Over the past 5 months there has been job growth totalling 9,400,  according to the latest Statistics Canada labour force report.

There was  a noticeable jump in the labour force. The unemployment rate of 5.6 per cent  is the second lowest in the country.

Over the longer term, Manitoba’s performance has been steady. Since the beginning of the economic downturn, increases in the labour force, total employment, full-time jobs and private-sector jobs have far exceeded Canada’s growth. Statistics Canada shows Manitoba as one of the best provincial labour-market performers since the economic slowdown began.

To put things in perspective the unemployment rate at the national level edged up to eight per cent.

The trend over the last 12 months has also been encouraging.   Manitoba’s labour force and employment has grown by 14,800 (2.3 per cent) and 12,700 (2.1 per cent) respectively.

Since the economic downturn began in October 2008, Manitoba’s employment growth of 2.1 per cent far exceeds the national change of -0.1 per cent. This is the second best in the country.

Our labour force has grown by 3.6 per cent which is the best in the country, and double the 1.8 per cent increase at the national level.

Full-time employment is up 0.3 per cent the best in Canada   while Canada has lost 1.9 per cent of its full-time jobs.

Private-sector growth is 2.6 per cent the second best in Canada  while there has been  -0.4 per cent for Canada.

There is still much more to be done to improve employment here in Manitoba. Education and training is especially important here in Northern Manitoba.

The trends are encouraging. They show that our diverse economy and balanced economic strategy are making a difference.

That has been the description of our summer this year in Northern Manitoba.

Wet. That has been the description of the weather this summer in Southern Manitoba.

That contrast could not have been more obvious with the recent announcements that while we are providing flood relief in the South we have been stepping up our forest fire fighting efforts in Northern Manitoba.

On the forest fire front we were hit with lightning strikes which resulted in 19 new fires in the region in just one 24 hours period earlier this week. All of these fires were caused by lightning.

There were 17 new fires in the northeast region and two in the northwest region. A fire just west of Lynn Lake, which is about 300 hectares in size, is now being held.

To assist our firefighting efforts, 21 firefighters and two water bombers from Ontario arrived earlier this week and are being deployed in the Thompson area. In total, 12 water bombers, 25 helicopters, 193 firefighters and other equipment are being mobilized to meet the current fire situation.

How many fires are active? Earlier this week there were 89 active fires in the province.

The number of fires this year is already higher than normal. To date, there have been a total of 497 forest fires, compared to the typical 380. Most of the fires have been caused by lightning.

In the South we have announced that we are providing Disaster financial relief to numerous individuals,farms,businesses and municipalities that have been hard hit by flooding. In many cases rainfall was at levels that were unheard of in recent years.

The fact that we have flooding and forest fires at the same time is one of the reasons we need to be prepared for virtually any situation in this province.

As Minister responsible for Emergency Measures I would like to thank Ontario and the other jurisdictions that have provided us additional resources to deal with the forest fire threat.

I would like to pay tribute to the countless Manitobans who have been part of our response to these challenges. I would like to pay particular tribute to the many dedicated forest firefighters and the many others who have been working so hard to protect our communities.

In Manitoba we will continue to work hard to be prepared for any and all emergencies

It was clear that not only is  Nickel Days   one of the best summer events in Manitoba it is also a true symbol of Thompson and the North.

NIckel Days once again brought together people from all over Northern Manitoba. It showed the degree to which Thompson is the Hub of the North.

The King Miner contest symbolized the importance of mining to the North. It showcased the many mining skills that demonstrate how much we owe to the miners that are the backbone of the mining industry. Steelworkers Local #6166 did a great job in organizing the event with the assistance of Vale.

The parade showcased everything from local businesses to community organizations. Its success owes a lot to the Lions Club’s work year after year.

The entertainment was also a major highlight each year.

Nickel Days owes a lot of its success to tremendous volunteer involvement and organization. Anyone who has volunteered with Nickel Days will tell you preparation for next year starts the day after this years events!

The Hub of the North, mining, local businesses, organizations and volunteers. This is what Thompson, the North and Nickel Days are all about.

Congratulations to everyone that made Nickel Days 2010 such a success.

The major work in the North this year is part of the province’s 10-year, $4-billion plan to improve Manitoba’s highways It is also part of our decade long commitment to upgrade Northern highways.

