W. J. Joe McDonald Native Resource Centre

Mr. Mervin Tweed (Turtle Mountain): The past two weekends I have had the pleasure of attending the community of Boissevain, which is located in my constituency of Turtle Mountain. The first Saturday, in conjunction with the Lieutenant Governor of Manitoba, we opened the W.J. Joe McDonald Native Resource Centre, and at that time it was suggested that Boissevain was becoming one of the centres of native history and native resources and perhaps one of the largest centres for this resource in Manitoba and perhaps western Canada.

On the following Saturday, along with the minister, the Deputy Premier, the Minister of Industry, Trade and Tourism (Mr. Downey), we had the pleasure of unveiling two more murals in the town of Boissevain, one depicting the North-West Mounted Police and the other the flowers of rural Manitoba. It was attended by many and also by many tourists from south of the border, and it was presented at that time that Boissevain was actually becoming one of the cultural centres of rural Manitoba.

The pride in this community of their murals and of their native resource centre I think exemplifies what the people are trying to do in rural Manitoba on initiatives of their own. It is something that the community has pulled together, and at present I believe the total of murals in the community is 14. They represent a selection of murals and paintings done by Manitoba artists, showing some of the history and the pride of rural Manitoba.

The one mural that we opened, or that we had the signature for, was depicting the North-West Mounted Police. It was very interesting to have a gentleman there by the name of Dominick French, who was one of the RCMP officers depicted on the mural along with his father and his grandfather who also served with the North-West Mounted Police and actually resided in the community of Boissevain.

In closing, Madam Speaker, I would just like to invite all Manitobans to tour southwest Manitoba and visit the fine community of Boissevain, and please stop and take a look at our tourist attractions, the cultural centre and the murals of Manitoba. Thank you.

AIDS Walk Canada

Ms. Diane McGifford (Osborne): Madam Speaker, yesterday, Sunday, September 29, about 400 Manitobans joined people across Canada in AIDS Walk Canada. The motto for the march, a pledge is the first step, reflects the idea that relief for those living with HIV-AIDS requires our financial commitment and our commitment to social action. The national pledge goal was $2.6 million, and I understand that the Winnipeg marchers and their supporters pledged in excess of $35,000. This money will be returned to the AIDS service organizations who will use it for AIDS education and prevention as well as for the care and treatment of persons living with HIV-AIDS. From my personal involvement in the community, I know that these funds are desperately needed and that they will be greatly appreciated.

Madam Speaker, the Walk for AIDS is an annual event and for several years I have participated. Yesterday, I was delighted to see that a large contingent of Manitoba Young New Democrats joined the walk and despite the bitter cold carried their banner proudly. These young people are worthy models. Certainly their passionate commitment to social justice and to a society which nurtures all its citizens gives hope to my generation, assuring us that the struggle for justice will continue.

In closing, I want to acknowledge the walk's corporate sponsors, Kahlua, SoapBerry, NAYA Spring Waters, Molson's and Club Monaco, as well as Neil Wilcox and his organizing committee. Last, most of all, congratulations to all those who solicited pledges, then collected them and finally joined the walk. We cannot have a walk without walkers, just as we cannot combat AIDS without public commitment and government support. Thank you.

Dawson Trail Dispatch

Mr. Jack Penner (Emerson): Madam Speaker, I would like to ask all member of the Legislature to join me in congratulating the Dawson Trail Dispatch on its premiere issue this month. The paper provides readers in southern Manitoba and southeast Manitoba with information on issues and events and is distributed free of charge within the southeast area. The Dispatch's editorial staff designed the paper to emphasize the entrepreneurial spirit and to instill pride in the increasing economic development in the communities in this southeast area.

This community-based newspaper will cover issues of concern directly relevant to its readers and, in return, Manitobans will be able to communicate and offer advice and comments to the editor.

The Dawson Trail Dispatch banner includes a sketch of the Dawson Road and its construction. According to the editorial staff, each log that was laid down on the road, which stretches through the muskeg country of eastern Manitoba, was crucial to the road's sturdiness. These individual logs represent each person living in the communities to which the newspaper is distributed. It is the philosophy of the Dispatch that every member of the group contributes to the community, thus the community would be weakened if one person were to be removed. The symbolism used in the naming and philosophy of the Dispatch emphasizes the sense of community and camaraderie that is essential in the creation of any rural business.

