Oak Hammock Marsh - and our knowledge of wetlands

While in the Interlake today I stopped in to visit Oak Hammock Marsh. It is an example of a wetland restored. On its shores are the headquarters of Ducks Unlimited Canada. The interpretive centre at this site is a valuable opportunity to learn more about marshes.

Did you know that 14% or 127 million hectares of Canada's surface area is in wetlands - and that this makes up 25% of the world's wetlands? Clearly we have an important national need to understand wetlands well.

In Manitoba this is particularly true. Much of southern Manitoba is prone to flooding. Did you know that areas with 15% of their surface area as wetlands can have flood peaks which are 60% lower than similar areas with no wetlands? In many hearings that I have attended during the last decade, people have spoken of the importance of a balance in activities to retain water in wetlands as well as in draining water to improve agricultural potential.

The duck tunnel shown in the third photo from the top is interesting in this perspective. Today, the success of ducks nesting on the ground is said to be 15-30% (in a note along one of the trails, it says less than 10%), while the success of ducks nesting in the tunnels like this one is said to be greater than 80%. Part of the reason for the low success of ducks nesting on the ground is because agricultural cultivation has reduced the available nesting cover around sloughs and other wetlands making it easier for predators like foxes to find the nests. The use of human built duck tunnels thus helps to compensate for other human activities which are less beneficial to ducks.

For more about Ducks Unlimited go to: http://www.ducks.ca/aboutduc/locations/index.html

The Wave - A tour of Artists Studios in the Interlake

Janet Cruse (shown above) is but one of many artists whose work and studios are featured this weekend in the WAVE - Artists Studio Tour. This tour covers the eastern Interlake and includes 31 stops which include artists in Stonewall, Winnipeg Beach and Gimli as well as various other locations almost as far north as Arborg.

Janet Cruse is a sculptor and she works primarily in Black Walnut and features horses. The rocking horse in the photo above is one of her recent carvings. There are many other artists ranging from painters to potters to weavers to photographers. One of the artists featured - Karen Rogers - was the subject of an earlier blog. See http://www.manitobaliberals.ca/2006/08/karen-rogers-and-her-kreations-made.html

I was in Teulon this afternoon to help with a Worker's Compensation issue. Afterwards, I visited two of the studios on the Wave tour including Janet Cruse. My wife Naomi was much more ambitious getting to almost all of the 31 sites.

Issues in Norway House and Cross Lake show that health care crisis is all over Manitoba under the Gary Doer NDP

This Friday, the Chiefs in Norway House and Cross Lake spoke out forcefully about the health care problems in their communities.

The hospital in Norway House, a community of about 6500 people, has not been able to operate adequately as a hospital for the last two years. Right now the community is down to one doctor when it should have six. At Cross Lake, shortages of nurses have created major problems with community members getting access to health care.

It is good that the two communities have decided to work together to address the health care crisis which has arisen under the provincial stewardship of Gary Doer and the NDP.

The number of communities with health care issues under the NDP speaks volumes about the poor management of health care under Gary Doer. I repeat what I said recently on this blog. It is time for Gary Doer to step down and let others get the job done.

See also http://www.manitobaliberals.ca/2006/08/hallway-medicine-right-on-gary-doers.html

Bike helmets and hospitalizations for head injuries in Manitoba

For more than a decade now, backwards-thinking NDP and Tory governments in Manitoba have refused to join the rest of Canada in bringing in legislation for the mandatory use of bike helmets in Manitoba. This despite the ever growing evidence that such helmets reduce head injuries when bicycling.

Take for instance the recent data from the Canadian Institute for Health Information which clearly shows Manitoba lagging the rest of Canada when it comes to reducing hospitalizations of cyclicsts for head injuries.

Since 1994, there has only been a very small reduction in the number of such hospitalizations in Manitoba (11%). Meanwhile the reduction of hospitalizations of cyclicsts due to head injuries has gone down significantly in Quebec (33%), British Columbia (41%), Saskatchewan (48%), Alberta (49%), Ontario (54%), and in the Atlantic Provinces (56%). The difference? Almost all other provinces require mandatory use of helmets when bicycling.

Not only have the many years of NDP-Tory dinosaur government made us a have-not province with the worst health care in the country, now we are bringing up the rear in reducing head injuries.

