One of my closest friends has never owned a home, always lived very poorly, and feels that she has never had any luck in her life. She looks at others and wonders why they have more than her and yet does nothing to try to improve her situation. It is a very sad situation to see someone like this.

Now I know I will get lots of emails from readers that will disagree with me – but before you send me your emails of discontent – Let’s be honest, sometimes hard times do set you back in life, and the longer you live, the more things you have to deal with and overcome. And this year has been tough with rising costs, inflation and interest rates. We all have had to tuck-in and tighten our budgets.

When things get really difficult, sometimes that creates a desire to change things. You want to try to become more resilient to adjust to hard times and look for a positive outcome so that you can face uncertainties with less fear. Becoming resilient is the key to turning your sour lemon life into a sweet lemonade life!

This may be hard to read, but honestly, the only thing that is holding you back from reaching your ideal financial future and your very best life in this world, is not your current situation, not your family or friends, not your job, or your past experiences, it is YOU!

The Trudeau Liberals have doubled down on yet another failed policy by announcing another attack on legal firearms owners.

The Trudeau government announced the new measures late last week, adding an additional 300 models to the “banned” firearms list, including popular hunting rifles.

This should come as no surprise to persecuted legal firearms owners. Justin Trudeau has been clear he plans to ban hunting rifles. In December 2022 he confirmed it:

“Our focus now is on saying okay, there are some guns, yes, that we’re going to have to take away from people who were using them to hunt.”

One trustee calls not having a treasurer by the New Year to help with Seine River School Division’s (SRSD) budget an emergency.

Outgoing chief financial officer and secretary treasurer Amanda Senkowski is leaving Jan. 17. She was the person who discovered multi-million-dollar errors from previous administration that put the division in a deficit position and has resulted in staff freezes, cuts to busing and the elimination of the Kids at Play program for kindergarten students.

Senkowski was a major part of developing a three-year plan to get out of deficit. Now the division needs someone else to finish the 2025-26 budget and the deficit reduction plan.

Ward 2 (St. Adolphe, Iles des Chenes, Lorette) trustee Marinus Van Osch asked at the Dec. 10 meeting that interim superintendent Reg Klassen and newly appointed superintendent Colin Campbell keep the board apprised of the hiring situation during the Christmas break. The next full board meeting is not until Jan. 14.

Re: If not jail, then what? Editorial, Dec. 5 edition.

Should governments have “… the ability to arrest [people with contagious diseases] until they are no longer a threat to others…”? Given the extreme “antivaxx” reaction to mandatory vaccinations during the COVID crisis, I suggest that we can already predict the answer to that question. That aside, even if we were to arrest tuberculosis-sufferers, where would we house them? Prisoners in remand centres have the same right to a safe environment as members of the non-incarcerated public do. With that inconvenient reality in mind, I reiterated my question, “Where, Greg Vandermeulen, did you propose to house those tuberculosis-sufferers?”

But oh, silly me! We’d house them in medical facilities — in private rooms, each of which would have negative air pressure, to contain the infection in each of those rooms. But, given the cost of such facilities, we would have to divert funds from other medical procedures — including the hip and knee replacements that an aging population demands and deserves. So, would I be correct in doubting that such containment-chambers aren’t likely to appear on anyone’s horizon anytime soon?

Ignored, thus far, at least, is the question of tuberculosis’s status as a quarantinable illness. My admittedly cursory search of federal and provincial legislation suggests that tuberculosis is not yet a quarantinable illness. Should it be? Probably, it should. However, no political party, when in government, has chosen to take that step. Should they have done so? Probably. At the very least, they should have been more diligent in educating and nudging the public to seek diagnosis and treatment.

This month’s Report from the Legislature comes at the greatest time of the year for many Manitobans. Winter has now fully set in, allowing us to focus less on fall tasks and more on the Christmas season. For me, it is no different. Last week was the wrap up to fall session of the legislature and the mark of our first full year in this term of government. As I reflect there has been so much to be thankful for throughout this last year and many of the experiences it has given me help to highlight and appreciate the Christmas season. We live in one of the strongest regions of Manitoba with so much to be proud of and thankful for.

Each month I am able to present a private members statement to highlight anything of importance to me of my constituency. For me, I take that time to highlight the great people of La Verendrye and the amazing things that they are doing. Many times, the NDP MLAs use it as a time to bring forward a political message but for me, I find that there are so many great things happening that I would rather show the government and all Manitobans the greatness we have in our corner of the province. Usually, these stories are of people who have contributed to the community by building great businesses, developing valuable organizations, or just the selfless contributions to our communities. I represent people of this province that do not need the government to thrive. This message is something that I showcase through my presentations almost daily. The people of the southeast come together each day to uplift and help each other to build a better community for everyone.

As I reflect on the past year at the legislature and the first year of NDP government I find myself even more grateful to be in a region that has the ability to weather a storm. This past year has laid the groundwork for a government that will be loyal to their political ideology and not those who deserve the help of our government. This approach to provincial leadership has been seen in the past and has accomplished the results that we are beginning to see with this government. I realize that everything takes time, and results aren’t achievable overnight but for a government that had been critical of the previous PC government for nearly eight years, they’ve had plenty of time to have plans set to achieve. The fact of the matter is that they spent their time in opposition building political recognition instead of building a plan to govern. Today it is easy to see where that is taking our province by just looking at three areas of government most recognizable to our daily lives. Highways, education, and healthcare are areas that we see each day or have been convinced that there will be significant improvements in. Unfortunately, all three have seen cuts to services and a decline in efficiency, creating an increased cost of operation without the desired results.

As I reflect on this past year I am thankful to be surrounded by like-minded, progressive but yet generous Manitobans. I am committed to using the successes of our region to showcase and build the plans for our province to move forward for the betterment of everyone. We will work together to hold this government to account for the politically driven decisions that they make. I’d like to wish everyone a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. We will be celebrating the Christmas season this Friday, Dec.13 at the constituency office in Grunthal. For anyone available, I welcome you to come for some great conversations together with Christmas snacks and refreshments. See you Friday at 146 Main Street Grunthal from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m.

The Steinbach Arts Council, one of the largest rural charitable arts councils in western Canada, invites you to join our Annual Giving Campaign. As a non-profit, we are dedicated to creating community through arts and culture, offering over 140 subsidized programs, classes, and concerts each year.

In 2024, we saw a record number of people walk through the doors of SAC each week, along with approximately 1,500 registrations. The generosity of our community allows us to continue providing quality educational experiences and professional entertainment.

Over 40 percent of our annual income comes from fundraising, donations, and grants. Your support helps us keep costs low and make our programming accessible for everyone.

Consider including us in your end-of-year giving plans and see your generosity at work. Visit steinbacharts.ca or call us today (204-346-1077) to donate.