Madam Speaker, I hope this new paper will lead the readers of southeast Manitoba to rediscover the corduroy region once again through the communication and the interaction. This paper provides an excellent opportunity for southeast Manitobans to become involved in their community. It is reassuring that the Dispatch has been overwhelmed by the positive response from advertisers, writers, in the week leading to its first publication.

Madam Speaker, I am pleased to see the further creation of small business in rural Manitoba, and I wish the editorial staff and the people of southern Manitoba a great deal of success in their new endeavour.

RCMP Run for Cancer

Ms. Rosann Wowchuk (Swan River): Madam Speaker, I would like to take this opportunity to recognize the RCMP runners, the many volunteers, the generous donors, corporate sponsors and organizers who worked to organize the annual RCMP Run for Cancer this weekend.

The RCMP Run for Cancer was initiated in the summer of 1983 when six members of the Brandon detachment ran a distance of 170 kilometres from Brandon to Dauphin in order to take part in the RCMP homecoming in Dauphin. Initially, the team was simply going to run the relay for the fun of it, but decided that this was an opportunity to raise funds for the Canadian Cancer Society.

Over the years, the run has followed several routes. As the run wound its way through many different communities, the distance covered varies from 170 to 360 kilometres.

Some Honourable Members: Oh, oh.

Madam Speaker: Order, please. I wonder if I might ask for the co-operation of all honourable members to have your private meetings either in the loge or outside the Chamber. I am experiencing great difficulty hearing the honourable member for Swan River.

Ms. Wowchuk: The RCMP Run for Cancer has always been a nonstop relay-style event. Each runner on the team completes approximately 40 kilometres. The fourth team event covered the entire province. Six individual runs took place on September 27 and 28, from Thompson to Flin Flon, Russell to Swan River, Manitou to Portage, Brandon, a circular route from Winnipeg to Selkirk and another Winnipeg to Selkirk run in the Interlake.

The long-term commitment of the RCMP, the work and the enthusiasm of hundreds of volunteers, wonderful public support, and the special community events is something to be commended. Since 1983, the RCMP Run for Cancer has raised over half a million dollars for cancer research. This year's goal was $110,000, and my understanding is that it was probably reached.

I want to take this opportunity to recognize some of the runners that I had the opportunity to meet over the weekend. They are: Ken Aspen from Winnipegosis, Perry Farnsworth from Dauphin, Rick Johnson from Roblin detachment, Bill Pertson from Dauphin, Steve Sumner from Swan River, Ken Barker from Ethelbert, Theresa Gribbon from Grandview, Calista MacLeod from the Russell detachment and Simon Hriech from the Swan River detachment.

All of us should recognize the tremendous work these people are doing in their support to fight cancer.

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Dawson Trail

Mr. Ben Sveinson (La Verendrye): Madam Speaker, it is my pleasure to rise in the House today and tell my fellow members the story of the Dawson Trail. I attended the 125th anniversary of the official opening of Dawson Trail this summer at Dawson Trail Days in Ste. Anne. A book titled the Gateway to the West was published in commemoration of the anniversary. The book is a tribute to Simon Dawson and his accomplishment building the first all-Canadian route to western Canada.

Simon James Dawson was a surveyor and engineer. Dawson's elaborate and expensive plan called for the building of wagon roads over various portages and for the construction of locks at Fort Frances. Because of cost, the project was ignored until after Confederation. In the early months of 1870, more than 1,000 men were working on the project. Within a year of completion of the Dawson Trail, a government immigration transport service was established and settlers bound for the prairie were using the road.

The villages of Lorette, Ste Anne and Richer, in my constituency, share a common historical background closely linked to the construction of the Dawson Trail. In fact, construction of the trail started in Ste. Anne. The Dawson Road cairn was erected in Ste. Anne in 1959 to commemorate the construction of the trail.

Finally, there is the famous folklore about the lost treasure of the Dawson Trail which I would like to share with the members. According to the storytellers, somewhere east of Winnipeg along the Dawson Trail there is supposed to be a treasure of gold. The tale says that the soldier was carrying $10,000 of gold to pay the troops with the Wolseley expedition. According to the story the soldier was chased by the local First Nations people along a portion of the trail where he dumped the pouch containing the gold. Little more is known except that the story surfaces from time to time and the mystery of the Dawson gold remains, but the question remains, is there a treasure hidden along the Dawson? Most people think there is, if not in gold pieces, then in the legacy of the Dawson Trail.

Thank you.