Flin Flon MLA Clarence Pettersen, who has called on Greg Selinger to resign, has been left out of a cabinet shuffle by the defiant premier.
Following resignations by five cabinet ministers who publicly suggested he step down for the good of the NDP, Selinger handed out a number of new portfolios on Monday.
The changes made Greg Dewar the new finance minister, Sharon Blady the health minister and James Allum the justice minister.
Also changing portfolios are Kevin Chief (jobs and the economy); Peter Bjornson (education and advanced learning); Drew Caldwell (municipal government); Deanne Crothers (healthy living and seniors); Melanie Wight (children and youth opportunities); Kerri Irvin-Ross (housing and community development, minister responsible for persons with disabilities); and Eric Robinson (minister responsible for Manitoba Hydro).
Quitting their cabinet posts but staying on as NDP MLAs are former finance minister Jennifer Howard, former municipal government minister Stan Struthers, former jobs and the economy minister Theresa Oswald, former justice minister Andrew Swan and former health minister Erin Selby.
Pettersen was reportedly the only backbench MLA to join the chorus calling for Selinger’s resignation, but the premier has said he is staying on despite low approval ratings.
Handivan helpers
Flin Flon’s Lions Handivan provided an average of 57 rides a week between March and October, statistics from coordinator Rick Hurst show.
From March 7 to Oct. 31, the not-for-profit service gave 1,551 round trips and another 223 one-way trips to seniors and other residents with mobility challenges.
Hurst says the Handivan is in desperate need of volunteer drivers. Anyone interested in helping out may contact him at 204-687-7649 or email him at [email protected].
Service Friday
The Fellowship of the Least Coin Ingathering Service in Flin Flon will be held at 7 pm this Friday, Nov. 7 at the Salvation Army. All are welcome.
For more than 50 years, Fellowship of the Least Coin (FLC) has been
celebrated.
In a humble act of giving her least coin for commitment to prayers, Shanti Solomon began a worldwide movement of prayer for peace, justice, and reconciliation.
In 1956 she was travelling with an ecumenical team in Asia seeking reconciliation among women from war-torn countries.
She was denied entry into Korea. Rather than turn back, she waited patiently and prayed for inspiration. Shanti’s vision took shape and changed the hearts and minds of many.
The FLC has flourished as a global ecumenical women’s prayer movement. Individuals or groups may join in by committing to pray for peace, justice and reconciliation among families and communities, and worldwide.
Each time a woman prays, she sets aside the least coin of her local currency as a symbol of the prayer. Women’s national groups collect the coins and send them to the central FLC Fund c/o World Council of Churches in Switzerland.
The coins support projects for women and children around the world.