It is time to bring Manitoba into the 21st century and start making good policy based on sound evidence. The evidence clearly shows that mandatory use of bike helmets reduces head injuries, hospitalizations and health care costs.

The question is: what in the world are the policy dinosaurs in the NDP waiting for? An ice age?

A Canadian example of the year round closing of critical fish habitat

There are many examples around the world where critical fish habitat has been closed to fishing in order to provide a reservoir where fish can live without being targetted by fishers. In one sense this is similar to having protected wildlife refuges and parks which provide critical habitat for animals to live.

However, the much more common approach in Canada is to prevent fishing for certain periods or seasons of the year. It is time to look in more detail at the possibility of closing certain areas of lakes and rivers completely to fishing as a way of ensuring strong and sustainable fish stocks.

The year round closure of the Mercer Bay on Besnard Lake in northern Saskatchewan (see photo above), and the year-round closure of the Besnard Lake narrows to fishing is an example of this approach.

To the best of my knowledge the closures of these two sections of Besnard Lake was initiated by a Metis, John Hastings, who was a long time resident of the lake and who had long experience with the fishery on the lake. His efforts were supported by a number of others on the lake. The closures were initiated in about 1973. The road to Besnard Lake came in that year, and there were immediately major problems with individuals coming in along the road taking far more than their allowed catch from the Mercer Bay. It was apparent that if radical action was not taken, the fishery on the whole lake would be compromised. Thus, the Mercer Bay and the narrows were fully closed to fishing all year, and have remained so ever since. These closures have been well accepted and are generally regarded as having had a substantial positive impact to keep the fishery on Besnard Lake in reasonable shape.

I provide this example as a Canadian illustration of the sort of approach being taken in Laos by Roger and Pauline - see http://www.manitobaliberals.ca/2006/08/roger-mollot-and-pauline-gerrard.html

As you can see, although the approach seems to be working well on Besnard Lake, the sign in the photo is aging and needs to be replaced or repainted.

Roger Mollot and Pauline Gerrard - helping people in Laos to keep their fisheries sustainable

Naomi and I were overjoyed to have our daughter Pauline, her husband Roger and their daughter Grace with us in Canada for a month this summer. For a number of years now, they have been living in Laos and working with people there to help people in communities along the tributaries of the Mekong River find effective ways to keep their fisheries sustainable. Both Pauline and Roger are now fluent in the Loatian language and their role is to help people in the communities undertake effective stewardship of their own fisheries.

Fish forms an important part of the diet for people in Laos. It is said that about 65% of the protein eaten by people in Laos comes from fish. Most of the fish comes from the Mekong River and its tributaries. The Mekong is a huge tropical river, and their are many tributaries in Laos.

Their emphasis is helping people in communities to protect critical fish habitat - specifically the deep holes in the rivers where fish congregate during the dry season, and the wetlands, particularly those in the floodplains, where fish spawn and young fish grow.

The large flows in the rivers in the wet season create deep pools in the rivers - some up to 100 or more meters deep. When the dry season comes, these pools are reserves where the fish concentrate. Preventing overfishing in such pools is critical to ensuring good fish stocks and a sustainable fishery. In some communities, there is an inherited cultural understanding which has been very important in enabling the village to close the fishery along critical stretches of the nearby river - in one example a stretch of 2.5 kilometers of river. The evidence to date is showing this is having a dramatic effect to improve the fishery. This approach is consistent with emerging practices elsewhere which show that closing certain critical habitats to fishing can have a big positive impact (see also http://www.manitobaliberals.ca/2006/08/canadian-example-of-year-round-closing.html - for a Canadian example).

Another part of their activities is understanding critical habitat for spawning and for the young fish. Flooded wetlands appear to have a very important role. For example, the flooded wetlands have abundant nutrients to nurture young fish. The flooded vegetation (grasses, shrubs etc) also provides really good habitat for the young fish to be protected from larger predatory fish and so increases the survival of young fish.

The work that Roger and Pauline are doing in Laos has important implications for the protection of fisheries elsewhere in the world including in Canada. We know, for example, that there are lakes in Manitoba where the fisheries are not doing as well as they should be. Lake Winnipegosis is an example of a lake where the fishery is still not back to what it was before 1960.

Congratulations to Roger and Pauline on your efforts.

