Oscar Vong - a tribute

Oscar Vong, a young man with incredible potential, was 20 years old when he was killed when hit by a taxi crossing Notre Dame Avenue at Tecumseh Street.

Last night the Burton Cummings Community Centre was full of people who remember Oscar and who came to pay tribute to him.

Front and centre were his teachers and his fellow students. Particularly noteworthy were the many students from the International Baccalaureat Program at Kelvin High School.
Oscar was in the program and he and the other students in the program were like a family of friends. The students came to pay tribute to Oscar and to be present when the new computer lab was dedicated to Oscar.

In the top photo, Oscar is shown in a photo taken at his high school graduation. In the bottom photo, Oscar's mother, Sounantha Vong, is with Mike Pagtakhan and myself at the event last night.

Support builds for Good Samaritan Legislation in Manitoba

Yesterday, I was visited by Sheila McIntosh, Jackie Zalnasky and Debbie Brown from the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Manitoba (see photo above). They came to see me about the Good Samaritan legislation which we have introduced.

They are supporters of the legislation. They see that it is needed to encourage Manitobans to provide assistance in an emergency situation, to increase the survival rate of Manitobans and to improve the outcomes in emergencies. At the present time there is no legislation in the province of Manitoba which explicitly or implicitly addresses liability for persons voluntarily lending aid in good faith in emergencies including First Aid, Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation and Automated External Defibrillation (AED).

Indeed it is the understanding of the importance of defibrillation as a key link in the Chain of Survival when a person has a sudden cardiac arrest and the development of automated external defibrillation devices that now makes having Good Samaritan legislation all the more important.

It is expected that AED will be used more and more, and the Good Samaritan Act protection is needed for volunteers who use these devices in times of sudden cardiac arrest.

The Manitoba Automated External Defibrillation Guideline Committee consisting of representatives from Manitoba Health Emergency Workplace Safety and Health, Canadian Red Cross, St. John Ambulance, Life Saving Society, Canadian Ski Patrol and private CPR, AED and First Aid training agencies supports Good Samaritan legislation for Manitoba.

The Graffiti Gallery - Railway Graffiti

Last night Naomi and I were at the Graffiti Art Gallery opening showing photographs of graffiti on railway cars and other rail sites. It is an interesting exhibition. Stephen Wilson highlighted their desire to display the photographs of the graffiti art while emphasizing at the same time their efforts to move graffiti artists from using rail cars to painting murals to improve the beauty of our surroundings.

In the photos, Erin Nuttall, with the Graffiti Art Gallery shows Naomi and me around the photographic display.

The Graffiti Art Gallery is located at 109 Higgins Avenue. Call ahead to 667-9960 to check when they are open.

Congratulations to Dexter Harvey and other award recipients

This Wednesday, at the Annual General Meeting of the Alliance for the Prevention of Chronic Disease, a number of awards were presented. These included:

To Dexter Harvey - The Award of Distinction for his efforts in bringing together several disparate and competing organizations to participate in the Alliance for Prevention of Chronic Disease. Dexter was a founding father of the Alliance and was critical to its development over the last ten years. To learn more about the Alliance visit their web page at http://www.apcd.mb.ca/

To Don MacDonald - An award in appreciation of his contributions to the Alliance as its honorary solicitor and Council Member.

To the Manitoba Tobacco Reduction Alliance - An Award of Recognition for their achievement in advancing tobacco control.

To Judy McKinnon - Award of Recognition for her work as the Interlake Regional Health Authority Health Promotion Coordinator for her contributions to chronic disease prevention in the Interlake region.

To The Physical Activity Coalition of Manitoba - An Award of Recognition for their achivements in promoting physical activity and in particular their efforts in partnering with the CBC on the marketing campaign "Get Moving Manitoba" www.cbc.ca/manitoba/features/getmoving

To the Interlake Regional Health Authority - an Award for their contributions to chronic disease prevention.

To Manitoba Health/Healthy Living - An Award of Recognition for efforts in chronic disease prevention and the Chronic Disease Prevention Initiative.

Reg Alcock - a tribute

Reg Alcock's defeat on Monday in the federal riding of Winnipeg South was a great loss.

The tragedy is that Reg worked very hard to help others in the recent election campaign, and in the process, he lost in his own constituency.

Reg Alcock has done a great deal for Manitobans and for Canada.

As the senior cabinet minister in Manitoba, Reg helped ensure funding for the Canadian Museum for Human Rights, for Lake Winnipeg, for the Floodway, and for the national public health agency in Winnipeg.

