“He (Elijah) finally laid down under a solitary broom bush. He longed for his own death… suddenly a messenger tapped him and said to him, ‘Get up! Eat something!’ Elijah opened his eyes and saw flatbread baked on glowing coals and a jar of water right by his head… Elijah got up, ate and drank, and went refreshed by that food for 40 days and nights until he arrived at Horeb, God’s mountain. There he went into a cave and spent the night. The Lord’s word came to him.” - 1 Kings 19:5a-9a

This summer I had an adventurous canoe trip with my son. As we passed the point of an uninhabited island I felt someone watching us. I looked up and at the top of the barren tree was a large bald eagle peering down at me. As we paddled around the corner, we saw a large buck by the shore. A minute after that we saw a woman sitting on the island. As we came closer, we saw a deflated raft on the shore. We called out to her, “Do you need help?” Suddenly a man came out of the bush yelling, “Take me! Leave her!” Trying to assess the situation, I asked the woman again if she was OK. “My sister lives in Pinawa and is coming to get me,” came her reply. With that, we loaded up the man and set off across the channel to Pinawa. In those five minutes he unloaded on us how he loves this woman, but sometimes they just don’t get along. By the time we arrived he softened a little and tells us, “You should go back and get her.” When we did our second trip, in the canoe she also unloaded on us how she loves this man but sometimes can’t stand him. Back together on the mainland, I encouraged the couple that if the relationship is worth having, it needs a lot of heart work. They nodded in agreement.

Wilderness reveals our limits and pushes us to look for what else we can rely on beyond our usual means. Wilderness can be peopleless and pathless. Not an easy place. However, the story of Elijah reminds us that being alone in nature can reorient our trust in God. Like He did for Elijah in the wilderness, God may send someone to help us and God himself my whisper to us the bigger picture.

In 1 Kings 18, Elijah stood boldly on Mount Carmel, calling down fire from heaven and witnessing a great victory over the prophets of Baal. In 1 Kings 19 he is running for his life. The same prophet who stood courageously on the mountaintop is now hiding in the wilderness under a broom bush.

It naturally doesn’t get the attention it did when inflation was running at seven or eight percent and interest rates were increasing seemingly every month, but Manitoba continues to record among the highest inflation rates in the country month after month. The most recent data that was released, for July, shows that the inflation rate for our province was 4.2 percent. That is well above the national average of three percent.

While some of the persistently high inflation can be attributed to high gas prices, which are well beyond the control of any provincial government as they are being driven by a war in the middle east, the fact that Manitoba continues to be at or near the top of the country month after month for inflation should be concerning. This is especially true because the nature of inflation is that it continues to compound month after month. So already high prices continue to get higher. This is most noticeable in the grocery store, where food inflation in Manitoba has ranked the highest in the country several times this year.

While the provincial government tried to make a great deal of fanfare over the fact that they had removed the provincial sales tax from food in the grocery store, it didn’t take long for Manitobans to realize that almost all food is already exempt from PST. So, for Manitobans, these savings amounted to pennies. At a time when food inflation continued to lead the country, more support was needed. And while it is true that government cannot entirely ease the burden that Manitobans and Canadians generally are feeling with increasing costs, at the very least there is an expectation that they will not make a bad situation worse.

This was the case in Manitoba when the NDP made the decision, after they were elected, to stop indexing tax brackets to inflation. Under the previous Manitoba PC government, tax brackets were indexed to inflation, meaning that every year the tax brackets increased so that Manitobans who were given a pay increase would not necessarily bump into a new tax category where they ended up paying more. By eliminating this, the NDP have brought in what many economists call a “sneaky tax” because it is not very visible and can mitigate the positive impact of a pay raise.

I hope everyone is enjoying their summer! I know there is plenty to do and see throughout the Lac du Bonnet constituency and I encourage you to take part if you are able.

Are you noticing a difference in the affordability of life over the last 33 months under Premier Wab Kinew’s NDP government? The promise to eliminate the provincial sales tax (PST) on all groceries, which has been emphasized by the premier since March, took effect on July 1. This change includes the removal of PST from prepared foods and beverages intended for immediate consumption, as well as from baked goods and snacks such as candy and potato chips. Most essential grocery items that everyone should be eating, particularly fruits, vegetables, meats, and dairy products, were already exempt from PST. The NDP’s removal of the tax on specific grocery items is projected to save an average family of four around $100 annually. In contrast, our Progressive Conservative plan aimed to increase the basic personal exemption to $30,000, potentially providing up to $250 monthly to Manitoba families, seniors, low-income individuals, and students. While the premier touts about reductions in grocery prices, the actual impact of the tax change on overall grocery bills appears to be minimal.

Just over a year ago, the Manitoba NDP government established a permanent office in Washington, D.C. Premier Wab Kinew appointed Richard Madan, a friend and former colleague, to serve as Manitoba’s trade representative with the objective of encouraging economic development and job creation from the United States. Despite Madan’s lack of a background in trade, the Manitoba government announced in October that he would receive an annual salary of $387,000, in addition to $37,000 US per year for expenses, under an overall budget of $800,000 for the Washington office for the fiscal year. However, after allocating nearly $1 million on office operations plus salary and consulting fees for Mr. Madan, Manitoba has yet to achieve any tangible results or secure a trade agreement. This expenditure represents funds that could have been used to establish our new childcare centers which were subsequently cancelled by the NDP, as well as to address necessary renovations and repairs in rural Manitoba Housing units and 55-plus complexes across the province, including in the Lac du Bonnet constituency.

