With the return of Parliament for the fall session, I remain committed to representing you and advocating for the people of Winnipeg West. I am pleased to share some of the important progress we are making locally and across Canada to improve the lives of families in our community.

Our government is taking decisive steps to tackle the housing crisis. We have launched Build Canada Homes, a federal agency designed to accelerate the development of affordable housing. By working closely with provinces, municipalities, Indigenous communities, and private partners, this agency is streamlining approvals, providing incentives, and helping homes get built more quickly and affordably.

In Winnipeg West, the Naawi-Oodena project, located between Tuxedo and River Heights, is set to create approximately 2,100 new homes, with 20 percent of these units dedicated to affordable housing. The first phase is currently underway which will deliver up to 1,200 homes. This initiative will open doors for many families seeking safe and affordable places to live.

Strong, vibrant communities depend on spaces where families can come together, stay active, and foster meaningful connections. The newly redeveloped playground at John Steel Park in Westwood has officially opened with support from federal investment. The playground includes a fully accessible ramped play structure, independent play equipment, and swings, providing a welcoming and safe environment for children and families to enjoy.

Whatever it looks like, school refusal in children and teenagers is real. Whether refusing to attend school through gulps of tears, or giving up after an inability to focus on tasks that will get them out the door, or a staunch refusal that will end with aggression, usually the underlying problem is something absolutely treatable: anxiety.

In a webinar by foremost experts through the Anxiety and Depression Association of America called “What Parents Can Do to Help Their Child with School Refusal,” some strategies are discussed.

“Sometime you have to know a bit about how anxiety works”, said Dr. Lynne Siqueland, “because some things that are the most helpful are different than what parents might feel is needed in the moment.”

“Kids look to parents for help not feel anxious,” explained Dr. Eli Lebowitz. “You want to keep bad things away from your kid, and anxiety looks like a bad thing…” But when trying to somehow keep anxiety away, “what you are saying is that it’s not OK to be anxious, that it’s not good for you, you can’t handle that.”

The Assiniboia Chamber of Commerce has officially been awarded cccreditation by the Chamber Accreditation Council of Canada (CACC), recognizing its commitment to excellence in leadership, governance, and operations. This designation is valid for five years, from 2026 through to the end of 2030.

Accreditation is the highest national standard of chamber excellence in Canada. It demonstrates to the members, board of directors, and the west Winnipeg community it serves that the Assiniboia Chamber has dependable governance policies and resilient core operations aligned with best practices across the national Chamber Network.

To achieve accreditation, a chamber must submit its policies and procedures for review by the CACC, which evaluates them against a rigorous set of national standards. These standards were first developed in 2004 by a team of chamber executives in collaboration with provincial and territorial chambers and the Canadian Chamber of Commerce. They are reviewed annually to ensure they reflect the evolving needs of chambers and boards of trade across the country.

The CACC is a non-profit organization governed by a board of directors composed of provincial and territorial chamber executives, along with representatives from the Canadian Chamber of Commerce and the Chamber of Commerce Executives of Canada. The council reviews applications annually and promotes accredited chambers as leaders in their communities and across the broader chamber network.

October is Small Business Month in Canada, and we are fortunate in Winnipeg to have as vibrant and diverse a community of entrepreneurs to celebrate as anywhere else in the federation.

South Osborne in particular is well-established as a great neighbourhood to set up shop. Retailers and restauranteurs share a lively corridor with coffee shops, laundromat, pub, theatre/venue, and bowling alley. Still within walking distance, people in the community can find a physiotherapist, accountant, and tax specialist.

These businesses have helped make South Osborne one of the most desirable places in Winnipeg to live. They also contribute to economic activity in the neighbourhood, as small business do all across the country.

But just how much they contribute is noteworthy.