The top photo shows Roger and Pauline. The bottom photo shows Grace. For more information see: http://www.livingplanet.org/about_wwf/what_we_do/freshwater/news/successes/index.cfm?uNewsID=14219

Reflections on one year of blogging

This week marks the one year anniversary of my blog and it has certainly been a fascinating exercise in democracy. In my posts, I try to give readers a sense of what I do as Leader of the Manitoba Liberal Party and as the MLA for River Heights. I find that blogging really gives me a chance to connect with readers at a personal level and it also give me a chance to introduce to readers not only my immediate family but also my larger family – the Manitoba Liberal team. And I am excited that this team is growing stronger every day as we get closer to a provincial election.

Blogging also allows me to provide a clearer, unfiltered explanation for my views and actions. Given the fast and highly competitive nature of today’s media, it’s often hard for journalists and editors to work with much more than a quick soundbite or news clip. Here, however, I can provide Manitobans with much more detail, commentary – and even photos - on my Liberal team’s views.

Looking over website stats, it looks like the blog has been able to attract quite a lot of visits and not only from constituents in River Heights but also from people across the province. I am always getting feedback from people saying, yes, I got it right - or that no, I got it wrong. I find this dialogue extremely useful in sharing what is going on inside the Legislature and in discussing what I’m doing to fight for improvements in River Heights and for all Manitobans.

It's great to get that kind of quick feedback. In fact, when the Legislature is in session, I often arrive in the morning to find comments from Tory and NDP MLAs about what was or was not on my blog! I'm always surprised to see the blog referenced in so many different places across the blogosphere.

I have Ruslan Tracz, my former communications coordinator, to thank for persuading me to begin this blog. I was skeptical at first, since I was fairly sure it would take up a good chunk of my time to maintain and keep fresh. But Ruslan kept insisting that it was something I should do, and a year later now, I know that it was absolutely the right call. It might not be for every politician, but I can say that I definitely look forward to another year of blogging and continued dialogue with the people of Manitoba.

Stephane Dion understands the links between the environment and the economy

One of the most critical issues today is having a clear understanding of the important links between the environment and the economy.

With every passing day it is clearer that the commercial products which are going to have increased sales will be those which provide for better stewardship of the environment, and those which are produced using processes which provide for better care of the environment. This is not just because more and more people are concerned with the environment. It is also because increasingly governments (provincial, federal and indeed governments around the world) are making environmental stewardship a priority, and are using regulations to require environmentally better products and services. This trend will continue. The pressures from all sides to take better care of our planet will increase not decrease.

And not taking good care of the environment involves huge costs and liabilities. The cleanup costs associated with the Sherridon mine site in northern Manitoba, a contaminated site in Brandon, and the algal blooms on Lake Winnipeg are examples of this. We need to be good stewards so we do not pass these costs and liabilities on to future generations. We also need to be good stewards of the environment so we do not have the associated human health problems associated with poor environmental stewardship. Indeed, good environmental infrastructure (clean water and groundwater), are vital to a good economy. Tourists will not come to polluted waters.

Stephane Dion, one of the federal leadership candidates, came through Winnipeg in late June. He has spent time as the federal Minister of the Environment. He has discussed environmental issues with corporate leaders across Canada. He understands the links between the environment and the economy. He understands why it is so important to see the environment and the economy as partners, not as antagonists.

The African Canadian Culture Heritage Centre - Romeo D'Allaire comes to Winnipeg to support the centre

Romeo D'Allaire was in Winnipeg last night to support efforts to build an African Canadian Cultural Heritage Centre in Winnipeg. Senator D'Allaire was at his impassioned best - calling for a clear vision for Canada to take a leading role in helping to address crises like the one he experienced first hand when he was in Rwanda.

In the top photo, Senator D'Allaire thanks Dr. K.C. Asagawara, Master of Ceremonies and Vice-Chairman of the Committee to build the African Canadian Cultural Heritage Centre in Winnipeg for an African painting given to Senator D'Allaire by the committee. In the second photo, Romeo D'Allaire is with Mr. Akim Kambamba, Chairman of the Committee, and supporters of the centre. In the third photo, we were entertained with elegant Rwandan dancing. Bottom left photo - Romeo D'Allaire at the podium.

Melet Plastics, Ed Shinewald and worries about OlyWest

The Mission Statement says it all: Melet Plastics goal is to be the Great Canadian Plastics Company.

