Happy New Year everyone! I hope you all had lovely holiday season. I can’t believe we are almost a full month into 2024—time has just flown by, and I look forward to see what the rest of the year has in store.
February is going to be a busy and exciting time as Manitobans celebrate “I Love to Read” Month across the province. “I Love to Read” is one of my favourite times of the year because it’s a great passion of mine to visit the different schools throughout Dawson Trail, reading to students, and getting to share with them the joy and values of reading. I also really love having Q & A sessions at the end, where the students get to ask me all of their unique and curious questions; I have gotten some very interesting ones over the years.
February is also going to mark the start of “Coffee with Bob” events for 2024. This is where community members can come enjoy some delicious coffee, voice any concerns they may have, and just chat with me. I’m excited to be doing these events again, and I look forward to seeing you all there!
With the start of the new year, I’d also like to provide more updates on some local community projects —such as the new school that was to be built in Ste. Anne by 2027, additional funding for renovations to the Lorette Arena, and improvements that were to be made to the intersection of PTH 12 and PR 210.
Unfortunately, the current NDP government has remained quiet on all of these matters.
Our previous PC government committed to having 23 new schools built in growing communities across the province. As of the October 2023 election, 14 were already significantly underway or open and operational, with the remaining nine schools moving steadily along the planning stages. The original funding model chosen to fulfill these projects was a P3 system, a private-public funding model that would allow the schools to be built quickly and to be open by September 2027, all while being publicly owned and operated by the respective divisions.
The NDP government has decided to abandon the original funding model, not only causing lengthy delays, but also strongly suggesting that the nine communities will no longer receive their planned schools, including Ste. Anne. A letter has been sent to Premier Wab Kinew stressing the importance of this facility to the community, and how important it is to have it built within a timely manner.
A letter has also been sent reminding Mr. Kinew of his promise to the community of Lorette, that if the NDP were elected into government, he would provide an additional $5 million for renovations to the arena. The letter also stated that we are still waiting for improvements to be made to the intersection of PTH 12 and PR 210, emphasizing how important this issue is and that it needs to be considered a top priority.
Unfortunately, we have not received a response regarding any of these matters. Our PC Team will continue to follow up on these concerns and hold the NDP government accountable.
If you have any questions or concerns, feel free to contact my constituency office.
