MLA castigated for ‘terrible’ remark in Souris
Advertisement
Read this article for free:
or
Already have an account? Log in here »
We need your support!
Local journalism needs your support!
As we navigate through unprecedented times, our journalists are working harder than ever to bring you the latest local updates to keep you safe and informed.
Now, more than ever, we need your support.
Starting at $15.99 plus taxes every four weeks you can access your Brandon Sun online and full access to all content as it appears on our website.
Subscribe Nowor call circulation directly at (204) 727-0527.
Your pledge helps to ensure we provide the news that matters most to your community!
To continue reading, please subscribe:
Add Brandon Sun access to your Free Press subscription for only an additional
$1 for the first 4 weeks*
- Enjoy unlimited reading on brandonsun.com
- Read the Brandon Sun E-Edition, our digital replica newspaper
*Your next Free Press subscription payment will increase by $1.00 and you will be charged $20.95 plus GST for four weeks. After four weeks, your payment will increase to $24.95 plus GST every four weeks.
Read unlimited articles for free today:
or
Already have an account? Log in here »
Environment and Climate Change Minister Mike Moyes blasted an Opposition Tory MLA for an off-topic comment he made at an event in Souris Thursday about the NDP government’s plan to fence off the site of a tragic accident.
La Vérendrye MLA Konrad Narth called into question the government’s decision to install fencing near a hiking trail at Nutimik Lake in the Whiteshell, where two boys drowned last month.
In response to the tragedy, Narth said, “The government’s putting up a fence. Like, where do we need to just start reining back to common sense in society? It’s terrible, but we can’t fence every river.”
Environment and Climate Change Minister Mike Moyes said Tory MLA Konrad Narth was out of line when he criticized the government’s plan to fence off the site of a tragic accident last month in the Whiteshell. (Mikaela MacKenzie/Winnipeg Free Press files)
Moyes, in an interview later in the day, said Narth was out of line.
“I think that’s a terrible comment given the fact that we just had a tragedy where a family is grieving in Manitoba at this site,” he said.
Brothers Maximo, 10, and Aaron Au Ramirez, 13, drowned at the popular destination near Sturgeon Falls in Whiteshell Provincial Park on July 18.
Aaron jumped into the lake to save his younger brother, who had fallen in after slipping on rocks.
Narth called the situation a “terrible catastrophe” and a “tragedy,” but said safety precautions have “got to stop somewhere” as there are “hundreds of thousands” of similar sites across Manitoba.
Moyes said his government took action after the incident to ensure public safety and “will continue to put safety at the forefront of all our decision making.”
He added: “I would advocate that Konrad Narth should reconsider his position in regards to certain tragedies, and maybe speak with family members that have lost loved ones in this case, before making any further remarks.”
Narth’s comments, he said, “add hurt” to a very bad situation.
“I think it’s insensitive on his part. And so, again, I would just like to reiterate that our love goes out to the family, the Au Ramirez family,” the minister said.
Moyes didn’t have a timeline for when the fencing will be installed at the popular hiking destination, but said his government is “trying to expedite it as quickly as we can.”
» alambert@brandonsun.com