Reg was also instrumental in an agreement to provide improved child care in Manitoba as part of a national child care program and he was there to provide support for improved infrastructure funding in Manitoba through sharing of federal gas tax revenues. He also ensured the Canadian Wheat Board was kept strong.

As Minister of the Treasury Board and with his understanding of management and technology issues, Reg Alcock was able to play a leading role in the transformation of the federal government to being more open and accountable.

And these are just the major projects. In countless ways and for many individuals, Reg Alcock went out of his way to help with immigration, emplyment insurance and many other issues.

Reg, we will miss you in your role as Member of Parliament in Winnipeg South. I am sure you will continue to make a contribution, and I hope, one day, you will be back in the political arena.

What is at stake when you cast your ballot?

As you go to vote tomorrow in the federal election, think about what is at stake.

The development of a national child care plan has been moving forward. If there is a Conservative government after the vote, this will likely end the possibility of a national child care program for some time.

The Canadian Wheat Board is very important to Manitoba - to farmers who get better returns, to the Port of Churchill which depends on marketing by the Canadian Wheat Board for its existence, and to Winnipeg where the Canadian Wheat Board is a vital part of the existing centre of grain industries in Canada and for developing a Centre of Excellence in grains and cereals. Stephen Harper has made it clear that if there is a Conservative government after the vote, mandatory participation in the farmer-run Canadian Wheat Board will be gone. This has big implications for Manitoba.

Also, the federal Liberal plan to provide major assistance to students for financing their post-secondary education is an important step forward. This opportunity to help students with their post-secondary education will likely be lost with a Conservative government.

Taking Canada out of the Kyoto Agreement on Climate Change may be good for Alberta's oil industry, but it may well slow or even stop the development of an East-West power grid which would be important for the marketing of Manitoba's hydro-electric power. It may also significantly slow Canada's efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Tanya Parks - successful business woman

Tanya Parks was one of the original small business tenants at the Forks Market. She is still there with Walt Nilssen, operating Desert Caravans. Tanya knows what it takes to operate a small business in a competitive market. As an entrepreneur, she is part of the backbone of the Manitoba economy. As an entrepreneur, she knows how to look after money carefully. This is the knowledge of solid business management that she takes into her campaign in Elmwood-Transcona where she is the federal Liberal candidate.

A native of Winnipeg, Tanya has been an active volunteer in various charities, and she has been a strong advocate for Women’s and Human Rights issues. She has worked to create opportunity for minority women for much of her life. Tanya believes that small business is a key to a sustainable and healthy economy, locally and globally.

The photo above, taken last fall, shows Tanya with Senator Mac Harb when he was in Winnipeg talking about his efforts to improve democracy.

Bruce Benson - going 500 km to vote

Liberal candidate Bruce Benson has a message: it is important to vote. The future of our country is at stake. So in this election, Bruce is travelling 500 km by snowshoe to cast his vote.

Voters have various choices and Bruce is hoping voters in the riding of Selkirk-Interlake will look at his determination in snowshoeing 500 km, his knowledge of Lake Winnipeg and its fishery, and his concern for the people in the riding when making their choice.

I have known Bruce for many years. He is a talented fisherman who knows Lake Winnipeg well. He has spoken many times of his concern for the lake and the need to have better stewardship of Lake Winnipeg. He has travelled to North Dakota to protest the flowing of Devil's Lake water into Lake Winnipeg.

Bruce and his wife Linda have fished for many years and they have seen first hand the algal blooms of the last several years. They know measures must be taken to reduce the amount of phosphorous going into Lake Winnipeg.

The photos above were taken when I went fishing with Bruce last September. The top photo shows me with Bruce and Linda. The middle photo shows Linda fishing, and the bottom photo is of Bruce piloting the boat on Lake Winnipeg.

Wes Penner - Entrepreneur Extraordinaire

Hard-working and caring, Wes Penner is the federal Liberal candidate in Provencher. He is an innovative entrepreneur who has built companies and brought failed companies back to life. He is careful and frugal, and his efforts have been solid. I visited Wes in Steinbach last week to give him some support. He has quite a challenge and he knows it.

Wes is a family man and dedicated leader who cares about those who make up his community. The top photo shows Wes being interviewed by Bonnie Heinrichs in the Golden West Radio studio in Steinbach. The second photo shows Wes visiting the Association for Community Living Office in Steinbach and the third photo shows Wes and me at Chris Goertzen's coffee shop and store.