Like many, I was disappointed, but not surprised, when I read about the delay to the Park Avenue project. Back in July 2022, our PC Government announced the initiation of a functional design study aimed at rebuilding Park Ave. in Beausejour and assessing the necessary infrastructure upgrades to meet our community’s needs. At that time, some of the proposed improvements included upgrading the pavement surface, enhancing curb work and drainage, and making better turning movements and intersection enhancements at PTH 44, PR 215, and PR 302. The expectation was to see construction beginning in 2025-26, contingent upon the completion of the water treatment plant and necessary upgrades to the water lines along Park Ave. which our PC government had promised and delivered on. Unfortunately, it appears the Kinew NDP have chosen to delay, pause, or cancel numerous projects based solely on their own political priorities rather than the genuine needs of our communities.

Benjamin Franklin famously observed, “In this world, nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes.” But there is a question that Canadians should be asking: Are we taxed too much?

When governments tax their citizens too heavily, they discourage the very things that move society forward: creativity, hard work, discovery, and ambition. Prosperous societies are built when ambition and achievement are encouraged—not constrained.

Our government should create an environment that encourages Canadians to dream, create, achieve, and contribute—not penalize their success.

When Canadians are empowered and not burdened with taxation, they can develop their talents, take risk, build stronger businesses and investment and strengthen communities.

Dawson Trail deserves a representative who answers to the people — not to a political party. For me, this has never been about following the easiest political path. It is about doing what I believe is right, even when it means standing up to people I once stood beside.

The Sio Silica project raised serious questions about transparency, accountability, and the responsibility of government to listen to the people who will live with its decisions.

Those questions mattered then. They still matter today.

I believe an MLA’s first responsibility is not to a party leader, a political organization or a party agenda. It is to the people who elected them. That is why I chose to stand on my own.

I have crossed the Ambassador Bridge in Detroit probably a hundred times. My husband’s family lives in Leamington, a town close to the border city of Windsor. So every summer, and for many Christmases of our 53-year marriage, we have gone to Leamington to visit. Our round-trip journeys almost always took us through the United States, since Leamington’s designation as the southernmost mainland community in Canada, made a primarily American route the shortest way to travel between Manitoba and my husband’s childhood home in Ontario.

During our stay in Leamington, excursions back into Detroit to watch a Tigers ball game were always part of the summer agenda. My brother-in-law was a Canada customs agent for many years at the Detroit-Windsor crossing, so we have plenty of connections to that border link.

Because of those connections, learning a new bridge between Michigan and Ontario had been built, was of unique interest to us. The bridge took seven years to construct and is named after Gordie Howe, a Canadian hockey hero who played for the Detroit Redwings. But it almost didn’t open, thanks to an obstinate American president. The owner of the Ambassador Bridge, Matthew Moroun, is a major Trump donor. Since he’d lose income from tolls on his Ambassador Bridge when the Gordie Howe Bridge was operational, Moroun essentially bought the president’s favour, and pressured him to stall the opening of the new bridge. Canada had paid for the entire construction cost of the bridge and political and business leaders in Michigan were totally on board and enthusiastic. Despite this, Trump decided to reward a wealthy supporter by threatening to keep the bridge closed. Thanks to a deal brokered by Prime Minister Carney, the bridge opened anyway.

I’d love to see it!

When we hear platform promises, pitches, and possible scenarios, we understand they are rooted in a belief system or worldview. I know behind every letter I receive are ideas about how the world could be different.

My worldview is rooted in doing everything within my jurisdiction as a federal representative to set my constituents and the rest of Canada up for success. Conservatives do not believe government should be the perpetual provider. Government’s role is to create the conditions for Canadians to build their own future—to work, save, own and prosper. We don’t want government building a life for Canadians; we want to make it possible for Canadians to dream, design and build their own lives.

This is why the divide between political parties can be so profound. It’s not just a disagreement over individual policies or programs. It reflects the different beliefs in the role of government and the role of Canadians to build a better future.

Housing is a good example.

Our diverse, seasonal classes and year-round programs are designed to enrich your life, support your well-being, and connect you to our community. Explore our full-year programs like Backyard Theatre Company, BTC Musical Theatre, and Steinbach Children’s and Youth Chorus for long-term learning. View all our programs in dance, visual arts, pottery, fitness and wellness, culinary, language classes, workshops, and more.

Visit SteinbachArts.ca or call 204-346-1077.

Thanks to Nature’s Farm for sponsoring our Backyard Theater Company program, and to Bread Main & Butter for sponsoring our Culinary Arts programs.

Apply for a bursary towards your SAC class: The Steinbach Arts Council is dedicated to removing barriers for families and opening doors for children through the Steinbach Dodge Creative Kids Bursary Fund, Roxanne Klassen Memorial Fund, and Vera Friesen Memorial Fund.