Scott Fielding

I am proud to have grown up in Kirkfield Park.

With an abundance of parks, trails, rinks and community spaces there was never a shortage of things to do or places to explore. I’ve always enjoyed biking in and around our constituency and this summer has been no different.

A couple weeks ago I was able to hop on my bike and connect with some of the good people in our neighbourhood. Starting on the Sturgeon Park Greenway off Ness Avenue, I meandered south through the constituency towards Best Street where it was my privilege to personally present James and Marlene Taylor with a certificate of recognition for their 60th wedding anniversary! Congratulations to them both, a wonderful milestone to celebrate.

After a short visit I carried on towards Woodhaven Park where people of all ages were out enjoying a walk with their dogs or chatting with friends while strolling past “The Hill.” From here you can connect to Assiniboine Crescent where there is a great bike path that takes you under or across the Moray Bridge in the direction of Assiniboine Park. You can also pick up some tasty snacks across from the park — the iconic Sargent Sundae is a favourite stop for many who visit the park looking for frozen treats to help beat the heat.

As we head into May long weekend and spending more time outdoors, I’m happy to share that Kirkfield Park received over $200,000 in 2021 Green Team funding.

Urban and Hometown Green Team grants allow communities to hire youth aged 15 to 29 to work on community projects between May 1 and Sept. 30. Non-profit organizations in Winnipeg and rural Manitoba are eligible to receive 100 per cent of wage costs and $250 per position for support costs, while municipal governments receive 50 per cent of wage costs and $125 per position for support costs, on a cost-shared basis. The province is maintaining its 2020 funding level for Green Teams, which had doubled from 2019 to stimulate youth job creation during the pandemic. Priorities for the 2021 summer season are focused on community-based organizations and municipal governments that can offer full-time employment opportunities for youth, and projects that support COVID-19 response and recovery efforts.  

These grants are a strong investment in our youth by helping them get involved in our communities and parks while kick-starting their career prospects. The funding supports projects involving grounds maintenance, public education, building maintenance, office work and trails.

The local organizations awarded this funding include:

Oct. 1 was National Seniors Day, which kicked off Elders and Seniors month.

Seniors and elders enrich our lives by listening and sharing their extensive knowledge, wisdom and skills through working, volunteering and caregiving. In Kirkfield Park we are fortunate to have over 20 per cent of residents over the age of 65.

I would like to put a spotlight on a couple from Kirkfield Park who have spent several decades giving back to our community — Don and Ruth Timmerman.

The Timmermans have lived in Kirkfield Park most of their lives. Don spent 37 years as an educator in St. James-Assiniboia, where he started the first school band program in St. James. He went on to become president of the International Music Camp at the International Peace Garden, impacting the lives of youth with music for generations. Some of his other contributions to our community through volunteerism include:

Fall is in the air!

That typically means kids are headed back to school, but things will look different this year when they return. The safety and well-being of students and staff has been front of mind for everyone involved as we continue to live with COVID-19.

Since March parents, teachers and students have had to do a lot of adjusting. Educators continue to work hard providing online learning options for students to access from home in addition to in-class curriculums. Classroom layouts have been modified to support distancing and sanitization. Parents have had to adapt to kids learning at home. Milestones were still celebrated with graduations being smaller and sometimes even virtual this year.

Enhanced safety measures like the wearing of personal protective equipment continues to change the school environment. This is new territory for everyone. As my family prepares to send our kids back to school, I’m not sure yet how our youngest, Beck (Grade 4), will do with wearing his mask properly or adhering to physical distancing, but we’re working on it! Particularly with young children who are accustomed to free mobility and play based learning in their classrooms — we need to give children time to adjust to their new learning environment.

Summer in the province has been quite different this year as we face an unprecedented health and fiscal situation due to COVID-19.

The No. 1 goal has been to keep Manitobans safe, and we currently have some of the lowest COVID-19 infection rates in Canada and across North America.

Although there are many challenges, we do see our economy and jobs coming back as we open up. Manitoba was one of the last provinces to go into shutdown and first to come out. The Restart MB plan will put our province on the road to recovery with programs that are focused on getting people back to work while continuing to protect against the spread of COVID-19. We have the second-lowest unemployment rate in the country and lowest youth unemployment rate countrywide.

Our government has made important investments for people and business impacted by COVID. Manitoba has invested the second-most of all provinces on supports. RestartMB is our roadmap to recovery from the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. It outlines more than $2 billion in investments in public health preparedness, jobs and economic stimulus to protect Manitobans and their livelihoods.

The Kirkfield Park community has always stepped up to face challenges together. Neighbours helping neighbours — Manitobans helping Manitobans. That’s what we do best.

In response to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, our government launched Help Next Door MB. It’s a website and an app where people who need help, and people who are willing to help can connect with each other. Visit HelpNextDoorMB.ca to learn more.

Kirkfield Park has an entrepreneurial spirit. I’ve heard from many of you in the business community. Our government knows that Manitoba’s small businesses and the people who run them are vital to our economy — and you’ll be vital as we bounce back from COVID-19.

On April 15, our government introduced Bill 60, the Appropriation Act 2020 (COVID-19 Response) to provide the spending authority of up to $1 billion including $500 million for the Health Services Insurance Fund, $100 million for emergency expenditures and $400 million for internal service adjustments appropriations to support our government’s ongoing actions to fight the COVID-19 pandemic.