NDP lethargic when it comes to re-writing the Insurance Act

A slothlike NDP government has taken five years to do a re-write of the Insurance Act.

Today, over lunch various Members of the Legislative Assembly, including myself, met with members of Advocis Winnipeg, The Financial Advisors Association of Canada. To help get their message across, they brough their heavyweight, President and CEO of Advocis Steve Howard CA, from Ottawa. During his talk he spoke about the five years it has taken since the NDP government started its effort to re-write the Insurance Act. The Act, written many years ago, badly needs updating. In fact, we were told that the terms are now so out of date that members must find ways to get around the old act if they are to operate effectively in Manitoba.

When I asked Steve Howard after his talk, why it had taken so long to re-write the Insurance Act, he did not know the answer - but suggested it may be held up by the responsible Minister - probably the Minister of Finance.

It has taken five years, and the revised Insurance Act has not even been presented to the Manitoba Legislature. Indeed, it seems that the government, on this act, may have been working at the fast pace of one word per week - so we have no idea yet when it will be presented to the Manitoba Legislature.

As Liberals, Kevin Lamoureux and I find it very frustrating to deal with the present NDP government. They take five years or more to get legislation to present to the Legislature, and then they want to ram the legislation through quickly. Well, Mr. Premier, we have news for you. It is the Manitoba Legislature which is responsible for carefully reviewing provincial legislation in our democratic society and we Liberals are going to do our job. It is about time you did your job - and got legislation presented to the Manitoba Legislature much more quickly so there is adequate time to review it. Indeed, we are ready to have much longer legislative sessions to get the work of the province done.

Olywest and the municipal vote in Winnipeg

It is worth a comment on the vote Wednesday as it reflects on the Olywest Hog Plant. Of all the comments I heard the best read of the situation was from Joe Bova talking on CBC.

Joe Bova emphasized two things. Joe said that the focus now turns to the provincial government. He emphasized that it was the Gary Doer and the provincial government which brought the Olywest Plant to the City of Winnipeg. He emphasized that up to this point the “provincial government has been hiding in the bushes and now it must come clean.” I will certainly be doing what I can to put pressure on Gary Doer.

Joe Bova also put his view clearly. He indicated that the St. Boniface Industrial Park is the wrong site for the Olywest Plant. I agree with Joe Bova. The Olywest Plant should be located outside the City of Winnipeg, just as the hog plants are located outside the cities of Brandon and Neepewa. I will continue to push for a location outside the City of Winnipeg for the Olywest Hog Plant.

Cardinal McCarrick and the Sol Kanee Lecture "The Dignity of the Human Person"

Wednesday afternoon, Cardinal Theodore McCarrick gave the Sol Kanee Lecture “The Dignity of the Human Person,” at the University of Manitoba.

Cardinal McCarrick gave several stories. One, describing severe atmospheric pollution in a coal mining area of Poland illustrated his point that people are never inopportune. A second describing the arrival of the boat people in Hong Kong and the government there built an internment camp in which people were forced to live on shelves in boxes. He used this point to emphasize the importance of the dignity of the human person and the fact that people should never been inconvenient. Using a story from Bosnia, the Cardinal made the point that people should never be invisible. And in a fourth story from Rwanda, he made the point that people should never be insignificant.

Cardinal McCarrick spoke of other religions as well as the Christian religion and he emphasized that every human being has dignity and that every human being is our brother or sister. He emphasized that the measure of an institution is whether it enhances or reduces the dignity of the human person. As well he said “Every person we meet is special and we must treat them in a special way.”

And in a strong statement he emphasized that violence never cures violence.

Dr. Michel Chretien and fighting infectious diseases around the world

At noon Wednesday, Dr. Michel Chretien spoke to the Canadian Club. Dr. Chretien is a reknowned Canadian scientist who has made many important scientific contributions.

He was in Winnipeg today to talk about his efforts internationally to develop anti-viral drugs which can be used to treat viral diseases. Sadly, in the last 25 years only 1% of commercial drugs were designed to treat tropical diseases. This is in spite of the continuing devastating impact of infectious diseases like HIV/AIDS, Hepatitis C, Dengue Fever and many others.

