James Teitsma

Productive summer for your government

Sometimes it can be difficult to keep up with or find out what government is doing to improve things for citizens. Family, work, community, and other obligations can take all of our time and focus, especially over the summer. So, I want to highlight a few things our government is doing to make life better for you, and all Manitobans.

Before concluding the spring legislative sitting, we worked hard to ensure that all Manitoba homeowners would receive their education property tax rebate cheques promptly. For reasons I can’t pretend to understand, the opposition attempted to delay the required legislation. They only relented when we made it clear we were willing to continue working through the summer as long as was needed to get it through. If you rent your home instead of owning it, you will benefit instead through the Manitoba residential renters tax credit.

Government’s work continues through the summer. This past week alone we announced investments of nearly $170 million to improve and update transit in Winnipeg, over $15 million invested in bilingual municipalities through the Building Sustainable Communities, and Urban and Hometown Green Team funds, as well as expanding eligibility of the high-dose flu vaccine this fall, and offering free entry to provincial parks from July 11 to 17. Those are just a few highlights. Clearly, we do not take the summers off.

Ever since I was first elected, I have been advocating for coverage for cochlear implant sound processors. Previously, replacement processors and upgrades were only covered for children under 18. I was very excited to hear that my efforts at advocacy were successful and that same coverage will be extended to all adults. This removes a tremendous financial burden from affected families and individuals and improves their quality of life.

Immigration is key to Manitoba’s success

I am a child of immigrants. My dad came to Canada as a farm labourer in the early 1950s. My mom followed a few years later as a housekeeper and nanny. They knew that Canada was where they could enjoy freedom and secure social and economic opportunities for themselves and their children. Millions of fellow immigrants who came before or since feel the same way.In 1998, Manitoba launched the Manitoba Provincial Nominee Program. This program has since attracted over 165,000 talented, hard-working newcomers and their families. Even with this injection of talent, the Manitoba economy is projected to require an additional 15,500 skilled workers annually over each of the coming years.Our new premier, Heather Stefanson, recently conducted a tour of the entire province. As she listened to Manitobans, a common theme emerged — we need more skilled labourers and a more efficient immigration process. Many of my constituents have recently come to Canada. I have heard from them first-hand how complex, complicated, and lengthy the immigration process can be. I have also heard from some with foreign credentials who struggle to have those skills recognized here in Manitoba — qualified doctors and nurses who end up working as health care aides or taxi drivers instead. For these reasons, our government has created an immigration advisory council, to be co-chaired by Jon Reyes, minister of advanced education, skills and Immigration and Dr. Lloyd Axworthy. Together, they will review everything to do with immigration. The council will provide clear recommendations to the Manitoba government about how to recruit and retain newcomers and business investors, streamline the MPNP, fill labour market needs and improve foreign credential recognition.Manitoba has been welcoming immigrants for well over a century and will continue to do so. It is a place where people of many cultures live together in harmony. Over 200 languages are spoken throughout the province. Manitoba also has one of Canada’s strongest and most diversified economies, with a low cost of living and plenty of opportunities for quality careers, for education or to start a business. Manitoba also has a strong tradition of welcoming refugees. Typically, Manitoba receives between 1,500 and 2,200 refugees per year from many different countries. For more than 100 years, immigrants such as my parents have helped build Manitoba into the amazing province it is today. In the years to come, immigration will remain key to Manitoba’s success as newcomer Manitobans will continue to drive economic growth and prosperity in our province. 

I am a child of immigrants. My dad came to Canada as a farm labourer in the early 1950s. My mom followed a few years later as a housekeeper and nanny. They knew that Canada was where they could enjoy freedom and secure social and economic opportunities for themselves and their children. Millions of fellow immigrants who came before or since feel the same way.

In 1998, Manitoba launched the Manitoba Provincial Nominee Program. This program has since attracted over 165,000 talented, hard-working newcomers and their families. Even with this injection of talent, the Manitoba economy is projected to require an additional 15,500 skilled workers annually over each of the coming years.

