MANITOBA VOTES 2023 – DAWSON TRAIL: Tragedy inspires NDP’s Wiebe to run

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This article was published 11/09/2023 (664 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Chris Wiebe said he believes he can best bring the representation Dawson Trail deserves as the NDP candidate.

“I think we haven’t had proper representation here for the last seven years. I think we’re a bit of a have-not constituency compared to other ones. And I want to build a better future for my children and my neighbours: better education, better health care, making things more affordable,” said Wiebe.

The University of Winnipeg chemistry and physics professor lives with his wife and children in Lorette. He explained how a family tragedy made him willing to pause his education career for a life in politics.

“My wife and I lost one of our children as a stillbirth a few years ago just before Christmas. It was a horrible experience to go through, but it was a life-changing experience. It caused me to reevaluate my priorities,” said Wiebe.

“I remember being in that hospital and thinking that there has to be some silver lining to this experience. The silver lining is my son Lachlan, he wasn’t alone when he died. He was with family, and I was thinking about all the people in that hospital that were dying alone that Christmas. And of course we were going through the pandemic, so that complicated a lot of things, but the pandemic was made much worse by health care cuts.

“People were uselessly suffering because of this province’s health care cuts, so I decided to make a promise to him to be the change that I want to see in the world. And so I decided to serve.”

Wiebe explained how rural health care was a particular focus in his campaign.

“You can’t find very many rural doctors. We’re in Ste Anne; there’s Ste Anne’s ER there that’s shut down a lot of evenings. And that’s the only ER for 70,000 square kilometres of Dawson Trail. So if something happens to you in Dawson Trail middle of the night, you have a heart attack of God forbid something worse happens, people don’t even usually call an ambulance because of how long it takes for an ambulance to get here. You hope you have a vehicle or hop in a friend’s truck and they drive you to Winnipeg or Steinbach. I find that unacceptable,” said Wiebe.

One solution he said the NDP would bring back is in its five-step health care plan was the rural doctor recruitment fund to draw doctors into small towns to work and hopefully set down roots to stay long-term.

“That’s a beautiful hospital, Ste Anne’s. They have lots of great facilities, no people,” said Wiebe.

He said one way to help pay for health care investments is cutting at Shared Health, the provincial health authority that describes itself as providing provincial planning, health services and operational support for the regional health authorities that oversee the hospitals.

Wiebe said that is part of the way the NDP pledges to not bring in any new taxes like a raised PST or return of the education property tax. He added some may not benefit with tax rebates, pointing to the rebate money sent to the owner of Polo Park.

“If you’re a multi-billionaire, you’re not getting cheques from us,” said Wiebe, who insisted he wanted a fiscally responsible government.

“Wab (Kinew, NDP leader) likes repeating one of (former NDP Premier) Gary Doer’s sayings, which is ‘the economic horse must pull the progressive cart,’” said Wiebe, who added that he does not want to see a change in NDP leadership no matter the result Oct. 3.

He also said that Manitoba can benefit by expanding Hydro to turn the province into a clean energy superpower that helps on climate change, and by leveraging the agricultural economy.

On Sio Silica’s plan to drill near Anola for sand that can be used for things like solar panels, Wiebe said there is significant risk and stringent conditions must be met that do not put the area’s drinking water at risk. He did also say that he had not hear a single person during his door-to-door campaign say they were in favour of the project, and that he must abide by constituents’ wishes on it.

The other thing Wiebe said he heard at the doorsteps has been a desire for change with staff shortages burning out health and education workers, and a need to find daycare staff for families.

“Our current MLA locks his door,” said Wiebe.

“Our door is always open. I think communication is a two-way street. I think people over the years don’t even bother talking to our MLA. He doesn’t respond to emails or phone calls. He made me sign a non-disclosure agreement when I wanted to talk to him, even before I was thinking about running.”

Wiebe said there is a state of crisis, especially in rural areas.

“I love small towns, and I don’t want to see small towns die. And they die when you lose things like small businesses, you lose health care workers, you have no room in your school, you have no daycare,” said Wiebe.

“We have to think about expanding our services if you want people to thrive in rural Manitoba.”

Dawson Trail stretches from northwest of Lorette, down Highway 59 to Road 42N, north of Hazelridge in the RM of Springfield, and past Richer in the west. It includes the communities of Landmark, Ste Anne, Anola, Giroux, and several Hutterite colonies.