So, Dr. Chretien has been instrumental in starting two major international initiatives. The first of these is the International Consortium on Anti-Viruses (ICAV). This Consortion is modeled on the successful Canadian Networks of Centres of Excellence. At this point it already brings together 150 scientists in 15 different countries.

In addition to this effort, Dr. Chretien has started a program called Science Sans Frontiers. This effort, modeled after Medecins Sans Frontiers will bring scientists from around the world to work on scientific projects which can make a difference in the developing world. As Dr. Chretien pointed out, we can not end the viscous cycle of poverty in developing countries without being able to control infectious diseases which plague these countries.

Dr. Paul Uhlig and Improving Patient Safety

Wednesday morning at a provincial patient safety conference, Dr. Paul Uhlig spoke eloquently of the changes which are needed to achieve greater patient safety and to reduce medical errors.

He spoke of the importance of high performance teams to deliver health care. He spoke of the fundamental challenge to change the organizational structure of health care and the need to move away from a hierarchical system toward a system where front line collaborative teams play the most critical role.

Dr. Uhlig provided the details of his own efforts and his own experience as a cardiothoracic surgeon. He showed very clearly that the change from a traditional hierarchical system to a collaborative front line team system in his hospital in Concord Massachussetts was associated with a dramatic reduction in mortality from cardiovascular surgery.

Women's History Month at the Legislature - Women and the Trades

To celebrate Women's History Month at the Legislature, we heard two down-to-earth descriptions of their life in the trades from Heather Bishop and Maureen Pendergast. Heather, as well as her own involvement in carpentry and as an auto-mechanic, has helped start programs for women in the trades. Maureen is very involved, since 1999, in building affordable homes in downtown Winnipeg.

In the photo, I am with Linda Peters and her daughter Dana. Linda is the Volunteer Coordinator and Human Resource Manager for Habitat for Humanity in Winnipeg. She organizes groups of women to build homes as well as organizing groups of men and women together, and groups of students. If you would like more information about volunteering for Habitat for Humanity in Winnipeg, please call Linda Peters at 233-5160 extension 209 or send her an email at lpeters@habitat.mb.ca. The Habitat for Humanity Winnipeg web page is at www.habitat.mb.ca

The Manitoba Council on Aging Recognition Awards Ceremony

Monday this week recognition awards were given to the following for their work to make life better for seniors:
Individuals: Ness Beattie (Winnipeg), Peter Froese (Gimil), Melvin Jaster (Powerview-Pine Falls), Edna Jerome (Winnipeg), Bert Kinzierski (Arborg), Susanna June Menzies (Winnipeg) and Isabelle Wood (Shoal Lake).
Organizations: Charleswood Seniors Inc., Rupert's Land Caregivers Services, Sally Luke
As well the Murray Smith ward was given to Hill Byholt of Gimli.

In addition the following were cited for Honourable Mention:
Individuals: Doug Anrew (Rossburn), Diana Ateah (Victoria Beach), Randy Conway (Winnipeg), Jean Kujanpaa (Lawrence), Sigurgorg Lupky (Arborg), Muriel McPhail (Carberry), Gerald Morran (Grandview), Jake Neufeld (Altna), Dianne (Dee) Rickner (Grand Beach), June Price (Ashern), Bill Russell (Lac Du Bonnet), Barbara Smith (Pilot Mound) and Jane Stevenson (Morris).
Organizations: Carman Active Living Centre, Lee Mandock and Raili Macleod.

In the photo above I am with Sigurbjorg Lupky of Arborg, one of those who received the honourable mention. When we met, she immediately remembered the time I was in Arborg during or just after a major snowstorm. The roof in the Senior's Centre in Arborg was leaking so that a lot of snow was able to blow in - and pile up inside the centre - much of it was between the roof and the ceiling tiles. I helped shovel the snow out. I also called Bert Kinzierski (a recipient of this year's recognition award - but not present as he had a family matter to attend to in Alberta). Bert Kindzierski was the Mayor of Arborg at the time and he immediately realized the potential seriousness of the situation and helped make sure everyone was okay.

