Busy season connecting with community

Kildonan-River East

One of the greatest privileges of serving as your MLA is hearing directly from our community about the issues, and stories that matter most.

Recently, I had the privilege of recognizing one of our neighbours, Darcy Furber, in the Manitoba Legislature. It was actually through a local community group that I first heard about Darcy, after a resident shared a post about his incredible accomplishments.

Darcy lives with retinitis pigmentosa, an incurable eye disorder that eventually caused him to lose his sight completely. After stepping away from golf for 15 years, he returned to the sport and went on to become an eight-time Manitoba Blind Golf champion, four-time Canadian Blind Golf champion, and World Blind Golf champion.

His story is a reminder of why staying connected to our community matters. I would never have heard about Darcy and his remarkable achievements if a neighbour had not taken the time to reach out.

I am also pleased to share that the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba recently passed my private members’ resolution calling on the federal government to develop a renewed national Silver Alert strategy. This issue has been championed by families, caregivers, and advocates who want stronger protections for seniors and vulnerable adults living with dementia, Alzheimer’s disease and other cognitive impairments.

Following the resolution’s passage, the Premier and myself sent a joint letter to the federal government formally calling on them. I am grateful to everyone who shared their stories and helped move this important conversation forward.

Health care continues to be one of the issues I hear about most often while speaking with neighbours. That is why I encourage everyone to create an account at medinav.ca, Manitoba’s online portal that helps connect patients with same-day and next-day appointments at participating clinics. If you need assistance setting up an account, please contact our office. We would be happy to help.

When an illness or injury arises, we need to utilize the new tools available here in northeast Winnipeg. Concordia Hospital’s Extended Hours Primary Care Clinic is open evenings, weekends, and holidays. By using services like MediNav and extended-hours clinics, we can all do our part to ensure emergency rooms remain available for those who need them most.

Our spring legislative session has now concluded, and our local team is out in community trying to connect with more neighbours. Please never hesitate to reach out by phone at 431-478-1667 or by email.