Funding for youth Martin’s goal

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This article was published 03/09/2019 (2466 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Donovan Martin wants to protect Winnipeg’s youth and invest in the next generation of leaders.

Martin, who grew up in the newly organized Notre Dame riding, said he’s worried by how drug addiction has affected his community. If elected as the MLA for Notre Dame, the Manitoba Liberal Party candidate’s main goal will be to invest in recreational programs for youth.

During a stroll through in the Daniel McIntyre neighbourhood, Martin shared his childhood memories of the area.

“Basically from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m., Monday through Friday, as soon as summer holidays, we had the (school) gym open. So you had every single kid in the neighbourhood. We played basketball, football outside, the programs were run by the City, and all the kids were off the streets,” he told The Times.

The vibrant community where he grew up has changed a lot. Neighbours moved, shops closed, demographics changed, but what hasn’t changed is the fact that residents want to live in a safe place with a healthy environment for their kids, Martin said.

“I’m the only candidate who is actually from the community. I think that’s important because, growing up, I can tell you how it was.”

“The problem right now, the definition of getting in trouble is pretty stark and I see that everyday,” said Martin, who manages the constituency office of Winnipeg Centre Liberal MP Robert-Falcon Ouellette. 

He said picking up needles in front of the office and seeing criminal activity occur is already “part of my daily routine.”

“It’s a huge problem that we are not addressing,” he continued. “I’m so heavily focused on keeping the kids out of the street. I say if you can get kids (involved) every day, starting from when they are small, when they reach that pivotal age of Grade 9 or Grade 10, they are so involved in doing something that it’s not an issue (whether) they are going to end up with the wrong crowd.”

“As a parent, you know who they are hanging around with and you build that trust.”

The father of three believes in giving back to the community. He has been involved with coaching basketball, football, and soccer for more than 25 years.

“It’s important for me because, while I coach, I’m at the games, and I say to the kids, ‘You have to give back. I don’t want you to grow up and not do anything.’”

“I coached hundreds of kids, and some of them went on to do some really good things and have some really good university and high school careers.”

If elected, Martin wants to ensure that federal funding is allocated to recreation for youth and also address locations where soil is contaminated with high levels of lead, referring to test results that showed that the levels of lead in Weston School’s soil were significantly higher than the acceptable limits. 

He stated that he wishes to reverse cuts made by the provincial government, while addressing the issues that have greatly affected the province.

 

Also running in Notre Dame are NDP candidate Malaya Marcelino, PC candidate Marsha Street, GPM candidate Martha Jo Willard and CPC-M candidate Andrew Taylor.