This morning I had a great visit with Ed Shinewald at Melet Plastics - a home-grown business success story. But he is very concerned for the future of his Manitoba company. Gary Doer and his government is dishing out some $27 million so the OlyWest consortium will build a hog processing plant right next door. Ed relies heavily on his stellar, highly-skilled employees to stay competitive in a tough global market. Ed is concerned that odour and conditions from a hog plant next door will reduce his ability to attract and keep a highly-talented work force.

He is troubled by the possibility that putting a hog plant next door will devalue his life's work at Melet Plastics. For decades, he has put his heart and soul into this successful company and he want to know why Gary Doer is planning to spend $27 million in tax dollars in a way that might seriously undermine what he has worked so hard to accomplish at Melet Plastics.

Mr. Shinewald considers the gentlemen at Hytek (one of the partners in the OlyWest consortium) to be honourable people. He has met with them. He has listened. He thinks they will try hard. But he remains totally opposed to locating the OlyWest Plant in the St. Boniface Industrial Park.

He is right. This industrial park was designed and meant for technical and manufacturing businesses like Melet Plastics - not for a massive hog factory. A hog plant like the one OlyWest is proposing should be located outside of Winnipeg, just like other hogs plants located outside of Brandon and outside of Neepawa. If the provincial government wants to spend tax dollars to help locate OlyWest in a specifically-designed, heavy industrial facility outside of Winnipeg, fine. But the days of putting massive hog plants like OlyWest in the middle of residental and commercial neighbourhoods is over.

Melet Plastics employs more than 100 people. It is an excellent company which markets wonderful plastic products - including canes for those who are visually impaired - worldwide. We need to encourage more companies like Melet Plastics. And, by the way, Melet Plastics was awarded the 2005 Canadian Manufacturers and Exporters Excellence Award.

Hallway medicine, right on Gary Doer's door step

We all remember Gary Doer's number one promise back in 1999 - he was going to end hallway medicine in Manitoba. But what do we find in today's Winnipeg Sun? This telling comment from a nurse at Concordia Hospital:

"we've always had hallway patients, but never like this... They were just all over."

For those that don't know, Concordia Hospital is located right in Gary Doer's own constituency, and in the last few days the hospital has been totally overwhelmed by emergency patients. The hospital is desperately short on staff and the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority has confirmed that there was no ER doctor on duty at Concordia during an eight-hour span on Saturday. The hospital had to haul in a family physician to cover the shift.

The realy sad thing is that this is not unusual - there has been a desperate shortage of ER physicians in Winnipeg hospitals all summer long. For a Premier that once promised to fix health care, this represents a complete and utter failure for his government.

Sure, the NDP spin doctors are spinning madly to make excuses and there are many who are starting to believe that ending hallway medicine was an impossible promise. Perhaps it was, but one thing is for sure: the NDP have had over six years to try to make a dent in the mess the Tories left us with.

So, the question I want to ask is: "Do you think we are better off in health care than six years ago?" The Conference Board of Canada says were not and I don't hear many Manitobans saying we are. Things have only gotten worse.

The bottom line is that Gary Doer and the NDP do not seem to have the skill or energy to deliver. They have failed miserably on their core promise. It is time for Gary Doer to move on and let others do the job.

The fumbling, bumbling, stumbling Gary Doer NDP

When it comes to roads and potholes, we all have observed that the Gary Doer NDP have presided over a province with more potholes and fewer good roads. In spite of being in government more than seven years, in spite of a 20/20 report on Manitoba's highways, Gary Doer has done a terrible job when it comes to fundamental attention to and management of highways and bridges in our province.

Below are a few of the posts I have made in the last three months on the sad and sorry state of Manitoba's roads under the NDP.

Northern Roads
http://www.manitobaliberals.ca/2006/08/easterville-and-moose-lake-examples-of.html

Southern Roads and Bridges
http://www.manitobaliberals.ca/2006/07/more-rural-infrastructure-repairs-on.html

http://www.manitobaliberals.ca/2006/07/is-this-disaster-ndp-cant-tell.html

http://www.manitobaliberals.ca/2006/07/ndp-missing-in-action-as-farm-roads.html

http://www.manitobaliberals.ca/2006/07/more-problems-with-ndp-when-it-comes.html

http://www.manitobaliberals.ca/2006/07/when-it-comes-to-roads-ndp.html

http://www.manitobaliberals.ca/2006/07/manitobas-roads-are-in-sorry-shape.html

Child and Family Services - the Interim Report of the External Child Welfare Review Committee

I have been very critical of the lack of substance and the lack of any recommendations in the Interim Report of the External Child Welfare Review Committee, and I have been asked by an number of people where they can get a copy of that report.