I had the opportunity to attend the 50th anniversary celebrations held at Niakwa Place School on Sept. 25. The staff did a fantastic job of working with the parent council to welcome alum staff, alum students, current students and their families, along with community members. I had the chance to look through old yearbooks, sadly seeing a much younger “me” as a teacher at Niakwa Place in the 1980s. One of our assistant superintendents, who shall remain anonymous, thought it would be nice to share that he was one of my students at Niakwa during that time!

Students had the opportunity to learn about the past through music, movies, and news, as well as opening the time capsules from 2000. Their astonishment at the absence of cellphones, social media, and indeed classroom computers was very amusing to the older people in the crowd. The inclusion of an Indigenous drumming group and the storytelling was not something that would have happened 50 years ago. How lucky we are to be living in a time where inclusion and diversity are infused into all our work with students.

On Sept. 26, I joined Sandy Nemeth, chair of the board, and Mia Guenther, assistant superintendent, at Dr. D.W. Penner School. Staff and students had worked very hard to surpass their fundraising goal, raising money in support of cancer research! Our younger students enthusiastically performed a Terry Fox song, and the presentation by Deanna Holowachuk from The Terry Fox Foundation emphasized the importance of determination, community, and effort. Participating in this annual event encourages our students to demonstrate kindness and appreciate resilience. I think we can agree that these attributes are so important in our world today!

And as for the future, we have a by-election coming up on Oct. 25 to fill the vacant position in Ward 3. Mark your calendars and make sure to visit each of the candidates’ websites to learn more about why they have chosen to run for the LRSD school board. Being a trustee is an honour, and we appreciate the community members who put their names forward to work on behalf of the community.

With the change in season, I see so many families out in Concordia making the most of our beautiful fall weather. Our NDP government firmly believes that all Manitobans deserve to feel safe when taking our kids to school, walking the dog, or going to the store. That is why we are taking meaningful action to keep our province safe.

In Budget 2025, we committed to bringing back the Security Rebate Program so more Manitobans can keep their communities safe. Whether it’s a doorbell camera, a motion sensor, or an alarm, these are simple tools that can make a big difference when it comes to keeping your family, property and community safe. This is a $2 million investment that reflects our commitment to safer communities, stronger neighbourhoods, and a better Manitoba for everyone.

Our NDP government recognizes that meaningful bail reform is essential to keeping communities safe. Premier Kinew and I have repeatedly called upon the federal government to strengthen bail reform. While the federal government has a critical role to play, our provincial government is taking real steps to keep Manitobans safe. Our five-point plan, endorsed by the National Police Federation, strengthens bail policies, puts more boots on the ground to track offenders, improves how we share information, supports people struggling with addiction and mental health, and brings folks together to tackle crime at its roots. We are committed to protecting families and making sure our justice system works for everyone.

In 2024, our government invested in electronic monitoring, bringing back a program which was cut under the previous PC government. Recently, we doubled the program to include 200 devices and serve multiple communities across our province. This expansion allows authorities to closely track individuals released on bail, ensuring they comply with court-imposed conditions and are held accountable for their actions. The program uses real-time GPS technology to alert law enforcement if an offender breaches their conditions, providing an added layer of protection for Manitobans.

Christina van Schindler had been in the role of new CEO of the Winnipeg Humane Society for only a few months when an unprecedented year began to unfold. She uses one word to describe how the staff, volunteers, foster families and even the animal they care for responded: resilient.

A number of factors contributed to a challenging 2024-25, she said at the Winnipeg Humane Society’s annual general meeting.

Early in the year, the organization was faced with the largest seizure in WHS and Winnipeg Animal Services history: 68 Maltese dogs, ranging from pregnant moms to puppies to adults. The dogs were examined, groomed, taken into foster care, and eventually adoption. Three months later, 130 small dogs came into care. Extra volunteers came in and, working with partners, the dogs were placed into foster homes.

In addition, more animals came into care through removals — a 26 per cent increase, and more were left outside the shelter. The forest fires in Manitoba added to an already busy year, and meant temporary boarding and food were provided for the pets of the thousands of people affected.