Trail Talking

Well, it’s December. Where has the year gone? These past couple of weeks have seen a lot of activity in the Dawson Trail constituency, and that’s going to increase as the holidays continue to creep up. I’ve been busy with a lot of local events. A couple of weeks ago, I was able to participate in the Anola Parade of Lights. I had a great time at this event, and it was so nice to get to meet some of the new Dawson Trail constituents.

I will also participate in the Lorette Christmas Parade and Tree Lighting Ceremony. Every time I have attended the parade, it’s been a lot of fun. As well, I will once again host a Coffee With Bob in Ste. Anne at the Villa Youville personal care home on Dec. 16. I’m looking forward to visiting the Villa again and seeing some friendly faces.

It’s been a busy time of the year for our Manitoba government, too. On Nov. 19, my fellow MLAs and I gathered at the legislature for the Throne Speech to kick off another legislative session. As with every session, our government’s goal is to move Manitoba forward and improve the lives of people across the province. We are well into our work on implementation of our new five-point Moving Manitoba Forward Guarantee of record tax relief, better health care, more schools, more jobs and made-in-Manitoba solutions for climate change. And our action plan for the first 100 days of this term includes legislation to put in place our 2020 Tax Rollback for savings of at least $2,020 over the next four years for the average taxpayer.

Recently, our government announced more full-time paramedics for rural communities. This fulfills our Budget 2019 commitment to further enhance rural emergency medical services. In the budget, we included a $1.4-million investment for 35 full-time rural paramedic positions and said we will increase the investment to $2.8 million in subsequent years. Many of these positions have been filled, and we plan to have the remaining positions filled by mid-January. Increasing the staffing will ensure that paramedics are positioned throughout the province to deliver emergency medical care as efficiently as possible. It’s important for all Manitobans to have quality health care when they need it, and this will ensure more consistent and reliable care for rural communities.

I wish a safe and joyful Christmas and holiday season to everyone in the Dawson Trail constituency, and I’m looking forward to what the new year has in store.