Keeping warm with community

Kildonan-River East

I’d like to wish everyone a happy and healthy start to the new year, and I hope you all had a joyful holiday season. Thank you to everyone who joined us at the third annual Kildonan-River East constituency office Christmas Open House on Nov. 22. It was a wonderful afternoon of fellowship, with food from local neighbourhood businesses including pizza from Jeffrey’s Restaurant and Lounge on Henderson Highway and cookies from Oma’s Bakeshop in the McIvor Mall.

As students transition from the holiday break back to school, I want to take this opportunity to remind families about our Manitoba government’s universal school nutrition program. In 2025, 632 public schools across the province offered at least one meal program to their students. Good nutrition is essential to learning, and our government will continue acting on our commitment to holistic student well-being through this program in 2026 and beyond.

Schools should always be safe and welcoming places for our students. Just before the winter break, I had the opportunity to tour all three Seven Oaks School Division schools located in Kildonan-River East with Supt. Tony Kreml and the principals of École Riverbend, École Rivière Rouge, and West Kildonan Collegiate. During these visits, we discussed school safety and the division’s continued enhancements to safety policies following our provincial government’s directive this past fall.

In our government’s recent speech from the throne, both of Kildonan-River East’s school divisions, Seven Oaks and River East Transcona, were named for increases to child-care spaces. I cannot emphasize enough how important it is for me to hear directly from you and your families so I can advocate effectively for our community. I have heard loud and clear that we need more child-care spaces, and that is exactly what our government is working to deliver.

I am pleased to share that multiple child-care facilities are being developed in Kildonan-River East this year. John Pritchard School and Razor Back BLAST daycares are both undergoing expansions that will add 134 and 16 new spaces respectively.

One of the community events I was happy to attend again in 2025 was Gateway Community Centre’s annual Skate with Santa. I want to recognize the Gateway Community Centre staff and volunteers for making this event possible, as well as Goodfellow Realty, which sponsored the event again this year. Thanks to their support, so many families were able to enjoy a special day together. I even had a full-circle moment painting the faces of the children of my high school friends. It truly is an honour to serve the neighbourhood I love, the one I grew up in and the one in which my husband and I are raising our children.

Please feel free to contact my office at 431-478-1667 or email rachelle.schott@yourmanitoba.ca