August 24, 2010 
The last few days have been stressful for all residents of North East Manitoba who were informed that the employee buyout group decided not to purchase the Mill as a result of their conclusion that the Mill was not economically feasible. I commend and congratulate this group for their efforts and their due diligence.

At the same time, I condemn this NDP government for its cavalier attitude toward our community of Powerview-Pine Falls and the welfare of our families. I note with interest the fact that this government gave Tembec $2.1 Million to stop logging in our Provincial forests just months before Tembec locked out its employees, and this government failed to guarantee jobs with that payment, in spite of warnings from me. Just months later, Tembec locked its employees out of their jobs, and now the Mill will shut down. Right from the start Tembec had no intention to re-start the Mill – this is what I heard from employees as I visited with them on the picket line. I warned this NDP government, but it refused to hear these concerns. Instead, the NDP insisted on making the $2.1 Million payment to Tembec without insisting on job guarantees, and the fate of 270 jobs was sealed.

Let’s compare the $2.1 Million gift from the NDP government to Tembec as opposed to the pathetic $1 Million readjustment fund paid to the Community Adjustment Committee. The NDP gave more than 2 times the money to Tembec than it did to our community and only a few months later the lockout began. $1 Million is a mere pittance when compared to the amount paid to the Pinawa Adjustment fund when it was announced that the Pinawa site of the Atomic Energy of Canada was shutting down nearly 15 years ago. Pinawa and Powerview-Pine Falls are comparable communities in the sense that both communities are nearly one-industry towns. The government of the day provided a $20 Million Community Adjustment Fund to assist in job development as a result of the planned AECL shutdown – however the plant has not completely shut down because there are still approximately 300 jobs at that site, and I understand many more jobs are planned there.

Compare this to the Tembec Mill in Powerview-Pine Falls where 270 jobs will be lost, and none will be retained. The government of the day provided $20 Million nearly 15 years ago to Pinawa, yet this NDP government only offers $1 Million to Powerview-Pine Falls – shameful!

An adjustment fund of at least $20 Million should be made available for Powerview-Pine Falls to ensure that all possibilities and probabilities of job creation are explored. Our government should explore all possibilities with regard to locating more government department employees to the region, including for example, more positions in the Department of Conservation, Water Stewardship, Tourism, Parks and of course, Manitoba Hydro, to name a few. An immediate plan is necessary! However, I won’t hold my breath after witnessing the total lack of response from the Premier and the Minister of Labour who had to be forced by myself and Tembec employees over the course of a 100 day period last Fall to even visit the community. I hope that the response of this government is more immediate, however after the Fall of 2011, when the Progressive Conservatives become the Government of Manitoba, I promise all of North Eastern Manitoba, that there will be a satisfactory response by our Provincial Government to ease the burden on Powerview-Pine Falls.

More can and should be done to develop the tremendous tourism potential of the region, including the extension and improvement of the Broadlands Road to and along the North Shore of Lake Lac du Bonnet, and to encourage the establishment of businesses in our community to take advantage of the anticipated increases in traffic due to the construction of the East side road. The relocation of the Bi-Pole III Hydro Transmission line to the East side of Lake Winnipeg would also serve to benefit our community.

All of these initiatives require a government that is proactive in its approach. The opportunity is now, and the government must act!

August 3, 2010 
This year’s record rainfalls, combined with high humidity have made conditions perfect for growing grass and weeds. Anyone with a garden will agree that this year has been particularly difficult to keep the grass and weeds in check. All of us who do any amount of travelling also know that the grass along side of our Provincial Roads and in the ditches has also flourished. I have observed grass on the shoulders that is three to four feet high. Not only is this condition unsightly for residents and tourists alike, but it is a safety hazard. Deer, coyotes, foxes and pets crossing the road will not be seen by motorists until the last second, which will result in more deaths of wildlife and pets, but this will also cause more property damage to our vehicles, and possibly more personal injury if the driver loses control of the vehicle. The high grass conditions for mosquitoes,
will likely cause a spike in the numbers of Culex Tarsalis mosquitoes, which transmit the West Nile Virus. All of this comes at a time when the NDP have made cuts to the Transportation Department’s budget. The Government now does not provide any money to the Transportation Department to cut the grass along our Provincial Highways. This is a very short-sighted approach by a Government that has not considered the consequences of this action. This Government seems to have a lot of money to build Football Stadiums, but it has no money to mow the grass along the highway.