Unfortunately, the report has not been made easily available on the External Child Welfare Review Committees website - largely because so far I have yet been able to find such a website!

Therefore, for everyone's benefit, I am reproducing the report in its entirity below so anyone who is interested can see it.

The report is dated June 30, but it was delivered to Family Services Minister Christine Melnick on July 5, 2006. It was only made publicly available following a formal request by my office under access to information rules. This in spite of the fact that the Minisiter had promised earlier that she would make it public herself.

Given how serious this matter is - after all, we are talking about a review of Manitoba's child welfare system following the homicide deaths of many children involved with CFS - I would have expected fast action with interim findings and some clear recommendations. Sadly, this is completely lacking. For comparison, you can compare this to our own Liberal Caucus report at http://www.manitobaliberals.ca/2006/07/child-and-family-services-system-in.html

THE EXTERNAL CHILD WELFARE REVIEW COMMITTEE

Interim Report - June 30, 2006

INTRODUCTION

The Child Welfare Review Committee was struck after the review was announced by the Minister of Family Services and Housing on March 20, 2006. The news release stated:

"An external review will be conducted that will be led by the ombudsman, children's advocate and an Ontario family services director. The review will examine the following areas and provide recommendations for improvements in:

• Standards, processes and protocols surrounding the opening and closing of the cases of children in the care of child and family services;
• Standards, processes and protocols governing the transfer of cases between child and family services authorities;
• Careloads managed by front-line social workers in the child and family services system; and
• Other concerns which may arise as identified by the co-chairs.

An interim report will be forwarded to the minister of family serivces and housing by June and a final report in September. "

PROCESS

The co-chairs outlined the process by which the review would be conducted and set out the details thereof in a letter to the Chief Executive Officers of the four Child and Family Service Authorities and the Director of the Child Protection Branch. The process outlined by the co-chairs will allow a review of the administrative context within which child welfare services are provided by the province. The letter described the phases of the review as follows:

"1. Best Practices Review

A best practices review will be undertaken to determine what the optimum standards in child welfare are, against which the existing standards and practices can be measured. This review ill commence at the end of April and will be completed late summer to allow time for comparison of datra gained through the other phases of the review. It will also review how to define a workload and provide a method of measurement of the volume of work required to be performed by front line social workers."

The intention of the co-chairs is to obtain information through the academic reviw about optimum child welfare practices, and in particular, culturally appropriate child welfare practices.

That information will be used to identify the gaps between the optimum and the standards that the system currently requries according to policies and proceedures in place for the system.

The information will also be used to identify the gaps between the optimum and the actual services provided to children and families generalized across the system.

"2. Administrative Accountability Review

An administrative accountability review will commence as soon as possible to determine the existing requirments of the child welfare system in Manitoba as set out in legislation, regulations, standards, protocols, and procedures in the Department of Family services and Housing, the Child Welfare Authorities and the Child Welfare Agencies. This will include the administrative requirements for opening and closing of cases, transfers of cases and workloads managed by front line workers. The review of transfers will include not only transfers between authorities, but from the department to the authorities."

The phase of the review analyzed a significant volume of materials that can be grouped into a number of categories:

LEGISLATIVE REQUIREMENTS

This sets out the legal framework for the delivery of child welfare services and established the authority structure in what is commonly known as the devolution process

POLICY REQUIREMENTS

This sets out the policies, procedures and standards that have been published and adopted by all those who are providing services in the child welfare system.

EXTERNAL REVIEWS

These are any reviews that have been conducted either as required by legislation, or as a public inquiry or external review requested by the minister.

INTERNAL REVIEWS:

These are reviews that have been conducted by the branch or authority to monitor compliance, to assess quality assurance or to focus on a particular time frame of issue.

The co-chairs and the team members also met with a variety of people to assist in gaining an understanding of the relationships and responsibilities of positions in the system to one another, and to the families and children to whom they are providing services. Information about the system and the decision making process within it has also been received.

