Josh Guenter & Minister Clarke visit community project sites in the Pembina & Red River Valleys

Minister of Municipal Relations, Eileen Clarke was in the Pembina and Red River Valley regions Tuesday to visit several project sites supported through the province's Building Sustainable Community Initiative.

One of Minister Clarke's stops was in Schanzenfeld, where she was accompanied by Borderland MLA Josh Guenter, RM of Stanley Reeve Morris Olafson and members of the Schanzenfeld Pathway committee.

Guenter says it was overall a great opportunity to showcase the communities and their get-it-done attitudes. "We're very happy to have members of the Shanzenfeld Pathway Committee here today to celebrate the $103,000 commitment from the Provincial Government to support their efforts in getting this project done," said Guenter. "I'm just truly excited to be a part of this, and I think it speaks to the character of these communities, the people that live here. We're so blessed to live in these wonderful communities."

The RM of Stanley received a $103,000 Building Sustainable Community Grant to support the committee's efforts to expand its pathway system by 2.5 km, connecting it to the City of Winkler's pathway along Road 22W.

"A healthier lifestyle is definitely what we want, but we also want a safe place where people can walk at their leisure or ride their bikes," says Clarke. "So that's really exciting. And actually come and see the people that have invested in it."

Clarke's tour with MLA Guenter also took them to Plum Coulee to see the proposed Plum Coulee Pedestrian Bridge project which will connect the two halves of the community currently split by the waterway that runs through the town.

On a personal note, Clarke said she's always happy for a chance to visit Plum Coulee, noting it's her father's birthplace.

Josh Guenter, Eileen Clarke, and members of the Plum Coulee Pedestrian Bridge committee posed for a photo in front of a tree along the community's walking path. (Photo courtesy of MLA Josh Guenter's Facebook page)

Minister Clarke and MLA Guenter also met with representatives from the Town of Altona and RM of Rhineland councils to discuss local municipal issues.