This summer’s work includes upgrades to Highways 6, 373,374 and 10 and several provincial roads.

Highway 6 from Thompson to the Paint Lake turnoff is seeing major reconstruction and will be completed this summer.

Highway10 will see another major paving project undertaken in 2010, from The Pas to Highway 282, a distance of 30 kilometres,  In addition to the Highway 10 project, Highway 283 west of The Pas will also be paved from west of PTH  10 to PR 282.

Major upgrading will continue to the highways to Cross Lake and Norway House. Highway 373 from Sea Falls to north of Highway 374 in the Norway House/Cross Lake area will see a major grade, base and asphalt-surfacing job.

In 2010, the provincial budget for highway and bridge renewal and maintenance is $525 million, up by over 50 per cent since 2006 when Manitoba made a commitment of $4 billion over 10 years for highway capital construction and maintenance.

The capital budget is $366million nearly four times what it was in 1999!

As Minister of Infrastructure and Transportation I am proud to be part of our ongoing initiative to upgrade our highways in the North.

The recent announcement was good news for Northern Manitoba.

I look forward to further good news for Northern Manitoba in further highways  announcements in the near future.

For fifty years the Thompson Citizen has not only been recording our history it has been part of our history as well. The Citizen has been there to record major events, community activities, sports, arts, culture and much more.

If you read any past or present edition of the Citizen it is like a time capsule. It gives you a sense of Thompson at that time.

Few newspapers have had such an impact on their community as the Citizen. Other newspapers came and went but the Citizen continued to be the main forum for our community.

The Citizen has also very much been about people. For many years it was synonymous with the Wright family who were the owners and the heart and soul of the paper for many years.

The Citizen has also been about people another way. Many of us have saved clippings throughout the year of our kids activities and of community events.

I have had a great deal of contact with the Citizen as MLA. I have always found it to be fair and to follow high standards of journalistic integrity.

I can also claim to have another connection to the Citizen. When I was in school I used to deliver the Citizen in the Westwood area. I often joke that I went from going door to door as a paper carrier to going door to door to visit as MLA.

A recorder of our history. A part of our history. An important part of our community.

Congratulations to the Thompson Citizen on this significant anniversary.

I recently had the opportunity to once again attend the Ma Mow We Tak Annual General Assembly. The centre has come a long way since it was founded in 1976.

Today the centre offers 18 separate programs and services and meets the needs of all ages, from youth to elders.

Nothing symbolizes the growth of Ma Mow We Tak more than the fact that the day after the annual assembly it held a sod turning and ground blessing for the new friendship centre.  The existing centre will continue as a hostel with the new centre providing a dedicated home for the Ma Mow We Tak.

I have always been a strong supporter of the centre. What has always struck me is the degree to which the centre has partnered with so many governments , departments and agencies and the community to provide needed services and programs. It has developed a lot of credibility over the years.

A lot of the success of the centre is the result of the dedication of its staff and board of directors. Executive Director Anita Campbell and the staff at the centre has earned a great deal of respect both here in the North and across the country.

As MLA for Thompson I would like to thank the centre for its work. I look forward to the opening of the new centre next year.

My message to the grads was clear. Education is key to the development of Northern Manitoba.

The graduating class deserves congratulations for their hard work and perseverance. The 14 grads have already become role models to other students and to their communities.

What was noteworthy was the fact that some of the grads had parents that were grads of the Social Work program. It shows that programs like the Social Work program have a real history in the North.

I stressed the fact that our post secondary grads are not only key to filling  many skilled and professional positions in the North they are also playing key to fulfilling leadership roles. Social Work and other  grads are often key civil servants and employees with First Nations,Metis, provincial and the Federal  governments. Many are chiefs,councillors and other elected representatives. Many others are playing a vital role in volunteer and non profit organizations.

In looking to the future it is clear we need to continue to expand post secondary education. The new UCN campus in Thompson and the many community based campuses are critical to this expansion.

It is clear that post secondary education is critical to both the social and economic dimensions to development.

Throughout the next few weeks I will be attending as many of the graduations as possible throughout Northern Manitoba. My message will one of congratulations to the grads, their families and friends. It will also be a reminder that every present and future grad is a key part of the development of Northern Manitoba.

That was one of the key messages of my speech to the Keewatin Tribal Council Assembly in Nelson House recently.

