MEMBERS' STATEMENTS

Mr. Edward Helwer (Gimli): I am pleased to rise today to congratulate the congregation of St. Cyprians Anglican Church in Teulon as they mark the 100th anniversary of the church. St. Cyprians Church was built in 1899 in the Foxton district of Manitoba, which was two miles east of Teulon, and the first service was held there in February 1900. In 1909, St. Cyprians moved to its current home on Second Street East in Teulon, and it has been an important part of the community ever since.

As part of the centennial celebrations a photo display is being prepared by the oldest member of the congregation, who is Kay Campbell, which can be viewed in the church hall beginning June 12. The 100th anniversary celebration will be held the weekend of June 26 and 27 and includes a banquet on the Saturday at the Gunton Community Hall and a special church service at the church on Sunday. Once again, my congratulations to St. Cyprians on reaching this very special milestone. Thank you.

Mr. Gerard Jennissen (Flin Flon): Madam Speaker, the CEO of the Norman Regional Health Authority is resigning, citing personal reasons. This is the second CEO of the Norman Regional Health Authority to resign in less than two years. This follows a difficult month for the Flin Flon Hospital.

On May 4, the CEO told the Flin Flon Chamber of Commerce that there was a nursing shortage forcing nurses to work overtime, causing burnout. She said that the RHA has no funding from the province for overtime and the Flin Flon Hospital has been unable to find staffing for physiotherapy and speech language therapy, along with a lack of resources considered essential, such as home care. It is expected that the need for services will exceed the available resources. The hospital is still running a deficit.

On May 14, a special care unit of the Flin Flon Hospital was shut down for several days due to nursing shortages and is still shut down as of today, June 3. During this period, critically ill patients were stabilized in the emergency department and then transferred to The Pas as soon as possible. Small wonder that the residents of Flin Flon and other northern communities say that the province should cancel any plans by the Health minister to spend more tax dollars on self-serving advertising promoting the government.

Northerners want the Progressive Conservative Party of Manitoba to pay back the more than $500,000 for the previous advertising campaign which was clearly put together for partisan purposes, not to inform the public.

Flin Flon Hospital, like other hospitals in the North, needs front-line health care workers, not misleading promotional government advertising paid for by the taxpayers. Thank you.

Madam Speaker: Order, please. Before I recognize the honourable member, could I please ask for the co-operation of all honourable members in having quieter conversations. I experienced considerable difficulty in hearing the last two speakers.

Mr. Peter Dyck (Pembina): Thank you, Madam Speaker. I would like to take a moment to recognize the recipients of the recent Manitoba Business Magazine Business and Entrepreneur Awards. Russ Edwards was named the 1999 Entrepreneur of the Year. The Best in Business Award winners included the King Optical Group; Triple E, the Winkler trailer manufacturer; the Birchwood auto group; OnLine Business Systems; and Kitchen Craft Cabinetry.

I am pleased organizations such as Manitoba Business take time to sponsor this annual event which provides an opportunity to celebrate the success of outstanding Manitoba businesses and their management teams. All the award winners are models of determination and ingenuity that the entire business community respects and looks up to. They are bringing new products and services to the market, often in the face of great odds. These businesses have proven that to be successful businesses they must be proactive, aggressive and competitive in order to thrive in today's competitive global economy.

As entrepreneurs in Manitoba, their success is our success, and a major contribution to the province's economy. Businesses such as these have been the most consistent and the most significant creators of jobs in the province throughout the 1990s. The success of companies such as these shows that Manitoba's strong combination of a dynamic export-oriented business community and a climate of fiscal responsibility is paying off. Our export growth is leading the nation. We are creating more jobs than the national average and maintaining one of the lowest unemployment rates in Canada.

I would like to congratulate all the entrepreneurs who are making Manitoba's economy so strong and wish them continued success. Thank you.

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Mr. Leonard Evans (Brandon East): Madam Speaker, I rise to comment on the very sad news heard this morning about the closure of the Eaton's store in downtown Brandon, a store that has served the community well over the years, but unfortunately, because of the lack of business in the downtown area particularly, Eaton's has decided to close the store in Brandon, along with some others, I must say, across the country.

It has had a very long history of service. I recall 35 years ago going to that store, and it was just a hubbub of activity, and this is where you would go for your appliances or your furniture and even good-quality meat. In the basement, they had a great groceteria which we patronized all the time to purchase groceries.

But those days are long since past, and I guess it is falling victim to the competition from the so-called big-box stores–

Some Honourable Members: Oh, oh.

Madam Speaker: Order, please.

Mr. L. Evans: Thank you, Madam Speaker. There has definitely been a shift away to other stores specializing in furniture and appliances. But also, very seriously, there has been a shift away from downtown Brandon to the south side of the city near the Shoppers Mall, and as a result there has been serious deterioration in the downtown portion of Brandon. It is something that I believe is a challenge not only to the City Council and the local Chamber of Commerce and the community of Brandon but also to this government to take a hard look at what is happening in downtown Brandon and to look at programs that could preserve and enhance the downtown area.

I recall, when we were in government some years back, we, as a deliberate policy back in the Schreyer years, put the provincial building in the downtown area. There were pressures to put it out where the old jail was in the east end, Rideau Park lodge now, Rideau Park nursing home, but we made a decision to put it in the downtown area to help and preserve and enhance. Similarly, with senior citizens housing we put several–

Madam Speaker: Order, please. The honourable member's time has expired.

Mr. Gary Kowalski (The Maples): I wanted to say a few words about an issue where the public has decided to try someone in the media, and that is a police officer who has been tried in the media, a police officer whose peers, 12 of his peers, found him not guilty.

Now it would be easy for any person from this place to maybe go back to a reception some place and have a glass of wine and then leave this building, get stopped and not know if they might be over .08 and decide not to take a breathalyser. Does that mean they are impaired? Not necessarily. In the same circumstance, if someone had a glass of wine and drove down the street, and through no fault of their own, someone ran in front of them, and they killed them. They may not be impaired. They may be scared, in the heat of the moment make a mistake. The Winnipeg Police Service hires good people, the best people, but good people make mistakes. We ask our police officers to be compassionate, be understanding. Well, we are asking for the same thing in return.

No one should be tried in the media, and one individual, a good person who was investigated, was hired, came to the Police Service with a good record, with good intentions, wanting to do good, has made a mistake and due process should be followed. Neither politicians nor the media should try this person in a public venue. That is all I have to say, Madam Speaker.