Celebration, connection the remedy for isolation

Lagimodiere

The beginning of summer is such a wonderful time of celebration! Whether for Canada Day, Pride, Filipino Heritage Month, National Indigenous Peoples’ Day, or graduations, communities across Manitoba are gathering in celebration. Coming together, meeting your neighbours, and sharing some stories or food, and making that connection is central to building trusting, strong, and healthy communities. Without connection, there’s isolation, so we must thank all the organizers that make these moments possible.

Whenever I have the privilege of joining gatherings, I do my best to convey my deeply held belief that our work is intertwined. I do my best to make the work that happens at the Legislative Building feel connected to our communities and vice versa. For example, it’s truly a privilege to have my first piece of legislation be the Pride Month Act and see the community embrace it in such a meaningful way. It gets lived out at the community level because of the tenacious and thoughtful community organizers, educators, parents, and courageous and queer and trans Manitobans across the province building strong and safe communities. I see our work at the community and provincial levels as mutually reinforcing and putting our communities and province on a stronger path forward.

Throughout the summer you’ll see me and my team out at community events, supporting those community events that bring people together. When there’s an opportunity, we’ll even organize an event or two, so watch out for those announcements. Being present and available to the constituents of Lagimodiere is an important part of the role of the MLA, so I appreciate all these gatherings for the potential they hold. Having a conversation in person rather than virtual is always more productive and relationship building.

Along with community events, our team will also be meeting people on their doorsteps this summer. We want to hear from our constituents, receive that important feedback that helps inform how our government can move forward in a good way, supporting all Manitobans to live a good life. We’re making real investments in both staffing and building healthcare, making life more affordable for Manitobans, and ensuring youth have all the supports they need to succeed. Much has been accomplished but there’s more to do and we accomplish that much more when we’re working together.

Whether it’s at your door or in the community, my team and I are here to listen, advocate, and help in any way we can. If you’d like to get in touch, you can reach us at 204-583-7423 or Tyler.Blashko@yourmanitoba.ca