Why we need to learn from small watersheds like the Goudney Reservoir Watershed

The Goudney Reservoir just north of Pilot Mound had among the highest nitrogen and phosphorous concentrations of all municipal sites sampled in 1995. Studies in 1996 showed that the concentrations of these nutrients remained high throughout the entire growing season. Yet the fact is we do not know for sure where these nutrients are all coming from and what we need to do to reduce the amount of phosphorous and nitrogen in the reservoir. It is only with an in depth study of this reservoir and the waters flowing into this reservoir that we will find out the source of the phosphorous and nitrogen and be able to reduce it. When we know the reason for the high levels of nitrogen and phosphorous in the Goudney Reservoir we can use this information to help reduce nitrogen and phosphorous levels in other locations as well. By looking at several smaller watersheds we will learn what really makes a difference in the larger Lake Winnipeg watershed and be able to effectively lower phosphorous levels in Lake Winnipeg.

For more on Lake Winnipeg seethe following links :

http://www.manitobaliberals.ca/2006/10/why-we-need-better-stewardship-of-lake.html

http://www.manitobaliberals.ca/2006/10/lake-winnipeg-and-lake-winnipeg.html

Why we need better Stewardship of Lake Winnipeg

Almost everyone has heard of the huge increase in algal blooms on Lake Winnipeg during the last twenty years. Most people have heard about the problems with E. coli bacteria at various Lake Winnipeg beaches. But, this graph from the Lake Winnipeg Foundation's poster display at the recent conference on Lake Winnipeg (see also http://www.manitobaliberals.ca/2006/10/lake-winnipeg-and-lake-winnipeg.html ) shows very clearly how Lake Winnipeg compares to the other very large lakes of the world. Lake Winnipeg is very clearly the most eutrophic lake with the most chlorophyll-a of any lake in this category. None of the other big lakes even come close to Lake Winnipeg.

Scattered Christmas Seeds Craft Show - Glenlochar Kitchens

Located near Miniota in western Manitoba, Con and Sandra Armitage operate Glenlochar Farms which produces high quality beef and a variety of vegetable soup and casserole mixes. Today, Karilee Armitage was looking after the booth and providing helpful information on the products.
For more information visit the Glenlochar Farms web site at www.glenlochar.ca

Scattered Seeds - Christmas Craft Show and Sale - Maggie Pins

I was at the Scattered Seeds Craft Show this afternoon. There were an incredible variety of products on display. It would be impossible to highlight all of them, so I will do two blog notes - one on Maggie Pins - from Winnipeg. Margaret has a wide variety of fun, entertaining, decorative and otherwise useful pins which she produces by painting intriguing designs on ceramic pins. For more information email Maggie at maggiepins@hotmail.com

Some advice to aspiring municipal politicians - it is all about *how* you spend the money

This week, Liberal MLA for Inkster Kevin Lamoureux took a moment to show me a series of potholes on Toronto St. near Notre Dame Ave. demonstrating the important principle that it's not just how much you spend but how you spend it.

Earlier this year, Kevin was in the neighbourhood on some business when a work crew came by to fill in these potholes. For whatever reason, this crew did not clean out the potholes first - they simply dumped new asphalt into potholes containing grit, gravel and leaves inside.

A few weeks later, Kevin came by again and sure enough the potholes were back. The asphalt patch that was added was scattered all over and the road was back into disrepair.

It's an important lesson to all politicians - make sure the work you are paying for is of good quality. There's no point in spending tax dollars just slap down a patch. A wise politician checks on what is actually being done. A wise goverment is one that puts aside some resources to audit the workmanship of what it is buying for the public.

The Thirty-First Annual Fire Fighters Charity Banquet and Ball

Last night at the Annual Fire Fighters Charity Ball, a large number of people turned out to support the Firefighters Burn Fund. The Burn Fund is very important; I know because I worked at the Children's Hospital for many years and the burn fund was critical to ensure chidren who had burns received the very best care possible. I want to say a personal thanks to all who came to support this important cause.

Master of Ceremonies, Laurie Mustard kept everyone in good spirits with his entertaining interventions. Most appreciated (as well as the jokes) were the updates on the Blue Bomber football score - especially when Winnipeg was ahead and it was close to the end of the game. IN the top photo, the Ena Sutton dancers also provided welcome entertainment to the full room.

One might have guessed there was a Civic election coming up with all the councillors in attendance. Franco Magnifico, Gord Steeves, Justin Swandel and Russ Wyatt were all there - and working the room for votes. Even aspiring city councillor - Kelly DeGroot (running in the St. Charles ward) was present. In the bottom photo, Kelly (centre), and her husband Fred (who happens to be a fire fighter) chats with my wife Naomi.

