View From the Legislature

I’ve had a bit of a running joke with the MLA for the Winkler-Morden area since I’ve been elected to the Legislature.

When given the chance to reference the Steinbach Constituency in the Manitoba Legislature I often call it the “fastest growing area of Manitoba.” In response, both Peter George Dyck (the former MLA for Winkler-Morden) and Cameron Friesen (the newly elected representative from that area) have also taken their opportunity in the Legislature to refer to their constituencies as the “fastest growing area of Manitoba.”

It’s a friendly competition that has caught the attention of a number of MLAs in the Legislature. But with last weeks release of the new census numbers by Statistics Canada it’s likely other Manitobans will take even more notice of the fast growth of Steinbach and Hanover. The fact that Steinbach has officially become the 3rd largest city in the province and Hanover one of the largest RM’s is no surprise to those who call the southeast home. The growth is everywhere. And it’s felt almost everywhere.

With increased growth has come increased diversity. In fact, we have one of the most diverse populations outside of the City of Winnipeg. But the reputation of our region is likely still a few years behind the reality for those who don’t experience it first hand.

Now that the secret is getting out even more about our growth, it is time for the provincial government to recognize it with greater support for the services that are under pressure. Since being elected, I’ve spearheaded petitions and email drives to bring to the attention of the NDP government the need for more services related to healthcare, education and infrastructure. In fact just this week we started a new petition in the hopes of getting more long-term care beds.

And while this is part of the job of an MLA, it really shouldn’t take that sort of public effort to get the services that a growing community needs from government. When hospitals are full, wait times are growing for PCH beds and roads are inadequate to handle increased traffic, it is the responsibility of government to respond. After all, the growth naturally means that there are more taxdollars’ going to the province and so more should come back to meet the increased needs.

Premier Greg Selinger and the NDP have known for many years about the growth of the region and the stress that it places on core government services. Now that the secret is getting out to the rest of Manitoba, hopefully the provincial government will respond more quickly, and without so much prodding, to the needs of the residents of the Steinbach Constituency.