View From the Legislature

The growth of the southeast part of Manitoba brings both opportunities and challenges. The positive aspects of continued growth are that residents can benefit from the vibrancy of a developing region and the services and opportunities that come with it. The challenge is that it is sometimes difficult to keep up with the demands for those services both in the public and private sectors, especially when growth is rapid.

Recently, there have been several significant developments that respond to the needs of our growing region. One very important step was the opening of the expanded Rest Haven Care Home earlier this year. The need for new personal care beds in Steinbach has been a long-standing issue and was recognized by our government shortly after coming to office in 2016. Planning, development, and construction culminated in the opening of the expanded facility.

Added to that has been the call for more services at the Bethesda Regional Health Centre. Among the expanded services that have been sought include a renal unit where dialysis patients can be treated for kidney disease. Currently, many dialysis patients must make regular trips into Winnipeg for treatment. Last week I joined Manitoba Health Minister, Audrey Gordon, to announce that the construction of a long-awaited dialysis unit has now begun and is expected to be in service this time next year. The new six station dialysis unit will be a benefit to those who need this treatment for many years to come.

Like new personal care home beds, the new dialysis unit was supported by a strong community effort, through petitions and letters, to ensure that care could be provided closer to home. During my time serving as interim Premier last fall, I was pleased to announce the funding for the Steinbach dialysis units along with the plans to add 23 additional acute care medicine beds to the Regional Health Centre. This is all in an effort to keep up with the growing demands of a growing region and help prepare it for future growth.

While it can be frustrating waiting for projects to be approved, planned, designed, and constructed it is also very rewarding to see them come to fruition after many years of community engagement. We also know that while these are important steps, there will be continued demands in several areas as a result of growth. Commitments have already been made for new school construction in addition to highway infrastructure in the city and region. Added to that was the recent announcement of a new $110 million regional water treatment plant for the southeast that will benefit the RM of Hanover and several neighbouring Rural Municipalities.

All these projects are made possible by the strong community support and efforts of regional and community leaders. They help not only support today’s needs but also ensure that the southeast is well positioned for future growth.