Congratulations to United Fire Fighters of Winnipeg President Alex Forrest and all those who contributed to making this event such a success.

Elfreda Flintoft May 21,1932 to October 17,2006

I knew Elfreda Flintoft for her extraordinary efforts with the Children's Hospital Research Foundation (now the Children's Hospital Foundation) which started in 1969 and continued for 37 years. She served children and the Foundation (much with the St. Agnes Guild) in a large number of roles and her efforts in this respect were huge.

Elfreda contributed in many more ways to life in Winnipeg and she will be missed. The memorial service to honour Elfreda was held Friday afternoon this week. I extend my personal condolences to family and friends.

Heather Bishop and the Legal Education and Actin Fund

Friday morning at the annual breakfast of the Women's Legal Education and Action Fund, Heather Bishop wowed the audience with her passionate description of her 40 years of fighting for human rights. A gifted singer, songwriter and artist Heather gave a very moving personal account. Included in her account was her experience of how she became a carpenter (she was the only child of a second generation carpenter), how she learned how to smuggle draft dodgers across the border at the time of the Vietnam War. Her activism then and now was for things she feels deeply about. She has stood tall in the face of many difficulties. And as she put it - "tall trees catch the wildest winds."

In the photo, Heather is with Selina Sapong and Mary Lou Bourgeois after the breakfast.

Justin Trudeau - Youth and the Environment

I was fortunate to have the opportunity to attend two events on Thursday where Justin Trudeau was speaking. At the first he talked about young people, and the need to inspire and provide opportunities for young people to become engaged and to make a difference. Justin talked specifically about his experience with Katimavic ( see the Katimavic web site -
http://www.katimavik.org/section/index/id/1 )

Katimavic is Canada's youth volunteer service program. Young people have a change to voluneteer and to participate together with other youth from across Canada in volunteer activities helping in several Canadian communities - and expriencing and sharing in learning about our wonderful country. There are only about 950 spots each year - and yet there are many more (up to 12,000 a year) who want to participate. The effort needs to be better supported.

Justin talked particularly about the need to provide opportunities to youth who feel marginalized. This is essential if we are to give such young people opportunities and if we are to build a society where fewer young people feel so marginalized they engage in gang and criminal activities.

At the second event, a Liberal Party function, Justin talked about the environment. He emphasized that the environment is the most important issue for today - indeed he put it more strongly - it is the only issue. If we do not take care of the environment and consider the environment, our future is bleak. It is vital to our health and to our economy. For economic activities which are bad for the environment will not be around for long.

Trudeau is now working on his Master's Degree in Environmental Science - and getting ready to do work on his thesis. Thank you Justin for coming to Manitoba - and good luck with your thesis.
In the top photo, Justin Trudeau receives engraved paddles from Senator Rod Zimmer and Ken Wong as a token of thanks. In the bottom photo, Justin Trudeau with Georgina Sabesky: there is no doubt Justin is a charmer.

Adrian Measner and the future of the Canadian Wheat Board

Thursday at noon, at the Winnipeg Chamber of Commerce's membership luncheon, Adrian Measner, President and CEO of the Canadian Wheat Board (CWB) talked about the future of the CWB.

The Conservative Party is determined to make major changes to the CWB to remove the single desk marketing ability of the board. Though the precise nature of the changes being proposed are yet to be determined, enough is known to be concerned that the changes being made may have a major impact on the role of Winnipeg and Manitoba in the Canadian grain trade.

The Canadian Wheat Board is a farmer board which is run for and by farmers. Canadian farmers elect a majority of the members of the board of the Canadian Wheat Board and have been in control of the operations and activities of the Canadian Wheat Board for a number of years now. The result of farmer control has been a board which is more responsive to the needs of Canadian farmers.

As I travel around rural Manitoba, I have a sense that continuing efforts to change and improve the Canadian Wheat Board are needed, particularly to facilitate the development of food processing industries on the Canadian prairies. At the same time, it is very clear to me that most farmers see the Canadian Wheat Board and its single desk selling capabilities as working on their behalf and in their best interests. What is also very clear, is that farmers want a say in the future of the Canadian Wheat Board. The Canadian Wheat Board Act explicitly says major changes to the Canadian Wheat Board need to be voted on in a plebiscite ( a referendum or vote) by Canadian farmers. This is fundamental to the democratic process.

