MLA: Hon. Kerri Irvin-Ross - Fort Richmond

Thank-you Father for MLA Hon. Kerri Irvin-Ross and for placing her in leadership for such a time as this.  As she serves in the areas of Persons with Disabilities, Civil Service, and also as Deputy Premier, I ask that you grant her a platform and the courage to “speak up for those who cannot speak up for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute.  (May she) speak up and judge fairly and defend the rights of the poor and needy” as is written in Proverbs 31 in Your Word.  Fill her with wisdom, discernment, and stamina to accomplish all that is required of her.  Bless her with peace and joy in all areas of her life.  In Jesus Name, Amen.

First elected as MLA for Fort Garry in 2003, she has served as Minister of Healthy Living, Minister responsible for Healthy Child Manitoba and Seniors, Minister of Housing and Community Development and was appointed Minister of Family Services by Premier Greg Selinger on October 18, 2013.

Raised in a small farming community in southern Saskatchewan, Kerri and her family moved to Winnipeg over 15 years ago. They established roots in Winnipeg and become a part of many community and school organizations. Kerri accepted a position at the Winnipeg Child Guidance Clinic and through her work as a school social worker she grew increasingly aware of the importance of providing positive opportunities in order to create and maintain healthy communities.

As a community builder Kerri has been recognized for her role in developing crime prevention initiatives and spearheading efforts to improve community recreation facilities. She regularly works with community clubs, parent councils, child care centres, schools, seniors groups such as the Fort Garry Seniors Resource Council and Pembina Active Living 55+, as well as other community initiatives. Kerri is also a strong supporter of groups such as the Fort Garry Historical Society and the Fort Garry Community Network. Her constituency office has become a meeting place for many such groups.

During her three years as Minister of Healthy Living Kerri was responsible for introducing Healthy Child Legislation, implementing Age-Friendly Manitoba, establishing nutrition guidelines for schools, designing new suicide prevention initiatives, expanding the diabetes prevention programs in the North, introducing a new eating disorders program, providing children with low-cost bike helmets, and building on our anti-smoking initiatives.
As Minister of Housing and Community Development, Kerri prioritized a positive experience for tenants, which has led to customer service training for staff, improved security services, and a bed bug remediation strategy for Manitoba Housing properties. She has worked to meet housing needs in Manitoba through a variety of initiatives, which has resulted in hundreds of new units of affordable housing tailored to families, seniors, students and people with disabilities.

A strong supporter of community economic development, she has championed the department’s partnership with Warm Up Winnipeg/BUILD and other community based employment training programs which has resulted in reduced energy and water costs for Manitoba Housing Properties and job experience for hundreds of worker with barriers to employment. She believes in the power of Co-op Development for Manitoba, and champions grassroots empowerment and neighbourhood revitalization through Neighbourhoods Alive!.
Kerri enjoys working with government departments, community groups, and citizens to support vibrant, healthy communities across Manitoba.

http://todaysndp.ca/mla/kerri-irvin-ross