Like many other Thompson residents, I'm saddened to hear of the passing of Dr. Alan Rich after his more than four decades practising medicine in our city. Members of my family and I were patients of Dr. Rich, and we have wonderful memories of him and of his commitment to the people of this community. He will indeed be missed, and I offer condolences to all those who were close to him.
Dr. Rich – who was known for making house calls, including one to my father – exemplified the generosity of citizens of the Thompson area. This generosity and positive attitude are seen in the many great volunteers in our community, and I’m pleased when our Manitoba government grants funding support to the groups to which they give their time. We announced last month we would provide $25,500 through the Proceeds of Crime Fund to the Peace and Prevention community group in Thompson, which has held free public events since it was formed last year. I’m grateful to Stephanie Third, Jason Lucas, Nikki Brightnose and RCMP Const. Sandy Deibert for their commitment to neighbourhood patrols and for promoting events for families and youth. A total of $450,000 will be distributed around the province through the Proceeds of Crime Fund, including $23,604 to Thompson RCMP, $12,000 to Gods Lake Narrows RCMP and $7,283 to Norway House RCMP.
Meanwhile, in the north and across the province, our government continues to rebuild Manitoba’s economy. We are paving the way for strong growth in film and television production by making an important tax credit permanent. In removing an expiry date for the Manitoba Film and Video Production Tax Credit, we are bringing certainty to the industry that has taken off significantly in our province in recent years. In 2017-18, Manitoba had its most successful production season ever with approximately $173 million in feature films, television movies and TV series. And this activity is expected to grow amid an increasing demand for content from streaming services such as Netflix, Amazon and Apple, as well as from broadcasters around the world. Through our commitment to the tax credit, we are ensuring film and TV production in our province can respond to the demand while this growth continues.