As Adrian Measner pointed out, the loss of the single desk selling ability of the Canadian Wheat Board could put at risk hundreds of jobs in Winnipeg. It could put at risk the future of the rail line to Churchill. It could put at risk many economic spin-offs to Winnipeg and Manitoba that result from the presence of the CWB.

It also puts at risk the many of the benefits for farmers of the CWB. It could mean that farmers will no longer have the CWB as a strong ally on their side if the CWB is weakened or dissolved. Any change needs to be considered carefully and needs to be subjected to a vote by farmers before it proceeds.

The Sharon Home and Aging in Place

Thursday morning this week, I attended the groundbreaking of the Bringing it all together project. This project will bring together the Kanee and Simkin Centres at one location at one Falcon Ridge Drive, the present location of the Saul and Claribel Simkin Centre.

Of particular interest is the design for this project. I had the chance to meet with Jacqueline Jasinski and Jeff Penner with Stantec Architecture who were involved in the design of the new facility. The design is based on the concept of aging in place. Living accomodations are designed so that individuals who live in the facility will be able to stay in one place as they get older no matter what the extent of their disability (with the exception of when they need acute hospital care) .

All rooms are designed so that they are fully accessible for wheelchairs, for lifting devices and for a variety of other supports that may be necessary as a person ages. Older people do better when they are in familiar surroundings. Older people do better when they do not have to move repeatedly and do not have to make continuing adjustments as a result. This is the reason behind the concept of aging in place and the design of this facility. I am looking forward to seeing the facility when it is fully completed.

Retired teachers rally at the Manitoba Legislature to call for a fair Cost of Living Adjustment to their Pensions

Hundreds of retired teachers turned out on Wednesday this week to rally to call for a fair Cost of Living Adjustment (COLA) to their Pensions.

In 1977, when the teachers Pension Adjustment Account was set up, there was an understanding with the provincial government of the day that retired teachers would be receiving a reasonable Cost of Living adjustment to their pensions. In the years since, cnsecutive Conservative and NDP governments have been negligent and unjust in handing the retired teachers COLA.

By 2006, Manitoba was at the very bottom of all the provinces in terms of the COLA for retired techers. This is a dismal showing for our province. The cumulative effect over time has meant that some retired teachers, particularly older women, are being forced to life in poverty and in very difficult circumstances.

There needs to be a long term solution to this problem, and their must be the political will to provide for the long term solution. If there is not an immediate long term solution, three must be an adequate interim solution provided until the long term solution can be put in place.

Manitoba Liberals are strong supporters of the retired teachers of Manitoba in their efforts to get a fair COLA. If we can achieve a Liberal provincial government in the next election, we will put a priority on solving this long standing injustice and make sure Manitoba's retired teachers are treated much better in the future.

Photos are from the rally. At top, I make a point in my speech to the retired teachers. At bottom, I join the retired teachers in their efforts to bring the COLA issue forward.

Lake Winnipeg and the Lake Winnipeg Foundation and the Canadian Water Resources Association

Better stewardship of Lake Winnipeg is clearly one of the most important issues of our day. For seven years under the NDP, the condition of Lake Winnipeg and the extent of the algal blooms has been worsening. We clearly need better approaches to stewardship than we have seen.

Wednesday and Thursday this week I attended sessions of the symposium entitled Managing Nutrients within the Lake Winnipeg Watershed. This symposium was organized by the Canadian Water Resources Association (http://www.cwra.org/). There were an impressive group of speakers who provided important and critical information on many facets of Lake Winnipeg.

Sadly, for the NDP government, several of the presentations represented an indictment of their policies. Clear and compelling evidence was presented that we need to focus on a strategy to reduce phosphorous going into Lake Winnipeg rather than on the NDP target to reduce both nitrogen and phosphorous going into the lake. By focusing on phosphorous, we can spend our dollars more efficiently and achieve greater effect from our efforts. We were also presented with evidence that the government's push to put buffer strips along streams, while it may be well meaning, is not very effective in reducing phosphorous going into the streams and rivers. It may achieve, at best, a 4% reduction in phosphorous. It was very clear, by the end of the symposium that much more effort is needed in research and in a better understanding of effective measures on smaller model watersheds within the Lake Winnipeg basin.

