Hon. Bonnie Mitchelson (Minister of Family Services): Madam Speaker, may I have leave to make a nonpolitical statement?

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

Mrs. Mitchelson: I rise today to ask all members of the Legislature to congratulate the Winnipeg Sharks Triple A Peewee Champions who are 13 years of age. The Sharks won the city championships in the best of seven games. The final game went into sudden-death overtime, and both teams played extremely well throughout the playoffs.

I would like to just name the members of the team. Tom Boron, Stefan Colatruglio, Nicholas Enns, Cal Ladobruk, James Marquis, Kelsey Muggaberg, Cameron Ridley, Jared Schirmacher, Michael Wahl, Bryan Carpenter, Ian Darbell, Michael Hardy, Ryan Ledd, Michael Mendres, Darcy Nazar, Nicholas Sasaki, Ryan Starkell. The coaching staff were Kevin Benson, Scott Feasey, Mike Best, Geoff Girardin and the managers, Barb and Erin Lobb.

The team and coaches displayed great effort and determination and, most importantly, sportsmanship throughout the season and the playoffs. All parents and family and friends and those from River East constituency were extremely proud of the team, and I would just like to extend congratulations personally to them. Thank you.

Mr. Tim Sale (Crescentwood): May I have leave to offer a nonpolitical statement?

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

Mr. Sale: I thank honourable members. I would like to rise and pay tribute to the Kelvin Varsity Junior Boys Basketball Team that won the provincial tournament on the weekend. It was a wonderful game to watch in the middle of a storm. I think that those who know Kelvin--and I know there are members opposite who do--know what a United Nations community Kelvin School is. Indeed, many nations were represented on its team and among its skilled players. So it was also a proud moment from the perspective of Manitoba's great diversity of people to contribute to the many good things that are part of our life here.

I also want to say that the game was broadcast by the Tec Voc media program. They had their own commentators; they ran the cameras; they handled all the titling, and it was a very professionally handled broadcast. So I think there were two winners in this particular situation as well as all the competitors of course who are always winners. But Tec Voc's program showed the skills of young Manitobans of high school age in broadcasting a complex event that was a live broadcast. They did it with grace and with skill. Of course, the team that won also won with a great deal of grace and skill and accepted their winnings very well.

So I compliment Winnipeg No. 1 School Division for the program at Tec Voc and compliment the Kelvin Clippers Junior Boys Varsity Basketball Team for their good performance, Madam Speaker.

Hon. Mike Radcliffe (Minister of Consumer and Corporate Affairs): Madam Speaker, do I have leave for a nonpolitical statement?

Madam Speaker: Does the honourable Minister of Consumer and Corporate Affairs have leave for a nonpolitical statement? [agreed]

Mr. Radcliffe: I am pleased to rise today and tell my colleagues, and through this Chamber, the people of Manitoba, that Variety Telethon for children raised $757,544 this weekend on the telethon. I think this is sensational, Madam Speaker. I would like to congratulate all the participants and organizers of the telethon this weekend. I can tell my colleagues that I had the singular honour to represent all of us here, our Premier (Mr. Filmon) and all our colleagues, in the telethon. I brought them greetings and congratulations.

I had the occasion to walk from River Heights at the height of the storm to the Convention Centre, and I can tell you that I was only one of many, many participants and that Manitobans showed their true spirit on Sunday morning and afternoon. There were people who came by four-by-four, they came by skidoo, there was I think a woman in her '90s who walked from Colony court over to the Convention Centre, all to participate. Mr. Kubicek, who was the emcee, said that in any other town or any other province this event would have been cancelled but not so in Manitoba because of the spirit of Manitobans, and my hardiest congratulations.

Madam Speaker: Orders of the Day.

Hon. James McCrae (Minister of Environment): Actually, Madam Speaker, I was going to ask for leave to make a nonpolitical statement, a very brief one.

Madam Speaker: Oh, I am sorry. Does the honourable Minister of Environment have leave to make a nonpolitical statement? [agreed]

Mr. McCrae: Madam Speaker, reference has already been made today by the Minister of Finance (Mr. Stefanson) and by the honourable Minister of Consumer and Corporate Affairs (Mr. Radcliffe) to the spirit displayed by Manitobans from time to time and actually day in and day out, but it never shines brighter than during a time like we have experienced the last few days. I know that people who are recipients of home care, for example, have benefited because somebody provided their four-by-four and themselves to help get staff to and fro, or to deal with people and help people get to work at personal care homes, hospitals and all kinds of essential types of services like that. So hats off to Manitobans who always come through in times like this.

I have a personal reason for rising because I got stranded this weekend. Thanks to the Brousseau family--Robert, Tara, Royden, Scott, Bryce and Katie--I was able to be here to do my work as a member of the Legislative Assembly because they helped get me here, and I am very appreciative of that. What that family did for me was replicated thousands of times, I suggest, throughout Manitoba this past few days, and I just wanted to call attention to that magnificent spirit of the people of Manitoba.