Cindy Lamoureux

Health system has been broken for two decades

Health care makes up almost half of our provincial budget, yet provincial governments have neglected it in Manitoba for decades. We need to make some big changes to improve patient care and community-based services to fix our health-care system.

Fixing health care is about more than money

It’s clear when I talk to constituents in Tyndall Park that what they want is quality health care close to home, which is something that consecutive provincial governments have not been able to deliver. Instead, provincial governments seem to want to blame Ottawa and not accept the fact that our current health crisis exists in good part because of decisions they continue to make at the provincial level.

Winter and the holiday season

With flu season and the holidays ramping up, it is important to talk about our health and ways we can mentally and physically take care of ourselves and watch out for one another.

Enjoying basketball and kabaddi

Sports play such an important role in bringing people together and that is why we recognize the value of organized sports in our communities. We owe a great deal to our community athletes, parents/guardians, families, and volunteer coaches, and community club volunteers.

The welcome return of Folklorama

Folklorama returned and for the month of August I had a great time exploring the world by attending Folklorama pavilions. This year I had the opportunity to attend the Métis, Portuguese, Ukraine-Kyiv, Scotland, Irish, Punjab, Spirit of Ukraine, Italian and Celtic pavilions. It was so nice to see Folklorama back and I know I am not alone with this thought, as tens of thousands of people, once again, attended the shows over two weeks.

The significance of park naming in Tyndall Park

Over the last couple of years, Tyndall Park has officially named two parks. One in honour of an important person and the other in recognition of a historic incident. I would like to talk briefly about these two parks here.

George Heshka Park — Almost a year and a half ago, the park on westbound Burrows Avenue at King Edward Street was officially named George Heshka Park. Many of you, myself included, remember Mr. Heshka as our principal at Sisler High School, where was principal for 40 years, beginning in 1980, and transformed Sisler into one of the Top 10 high schools in Canada, according to Macleans magazine. He was also a good-hearted, intelligent, and caring man who always made us feel safe. Principal Heshka positively affected the lives of thousands of students not only in the North End, but also our school system at large.

Mr. Heshka contributed so much to our community and to all of us who live here. He passed away in March 2021, butwill always be cherished and loved.

Komagata Maru Park — A couple of weeks back, the official city sign went up on Kaur Umber Trail for the Komagata Maru Park. To provide a bit of background, in 1914, there was an incident here in Canada that is now known as the Komagata Maru incident. The federal government, with the support of other governments and many other stakeholders at the time, turned away a ship with hundreds of South Asian migrants aboard, many of whom were Sikh, that had landed in Vancouver. In 2016, our Prime Minister formally apologized in the House of Commons for the role the federal government played in this incident. Following the apology, some community-minded people thought it would be appropriate to look for a park that could be named as a commemorative park.

Recognizing Canada Day in Tyndall Park

I recognize I am biased on this issue, but I believe Canada is the best country in the world to call home. Canada as we know it today became a federation of provinces back in 1867, and we will be recognizing Canada’s 155th birthday this coming July 1.

We have not been able to have our usual Canada Day celebration in Tyndall Park for the past two year, owing to the COVID-19 pandemic, however, we are excited to share that we are going to try our best to make up for it this year

Canada’s birthday has always played a big role in my life and holds a special place in my heart. I grew up attending this annual event and, as I got older, I was unofficially promoted to the position of face painting and hosting games. Since being elected as an MLA in 2016, I have co-hosted this annual event in Tyndall Park. I am very much looking forward to being able to gather with the community the way we have in previous years prior to the pandemic.

My father, MP Kevin Lamoureux (Winnipeg North), and I want to extend an open invitation for you, your family, and friends to join us on July 1 this year as we restart our annual Canada Day event behind Tyndall Park School, alongside the Tyndall Park Community Centre.

Celebrating I Love to Read Month in Tyndall Park

One of the things that make the month of February so special to me is the opportunity to celebrate I Love to Read Month together with our students and teachers.

Tyndall Park is home to seven amazing elementary schools: Prairie Rose, Shaughnessy Park, École Stanley Knowles, Meadows West, Garden Grove, École Waterford Springs, and Tyndall Park School.

What I appreciate the most about I Love to Read month is connecting with our schools, sharing ideas, and learning together. This year, the theme was about reading around the world, so the students taught me lots about many of our different languages and cultural values. On one of the days, it was the National Flag Day for Canada, so the students shared the history and importance of our own flag.

One thing I’ve noticed over the years is how particular books have remained consistently popular among the students. The Orange Shirt Story is the true story that inspired the Orange Shirt Day movement. It tells the story of a child who was sent to a residential school for the first time. On her first day at school, she proudly wore a shiny orange shirt her Granny had bought for her, but when she arrived, she was told that she could not wear her favourite shirt. It was taken away from her and never returned. This is a heartbreaking but very important story to continue sharing.