If you disagree with this cutback, I would strongly recommend that you write to the Minister of Transportation at the following address:

Honourable Steve Ashton
Minister of Infrastructure & Transportation
203 – 450 Broadway Ave.
Winnipeg, Manitoba
R3C 0V8

Email him at: mininfratran@leg.gov.mb.ca

Or phone him toll-free at: 1-800-282-8069

If all Manitobans call, perhaps we can change this very short-sighted decision by the NDP.

July 7, 2010
All Manitobans believe that the road to be constructed on the East side of Lake Winnipeg designed to connect East side Aboriginal communities with Southern Manitoba is a necessity. The road will connect East side residents with our Health Care System, and it will decrease food costs to residents there. Currently the price of a 4 litre jug of milk in some of those East side communities is $12.00 or more, almost 3 times as much as in Southern Manitoba! This increased cost is largely due to shipping costs because goods and services need to be flown in during most of the year or driven in during a 6 to 8 week period along and over our unpredictable and unreliable Winter road system. Thousands of Manitobans live on the East side of Lake Winnipeg, and they all need and deserve an all-weather road – no one denies this! The Federal Conservative Government believes this, and as a result, has provided the vast majority of the funding necessary to construct the road.

The first phase of the project is the construction of the East side road from PR #304 (near Manigotagan and Hollow Water) to Berens River First Nation. The first phase follows the existing Rice River Road and the Winter road alignment, which eliminates the need to establish new rights of way and it disturbs wildlife habitat as little as possible. This results in little environmental impact. 80% of the first phase of road construction is along existing rights-of-way.

The first phase provides improved safe and more reliable transportation between communities, which will be achieved through the following steps:

a) Upgrading the existing 76km Rice River Road toward the Bloodvein River,
b) Constructing the 12km road beyond the Bloodvein River to Bloodvein First Nation Community by utilizing the existing Winter road and the existing Hydro Transmission right-of-way, and,
c) Constructing the East side road from Bloodvein First Nation to Berens River.

June 28, 2010 
The Provincial Debt is expected to balloon by more than $3.3 Billion this year alone, to more than $26 Billion overall. You can confirm this number by searching Bill 38 THE LOAN ACT, 2010 on your computer. Section 2 of the Loan Act, which I voted against, and my Progressive Conservative colleagues voted against, increases the government borrowing authority, and its text is as follows: “the authority of the government to borrow for purposes other than to refinance debt is increased by $3,300,000,000 ($3.3 Billion).” This is one of the reasons why I voted against the Loan Act and I also thereby voted against the Budget. All that extra debt will only serve to handicap our Province well into the future. Today, interest rates are near an all-time-low, the Prime Rate of interest is currently at 2 ¾%. This is a very attractive rate of interest, and one which encourages people to borrow more, because the interest payments are very low, even on very large amounts of money. Take for example, a young couple who purchase a very opulent home for $1 Million. The $1 Million mortgage, at a 2 ¾% interest rate, will only cost $27,500 per year for interest, or $2,291 per month. Many young couples can afford to make payments of $2,291 per month, particularly if they have professional jobs. However, interest rates have nowhere to go but up, and the talk is that interest rates will increase over the next few years. If the interest rate doubles to 5 ½% (still a modest rate of interest), this young couple’s monthly payment will increase to $4,582, an amount they will not likely be able to afford. As a result, they may lose their home in the process and go bankrupt.

Transfer this to our Provincial Debt which is about to balloon to over $26 Billion. If interest rates double (which may almost be certain) to 5 ½%, the interest paid on that debt will double from $715 Million per year to $1.43 Billion per year – an increase of $715 Million. The Provincial Government does not have the option of going bankrupt like that young couple does – its only option is to cut costs by cutting services and programs or to increase taxes to make up the difference – or both.

Is it responsible to increase the Province’s debt because interest rates are low? Obviously not! It would instead be prudent to pay down the debt – something that the NDP will never do!