Ceremony helps promote truth and reconciliation

I am writing this article on Sept. 30 - Orange Shirt Day and the first ever official National Day for Truth and Reconciliation.The events of the past year, including the discovery of unmarked graves on the sites of Indian residential schools and the protests around Canada Day, have helped focus our attention on the historical and present treatment of Indigenous peoples in Canada. Earlier in the week, I participated in a blanket ceremony, along with several other MLAs, at the Manitoba legislature, organized by Alan Lagimodiere, minister of Indigenous reconciliation and northern relations. It was facilitated by senior education officials.During the exercise, we were asked to stand on blankets representing the land we now call Canada. We were guided through pre-contact, treaty-making, colonization, resistance and much more and learned how this impacted First Nations, Inuit and Métis peoples. Afterward, we shared insights and discussed what we had learned.We were joined by two Indigenous grandmothers, Ivy Chaske and Myra Laramee. Ivy proudly traces her lineage to Lakota cChief Sitting Bull (made famous by his defeat of Gen. Custer of the U.S. cavalry). Each grandmother shared their personal experiences and their parents’ experiences with residential schools and with racism. Despite these experiences, both emphasized that it is what we have in common that should bind us together. We are all people. We are all children of a creator god. They asked that we all respect one other and show kindness to each other and work together towards reconciliation.I am grateful for the experience. Perhaps the most poignant part of the exercise was when they acted out how children were forcibly removed from their families to attend residential schools. It was heartbreaking. Increasing our awareness of the impact of these government-sponsored actions should motivate all of us promote a full and truthful acknowledgement of the history of our nation and to desire to live together peacefully and respectfully - that’s what reconciliation looks like.Racist actions and attitudes have existed and will continue to exist in every culture throughout history including ours today. The question we need to ask ourselves is: how will we respond to them?Will we stand with the oppressed or will we sit on the sidelines?Will we speak up for those marginalized or will we remain silent?Will we defend the rights of all people or only those we like?I encourage you to think about that today and every day.

I am writing this article on Sept. 30 - Orange Shirt Day and the first ever official National Day for Truth and Reconciliation.

The events of the past year, including the discovery of unmarked graves on the sites of Indian residential schools and the protests around Canada Day, have helped focus our attention on the historical and present treatment of Indigenous peoples in Canada. 

Earlier in the week, I participated in a blanket ceremony, along with several other MLAs, at the Manitoba legislature, organized by Alan Lagimodiere, minister of Indigenous reconciliation and northern relations. It was facilitated by senior education officials.

New premier sets a new tone

A lot has happened in Manitoba politics over the last six weeks.  On Aug. 10, Premier Brian Pallister announced he was leaving politics. The wheels were thus set in motion to select a replacement leader by the end of October but, by the end of August, Pallister decided to leave sooner, opening the door to an interim premier.  My colleagues and I unanimously selected Kelvin Goertzen to serve as premier until a new PC party leader is selected. Kelvin is well-respected by his colleagues and staff and is one of the most intelligent and knowledgeable people I have ever known. He is also respectful and kind and truly wants what is best for our province. I deeply appreciate his willingness to return calls and keep his office door open.Goertzen immediately set about setting a new tone. He made long overdue calls from the premier’s office to Winnipeg mayor Brian Bowman, Grand Chiefs Arlen Dumas and Garrison Settee, Manitoba Métis Federation president David Chartrand and other union, business and political leaders throughout Manitoba. His goal is to invite all of them and as many Manitobans as possible into the premier’s office, to listen to what they have to say, and to relay what he hears to the next Premier.During his first press conference as premier, Goertzen set a tone that was calm, conciliatory, and confidence-building. He said, “the loudest voice isn’t always the strongest voice. It’s often better to listen for a while before trying to figure out a solution. I spent a lot of time listening and talking to friends and neighbours who don’t agree with me, and in trying to convince them of my view, but in a respectful way. “... the loudest voice isn’t always the strongest voice.“It should always be done respectfully,” he added. “One of my great concerns right now in taking this role is that there is lots of division in Manitoba. Lots of people who, fundamentally don’t just disagree with each other -which isn’t a bad thing - but that there is growing animosity between people and between communities and that worries me. It’s the animosity that worries me as much as anything. Regardless of your ethnicity or your beliefs, I want to represent all Manitobans in my time as premier.”During the same conference, Goertzen also announced that Bill 64 was dead. Bill 64 sought to eliminate elected public school boards in Manitoba. Thank you to everyone who contacted me about this issue. I especially appreciate the approach taken by River East Transcona School Division chair Jerry Sodomlak and several other trustees who met with me personally on more than one occasion to discuss their valid concerns. I am much more optimistic as I see our new premier follow the same approach I try to bring to my role as MLA. I try to listen to and be respectful of all Manitobans, try to put their interests ahead of my own, and  try to remains available, accountable and active. Contact my office anytime by calling 204-691-7976 or emailing office@jamesteitsma.ca

A lot has happened in Manitoba politics over the last six weeks.  

