View From the Legislature

Annually there are a number of special events that happen within the Steinbach constituency. These fairs and festivals unite our communities and bring uniqueness to our region.

This summer however, there will be a special event held locally that will help unite our province. On August 7-13 Steinbach will play host to the 2016 Power Smart Manitoba Games. Local residents are looking forward to welcoming to our community and region all of the athletes, coaches, volunteers and spectators who will be participating.

The Power Smart Manitoba Games is the largest ongoing multi-sport program in the province, where thousands of participants from all provincial regions will come together over a week of youth athletics. Youth between 10 and 17 and will have the opportunity to participate in eleven sports; baseball, basketball, cycling, golf, sailing, soccer, softball, swimming, triathlon and volleyball. The talented young athletes will have the opportunity to showcase high level competitive play at a community level, as well as enjoy local venues including; Stahn Field (Mitchell), A.D. Penner Park, Steinbach Secondary Regional School, Steinbach Soccer Park, Stonybrook Middle School, Clearspring Middle School, Steinbach Fly-In Golf Club, St. Malo Provincial Park, Sandilands & Blind Creek Trail, and Steinbach Aquatic Centre.

Over 1,000 volunteers will be needed to help the games run throughout the nine venues and two villages in Steinbach, for this truly Olympic-style event. Volunteer participation in the community has been incredible, with commitments ranging from a few hours over the course of the week, to a few hours every night. Whether it’s on the field of play, or in the kitchen preparing one of the 25,000 meals needed over the week, volunteers are the lifeblood of the games. Thank you to all the coaches and volunteers who will make the upcoming games possible.

As the Minister of Health and Active Living, I want to recognize the local organizers of this event who are helping to promote youth sport in the Province of Manitoba. I am proud that Steinbach will be playing such a large role in the development of our provincial athletes and understand this is an exciting opportunity to create pride in our community and region. This opportunity to compete can foster a love of sport which can lead to a lifetime of activity. In turn this competitive spirit benefits individuals both personally and professionally. The Power Smart Manitoba Summer Games are very important to our province and our government is proud to support amateur sport in Manitoba. I wish all participants all the best in the games to come; play hard, have fun, and respect one another.