“Do not resent growing old. Many are denied the privilege.” -Irish Proverb

As I do my hospital rounds, I sometimes hear patients say, ‘If I’d known that I would live another 30 years after retirement I would have done things differently.’ Did you know that old age is meant to be a blessing? Such a thought comes as a surprise to many – because almost everything we hear in society about being old is negative.

I used to enjoy watching Late Night Shows as they made me laugh aloud, but now they make me mad. During the time when Joe Biden, Donald Trump and Bernie Sanders were all hoping to be the next U.S. president the jokes about their old age were almost daily. They were being mocked for their age. Ageism right on prime time for all to see! Ageism is having negative stereotypes (how we think), prejudice (how we feel) and discrimination (how we act) towards others or ourselves based on age.

Ageism is not a jokey, trivial thing. It seeps into our souls silently, powerfully, and daily – in hundreds of different ways. Blinding us to our value, and leaving millions feeling they are worthless and that their lives are now a waste of time. Ageism is pervasive, affects people of all ages from childhood onwards and has serious and far-reaching consequences for people’s health, well-being and human rights. Ageism can be found within institutions, in interactions between people, and within ourselves. One example is the anti-ageing cosmetics industry, that spends billions annually on hammering the message that aging is bad and should be hidden. World Health Organization (WHO) studies reveal that one in two people in the world are ageist against older people.

One of the most basic yet important responsibilities of government is to ensure the safety of its citizens. This can take the form of maintaining a strong and dependable health-care system, keeping our streets safe from crime, or simply, maintaining a safe and reliable infrastructure network across our province.

Every day, hundreds of thousands of Manitobans travel our roads to get them to and from work, school, and across our province. As the former minister of infrastructure in Manitoba, I know the difference that design improvements and upgrades can have on increasing safety for motorists. And as a father and grandfather, I understand how important it is that our loved ones get home safely from travelling around our communities and province.

Recently, thousands of my constituents took the initiative of signing a petition in an effort to draw attention to the need for the NDP government to make critical upgrades to the intersection of Highway 75 and Provincial Road 305 near Ste. Agathe. Many Manitobans will be familiar with this intersection as it is on one of our key international transportation corridors.

As this area of my constituency grows and welcomes new residents, the infrastructure which once served the community is no longer suitable for the growing population and increased traffic. Community members, commuters, and commercial traffic deserve to feel safe when going about their daily lives, yet in 2023, the life of a 43-year-old woman from Ste. Agathe was lost when the vehicle which she was riding in was struck by a commercial truck. Unfortunately, this follows a growing trend, as in the past seven years alone, at least 20 accidents have occurred in this intersection, causing injuries and fatalities.

Re: Think Again column by Michael Zwaagstra (Liberals are promoting shame in Canada, April 9, The Carillon).

For goodness sake. Michael Zwaagstra has been carrying water for Pierre Poilievre and his Conservative party for years. And all that time Poilievre had one message; Canada is broken. That’s all we heard over and over again. Canada is broken and I alone can fix it. But now Zwaagstra is, “… tired of left-wing politicians telling me and other Canadians that we need to be ashamed of our country.”

So, Conservatives badmouthing Canada = good. Liberals badmouthing Canada = bad. Got it.

The Rural Municipality of Hanover has alerted New Bothwell residents to limit water use as the community’s lagoon approaches capacity.

The municipality posted an April 8 notice asking people to stop sump water from flowing into the municipal sewer system to lower the wastewater level.

Hanover’s Chief Administrative Officer Mike Primeau downplayed the lagoon’s status, saying staff are investigating and that “there’s nothing earth-shattering here.”

“We want everyone to live their life, but we’re just asking if they can reduce (water use), then please do,” he told The Carillon.