June 21, 2010
The current Legislative Session started on March 23rd and ended on June 17th, a period of almost 3 months. It was a great Legislative Session and it demonstrated a stunning contrast between an NDP Government that has run out of steam compared to the energized PC Caucus that is focused on ideas that will move Manitoba forward. Many initiatives and proposals highlighted the 2010 Spring Session, which included the following:
1. We forced the NDP to call an immediate public committee with the Children’s Advocate on June 25th to discuss the chaos in the Child Welfare System.
2. We voted against self-serving NDP legislation to protect cabinet minister salaries.
3. We raised public awareness about welfare money which continued to flow to criminals who were avoiding arrest.
4. We were against releasing Vince Li, the psychopath who committed unspeakable crimes against Greyhound bus passenger, Tim McLean only a couple of years ago.
5. We took the NDP to task with regard to the NDP Minister’s lack of accountability on travel and restaurant expenses.
6. I introduced a motion to the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba to protect jobs in Powerview-Pine Falls due to the actions of Tembec.

We used the Spring Session to introduce new policies that would keep our families safer, protect our vulnerable children, and grow our economy. We also highlighted the waste and mismanagement within the NDP Government, including a $1.75 Billion unnecessary expenditure on the longer West-side Bipole III transmission route.

April 29, 2010 
Thursday, April 29, 2010 is a date I will long remember, because it gave HOPE to the people of Powerview – Pine Falls, and indeed the entire Eastern region of the Province which has been profoundly affected by the actions taken by Tembec at the Paper Mill. It has been a long and hard journey to date for those families who have endured a great deal of hardship and who have depended on their jobs at the Mill or supplying the Mill with wood fibre. These families have had to rely largely on their savings and family and friends to support themselves during this ordeal.

On April 29, 2010, I put forward a Private Member’s Resolution for adoption by the Legislature. Normally these types of Resolutions are not adopted, however, this one was unanimously accepted by all MLA’s and it reads as follows:

Protecting Jobs in Powerview – Pine Falls

MOVED BY: Mr. HAWRANIK

SECONDED BY: The Member from Pembina
 WHEREAS nearly 300 workers at the Tembec paper mill in Powerview-Pine Falls lost their jobs when workers were locked out on August 31st, 2009; and

WHEREAS the community of Powerview-Pine Falls and the entire Eastern region of the Province have been greatly impacted by this closure; and

WHEREAS in late 2009 Tembec put the plant up for sale, and a senior executive from Tembec has publicly stated that the plant will be closed if a buyer is not found; and

WHEREAS the Sagkeeng First Nation and former Tembec workers have expressed an interest in a purchase of the plant; and

WHEREAS the Province of Manitoba has provided $1 million to establish a Community Adjustment Committee, with representation from the Province of Manitoba, RM of Alexander, the Town of Powerview-Pine Falls, Sagkeeng First Nation, papermill employees and community economic agencies; and

WHEREAS the Community Adjustment Committee has supported efforts to determine the viability of a mill purchase and other economic opportunities in the region; and

WHEREAS fifteen years ago the Government of Manitoba provided a $30 million provincial loan to the employees who purchased the mill; and

WHEREAS the Government of Manitoba should do what it can to protect jobs in Powerview-Pine Falls, and to assist the workers.

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba urge the Provincial Government to consider providing a Manitoba Industrial Opportunities Program loan if a viable proposal to purchase the mill comes forward from a purchaser who has the financial means to purchase and operate the mill, but needs loan assistance.

PROPOSEUR : M. HAWRANIK

SECOND PROPOSEUR :
Protection des emplois à Powerview-Pine Falls

 Attendu :

que presque 300 travailleurs de la papetière Tembec à Powerview-Pine Falls ont perdu leur emploi lorsque cette dernière leur a imposé un lock-out le 31 août 2009;

que la collectivité de Powerview-Pine Falls et la région est de la province ont beaucoup été touchées par ce lock-out;

qu’à la fin de l’année 2009, Tembec a mis l’usine en vente et qu’un de ses cadres supérieurs a annoncé publiquement qu’elle serait fermée si la compagnie ne trouvait pas d’acheteur;

que la Première nation de Sagkeeng et les anciens employés de Tembec ont indiqué qu’ils songeaient à acheter l’usine;

que la province du Manitoba a accordé un million de dollars à l’établissement d’un comité d’aide à l’adaptation communautaire, formé notamment de représentants de la province, de la municipalité rurale d’Alexander, de la ville de Powerview-Pine Falls, de la Première nation de Sagkeeng, des employés de la papetière et d’agences de développement économique communautaires;

