Mr. Edward Helwer (Gimli): Madam Speaker, it is my pleasure today to rise and offer my congratulations to the city of Selkirk and to the towns of Gimli, Stonewall and Beausejour who have been chosen to jointly host the 2003 Western Canada Summer Games.

Some Honourable Members: Oh, oh.

Madam Speaker: Order, please. Could I please ask for the co-operation of all honourable members. Members' statements are extremely important to all members of this Chamber, and I would appreciate it if we could all show a little common courtesy. If you wish to have private meetings, please do so either in the loge quietly or outside the Chamber.

Mr. Helwer: Thank you, Madam Speaker. Over 1,800 athletes, coaches and officials from the western provinces and territories will travel to these communities to participate in the summer games which are a stepping stone to national and international competitions.

The 2003 Western Canada Summer Games are expected to generate some $7 million in economic activity, and they are a great opportunity for the Interlake and Eastman regions to gain a higher profile in western Canada. Our government has committed some $500,000 to assist in the operations of the games, and a grant of $75,000 through the Manitoba sports facility program was recently approved to help cover the costs of developing local sports facilities in preparation for the competition.

So, with the World Junior Hockey Championship and the upcoming Pan Am Games, Manitobans have seen that through community partnerships we are capable of hosting first-class sporting events. The success of this joint bid by Selkirk, Gimli, Stonewall and Beausejour is another good example of what can be achieved through community co-operation.

Mr. Daryl Reid (Transcona): I want to quote from a letter that was presented by the representative, Mr. Forrest, from the United Fire Fighters of Winnipeg. I quote, it says "today Mr. Forrest appeared on behalf of the firefighters of Winnipeg. Firefighters have always made the public well-being and safety their paramount concern. We are here because we are seeing an injustice being done to the paramedics. These are highly trained and highly professional people who work side by side with firefighters in Winnipeg. To take away their right to strike and not give them binding arbitration is wrong and does no service to the citizens of Winnipeg. We have given up the right to strike for decades; however, we have also had the right to binding arbitration. The end result is that firefighters of Winnipeg have never taken any type of job action, and the citizens of Winnipeg have never been without firefighter protection. If you go forward with this piece of legislation–and I believe it will not mean uninterrupted paramedic service in the city of Winnipeg–if you pass this piece of legislation as it stands, it is a recipe for future problems. You will have frustration, anger and hard feelings. What you are doing is penalizing a group of individuals for wanting to serve the public. You serve the public, and I believe the public would want fairness to be given to paramedics. Why do you not wish to support these individuals who every day deal in life and death decisions? Fairness, honour and orderly conduct are the reasons the paramedics should have binding arbitration."

Quote from the United Fire Fighters of Winnipeg, and I think it speaks volumes towards what this government's intention is with respect to Bill 27 and how it will penalize and put at risk the lives and limbs of Winnipeggers because of this government's stubbornness in going towards essential services legislation instead of having binding arbitration which will guarantee that all of the ambulances will be on the streets of Winnipeg. Thank you.

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Ms. Jean Friesen (Wolseley): I would like to ask all members of the Legislative Assembly to join with me in congratulating the residents of the west-central area of Winnipeg, the Spence Street neighbourhood, who under the leadership of the Magnus Eliason community neighbour-hood centre last weekend spent a good part of Saturday cleaning up the back lanes and the main streets of the community. This, I think, is the fourth annual event of such a kind in the neighbourhood, and it is certainly one that has grown over the years. It began with, I think, half a dozen volunteers who lived in the area, and it has since grown to include volunteers from outside the area and to grow in size. I think over 50 people participated last weekend in a series of crews which scoured the neighbourhood for the debris of the winter.

Madam Speaker, I want to thank the crew that I work with. Captain George, as well as Livia [phonetic] who worked with me, and the various volunteers from the downtown branch of the Royal Bank who came out to help the residents of this neighbourhood. Many businesses of the area were represented in support of this operation, and, particularly, of course, we want to thank the community police and the city crews who helped with the clean-up and particularly with the larger items that had to be removed.

As in West Broadway, about which I spoke a couple of weeks ago, this clean-up-the-community initiative is one that really contributes not just to the sense of neighbour-hood, it not only enables people to participate in the restoration of their own community, but it also is, as the community police will tell you, a very important safety issue, and one that enables the community police and other residents of the neighbourhood to approach a long and, we hope, warm summer with some comfort in the sense of security and safety that they have a right to expect.

Mr. Gary Kowalski (The Maples): Madam Speaker, I want to say a few words about Mayor Glen Murray and City Council. Mayor Glen Murray and City Council have put this Legislature in a difficult position by asking us to do legislation to deal with their labour negotiations. Yet not one person from City Council, not one elected representative had the courage to come before the committee.

You know, it is probably not a very smart thing for me to be making these remarks considering I will be going back to the police force and Mayor Glen Murray will be my ultimate–but I have never been accused of being that smart. I say this because of my deep disappointment, especially when so many labour unions, and I know the Police Association and so many other civic unions, were looking forward to better relations under Mayor Glen Murray and supported him in the last election. You know, I guess it is a lesson to many unions that sometimes if they support their political friends on the left, as they did to Bob Rae and Glen Murray, that once they get into power, they govern from the right. So maybe people should take that as a lesson in future elections. Thank you, Madam Speaker.