On Aug. 10, Premier Brian Pallister announced he was leaving politics. The wheels were thus set in motion to select a replacement leader by the end of October but, by the end of August, Pallister decided to leave sooner, opening the door to an interim premier.  

My colleagues and I unanimously selected Kelvin Goertzen to serve as premier until a new PC party leader is selected. Kelvin is well-respected by his colleagues and staff and is one of the most intelligent and knowledgeable people I have ever known. He is also respectful and kind and truly wants what is best for our province. I deeply appreciate his willingness to return calls and keep his office door open.

Thoughts on residential schools

I have six children. I love each one of them dearly. I know parents who have lost children to cancer, to vehicle accidents, and to SIDS. I cannot comprehend how devastating a loss that is. Not because I am unwilling to try and understand but because, unless you have experienced it yourself, you simply cannot understand. So, when we talk about children being taken from their parents against their will and being sent to residential schools, we know that it was devastating. We know many of these children suffered neglect, abuse, and malnourishment while there. We know many of them died, never to return, while miles and miles away from their mother’s arms. That is unacceptable.This happened at the hands of government and church officials, acting in the name of Her Majesty the Queen, in a concerted effort to prevent the transmission of cultural beliefs and values from one generation to another. That is reprehensible.When those I love and care about experience trauma or pain, my first instinct is to do everything in my power to fix it. I need to remember that some things simply cannot be fixed. God gave me two ears and only one mouth. So first, I should listen. But then I should also speak and use my voice to amplify theirs.As a Canadian, I share in the history of this country — both the good and the bad, the honourable and the dishonourable. My commitment is to promote a truthful acknowledgement of the history of our nation.Many quickly condemn the legacy of residential schools without looking in the mirror. Even today government still takes children, mostly Indigenous children, away from their parents, extended family and community. Removing children from their families should be a last resort, not an automatic occurrence based on rules and regulations. Reuniting children with their parents should be a key priority. Changing the way Child and Family Services operates needs to be part of reconciliation as well.I do not pretend to have full knowledge of the history of our nation. I will learn and listen. I do not pretend to know everything about the path we should follow forward. I will seek and study.I do not pretend to be able to change what is needed by myself. I will commit and co-operate.

I have six children. I love each one of them dearly. 

I know parents who have lost children to cancer, to vehicle accidents, and to SIDS. I cannot comprehend how devastating a loss that is. Not because I am unwilling to try and understand but because, unless you have experienced it yourself, you simply cannot understand. 

So, when we talk about children being taken from their parents against their will and being sent to residential schools, we know that it was devastating. We know many of these children suffered neglect, abuse, and malnourishment while there. 

Education on property taxes

My office has fielded quite a few questions about the plan to eliminate the education property tax.

Most homeowners should have received cheques in the mail by now for about 25 per cent of their gross education property taxes. That’s a good thing. Next year, homeowners should get cheques for twice that much again.

But what about renters? And why did property taxes go up slightly in the process?  And how will our education system be paid for anyway?

The budget for K-12 education in Manitoba is set independently of this tax. In fact, we spend three to four times as much on K-12 Education than this tax provides. It is paid for mostly by income tax and sales tax. Economic growth and population growth means that government is collecting more money in income tax and sales tax, even after lowering the PST. K-12 education funding this year is set at more than $3 billion for the first time  and it will only increase from there, continuing to be funded primarily by income tax and sales tax.

Homelessness crisis: how should we respond?