que ce comité a contribué à déterminer la viabilité d’une offre d’achat et d’autres avenues de développement économique dans la région;

qu’il y a quinze ans, le gouvernement du Manitoba a octroyé un prêt provincial de 30 millions de dollars aux employés qui ont acheté la papetière;

que le gouvernement néo-démocrate devrait faire ce qu’il peut pour protéger les emplois à Powerview-Pine Falls et aider les travailleurs,

il est proposé que l’Assemblée législative du Manitoba exhorte le gouvernement provincial à envisager d’offrir un prêt en vertu du Programme d’encouragement de l’entreprise au Manitoba si une offre d’achat viable est présentée par un acheteur potentiel qui a les moyens financiers d’acquérir et d’exploiter l’usine, mais qui requiert une aide sous forme de prêt.

It has been a long journey so far for all of those who have been profoundly affected by the actions of Tembec, however, the adoption of this Resolution does give us hope. It provides all of us an indication that if a viable proposal for the purchase of the Mill is put forward by a purchaser who wants to reopen the Mill, then Government is prepared to step up to the table in order to assist that Purchaser to reopen the Mill, start producing paper, and once again providing the much needed jobs that our community needs.

It has been a long journey for me as your MLA, who has been there with you – keeping all of you informed of what was happening, and ensuring that Government stepped up its commitment so that if a viable proposal came forward, that Government would be ready to participate within a short period of time. I thank all of you who have been there to support me, because without you support, this would not have happened.

March 29, 2010 
The NDP ran a deficit last year of $555 Million and further projects that deficits will reach $537 Million this year, $523 Million next year and $420 Million in 2012. This is a total of more than $2 Billion – the NDP will spend more than $2 Billion more than it takes in! All of this must, at some time be paid back, with interest. These deficit projections are based on getting a wage freeze from civil servants and front-line workers. The projections are also based on the assumption that interest rates remain where they are – low. These are 2 dangerous assumptions, because if Government Workers achieve as little as a 1% cost of living raise, the deficit will be $50 Million more each year. If interest rates climb another 1% (which they are expected to do), another $230 Million per year will be added in interest costs, which will correspondingly increase the deficit. Manitoba finds itself in a very precarious financial situation because of the NDP mismanagement. When economic times were good, all other Provinces were paying down their debt. Not so in Manitoba when during those same times the NDP was piling on debt – as a result, we are vulnerable because increasing interest rates could potentially add hundreds of millions of dollars in interest to the cost of operating government.

The NDP changed our balanced budget laws twice during the last 2 years so that it would not break the law. Two years ago, the law was changed so that as long as there was a surplus during a 4 year period the law would be complied with. Previous to this change, every Budget needed to be balanced every year. Last year the NDP amended the law to reduce the penalties to Cabinet Ministers’ salaries if the law was not complied with. Cabinet Ministers take a 20% pay cut when the Province’s finances are in deficit over a 4 year average and if the same thing happens in a second consecutive year, the pay cut doubles to 40%. Previous to this change, Cabinet Ministers’ salaries would be reduced to $1.00 every year that the Province ran a deficit.

With Budget 2010, including the 2009 Budget, the NDP are projected to run deficits for 4 straight years at least. As a result, according to the existing Balanced Budget Law, Cabinet Ministers should take a 20% pay cut this year, and a 40% pay cut next year. Instead of taking the pay cut, the Premier announced that he will rewrite the Legislation so that his Cabinet Ministers don’t need to take a 40% pay cut. In other words, he broke the law, so let’s change the law so we don’t need to take the pay cut! In my view, rewriting the rules so that you are not penalized is immoral and unethical. Those Manitobans who were forced to pay photo radar fines while travelling under the normal speed limit, but above the speed limit in construction zones when workers were not present would also like to re-write the law. They were not given this chance. A Judge threw the tickets out for one motorist who challenged the law, but the thousands of Manitobans who had already paid the fines were never refunded their money. The Minister of Justice refused to refund their money.

On the one hand, the NDP can change the law so that their Cabinet Ministers avoid penalties under the Balanced Budget Law, but at the same time the NDP refused to refund the fines they collected illegally from photo radar tickets.

The NDP change the rules for themselves only, to benefit only themselves!

