January 21, 2005 – On Tuesday, January 11th, Sport Manitoba had an opportunity to make a presentation to the all party Healthy Kids, Healthy Futures Provincial Task Force at the first of 10 public consultation meetings being held in the province from now until the end of February.

These public meetings are an excellent opportunity for amateur sport and especially grassroots community level athletes, parents, coaches and volunteer leaders to convey their success stories and challenges to members of the provincial legislature by sharing:

1. Current community or school based programs and initiatives that are already making a positive impact on the lives of children and youth

2. What you believe are the barriers that are preventing youth and younger adults from participating in sport

We are asking that your sport organization, clubs, leagues or individual members consider making a brief 10-minute presentation to the Task Force at one of the upcoming public meetings:

· Ste. Anne: Tuesday, January 18th, 7:00 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. at Club Jovial, 157 Central Avenue

· Arborg: Tuesday, January, 25th, 7:00 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. at Arborg Community Hall on Ingolfs Street

· Thompson: Thursday, February 10th, 7:00 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. at Juniper Centre, 108 Nelson Street

· Gods River First Nation: Friday, February 11th, 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. at Manto Tipi Cree Nation Community Centre

· Souris: Monday, February 14th, 7:00 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. at Souris Glenwood Memorial Complex, 32 Third Avenue West

· Sioux Valley Dakota Nation: Tuesday, February 15th, 10 a.m. to noon at Sioux Valley Dakota Nation Community Hall

· Brandon: Wednesday, February 23rd, 7:00 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. at Park Community Centre, corner of Louise Avenue and 15th Street

· Dauphin: Thursday, February 24th, 7:00 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. at Dauphin Multi-Purpose Senior Centre, 55 First Avenue South East

· Winnipeg: Saturday, February 26th, 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m., Magnus Eilison Recreation Centre, 430 Langside Street

Please note that you can register to make a presentation at any of the public meetings by calling the toll-free number, 1-866-873-1642.

Written submissions can also be mailed to the Healthy Kids, Healthy Futures All-Party Task Force, c/o 5 – 1577 Dublin Avenue, Winnipeg MB R3E 3J5 or can be submitted online at www.gov.mb.ca/healthykids . More information about the Task Force, an online survey and electronic copies of the discussion paper are available on the same website.

We would ask that you share this information with your member organizations and encourage them to make a presentation.

If you would like more specifics about Sport Manitoba’s presentation, please contact me directly at 925-5901 or email REMOVE_THIShnatiuk@sport.mb.ca