Today I want to talk about a difficult topic: homelessness. It is hard to do justice to this topic in such a short article. People are living in bus shelters and setting up camps in our community. What used to be seen mostly downtown is becoming increasingly visible all around Winnipeg. How should we respond as government? As society? As individuals? Before we jump to solutions, it is important to agree on some fundamental truths.First, we should treat all citizens fairly and have their best interests at heart. We need to do that without prejudice. We need to treat everyone the way we would want to be treated.Second, we are all fundamentally free people but there are limits to these freedoms. We cannot infringe on the rights of others. For example, you are free to get drunk but you are not free to drive a car on a public roadway while drunk. Government needs to uphold these freedoms while also enforcing their limits. Third, human beings are all worthy of respect and should be treated with care and dignity. Little separates us from folks who are living homeless. Losing our job coupled with being rejected by family members and friends would put many of us in similar circumstances.A compassionate, long-term strategy needs to keep these fundamentals in mind. Often homelessness is coupled with addictions, mental health issues or both. Providing shelter and assistance without addressing addiction and mental health just moves the problem out of sight and perhaps assuages our consciences, but fundamentally leaves them trapped.That is why we are using a model of “housing with supports” in Winnipeg to ensure that when people come off the streets and into housing, they also get help with addictions and mental health. In April alone, 60 people were moved out of bus shelters and the like and into housing with wrap-around supports to aid in sustaining that tenancy. The journey to recovery from addiction often starts at rock bottom, but rock bottom sometimes never comes. Deaths by suicide or overdose are part of this stark landscape. Law-enforcement and community groups play critical roles here. We should not compel an individual into addiction treatment against their will. When laws are broken, law enforcement has a duty to respond. This response represents an opportunity for intervention. Intervention can mark the start of recovery from addiction, when it is undertaken in the appropriate way. That is why our government has invested more than $450,000 equipping all Winnipeg Police Service officers with Health IM, an interactive application that walks officers through interactions with individuals in crisis. This tool enables police officers to better assess the individual and situation appropriately, and connect them with the support they need. Some might be tempted to think that letting the homeless do whatever they want with no consequences is part of a compassionate response, but it is not. You should not enable their addiction. Instead you want them to be able to life a fulfilling life. Recovering addicts often look back at those who took the time to understand their challenges and trauma, and who made a conscious effort to support them while they were at their lowest, with sincere gratitude. Without that intervention, they would never have again known the connection, purpose and joy that comes with beating their addiction.I believe these are the ingredients to a successful strategy to address homelessness. It requires effort, coordination, and resources. And it starts and ends with love. 

Today I want to talk about a difficult topic: homelessness. It is hard to do justice to this topic in such a short article. People are living in bus shelters and setting up camps in our community. What used to be seen mostly downtown is becoming increasingly visible all around Winnipeg. 

How should we respond as government? As society? As individuals? Before we jump to solutions, it is important to agree on some fundamental truths.

Honouring those who make Manitoba amazing

“I was hoping you could help me.”This is how most phone calls from Colleen Tackaberry begin. Colleen is the resource co-ordinator with the Transcona Council for Seniors, a not-for-profit organization providing a wide range of services for seniors in Park City. With her seemingly endless supply of energy, Colleen ensures the Transcona Council for Seniors fulfills its mission to assist seniors in Transcona to remain living independently for as long as possible. Even during the pandemic, she has managed to keep the congregate meal program going with lunch or dinner three times per week - now re-imagined as take-out. Meals are prepared in the Transcona Memorial United Church kitchen and distributed in a COVID-19 careful way from the front foyer. Colleen is always looking for more volunteers - she even roped me into helping hand out meals.In celebration of Manitoba’s 150th birthday, Manitobans were invited to nominate community volunteers who make an extraordinary difference in their community. The intent of the awards was to inspire future community engagement and leadership through these positive examples. I was thankful for the opportunity to nominate Colleen for this prestigious award and am very pleased that she was selected one of the Honour 150 honourees.When Colleen calls me, she is most often looking for advice and support on accessing government grants to help make the services offered by the Transcona Council for Seniors even better. Thankfully, I have been able to say “Yes, I can help,” almost every time she has called. Her willingness to tackle almost any project and her knack for getting the most out of other people led Rev. Carol Fletcher from Transcona Memorial to say she was “like glue holding together people and programs”. One of the most visible events Colleen hosts most years is the Community Health Fair. What began several years ago in a church basement has now grown to a packed two-day program that fills Kildonan Place shopping centre. The free program provides health information for everyone, but especially seniors. The last time this event was held, in 2019, dozens of different groups set up an assortment of interesting displays. I expect we are all looking forward to at time when it can be held once again.When I told Colleen I would be writing an article about her, she said, “All this positive attention might start going to my head, but don’t worry - my family keeps me grounded”. Over the years, I have had the pleasure of meeting her son, Michael, and working with her grandson Peyton. They are much like their mother and grandmother - kind, smart, hard-working and humble. To learn more about the Transcona Council for Seniors, please visit www.transconaseniors.ca, email tcs@mymts.net or call 204-222-9879. You can also always contact my office via email at office@jamesteitsma.ca or by phone at 204-691-7976.

