September is one of my favorite months and it sure was nice to be back from Ottawa last week and spend the first full week of the Fall meeting with constituents in the riding and sharing some great news regarding infrastructure improvements that will benefit the residents of Kelowna-Lake Country.

While there have been a few naysayers, I for one believe investing in infrastructure is a good thing because it benefits everyone.  Not only will it help to stimulate the economy now, its benefits are long-term, exponentially spurring on new growth for many years to come.

In other good news, the City of Kelowna requested and received $1.1M from Heritage Canada to help to restore BC’s oldest packing house, “The Laurel”.  Once renovations are completed in May, 2010, the apple museum and the wine shop will be enhanced and this iconic heritage building located in the heart of Kelowna’s cultural district will provide a jumping off point for many arts and cultural events for years to come.  

Speaking of wine shops, have you seen the newly renovated Gray Monk Winery in Lake Country?  You owe it to yourself to check it out.  I drove my motorcycle up there last Friday to announce some Agri- Marketing funding which will be used to promote Canadian wines around the world including the U.S. and Asia. 
Driving past the orchards and vineyards reminded me of how blessed we are to be able to call the Okanagan home and how important it is to protect this rich agricultural legacy by supporting our agricultural community and buying local.

Further down the road in Lake Country, I dropped in on City Hall and together   with Mayor Baker and MLA Norm Letnick shared the good news that the  Lake Country Council’s request for Federal/ Provincial support to upgrade the Lake Country Water System had been granted. Safe, clean water will be provided for 2,400 residents and  provide a long- awaited reliable source of water for the agricultural community - a great win for everyone!

On Sunday I was able to have brunch with the family and celebrate our daughter’s 19th Birthday (hard to believe how fast our babies grow up) before heading off to spend a few hours with the Ambassadors from Hungary, Peru and the High Commissioner from Barbados who spent a couple of days this week touring the Okanagan and learning more about trade opportunities between Canada and their home countries.

Sunday evening I flew to Vancouver to join the Finance Committee for pre- budget consultations.   I also travelled with the Committee to Edmonton and Yellowknife. 
We heard from over 70 different individuals and organizations who provided valuable suggestions for our next budget which will likely be tabled some time next Spring.

It’s always interesting to hear the varying views on government spending.  Some think we have a bottomless pit of money to spend while others want to wean Canadians off of spending so that we can balance our budget, pay down our debt and live within our means.     

On Thursday, I was back in Ottawa for another confidence vote brought to us courtesy of the Liberal party.   Fortunately their lack of confidence is not a sentiment shared by Canadians and an election was averted.  These are strange times in the House of Commons to be sure.  The Left voted “right” and a majority of MPs stood up for Canadians while the Liberals opposed everything including extended EI benefits for Canadian workers who have been hardest hit by the global economic crisis.

Speaking of wisdom, I would like to remind everyone that October 4th to 10th is Mental Illness Awareness Week.  There is no health without mental health and we need to work hard to reduce the stigma surrounding mental illness through education and understanding. With nearly one in five Canadians affected, most of us know someone who is struggling.  I encourage you to take a few minutes to contact the fine folks at our local Canadian Mental Health Association 250-861-3644 or e-mail: kelowna@cmha.bc.ca  to learn how you can help or better yet sign up for the free public forum in the Knowledge is Power Series which is being held Thursday October 8, 2009 at the Canadian Mental Health Association on 504 Sutherland Avenue, Kelowna from 5:30 pm until 7:30 pm.
 Ron Cannan is the MP for Kelowna-Lake Country and can be reached at 250-470-5075 or by email at ron@cannan.ca