Rondeau ready to say goodbye

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This article was published 27/04/2015 (4102 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A familiar face many know and confidently turn to in the community is leaving politics behind.

Jim Rondeau, long-standing MLA for Assiniboia, announced earlier this month that he will not be seeking re-election in the upcoming provincial election slated for April 2016. After three court cases in 1999, Rondeau, a member of the NDP, became MLA for the Assiniboia constituency against strong odds, as it had previously been held by the PC party for nine years. He won the election by three votes.

“I’m pleased that we moved forward on 25 bills and that I helped 12 others, 37 laws is a lot,” Rondeau said.

Rondeau, 56, told The Metro that while he’s enjoyed his time in the legislature, he feels that in five years he may not have the energy to give the job 110 per cent.

He outlined a few major motions that came to mind including: increasing vaccines, increasing rights for same sex couples, the non-smoking law and bike helmets for youth.

Rondeau tackled several cabinet posts from 2003 to 2013, serving as Minister of Healthy Living, Minister of Industry and Economic Development, and Minister of Science, Technology, Energy and Mines during his time as MLA.  

He said the decision to leave office wasn’t easy but, looking at the neighbourhood, he knows west Winnipeg has come a long way since the ’90s.

The old Ponderosa restaurant eyesore, 36 vacant buildings along Portage Avenue and a closed-down Unicity Mall were included in the picture Rondeau painted of how things looked in the area when he came into office.

“Now I look at it and I go ‘wow’, you’ve got Unicity thriving, a bunch of seniors buildings going, you got the new YMCA, which everyone thought it was crazy to have two recreational complexes that we supported, and it now has, I think, 8,500 members.”

As time has flown by, so have the memories. Rondeau mentioned how back in ’99, all the school play structures were made of wood, naming them “the splinter kind.” At the opening of the $100,000 play structure at Voyageur school, Rondeau missed out on being in a group shot with his fellow politicians, as a group of little girls (who are now graduating) asked him to play on the structure with them.

“Oh, it was fun, stuff like that,” Rondeau said.

“I don’t represent government and I don’t represent a party, I represent 35,000 people,” Rondeau said.

He recalled walking into Buchanan school once without wearing a visitor name tag, and hearing a young student call him out in the hall saying, “Hey Jim Rondeau, you need a badge so we know who you are, Jim Rondeau.”

He said he loves how local youth in the area are comfortable to reach out to him and express their concerns.

“I didn’t even know I had an MLA until I was 25 and I wouldn’t have talked to them. Here kids come in all the time, I’ve had 16- and 17-year-olds come into the office and ask for help.”

In Rondeau’s eyes, the Assiniboia constituency is an interesting one because people don’t move and they are committed to the area. For example, the skateboard park located at Sturgeon Road and Silver Avenue saw unparalleled local support from various service groups.

Rondeau is ready for new adventures. He is looking forward to being home in time to have dinner with his spouse, not to mention his dog Daisy, who gives him the cold shoulder after a long day out of the house.

“I loved the job. It’s the hardest decision in the world to leave the job that you love but on the other hand it’s always important to know when it’s your time to go,” said Rondeau.