View From the Legislature

Over the past two weeks, I attended several fundraising events which highlighted the strong community values that exist in Manitoba. The first was at the Victoria Inn, where The Children’s Hospital Foundation of Manitoba launched a fundraising campaign to fund the redevelopment and relocation of the pediatric cardiology clinic at the Children’s Hospital-HSC Winnipeg.

The clinic, which serves all Manitoba children, is at capacity. It will be moved to the new HSC Diagnostic Centre of Excellence building. Prior to launching this campaign, the Government committed $500,000 towards the relocation of this clinic, as it will centralize and streamline what is currently a fragmented system, resulting in improved accessibility and quality care for children in need of cardiology services. This investment continues our effort to modernize health-care infrastructure and allow the clinic to provide quality, family-centred care for Manitoba families. At the launch, Domino’s Pizza Canada CEO Michael Schlater generously donated $3.5 million to the cause, which effectively ensures the relocation of this facility. This was bolstered by a further $107,000 from Telus.

I also participated in the inaugural Critical Care on the Air Radiothon in support of STARS Ambulance, right here at the Golden West Broadcasting Studio in Steinbach. While the Government funds STARS and the important work that they do in caring for rural Manitobans, they also fundraise in order to remain on the cutting edge of critical medical care.

The Radiothon showcased the life-saving work that STARS carries out every day across Manitoba, and illustrated how support from businesses, community organizations and individuals assists with these duties. Hearing first-hand stories from patients and their families about their experience with STARS was not only moving, but also reinforced the strong community values that are prevalent in rural Manitoba. This is highlighted by the fact that the Radiothon has now surpassed $100,000 in donations, and I thank all Manitobans for their generosity.

The Government has also committed to several important investments to our health care system. I recently announced that nearly $16 million in specialized medical equipment will be purchased and installed at health-care facilities in both Winnipeg and rural Manitoba, which will replace aging equipment and ensure reliable services. This investment in new equipment will assist with reducing wait times even further for Manitobans, while ensuring safe and efficient diagnostic services for both patients and the health-care staff operating this equipment. This investment follows the $5.1 million recently announced to purchase a CT scanner at Health Sciences Centre, a cardiac catheterization medical system and specialized laboratory analysis equipment at St. Boniface Hospital and other important healthcare equipment.

While the Government continues to invest in the improvement of health care for all Manitobans, the past two weeks have been a wonderful example of how individuals and businesses can come together in support of life saving initiatives.