Prominent at the Symposium were Lyle Lockart and Robin Mather of the Lake Winnipeg Foundation (see http://www.lakewinnipegfoundation.org/). This Foundation has been working hard to push for much better stewardship of Lake Winnipeg than we have seen to date. Congratulations to the organizers of this important conference - the CWRA, to the Lake Winnipeg Foundation and to the researchers who have contributed to our improving knowledge of Lake Winnipeg and the sources of the phosphorous going into Lake Winnipeg.

In the photo above I am with Lyle Lockhart in front of the Lake Winnipeg Foundation poster at the conference.

W.C. Miller Collegiate in Altona

Tuesday afternoon, this week, I had the pleasure of talking to students at the W.C. Miller Collegiate in Altona.

The W.C. Miller Collegiate is named after Wallace C. Miller who was the Liberal-Progressive Minister of Education under Douglas Campbell from August 16, 1950 to June 30, 1958. It was during Miller's tenure that an important bill, the Public Schools Act, was brought forward and passed in 1956. This Act governed a variety of aspects of the administration of the public school system including the approach to bargaining between the Manitoba teachers and the School Boards. The Act was remarkably balanced. It stood for 40 years until 1996 when the provincial Conservatives brought in changes which shifted the balance towards the School Boards. Shortly after the election 1999, the NDP government changed the act again to shift the balance toward teachers. The Public Schools Act of 1956 was an example of Miller's ability to find the right balance - a balance in competing interests which allowed both sides to feel they were being fairly treated. It was an example of good governance, and an example of the sort of balance Liberals have brought to provincial politics.

It is of interest that Wallace Miller was initially elected as a Conservative in 1936. Over time, he rejected the Conservatives and became a Liberal-Progressive.

Thank you to Ted Klassen and the students at W.C. Miller Collegiate.

The Infrastructure Council of Manitoba's Mini-Forum

Monday afternoon this week, the Infrastructure Council of Manitoba held their mini-forum. Winnipeg Mayor Sam Katz spoke of his focus on improving infrastructure - and his efforts to get more money spent on roads in Winnipeg. He also mentioned briefly the need to pay attention to truck routes, and his personal preference for an LRT (light rail transit) instead of BRT (bus rapid transit). Right now, however, Winnipeg seems stuck, as it has been for many years in terms of any form of rapid transit, with the cancellation of BRT and no clear plans except to try to improve the existing bus system.

Walter Saltzberg, with ISIS Canada (a Winnipeg based Centre of Excellence in research related to structures - Intelligent Sensing for Innovative Structures), then talked about the vision in ISIS to make bridges and other structures which last 100 years instead of 50 years. Walter talked about the use of fibre reinforced polymers (which are much ligher than steel and much stronger and do not suffer from corrosion when wet like steel), fibre optic sensors, structural health monioring and innovative design and rehabilitation concepts. He also talked briefly about recent news of bridge failures - and suggested fatigue and corrosion are probably significant issues. He also mentioned that current loads on highways and bridges are often quite a bit more than the original design for the structures.

Chris Lorenc, President of the Infrastructure Council of Manitoba then gave an overview of the present situation and emphasized three recommendations:
1) ICM recommends a National Infrastructure Policy with a long-term, sustained, transparent and predictable program of investment involving a major commitment of federal dollars.
2) ICM recommends a provincial transportation and infrastructure investment policy which should include the formation of an arm's length Manitoba Transportation Authority (MTA). ICM sees the role of the provincial government to provide the overall policy framework and vision, and the MTA to manage the investment in construction, maintenance and rehabilitation of Manitoba highways. ICM also sees in important role for ISIS and for Mantioba based innovation in the future design and maintenance of Manitoba's highways and bridges.
3) ICM recommends the implementation of a strategic Western Canada Transportation System program as part of the federal - National Infrastructure Policy.

As Manitoba Liberals we support the proposed Manitoba Transportation Authority (MTA). We also see it is critical to design the MTA to ensure strong openness, accountability and transparency, and with an approach which fosters Manitoba based innovation.

As Manitoba Liberals, we also support recommendations 1 and 3 which need federal leadership.