NDP Leader Wab Kinew stopped in Dauphin today to make several announcements as election campaigns begin to ramp up.
Kinew's highlight of these announcements was the promise of a new Justice Center in Dauphin that replaces the jail that was closed previously.
Opening statements were presented by local NDP candidate Ron Kostyshyn, who prefaced the announcements with his experiences when Dauphin's jail was closed in 2020.
"3 years ago, PCs tore our town of Dauphin apart by shutting down the Dauphin jail. They cut at our community and they cut 80 jobs from our local territory... In Dauphin, we were shocked when the jail was just down. I'm not OK with that"
Kinew spoke after Kostyshyn, saying the goal would be to build a brand new facility, staffing 80 workers and housing 60 beds to start, and possibly more once it's fully operating.
"When we build this facility, we'll be building a facility that improves safety in the community and in the region. We're going to be building a facility that is a concrete step towards addressing the crime that is too often present in our communities, but we're also going to be making an economic investment to bring good-paying jobs back to Dauphin and back to families that live in the Parkland."
The Justice Center will be designed first and foremost for safety, but it will also be designed to help people who are on a bad path by helping to reform people.
It will be a facility that offers not only safety, but addiction treatments, job training, skill building, and an environment that ensures that people who are released have taken steps to lead a more positive life.
This wasn't the only announcement that Wab Kinew made, as he also is promising to hire more doctors and nurses.
"Dauphin is a great place to grow up and a great place to grow old. we want to ensure that the economy and the social fabric and the needed investments are present in the region so we can live up to that statement for many years to come... We're going to hire more nurses, We're going to hire more doctors and we're going to ensure that these nurses and doctors come to communities like this one."
Kinew concluded his statements noting that he will be back in Dauphin to make more commitments to Dauphin and the Parkland area, and that his party is dedicated to making Manitoba better, together.