“I was hoping you could help me.”

This is how most phone calls from Colleen Tackaberry begin. Colleen is the resource co-ordinator with the Transcona Council for Seniors, a not-for-profit organization providing a wide range of services for seniors in Park City. 

With her seemingly endless supply of energy, Colleen ensures the Transcona Council for Seniors fulfills its mission to assist seniors in Transcona to remain living independently for as long as possible. Even during the pandemic, she has managed to keep the congregate meal program going with lunch or dinner three times per week - now re-imagined as take-out. Meals are prepared in the Transcona Memorial United Church kitchen and distributed in a COVID-19 careful way from the front foyer. 

Finding positives in a tough year

The year 2020 started so well. We planned to celebrate Manitoba’s 150th birthday and the 100th anniversary of the construction of the Legislature. Beautiful lights illuminated the Legislative grounds. Manitoba was on the verge of posting its first budgetary surplus in over 10 years. Those were the days...Then things went sideways. The impacts of COVID-19 and the restrictions that came with it are too broad to do justice to in this brief article. Looking back, it is hard to find positives, even with the benefit of hindsight. But there were some good things. One highlight was the ability to cut through bureaucratic processes and accomplish important tasks quickly. As an example, during the early days of the pandemic, the City of Winnipeg IT department rolled out Microsoft Teams to all councillors and civil servants in a matter of days. Normally, this would have taken more than a year to accomplish. The HelpNextDoorMB.ca app was designed, developed and deployed in just over a week. Efforts to build a new uncertified health-care aide program at Red River College followed by the recruitment, training and hiring of dozens of new staff all happened in under a month. I saw this sense of urgency at work firsthand when I joined the testing task force. This team was set up in late September, when wait times were measured in hours, lineups at test sites were measured in city blocks, and the turnaround time for COVID-19 test results had risen from 48 hours to over six days. The second wave had hit us harder and earlier than expected. Nevertheless, in just a few weeks, this team managed to deploy a new, appointment-based system, open additional test sites, and change the organization and flow in test sites and labs. Today, test turnaround time is below 30 hours and lineups at test sites are virtually non-existent.The government’s actions in response to the urgency of the pandemic is like the Agile method of software development. When I first studied computer science in the 1990s, the older Waterfall method was common. Requirements, specifications and designs could take months or years to document before any code was even written. Government tends to work like this. In contrast, the Agile method has you coding from the get-go and involves the entire team along the way. Agile development produces better software, more quickly and at a lower cost. It was good to see government act in a similar way in response to these trying times.By learning from these experiences, we are both better prepared for a future pandemic and better equipped to serve Manitobans in all sorts of challenges. If you have ideas please send an email tow office@jamesteitsma.ca

The year 2020 started so well. We planned to celebrate Manitoba’s 150th birthday and the 100th anniversary of the construction of the Legislature. Beautiful lights illuminated the Legislative grounds. Manitoba was on the verge of posting its first budgetary surplus in over 10 years. Those were the days...

Then things went sideways. The impacts of COVID-19 and the restrictions that came with it are too broad to do justice to in this brief article. Looking back, it is hard to find positives, even with the benefit of hindsight. But there were some good things. 

One highlight was the ability to cut through bureaucratic processes and accomplish important tasks quickly. As an example, during the early days of the pandemic, the City of Winnipeg IT department rolled out Microsoft Teams to all councillors and civil servants in a matter of days. Normally, this would have taken more than a year to accomplish. The HelpNextDoorMB.ca app was designed, developed and deployed in just over a week. Efforts to build a new uncertified health-care aide program at Red River College followed by the recruitment, training and hiring of dozens of new staff all happened in under a month. 

