KENORA – POLITICS – Last week was an extremely busy and important week in the riding. I had the opportunity to announce some extremely important projects and hold two public town-halls. It was my first week back home since the House returned in September, and it was good to meet with constituents to discuss issues important to them.
After spending time with family on Thanksgiving, I traveled to Dryden Tuesday and Wednesday for meetings with constituents and to take part in two announcements. The day began with a meeting with the Ontario Minister of Transportation, the Honourable Steven Del Duca. We had a good discussion about Northwestern Ontario’s transportation infrastructure. I look forward to working with the Minister in the future.
Later that morning, I was joined by the Honourable Helena Jaczek, Minister of Community and Social Services for Ontario, to announce an investment of $3.1 million into the Hoshizaki House by the federal government. This emergency shelter serves Dryden and the surrounding areas by providing a safe haven for women and their families who have been victims of domestic abuse. The new facility will replace the existing century old building and increase the size from 3,000 sq. ft. to 8,000 sq. ft. This was an important announcement, and I was very pleased to be a part of it.
In the afternoon, I joined the Honourable Carolyn Bennett, Minister of Indigenous and Northern Affairs Canada at Keewaytinook Okimakanak (KO). We announced $4 million in funding for KO to expand their Safe Water Hub Project. This is another step towards providing clean and reliable drinking water by eliminating boil water advisories in First Nations in the Kenora Riding and increase the number of communities serviced by the Hub from 5 to 19.
To cap off a busy day, I then hosted an electoral reform public townhall in the evening. I was pleased with the number of people who attended to discuss our electoral system. The discussion was very engaging and I was happy to hear from constituents about what they think of Canadian democracy. The opinions of everyone who attended, as well as any submissions we received, were put into a report and submitted to the electoral committee.
On Thursday, following meetings with constituents I held another consultation in Kenora on climate change. Again, I was happy to hear from constituents about how they think we should be moving forward to make our world a greener place. If we are to protect the environment for future generations, the time to act is now. I was glad to see so many people invested in the discussion.
On Friday, I had the opportunity to visit the Experimental Lakes Area. Seeing firsthand the research done by scientists on the world-famous lakes was very educational and I really enjoyed the experience. Every year the ELA holds an Open House and I would encourage everyone to attend.
Overall, it was a busy and very rewarding constituency week and I would like to thank everyone who took part in the consultation process.
Bob Nault MP
Kenora
