View From the Legislature

Last summer I was honoured to be part of a funding announcement of nearly a quarter of a million dollars to help establish a new home for the Steinbach and Area Animal Rescue (SAAR). This past week I was back on the sight of that announcement but this time to mark the opening of the new building that will help ensure that animals in need of care and a home will have an opportunity for both.

While it is always an honour to participate in these events and to assist in securing government support, the reality is that projects like these don’t happen without community leadership. Steinbach and Area Animal Rescue is a perfect demonstration of this. Area residents recognized a need to help support animals who were in distress and without shelter and they began to take on this work. In its early days, that meant housing animals in the homes of willing families and volunteers. Through the work and advocacy of many, notably SAAR President Michelle Neufeld, a new permanent location was secured. But it only happened because it was community led and supported first. It wasn’t government initiated, it was initiated by community volunteers.

Currently, there are several projects underway in Steinbach that will have the effect of transforming the community and the region for the better. And they all have one thing in common, they are in some way the result of community support or action.

A new elementary school that began construction last summer and is well on its way to completion was granted funding by the former Progressive Conservative government. But it wouldn’t be happening if people weren’t coming to Steinbach and choosing to stay in the community to raise their family. The fact that local residents make Steinbach a desirable place to live and raise a family, results in projects like new schools being built.

In a similar way, the Bethesda Regional Health Centre is undergoing a significant expansion, including new operating theatres. And while this began with a commitment of tens of millions of dollars from the provincial government, it only happens as a result of residents who choose to stay in the community as well as medical professionals who advocate for expanded services to provide medical treatment closer to home for their patients.

And of course, the new Southeast Events Centre has been a long-awaited project that is now just a few months away from opening. In particular, while this project benefited from municipal, provincial and federal funding, it would not have become a reality without the substantial fundraising and organizational efforts of members of the private sector in our region. When it opens, it will be a prime example of how projects that make a transformational difference in a community almost always are led by local residents who have passion and vision.

This is an exciting time to live in the City of Steinbach and throughout the southeast part of Manitoba. There is tremendous growth in our communities and there are a number of exciting projects that are also being developed. While it is always a pleasure as an elected representative to be part of the official announcements and openings of important projects, they are really a reflection of the community itself, and the remarkable people who every day are leading positive change.