Strive to be the best you can be

One of the privileges I have as member of the Legislative Assembly for Radisson is the opportunity to address the Legislature for two minutes on almost any topic a few times each year. This was my most recent statement:There can be no doubt that the last few months have been especially difficult. Greater restrictions. Increased hospitalizations. More deaths. We are tired. We are stressed. Often, we are lonely.I don’t know about you, but for me, when I’m tired and stressed I tend to get a bit cranky.But we don’t have to stay that way. We can decide to do better. We can resolve to be our very best.If there ever was a time to put the interests of others ahead of our own, it is now. If there ever was a time to be patient and kind, it is now. If there ever was a time to Facetime a friend, to phone a senior, to talk — distantly — with your neighbours, it is now.For those of you who are people of faith like me, I ask that you always remember who really is in control. And I ask you to pray. Pray for your faith community. Pray for your government representatives. Pray for your province. Pray that God will be merciful to us all. Pray on behalf of all Manitobans that this pandemic may be stopped. Let’s focus on what we can control instead of worrying about what we can’t.No one is ever perfect in this life. Nevertheless, we can each strive to be our best. Our doctors, nurses and other health care workers are doing the best they can. Our teachers are doing the best they can. Your government is doing the best it can. Even though we are all tired. Even though we are all stressed. What I am asking today from each and every Manitoban is for you to be the best that you can. I have faith that we will get through this pandemic. I have hope that we will come out of it stronger than most. But my focus for these next weeks, and what I hope is yours as well, is to show love.Thank you to those who have reached out to support our teachers, health care workers, and even government representatives like me with words of encouragement in these trying times. It is greatly appreciated. If you would like to contact my office with any questions, please call 204-691-7976 or email office@jamesteitsma.ca

One of the privileges I have as member of the Legislative Assembly for Radisson is the opportunity to address the Legislature for two minutes on almost any topic a few times each year.

This was my most recent statement:

There can be no doubt that the last few months have been especially difficult. Greater restrictions. Increased hospitalizations. More deaths. 

Transcona needs a Dynacare supersite

Nobody likes waiting — especially for health care. Everyone wants better health care, sooner. And soon Transcona will have a Dynacare supersite that will increase tests being performed, reduce wait times and feature more employees. Transcona has had several small Dynacare lab sites for years, often with only one or two staff. Small locations create challenges for both staff and patients. If a staff member is sick and no replacement is available, the lab may need to close or operate at a significantly reduced capacity. A delay or complication while performing a test for one patient can ripple down the line into delays for all subsequent patients that day. Staff members often don’t have access to workplace amenities that most would take for granted, such as places to eat their lunches. COVID-19 has made this tenuous situation worse. Many Transcona lab sites have not been able to open under public health restrictions. Patients could not wait in waiting rooms, resulting in long outdoor lineups, with patients, often seniors, exposed to summer heat, autumn winds and rain. Dynacare supersites address the issues that affect smaller sites. They often have eight to 10 blood sampling stations, offer scheduled appointments and have online check-in. They also have spacious waiting rooms and have been able to significantly reduce wait times. They feature accessible washrooms and appropriate modem facilities for staff. Because there are so many staff at each location, one sick staff member or a complicated patient has less of an effect on lab capacity.I always advocate for improved services for my constituency and all of northeast Winnipeg. When I heard about the long outdoor wait times and limited available lab locations, I immediately contacted the health minister to express my concerns and pass along my constituents’ experiences. He needed to know just how important this issue was for northeast Winnipeg residents. I am pleased to report that all this advocacy has paid off. A new Dynacare supersite is coming soon to Transcona, in the Kildonan Place area. For updates, follow my Facebook page at facebook.com/TeitsmaForRadisson where you’ll get the latest information on the opening date, location and hours of operation. I am looking forward to the opening of a Dynacare supersite. I believe it will provide better care sooner for my constituents and for all of northeast Winnipeg.

Nobody likes waiting — especially for health care. Everyone wants better health care, sooner. 

And soon Transcona will have a Dynacare supersite that will increase tests being performed, reduce wait times and feature more employees. 

Transcona has had several small Dynacare lab sites for years, often with only one or two staff. Small locations create challenges for both staff and patients. If a staff member is sick and no replacement is available, the lab may need to close or operate at a significantly reduced capacity. A delay or complication while performing a test for one patient can ripple down the line into delays for all subsequent patients that day. Staff members often don’t have access to workplace amenities that most would take for granted, such as places to eat their lunches.