"3. Site Reviews

Reviews of samples of files will be conducted in each of the agencies to determine the level of compliance with the administrative requirements. This phase will also include consulting with children, families, care providers and front line social workers to determine the impact of the system on them."

The focus of this phase of the review has shifted as the review has progressed and as information has been received. The team has developed themes for further inquiry based on other reviews that have been conducted and determined that interviews with staff at agencies will be a primary focus.

Starting on June 28, 2006, and continuing throughout the cummer the review team will be conducting site visits in each of the agencies to speak to the executive directors, supervisors, front line workers, families, care providers and children within the system.

Checking up on the cattle

While I was in Eddystone country last week, I spent some time checking up on the situation with cattle in Manitoba. It is now more than three years after the discovery of the first case of bovine sphongiform encephalitis in Canada, and a year after the opening of the border to animals under 30 months of age. Things are much improved in cattle country now, but there is still a major concern about markets for animals over 30 months of age. Increased slaughter capacity for these animals in Manitoba has been very slow in coming.

The animal in the top photo is lining up for vaccinations. Below I talk with David Johnson.

Elijah Harper

Elijah Harper was at the Legislature yesterday. He was there because the film Elijah is being filmed at the Legislature.

Elijah was a colleague when we were fellow Liberal Members of Parliament in Ottawa, and he came into my office and we had a good talk.

The 44th Anniversary of the Independence of Trinidad and Tobago at Deen's Restaurant

Saturday saw a gathering of people at Deen's Carribbean restaurant at 205 Marion to celebrate the 44th anniversary of the Independence of Trinidad and Tobago. In the top photo, Beth Mungal sits beside the anniversary cake. Below, there was planty of music and dancing as well as cake on the Calypso Gardens Patio.

Bruce - the mosasaur - at the Canadian Fossil Discovery Centre in Morden, Manitoba

While I was in Morden on Saturday, I stopped in to see Bruce - a 13 meter long mosasaur found in Canadian Fossil Discovery Centre - formerly the Morden and District Museum located in the basement of the Morden Recreation Centre.

Bruce, estimated to be about 80 million years old, was found in 1974 in the bentonite and shale escarpment west of Morden. Bruce is one of the largest mosasaurs ever found. Bruce now has a gallery - complete with background and music. Mosasaurs like Bruce were the predominant large marine predator living on seabirds and fish and possibly squid. Large fossil squids up to 19 meters in length have been found in southern Manitoba.

The top two photos show Bruce in the gallery. The bottom photo is an artists depiction of a mosasaur like Bruce fighting with a giant squid - as shown in the Canadian Fossil Discovery Centre in Morden.

Morden's Corn and Apple Festival

Morden Mayor John Wiens and his wife Sharon (top photo) were at the front of the parade at the Corn and Apple Festival in Morden this Saturday. A passionate and committed Mordenite, John was in a good mood this last weekend as some 70,000 people descended on Morden to have a good time.

Part of John Wien's success is that he is always ready to roll up his sleeves and help out. In the bottom photo, I am with Kim Bergen and John Wiens as we pause for a moment while serving free corn to the thousands of people attending the Festival.

It was a fun day, and the Clowns contributed (bottom photo). Congratulations to all the people in Morden and area who made this event such a success.

The Kenaston Underpass - Thank you Reg Alcock

There are many who contributed to the Kenaston Underpass, but one person deserves special mention for his persistence and for his push to make sure this happened. I know because I watched Reg Alcock fight tenaciously year after year for this - and then make it happen as soon as he became Treasury Board Minister in the federal government. Well done Reg - and thank you.

The Lions Dance at Dinner

Friday evening, the night before the Lion Dance competition, was a night to enjoy good food and entertainment in preparation for the main event.

The top two photos show members of the Canadian team entertaining the audience on drums and cymbals. The middle photo shows Terry MacLeod of CBC fame, leading the dragon dance.

Below Terry and company, Ray Simard looks anxiously at the Lion eyeing his food.

To the left, I sat with Ty Tran. Congratulations to Ty Tran and to Joe and Caroline Yuen and to the many other volunteers who made the Second Manitoba World International Lion Dance Festival such a success.

