Provencher School.

It was beginning in 1818 that the chapel of the first bishop of the Canadian west, Monseigneur Provencher, served as the first school for the Red River region. In 1854, Monseigneur Tache invited the Brothers of Christian Schools to assume the management of this school. In 1855 Provencher School was born, and in 1906 a school building was constructed on avenue de la Cathédrale where the present school is located. Unfortunately, a fire destroyed that school in 1923. In 1924 it was rebuilt in the image in which we see it today at the corner of avenue de la Cathédrale and St. Jean Baptiste.

It is on a personal basis that I have had the opportunity over the years to recognize and appreciate the human and academic values that are taught in this educational establishment. Not only did my spouse, Leona, and I witness the quality of the education that our three children, Roger, René and Nicole, received from kindergarten to Grade 9 at this school, but I also had the privilege of serving for 10 years on the parents’ committee. And, Madam Speaker, I would like to state publicly that my 10 years of service with the parents’ committee of Provencher School were for me 10 enriching years that lead me to state in the House today without any hesitation that the society of tomorrow is the reflection of the education of today. Consequently, Madam Speaker, I would like to invite all members of this august Assembly to join with me in having a special thought next week on the occasion of the various activities that will celebrate the 90th birthday of Provencher School.

Thank you, Madam Speaker.

Annual Rural Forum--Brandon

Mr. Frank Pitura (Morris): Beginning today and continuing through Friday and Saturday, Brandon’s Keystone Centre will be host to the fourth annual rural forum. It is expected that attendance could exceed 5,000 for this event, which will have over 300 exhibits. The purpose of the rural forum is to celebrate the success of rural Manitoba small business.

It has been so successful that attendance is expected to double that of last year. It has become rural Manitoba’s largest nonagricultural event. Changes to this year’s rural forum include a new emphasis on attracting families and the general public. This rural forum provides the opportunity for Manitobans to showcase the products and services that they are proud of and which have, by extension, benefited all Manitobans.

Accordingly, Madam Speaker, the Working for Value task force that I co-chaired will be sharing the results of our seven-week tour through rural Manitoba earlier this year. We received a lot of innovative suggestions and people were as eager to contribute as they are now to hear what the results are.

Rural Manitobans want to discover ways to add value to their businesses and this is the event of the year in terms of meeting that need. There will be a wide range of presentations as well as representatives from Manitoba’s eight rural regions who will be showcasing their communities’ products and services. Forum ’96 will also feature more than 400 students from around the province who are being sponsored by either Manitoba Junior Achievement or the Manitoba Chamber of Commerce Youth Business Institute. Some of the youth will also be involved in profiling the products that they have personally developed.

Our economy is benefiting from efforts such as these. I invite Madam Speaker as well as all members of the Manitoba Assembly to come and sample what rural Manitoba has to offer, and, by the way, there will also be 32 restaurant-and-food exhibits in case anyone needs that final nudge to decide in favour of coming. Thank you.

Transcona Collegiate--Sticks and Stones Conference

Ms. Marianne Cerilli (Radisson): I would like to make a member’s statement. I want to begin by congratulating the Transcona Collegiate on a conference they are having today. It is called the Sticks and Stones Conference, a youth conference speaking out against violence in our community, and it is sponsored by the Transcona Collegiate natural helpers program.

The conference is a result of staff and students in the school recognizing the number of young people in the school who are having difficulty achieving their learning goals and their academic studies because of the number of problems facing the school. I think that a number of these problems are a struggle for the school to cope with because of the cutbacks of the government in the areas of education, family services and community agencies.

They have recognized that these students need to have attention to these more personal problems so they can have their needs met so they can achieve success with their studies. The conference is a result of a survey that was done with the entire student body where they identified the following topics as concerns among the student body: gangs, depression and suicide, dating violence, substance abuse, family violence, harassment, racism, anger, and youth in the welfare system.

They are having speakers and presentations with resource people from the community to try and make the students aware of resources in the community and to try and assist students in coping with issues that are affecting them and in some ways limiting their ability to be successful.

I attended the session this morning on welfare and youth and also on substance abuse, and one of the students made the comment that people should not have to make a choice between violence and poverty and economic exploitation. I think that is an important statement to make for all members of the House to hear.

Thank you.

Committee Changes

Mr. Edward Helwer (Gimli): I move, seconded by the member for Sturgeon Creek (Mr. McAlpine), that the composition of the Standing Committee on Public Accounts be amended as follows: the member for Charleswood (Mr. Ernst) for the member for Pembina (Mr. Dyck); the member for Sturgeon Creek (Mr. McAlpine) for the member for St. Norbert (Mr. Laurendeau); the member for Riel (Mr. Newman) for the member for Emerson (Mr. Penner); and the member for Fort Garry (Mrs. Vodrey) for the member for Turtle Mountain (Mr. Tweed). [agreed]