March 15, 2010
Recently Manitoba’s Finance Minister announced that she would introduce Manitoba’s Budget on March 23, 2010 when the Legislature resumes. She stated that she has had numerous public meetings and consultations with business and community leaders. However, not even one public meeting was held in our constituency – not even one consultation was held with business leaders in our area! What kind of consultation was this? I am disappointed!

A month ago, the NDP announced a projected $602 Million deficit for fiscal year 2009/10. This has now changed – for the worse! Not only are we facing a massive deficit – we are now facing an increased debt in this province by an additional $500 Million. This increased debt is accruing interest, and will need to be paid by future generations.

After all of this bad news the NDP is intent on wasting another $640 Million to bring the transmission line from Northeast Manitoba directly to the Saskatchewan border, then back East to Winnipeg, instead of bringing the line directly South to Winnipeg on the East side of Lake Winnipeg. The NDP is also intent on wasting another $350 Million of your money by forcing the City of Winnipeg to remove Nitrogen from its wastewater, and another $14 Million on enhanced driver’s licences.

Today’s NDP is sounding more and more like yesterday’s NDP under former NDP Premier Howard Pawley, who spent your money like there was no tomorrow. All Manitobans are still paying for the waste and mismanagement of the Pawley government, and if things continue, all Manitobans will be paying for the waste and mismanagement of the Selinger government.

March 9, 2010 
As Canadians, we are swelling with pride at the success of our athletes and at the success of the Vancouver Winter Olympics. Most of us were glued to our television sets for most of the time. Now that the Olympics are over, many of us look at the television programming – and think – how boring!

Well we are not alone – even the American NBC anchorman from the Vancouver Olympics felt the pride in our country. Here are some of his comments: “thank you Canada: for being such good hosts, for your unfailing courtesy, for your beautiful weather, for your unique TV commercials – for companies like Tim Hortons – which made us laugh and cry, for securing this massive event without publically displaying a single automatic weapon, for having the best garment design and logo-wear of the games, for the sportsmanship, for not honking your horns – I never heard one car horn in 15 days, for making us aware of how many of you have been watching NBC, for designing the really cool LED Olympic Rings in the harbor which turned gold when Canadian athletes won gold, for always saying nice things about the United States, for sharing Joannie Rochette with us, for reminding some of us that we were once a more civil society, and mostly, for welcoming the world with such ease and making friends with all of us…”.

We made a lasting and positive impression on the world in these games – let’s revel in our success – we need to celebrate this success!

There is a fascinating story about the Olympics that has not been told, but which many of you have been asking. The story is about the odd looking bouquet of flowers presented to each medalist on the podium at the Olympics. A total of 1800 bouquets of these flowers, all identical, were presented – they were made from green spider mums, with hypericum berries, surrounded by leather-leaf fern, monkey grass, and aspidistra leaves. Each of these bouquets were made by “Just Beginning Flowers”, a non-profit company in Surrey, BC, that employs women who have just left prison, or have been abused, fighting addictions, or with special needs.  This special business teaches them how to be florists. Wonderful, and something to be proud of!

March 2, 2010
The recent controversy over the proposed new recreation centre at the corner of Higgins and Main in Winnipeg makes no sense at all. Youth for Christ is a non-profit organization that has operated in the City of Winnipeg for more than 50 years. It’s proposing to build a $12 Million recreation facility, including an indoor skate and BMX park, a performing arts theatre, dance studio, gymnasiums, and a job skills training centre. Once it was revealed that the Federal Government and the City of Winnipeg were contributing to about 50% of the cost of the project there was much opposition, especially from the Federal NDP Member of Parliament, Pat Martin, who represents the area. He was opposed to it because Youth for Christ is a faith-based organization. What was interesting as well was the fact that the NDP in Manitoba chose not to contribute to the project, no matter whether it will turn people’s lives around for the better in an area that badly needs these types of projects. Instead of embracing the project and encouraging its development, which would be a tremendous boost to the area, and which would be instrumental in helping to keep inner-city youth out of gangs and away from drugs, we saw NDP MP Pat Martin bash the project.

How anyone could be opposed to this project when its mandate is to provide vital services to at-risk youth in the inner city, is beyond belief. How could anyone possibly be opposed to any non-profit organization trying to keep inner-city youth away from gangs and drugs? There is no better way to spend tax dollars – and whether it is a faith-based organization proposing it or not, is irrelevant. Our faith-based organizations do tremendous work throughout our province – and they should be encouraged at continuing to do so.