Dr. John Douglas (Jack) Armstrong - a caring mucker

Friday morning last week was the funeral service for Jack Armstrong. I got to know Jack as a fellow pediatrician, and a colleague at the Children's Hospital in Winnipeg. Jack was very concerned about children, and particularly with the needs of aboriginal children.

When I became a politician I met Jack often as he was a pediatrician who was very active in the community. I developed the greatest respect for him and for his comments and suggestions.

Jack's capacity for caring was enormous. Indeed, he was one of only two Canadians featured in the book Caring Physicians of the World produced by the World Medical Association.

A "mucker" who just tried to get things done, Jack served as President of the Manitoba and the Canadian Medical Association and in leadership roles in many, many other organizations.

I miss you Jack.

My condolences to Glenda, Jeanne and Carolyn and to other family members and friends.

In Your Dreams - Art Show - opens at Mennonite Heritage Gallery

This last Thursday was the opening of the In Your Dreams Art Show at the Mennonite Heritage Gallery in Winnipeg. This collection of art comes from thirty artists - Canadian, German and Australian artists. The art focuses on the dreams of the artists and their interpretations. As the art shows, dreams can be very imaginative - they can be happy and sometimes they can be nightmares.

Three of the Canadian artists with works in the show are from Manitoba - Shirley Brown, Michael Boss and Karen Cornelius. Karen Cornelius (shown in the photo above) was also the curator for the Canadian part of this show.

To learn more visit the web site http://inyourdreams.helensanderson.com.au/

Let's prevent accidents - an example from Corydon in River Heights of how we can do better

The photos above tell the story of the recent accident on Corydon Street in which a car came through a fence and a garage - and as you can imagine was a pretty big shock to those living in the house. No one wants to have a car come crashing through their yard causing destruction like this. But it would appear that this may well have been preventable - let me explain - and suggest some changes.

At the time of the accident, there was construction on Corydon so that the lane closest to the boulevard was closed in the block next to the site of the accident. The result was traffic was funnelled into the lane closest to the houses along Corydon (the curb lane).

At the same time, a black car was parked (bottom photo) adjacent to the house. This meant that traffic in the curb lane had to immediately move to the outside lane to avoid the parked car.

It would appear that the driver of the car involved in the accident was coming along Corydon in the inner lane, and all of a sudden saw the car immediately in front of him and realized it was parked and not moving. He swerved to avoid the car, and instead of going to the outside lane as he should have done, moved to right, taking down a sign post and going right through the fence (top photo shows the newly repaired fence - where the car went through).

The car then proceeded to go through the garage wall (second photo) and to crash into the vehicle in the garage and come to a stop (third photo).

If you look carefully at the bottom photo, which I believe was taken shortly after the car crashed through the fence, you will see the broken fragments of the fence.

It is time to stop parking on this block of Corydon Ave, particularly when the traffic is funnelled (as it was) to the inner lane because of the construction. It should be noted that the car in question may have been parked there for quite some time - I was told for a month (it was advertised for sale, and the owner may have parked it there so it would get attention). A black car like this one is difficult to see late at night, and it is dangerous to have such cars parked in this location. This does not in any way excuse the actions of the driver in causing the accident. I suggest it does mean that preventing cars parking in situations like this is possible and would, in this instance, likely have prevented this accident.

The story I repeat here is information I obtained on visiting the owner of the home and learning about the circumstances of the accident.

Return of the Lion Kings - the Second Manitoba World International Lion Dance Festival

Thursday, the Lions arrived at the Legislature - with a 16,000 firecracker salute. It was very colourful - and with the firecrackers - very noisy.

It was the introduction to the Second Manitoba World International Lion Dance Festival - with the competition to be held Saturday at the University of Manitoba.

The top photo shows the lions at the legislature. The second photo shows members of all the teams together with the Lieutenant Governor, John Harvard.

In the bottom photo, I am with members of the Canadian team - a team from Winnipeg.

Youth and the Northern Association of Community Councils Annual General Meeting

At the Northern Association of Community Councils Annual General Meeting this week, one of the focuses was on youth. While I was there we heard an excellent presentation of the results of efforts in Camperville on the shores of Lake Winnipegosis by Gail Welburn. Here, the active engagement of young people and access to support from varied sources is making a difference.

