The Reminder is making its archives back to 2003 available on our website. Please note that, due to technical limitations, archive articles are presented without the usual formatting.
It has become a tradition for me in recent years that every year when the winter roads are open I head out to visit communities throughout the riding. This year I have already visited the communities of Bloodvein, Berens River and Poplar River by winter road. Last week I visited Oxford House, God's River, God's Lake Narrows, Garden Hill, Wasagamach and St. Theresa Point by winter road with a break in between to visit the Trapper's Festival in The Pas. I will be visiting as many of the winter road communities as possible over the next few weeks. I often catch people by surprise when I go visiting door to door. "Is there an election on?" is the question I often get asked. I find by visiting in between elections I am able to keep in touch with communities throughout the riding. Thus far I have heard a great deal about housing, the need for more support to education, health care and youth issues. I have also heard a lot about transportation and the need to extend all weather road access. This year has been a good one for the winter road network but people are worried about the future of winter roads with climate change. Northerners want the kind of transportation access that most people take for granted. What strikes me about my visits is the degree to which people in Ottawa have no idea what is going on in Northern Manitoba and just how much potential we have here. I will be taking the feedback I have received to Ottawa when the house resumes sitting. I will be making sure that our Northern issues and concerns are heard.
