Biscuit Harbour Infrastructure Project

Mr. Edward Helwer (Gimli): Madam Speaker, I am very pleased to present to the members of the Legislature today a new infrastructure project.

On September 2, I had the pleasure of attending the grand opening of a $1-million Northway Aviation-Biscuit Harbour floatplane base near Pine Dock. The Biscuit Harbour development is a combination of team work of the two levels of government and of the private sector combining together in agreement and support for local communities, including Pine Dock, Matheson Island and the many northern communities Northway Aviation serviced. Unquestionably, the best part of this development of this new project is that the people of northern communities will benefit from its reduced costs in transporting food and supplies and also increased medical access and increased economic and tourism opportunities. I believe that the Biscuit Harbour project will be a bridge of opportunity for northern Manitoba.

Three of the main components of the infrastructure works project include the construction of a gravel airstrip, a limestone breakwater and docks. Additional development at Biscuit Harbour includes airport terminal and seaplane-based buildings, fuel tanks at both sites, parking lots and a licence to waterfront dining room and lounge. Lakefront vacation cabins are currently under construction.

Since the Infrastructure Works Agreement was signed in January of '94, the program has injected more than $135 million into Manitoba's economy and the Infrastructure works project is all about working for Manitobans with Manitobans. So I am pleased, Madam Speaker, for the establishment of this new project and for the many economic and job opportunities it will bring to Manitoba. Thank you.

Legion Week

Mr. Stan Struthers (Dauphin): Madam Speaker, I am pleased to rise in the House today and say a few words of congratulations to the legionnaires and legion clubs throughout northwest Ontario and Manitoba. This region in central Canada is celebrating right now Legion Week and I am glad to be able to offer my and my party's congratulations having to do with the activities that the legions across our province are going to be involved with throughout this week.

Last Saturday night, I was able to take part in a march in Dauphin along with the people from our local legion in Dauphin and enjoyed very much the supper that I attended with them. This coming Saturday night, as well, I will be attending a gathering at the Dauphin Legion, which will wrap up the week's activities as celebrating Legion Week.

As I attended these events, and any legion event that I have had the privilege of attending as the MLA, I am struck by the grand purpose of the legions and the reason why we celebrate such things as Legion Week. First and foremost, it is to celebrate the freedom that our comrades have fought for and, in some cases, died for Canada to remain a free and democratic nation. The other reason, of course, is that we do remember the people who did fight and die in World War I, World War II and the Korean War.

The other reason that I am encouraged and continue to encourage legions in our areas is to pass on to the next generation the real story of what war is all about and provide an antidote to the glamorization of war that we do have in movies today that our young people are subject to, so I want to wish all the legions good luck in their activities this week and congratulate them and their volunteers for putting together the activities having to do with this year's Legion Week. Thank you very much.

Canadian Foodgrains Bank

Mr. Peter Dyck (Pembina): Madam Speaker, I would like to tell the members about the S and R growing project for the Canadian Foodgrains Bank. The Canadian Foodgrains Bank is an outgrowth of the original MCC food bank established in 1976. It now consists of 13 partners in gathering and distributing food as a Christian response to hunger anywhere in the world.

Community projects such as S and R growing project operating in Stanley and Rhineland municipalities are for people interested in supporting the Canadian Foodgrains Bank through community efforts in actually raising a crop, the proceeds of which are donated to help alleviate hunger and are to be used for the Food for Works projects. Such projects enable people to come to a more self-sufficient level of production of their own foods.

Madam Speaker, I had the opportunity to visit the Canadian Foodgrains Bank project in my constituency this past Saturday, September 15. I was overwhelmed by the enthusiasm of the participants and the generosity of all the contributors. I would like to thank Hespeler Enterprises for donating the land for this event.

I would also like to extend thanks to the following companies who also contributed in the harvesting: Greenvalley Equipment, Southman Agri Sales, Little Morden Service and finally Essen trucking for providing transportation and Greenvalley Equipment for the barbeque they put on for everyone.

In total, over 210 metric tonnes of hard red spring wheat were harvested on Saturday. These donations, including the wheat, will be matched by the CIDA on a four-to-one basis for use in the Food for Works projects and hunger-relief efforts. Thank you very much, Madam Speaker.

Education System

Ms. MaryAnn Mihychuk (St. James): Today, I rise to remind members that on Monday morning members of the Manitoba Teachers' Society presented myself, my colleagues and government members with a puzzle that when completed said, public schools, the best investment in our future. A little tough maybe for the other side of the House to put together. I want to congratulate the teachers on this campaign and on the message which should be self-evident.

This puzzle was easy to figure out and put together-- again, for this side. However, what remains a puzzle are the actions of the Minister of Education (Mrs. McIntosh) and her government towards public education in Manitoba. It is puzzling that after an OECD report which said that children are best educated by teachers who work in a supportive arena, the Minister of Education should inflame the relations with that profession by saying that teachers who oppose her decisions are not real teachers.

It is puzzling why this government has undertaken to attack the collective bargaining rights of Manitoba teachers with legislation that will end 40 years of labour peace in education. It is puzzling why the Manitoba government chooses to replace ministers' vehicles every three years but thinks it is okay for our children to ride in school buses which well exceed 13 years of age.

It is puzzling why this government should change the formula for private school funding which increases the money that they receive, yet when they change the formula for public schools, they always get less.

It is puzzling why this government sends letters, fundraising letters, to teachers' locals asking for money to be sent in when at the same time this government attacks those very locals in this House and in the media. Once again I would like to congratulate the teachers on their campaign to educate the government that an attack on our teachers is an attack on our schools and therefore an attack on our children's futures.

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Recycling Program--Thompson

Mr. Steve Ashton (Thompson): Madam Speaker, last Wednesday, September 11, was a sad day for the city of Thompson. It was the day on which the Thompson Environmental Council announced that it had no other choice but to close the recycling operation that it has operated on behalf of the community of Thompson for the last several years, particularly concerning because it affects not only the curbside recycling program but also affects the entire recycling program that we have become used to in our community the last number of years.

It amazes me that at this point in time in the 1990s, in the third largest city, the third largest community in our province, we have to look at losing our environmental council's very successful recycling program, and Madam Speaker, I want to indicate to the Minister of Environment (Mr. Cummings) that part of the blame, a significant part of it, belongs to the provincial government. The provincial government has put a levy of 2 cents a litre on pop containers, on cans, on pretty well every container, which is a positive move. It is raising $5 million a year. The problem is, that money is not going back in significant enough amounts to support the recycling programs of such communities as Thompson. In fact, out of that $5 million-a-year pot we have received less than $20,000 in Thompson. That is not even the per capita amount that is raised from our community through the environmental levy and is certainly not enough to keep the recycling program going.

I say to the Minister of Environment that he has to work with communities such as Thompson to make sure that recycling is viable. We are looking at a very direct impact in our community where we will need a landfill site much more quickly as a result of the loss of this program, but in the 1990s we owe a duty not only to ourselves but to future generations to support recycling. I say to the Minister of Environment, let us get the program working properly. Let us get recycling started again in Thompson.

Thank you.