Walter Shmon at the Northern Association of Community Councils

Walter Shmon was at the Annual General Meeting of the Northern Association of Community Councils on Wednesday this week with his new book - Dick Madole - King of the North. The book is full of northern history including a good description of the early development of the Sherritt-Gordon mine at Sherridon near Kississing Lake. I have visited Sherridon and Kississing Lake a number of times over concerns about the toxic wastes at the mine tailings site.

For more information about the book see - http://members.shaw.ca/artbookbindery/dickmadolekingofthenorth.htm

For political history buffs, Walter Shmon was the Liberal candidate for Flin Flon constituency in the provincial election of 1977.

Guy Johnson of Eddystone and improving water management in Manitoba

Tuesday afternoon, I stopped in to visit with Guy Johnson. An admirer of the efforts which have occurred at improving water management in the Deerwood Project along South Tobacco Creek (see http://www.deerwood.mb.ca/stc01.html ) , Guy Johnson has done some work in his own farm to help retain water in the spring and to decrease flooding downstream.

In the photo above Guy Johnson is standing above a culvert below a low dam (which also serves as a road). The culvert can be closed to retain water in the spring on his field. The water can be then let out later on as needed. The low dam was very carefully constructed with the help of PFRA using stringent criteria to ensure it does not wash out.

Improved yields on the land which is used for hay land, rapidly covered the cost of the water management infrastructure. There is a big advantage in this approach because it offers an important alternative to just building bigger drains as a way to help decrease flooding.

Fort Dauphin and Peter Fidler

It is worthwhile visiting the Fort Dauphin Museum in Dauphin, Manitoba. I was there on Tuesday, and stopped to look at the early material on fur trader Peter Fidler.

Fidler arrived in Canada in 1788, and worked for the Hudson's Bay Company, learning how to survey and draw maps from Philip Turnor. His maps and journals represent an important contribution to our knowledge of the fur trade between 1788 and his death in 1822.

Peter Fidler took seeds with him wherever he went and planted gardens at the Hudson's Bay Company Forts. He has been called "Manitoba's Johnny Appleseed", and in recent times was inducted into the Manitoba Agricultural Hall of Fame for his contribution to growing vegetables in Manitoba, and his astute observations on the growth of crops in Manitoba in the early 1800s.

Fidler died at Fort Dauphin, located at the entry of the Valley River into Lake Dauphin. Today, the Fort Dauphin Museum is located in Dauphin, rather than at the original site. But the museum is a memorial to the original fort and a testament to the legacy of Peter Fidler and others who lived and worked there.

When he died he left a curious will, with certain provisions that did not come into effect until many, many years after his death. Visit the Fort Dauphin Museum to learn more about what was in the will.

Cleaning up a contaminated site in Brandon

Monday this week I was in Brandon. There was much discussion about the proposed use of a contaminated site for a new fire hall. I met with members of the Firefighter's Union to hear their concerns. For a number of reasons, they are strongly opposed to the use of this contaminated site for the new fire hall. I also talked to a variety of other people about this issue.

This site has been evaluated and found to have considerable heavy metal contamination as a result of its use by previous industries. There is considerable amounts of lead as a result of batteries and battery material disposed at the site. Dr. Pip's report also mentions concerns over levels of silver, aluminum, arsenic, zinc, molybdenum, bariu, cadmium, copper, iron, manganese, selenium, thallium and uranium.

Reports by Wardrop and by Dr. Eva Pip which review an earlier assessment have left concerns about certain aspects of the earlier studies, most notably the impact on groundwater and on the Assiniboine River, and about the overall cost to clean the site to the degree needed if the site were to be used for the firehall.

As noted in Monday's Brandon Sun, Deveryn Ross, a candidate for Mayor of Brandon has been calling on the province to formally call the site a "contaminated site", and oversee the cleanup - since the provincial Contaminated Sites and Remediation Act says municipalities are not responsible for cleaning up sites acquired through back taxes (as was the case for most of this site). Yet to date, the provincial NDP government has been absent from the discussion.

In a meeting which I attended as an observer, Brandon City Council voted to reverse its decision to use this site for a firehall, and instead decided to proceed with cleanup of the site.

There is a provincial responsibility to identify contaminated sites and to ensure a cleanup process is in place and carried out. To date the province has been not been adequately invovled. It is time the province get involved to ensure the site is properly cleaned up.