COLUMN: Report from the Legislature – Milestones and achievements

As we welcome in 2025, I want to start by saying thank you to the wonderful and hardworking people of the Lac du Bonnet constituency. I hope you all had a chance to enjoy the holidays, get some rest, and spend quality time with family and friends. Your support and the care you show for our communities are what make this part of Manitoba such a great place to live, work, and raise a family.

This past year has been filled with milestones and achievements worth celebrating together. Just last month, John Fleming was nationally recognized for his exemplary service in emergency planning for Lac du Bonnet. Deputy Fire Chief Devin McMurren and Captain Dan Nilsson of the Lac du Bonnet Fire Department were also honoured by the Manitoba Association of Fire Chiefs for their remarkable 25 years of service last fall. Thanks to leaders like them, our community’s safety is in excellent hands.

Our region is also home to many talented athletes. Congratulations to Laine vanDriel of Beausejour for bringing home gold at the national powerlifting championships in PEI, and to the K Saunders Taekwondo Academy out of Garson for dominating the Canada vs Mexico taekwondo tournament with an impressive 21 medals! As a fellow curler, I also want to recognize Trevor Harris, Russ Philips, Peter Wiebe, and Blair Dodd for their well-deserved victory at Lac du Bonnet’s men’s curling bonspiel. Curling is a great way to challenge yourself and make lifelong friends, so maybe give it a try this year.

I’d like to thank the parents who stepped up to support the continuation of the Parent Advisory Committee (PAC) at École Powerview School. Families play an important role in our education system, and participating in your local PAC is a great way to strengthen our schools. PACs help provide the extra support our children and teachers need, whether it’s new playground equipment, classroom technology, or other resources that make a real difference.

While we celebrate these accomplishments, it’s also important to reflect on the challenges we face, and the need for better leadership from our provincial government. Over the past year, Manitobans have watched as our province went from a $373-million surplus under the previous PC government, to a deficit of $1.3 billion in December under the NDP, according to last month’s financial update. This raises serious questions about the NDP’s financial management. We have seen cuts to infrastructure, education, and healthcare in our province even as the Kinew government continues to rack up massive deficits. The NDP’s fiscal strategy, or lack thereof, has many families still questioning where exactly all their tax dollars are going.

Adding to this issue is the looming threat of new U.S. tariffs, which would devastate Manitoba’s economy. The incoming Trump administration’s proposal for a 25 percent tariff on Canadian exports, including goods from Manitoba, will drive up costs for consumers on both sides of the border and hurt our trading relationship. Despite the urgency of this threat, the NDP government has failed to bring MLAs together to work on developing a unified plan. Our PC Caucus has called for the creation of an all-party committee, which would be valuable in addressing this challenge, but the government has chosen to ignore the need for collaboration.

Meanwhile, unemployment in Manitoba has jumped nearly 25 percent over the past year, leaving far too many families struggling to make ends meet. Despite this, I have been encouraged by the people of our region. To everyone who supported local charities and community initiatives over the holidays and throughout the year, I thank you. Whether your generosity went toward a food bank, sports team, arts program, the fight against cancer, or any other humanitarian cause near and dear to your heart, your contributions are always appreciated.

Lastly, I would like to take this time to acknowledge our community newspapers. The platform they provide is invaluable for sharing stories and connecting communities across our province. Thank you to all subscribers and advertisers for keeping community media strong in Manitoba.

There is no shortage of opportunities to get involved and make a difference in the new year. Let’s try and make 2025 a year of good health, good fortune, and good news for everyone. Cheers!

If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to email me at wayne@wayneewasko.com, or call me at 204-268-3282. Also, you can follow me on X (formerly Twitter) @wayneewaskomla and friend me on Facebook.