Gerry Friesen, chief administrative officer for the Manitoba Farmer Wellness Program, was surprised by the news that his organization would have another $450,000 over the next three years to add to their budget.
“I feel overwhelmed, he said. “And, you know, a lot of times when you get announcements like this, there’s somewhat of a lead-up. We were kind of caught by surprise.”
The funds were announced by Premier Wab Kinew during his address at Manitoba Ag Days, the country’s largest indoor farm show, taking place in Brandon Jan. 16-18.
Read Also
The joys of fishing from shore
Manitoba has many lake and river shorelines to drop a fishing line without the cost of a boat, making shore fishing more accessible, and anglers can still catch impressive fish.
The money comes from both the provincial and federal governments through the Sustainable Canadian Agricultural Partnership, Canada’s current five-year ag funding agreement between provinces and the Government of Canada.
“Success in the ag industry is really about the success of the people,” Kinew told Ag Days attendees. “We’re going to keep investing in services like mental health that we’re announcing here today. And it’s our firm belief that when the government is willing to put in the work on our side to support you, you are going to continue to be the backbone of our provincial economy for generations to come.”
The Manitoba Farmer Wellness Program is a non-profit organization that launched in 2021. The program offers farmers up to six free counselling sessions with mental health professionals familiar with the agricultural sector.
Friesen got word that the announcement was coming at the end of last week. The organization is still working out what improvements they can make with the additional funding.
“There’s so many things we can do,” he said. “We’re going to have a board meeting in the very near future, and we’re going to look at this. We’re incredibly happy about it.”
For more on this story, pick up the Jan. 25 edition of the Manitoba Co-operator.
