Your downtown is unsafe, but our roads are the worst? Seriously, Manitoba.
Morning from the Automobile City — here's what's growing in Steinbach.
You know, it's really something when the biggest news out of our whole province for some people is which highway gets to be called the "worst." CAA Manitoba just dropped their annual list, and apparently, Highway 34 is still Manitoba’s worst road. For the second year in a row!
This kind of story really grinds my gears, and not just because I spend a lot of time on our local roads, making sure the inventory at Main Street dealerships like Eastman or Fairway is getting to where it needs to go. Here in Steinbach, we're talking about real growth, real challenges, and real opportunities. We’re building out the Southeast Event Centre, watching our population climb by 11% in five years, and we have 480 Chamber members in a city of 22,000 people. Meanwhile, Winnipeg's downtown crime stats are spiking, but what gets the big headlines? A bumpy stretch of road out near Gladstone.
### Priorities, Please
It’s not that I don’t care about infrastructure. Anyone who drives Highway 12 knows we need good roads to keep our economy moving, to get Barkman Concrete products where they need to go, or to get visitors out to the Mennonite Heritage Village. But when you look at the bigger picture, it feels like the rest of Manitoba just doesn't quite grasp what's happening here in the southeast. While they're ranking potholes, we're navigating the complexities of rapid growth, welcoming new communities, and proving that low taxes and a strong work ethic—a foundation built on our Mennonite heritage—can create a vibrant, growing city.
* **Misplaced Focus:** The provincial conversation often overlooks critical issues in favor of less impactful ones. * **Steinbach's Reality:** We're dealing with genuine growth pains and successes, not just road conditions. * **Economic Drivers:** Our businesses, from Loewen Windows to the Steinbach Credit Union, need more recognition for their provincial impact.
We should be talking about how Steinbach continues to attract families and businesses, not just which road needs a new coat of asphalt. It's time the rest of Manitoba starts asking *us* how we're doing it, instead of focusing on their worst roads while our city flourishes.
Lena Brandt, MiTL Sports Desk, Steinbach.
The crew on the Morning Wire dives into stories like this every day. Tune in live at mornings.live.