I was pleased to be able to speak to the Assembly as both Minister of Infrastructure and Transportation and as the representative of the provincial government.

Since 1999 we have increased our investment in highways by nearly 400%. We have made  major investments here in Northern Manitoba. This includes investments in our highways, airports, winter roads and ferries.

We are now moving to expand the all weather road network. The East Side Road Authority will be investing more than $70 million this year on the first stage of this expansion. They are also moving to finalize the route selection process. We are also working on improved transportation access to other Northern communities.

Keewatin Tribal Council has played a key role in the expansion of the all weather road network. Nine of the eleven KTC communities lack all weather road access. The route selection process was initiated after a meeting with Keewatin Tribal Council Grand Chief Arnold Ouskan and provincial ministers on this important issue several years ago.

I also acknowledged KTC’s lead role in identifying the impacts of the early closure of the winter road this year. I worked directly with Grand Chief Ouskan on the problems that resulted from the closure.

We will also be announcing major additional work on our existing road network as well as airport improvements and upgraded ferries.

Housing is also a key priority. We have begun partnering with KTC to provide additional housing.

Another key area of importance in the North is in the area of economic development. KTC has made economic development a major priority. I stressed the importance of partnerships for Northern economic development.

At the assembly, I stressed the importance of the work that KTC and the eleven KTC First Nations have done on Northern and Aboriginal issues. I also stressed that while we have been making progress there is much more to do.

Brian was elected to City Council in 2002 and was respected by all he came in contact with. He had a major influence not only on council but in the community as a whole.

He also had a dry wit and a tremendous sense of humour that was so evident in his long time involvement with the Thompson Playhouse.

Despite being diagnosed with leukemia, Brian remained active including attending many community events. He showed tremendous dedication and courage and a true sense of public service.

I was honoured in 2008 to be able to present Brian and his wife Valerie with the Manitoba Council on Aging Recognition Award. Both Brian and Valerie had given so much to the community.

Chantelle Chornoby was an incredibly courageous young Manitoban from War Lake First Nation.

Chornoby first beat cancer when she was 10 years old but was diagnosed again in 2007 with a rare form of leukemia that can only be treated and cured through bone marrow transplants.  Bone marrow transplants require a complicated set of matched genetic markers, usually from a donor of the same ethnic group. The Canadian Blood Services One Match Stem Cell and Marrow Network has about 220,000 people registered to be potential donors, but less than one per cent are Aboriginal.

Recognizing the great need, Chornoby setup a Facebook group and became the spokesperson for Chantelle’s Promise to raise awareness and recruit Aboriginal people to register as donors.

Chantelle did not let her illness slow her down. She was enrolled in the addictions and community services diploma program at CDI College with the intent of graduating and giving back to her home community of War Lake First Nation. She spoke to numerous individuals and groups about her story and the need for people to register as donors.  Chantelle was proud to become a mother last year.

What struck me was how remarkable her outlook on life was. She was a role model for young people and an example for all of us.

A courageous young woman. A respected leader.

I am proud to have known Chantelle Chornoby and  Brian Wilson

They were both great Northerners and will be sorely missed.

This day has special significance for Northern Manitoba. Former Steelworker, Local 6166 president, Dick Martin was instrumental in the Canadian Labour Congress initiative to designate April 28th as the National Day of Mourning in the 1980’s. In 1991 our Member of Parliament Rod Murphy introduced private member’s legislation that led the Parliament of Canada to officially recognize April 28th as a day of mourning.

The Northern Manitoba connection should come as no surprise. Many Northerners have either been injured or have known someone that has been injured or killed in the workplace.

The Day of Mourning is a reminder to all of  us of the ongoing challenges we face in creating safe and healthy workplaces.

In Manitoba we have put a significant emphasis in workplace safety and health. We have significantly increased workplace safety inspections. Working with employers, workers and workplace injury prevention experts, the time-loss injury rate has been reduced by almost 30 percent since 2000.

Here in Northern Manitoba there has been a significant reduction in the rate of injury and deaths in the workplace. In Thompson the Steelworkers have played a key role, working with Vale Inco in reducing the accident rate.

It is important we remember and honour those workers who were killed or injured on the job. At the same time we must strengthen our commitment to work together to put an end to these preventable tragedies.

No level of workplace deaths or accidents should be considered acceptable. No one should die while trying to earn a living.