With the provincial byelection done and a new MLA elected, leaders in The Pas say they hope they’ll see progress on local issues.
The NDP’s Jennifer Flett won nearly three quarters of all votes in The Pas-Kameesak byelection Tuesday. The Pas has been NDP territory provincially for almost 60 years, but a new person in the seat means new optimism for some.
In The Pas, town councillors met with Premier Wab Kinew, Progressive Conservative Leader Obby Khan, former Manitoba Liberal leader Dr. Jon Gerrard and their parties’ candidates during the byelection campaign.
Deputy Mayor Carrie Atkinson said council had four main pillars of interest: health care, safety, economic development and transparency.
“They realize that the north is different,” she said.
“Everything is different here, and [the parties] acknowledge that — which, in the past, wasn’t necessarily acknowledged.”
Health and safety
The town’s hospital, St. Anthony’s General Hospital, was built in 1929. It needs work, staff and safety improvements, and might need to be replaced.
A new clinic was announced in 2016 by then-premier Brian Pallister, but it’s been delayed. The current NDP government has committed to the project, naming it after late MLA Amanda Lathlin, but it won’t open until at least 2030.
Atkinson said the clinic is needed sooner. Talks have been positive, but there’s no change yet.
The Pas Deputy Mayor Carrie Atkinson says she hopes a new MLA will mean more help for local needs. (Eric Westhaver/CBC)
“The government has been very clear on that — 2030 is the date that’s been set. We have let them know that 2030 is too long. We need to be able to try and escalate that date the best we can.”
Addiction care is at the forefront of local concerns. The Northern Health Region has the highest rate of hospitalizations and deaths related to substance use of any Manitoba health region.
Robert Miralles works at Oscar’s Place, a homeless shelter in The Pas. He sees people suffering from addiction who need help.
“We need support from the government, especially to end homelessness here up north or deal with it,” he said after casting his vote Tuesday.
“When you deal also with the addictions here, we’ve not got enough treatment centres or resources for addictions here.”
Robert Miralles works at Oscar’s Place, a homeless shelter in The Pas. He hopes a new MLA will mean more resources for the region. (Eric Westhaver/CBC)
There have been improvements. A rapid access to addictions medicine clinic opened in The Pas in June, and Opaskwayak Cree Nation runs an opioid agonist treatment program, but Atkinson said more is needed.
“Supports, supportive housing, which can also lead to employment. There’s a lot of people who have to leave the community in order to find the supports that they need.”
Economy
People in the area also need help growing businesses. Some are thriving, but others aren’t. Retailer Giant Tiger says its store in the town will close later this year.
Abdulmalik Nuhu is president of The Pas OCN Chamber of Commerce. He says business owners have trouble finding help from the provincial government in Winnipeg.
“We’re looking for someone who we can say, ‘Hey, these are the challenges that businesses are facing. This is the little bit we need,'” he said.
“Someone we can approach, someone we can have a conversation with, who can hold our hands and go to the right resource or the right people that will help us in what we need.”
Abdulmalik Nuhu, president of The Pas OCN Chamber of Commerce, hopes the area’s next MLA will listen to what local business owners need. (Eric Westhaver/CBC)
Atkinson said northern transport costs are high. She wants to see an escalator for grants to offset costs.
“Everything costs more in the north,” she said.
“If there was some way that the logistics and the percentages, when it comes to grants, could be figured out so that there was an escalator or something in there — even the transportation to try and bring equipment up, it’s outrageous.”
Transportation
Going to Winnipeg from The Pas means using Highway 60. It’s tough to drive, and poor cellphone service means you can’t call for help.
Other area roads requiring work are Provincial Road 384, leading to Mosakahiken Cree Nation, and Provincial Road 283 — the Tote Road, to locals — to Saskatchewan. The Manitoba side is paved and maintained, but the connected road on the Saskatchewan side is gravel. Locals want to see the Manitoba government work with Saskatchewan to fix the road.
Nuhu wants to see northern transport improved.
WATCH | The Pas leaders hope new MLA leads to more provincial help:
The Pas leaders hope for change from new MLA
A new MLA has been elected in the northern Manitoba constituency of The Pas-Kameesak, giving leaders in The Pas hope for renewed provincial help on local issues, including health care and infrastructure.
“That has been a conversation that has been ongoing for a very long time,” he said.
People often go to Winnipeg for advanced medical care, which costs both money and time.
“Not everything is affordable in the north. When you need to leave the north, and you have a job, you generally have to take two days off in order to get to where you’re going,” Atkinson said.
Transparency
People want the new MLA to communicate and listen.
“We need some resources here as well, up in the north. I feel like we’ve been left out,” Miralles said.
Nuhu said the area needs “a companion” it can work with and community members can go to.
“They need to be a strong advocate for the north,” Atkinson said of the new MLA.
“We want to be able to have a working relationship. We want to be heard, and we want our community members to be heard as well.”