Fred De Villa is one of the Honour 150

In celebration of Manitoba’s 150th anniversary, Honour 150 was established to recognize 150 outstanding individuals in the province who have given back to our community and have enriched the places in which we love, work, play and come together in unity.

It gives me great pride to say that Fred De Villa was one of the 150 recipients of this amazing recognition.

Mr. De Villa loves our community and truly wants to enrich all of our lives. Back in the early 1970s and ’80s, Mr. De Villa became involved in many community-driven projects that helped integrated newcomers into our province, strengthen our diversity and brought lasting friendships among people despite differences in their backgrounds.

Personally, Tito Fred has greatly affected my life. The stories he has shared with me of his experiences throughout the years continue to inspire me throughout my career in politics.

Crime and safety in Tyndall Park

The issue of crime and safety has been a top issue for many here in Tyndall Park. Through emails, phone calls and on social media, I’ve been made aware of issues including ongoing substance use, car racing, harassment, break-ins, vandalism, and domestic abuse. Many of these incidents occur late at night.

I am thankful to many of you who have brought these issues to my attention, and I agree that these issues have to be addressed immediately. I share this because we have a responsibility to our community to do what we can to ensure and create a safe neighbourhood. We also have a responsibility to educate and provide services to those who may need them.

I would also like to highlight some incredibly hardworking and dedicated members of the community who are going above and beyond to ensure that Tyndall Park and the North End at large are as safe as possible. This past month, I had the opportunity to spend a couple of evenings walking with them.

One of these groups is the NorthWest Watchers, which is led by Garry Alejo and Marby Aguilar. The NorthWest Watchers patrol the Tyndall Park Area weekly in order to create a strong physical community presence.

Return of Filipino Street Festival was fabulous

The past year has been difficult for so many people, which is why it was a breath of fresh air to be able to celebrate the two-day Manitoba Filipino Street Festival right here in Tyndall Park on Aug. 29 and 29.

The Manitoba Filipino Street Festival is much more than just an annual weekend of performances and exhibits. It is a time for the community to get together, and celebrate culture and diversity.

I would like to extend a special thank you to all who organized, performed, volunteered, and attended this year’s 2021 Manitoba Filipino Street Festival. We also need to send a grateful shout out to the chairpeople and dedicated volunteers of the MFSF - Ley Navarro and Rowena Oquendo. Without these two individuals planning and organizing all year long, the MFSF would not be the incredible success it is.

Every year, with the exception of 2020 owing to the COVID-19 pandemic, there is an extensive list of exhibitors for those attending to visit and learn from to make the festival a great experience for all.

Celebrating Folklorama’s timeless charm

I hope you and your loved ones have all been remaining safe and having some fun reconnecting throughout the summer as COVID-19 restrictions begin to be lifted.

As most of you will already know, the theme for Folklorama 2021 is “One unified virtual experience. One multi-cultural fusion event,” and I thought I would use this opportunity to share a little bit about Folklorama’s virtual program.

Folklorama 2021 is running between Aug. 6 and 8, and for the first time in the history of Folklorama, members of the ethno-cultural communities that make up all the pavilions worked diligently to create a virtual showcase of their heritages.

This year, along with all the performers, Folklorama held a virtual market, a food week and a 50/50 contest.

Support small businesses in Tyndall Park

Throughout the pandemic many businesses have been struggling to get by.

While I am grateful for the Manitoba Bridge Grant program, I do believe it needed to have a broader scope and be more inclusive to support all businesses. This inclusivity is something I am continuing to push for with the provincial government. I currently have an ongoing dialogue with the minister of crown services specifically for taxi drivers who have been left out.

With that said, another great way to support small businesses is by promoting them and sharing them with one another. Please show your love by supporting our local businesses here in Tyndall Park.

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Recognizing teachers and celebrating reading

Celebrating I Love to Read Month is definitely one of the best parts of being an MLA, because it is an opportunity to speak directly to students and teachers together.

I really appreciate having the opportunity to spend some real time meeting with teachers and students and learning all about their great ideas for our province.

This year was a little different considering it was all virtual, but I must say that the schools in my constituency — Tyndall Park, Garden Grove, Meadows West, Stanley Knowles, Prairie Rose and Shaughnessy Park — far exceeded my expectations and made celebrating I Love to Read Month virtually not only possible, but also fun and informative.

Between the 14 classrooms, I read a broad series of very important books. Some were fun, silly and lighthearted like Curious George and Have You Filled a Bucket Today?. Others were more serious and informative, such as the The Orange Shirt Story and Uniquely Wired.