Mrs. Shirley Render (St. Vital): Mr. Deputy Speaker, do I have leave to make a nonpolitical statement?
Mr. Deputy Speaker: Does the honourable member for St. Vital have leave to make a nonpolitical statement? [agreed]
Mrs. Render: On March 20 in the course of a nonpolitical statement the member for Crescentwood (Mr. Sale) drew the attention of the House to the fact that a certified case of Lyme disease had been confirmed in a tick found outside of Winnipeg. At that time, he suggested that information about Lyme disease be included in a future issue of Manitoba Hydro's monthly Hydro Lines newsletter.
I am pleased to say that the May Hydro Lines newsletter, which will be mailed out with the Hydro bills, will contain an article about Lyme disease together with tips for people if they are going into tick-infested land. Through this article, many Manitobans will have useful, timely information about Lyme disease at their fingertips, just as the vacation and tourist season is approaching in our province. The Hydro Lines is a low-cost and effective way of sending vital information to Manitobans and increasing their awareness of a preventable illness.
(Mr. Gerry McAlpine, Acting Speaker, in the Chair)
At a time when all Manitobans are working very hard against the effects of our devastating flood, I would like to thank the member for Crescentwood (Mr. Sale) for his suggestion and also thank the public affairs department and other staff of Manitoba Hydro for inserting information in their newsletter. Thank you.
Mr. Oscar Lathlin (The Pas): Do I have leave for a nonpolitical statement?
The Acting Speaker (Mr. McAlpine): Does the honourable member for The Pas have leave for a nonpolitical statement? [agreed]
Mr. Lathlin: Mr. Acting Speaker, this afternoon I am very proud to rise in the Chamber to acknowledge the generosity and the kindness and the caring that people from northern Manitoba have shown for their brothers and sisters in southern Manitoba who are being ravaged by the flood waters this spring. In The Pas last week, the leaders of that community got together with their people, OCN, the Town of The Pas, and the rural municipality of Consol and launched a fundraising drive through the help of a local radio station, CJ-1240.
Mr. Acting Speaker, I am very pleased to report to the Chamber, to members of this Legislature, that at 1:30 this afternoon our mayor, Gary Hopper, our chief, Francis Flett and the reeve of the rural municipality of Consol were at the St. Vital centre presenting a cheque of $51,000 to the Red Cross people who are in charge of channelling the money that is raised from fundraising activities such as the one that was held in The Pas. I would like to acknowledge the work of those people, the kindness and generosity that they have shown to people from down south. The people from the North, of course, are no strangers to natural disasters, and they know what it feels like to be airlifted from a community into an arena in a strange place. They know the mental strain that people go through when they are being evacuated from their homes and familiar surroundings.
So, once again, I am very proud to do this here this afternoon, and I am proud that I am from OCN and the community of The Pas, and I am proud of what our people have done today, Mr. Acting Speaker. Thank you.
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