| Save Our Seine would like to acknowledge the continuing support of the Centre Culturel Franco-Manitobaine, which has hosted our monthly board meeting and AGMs for many years. On the shortest of notices they always seem to be able to come up with a room for us in which to meet. Thank you CCFM. In April of 2002 the Morrow Gospel Church was a superlative host to our information meeting on the Bois des Esprits and the Southglen Bridge. Mr. Henry Thiessen and his fellow church members gave us a free hall, provided the attendees with coffee and concessions and helped us with sound and setting up the 500 chairs that were quickly filled on April 24, 2002. What a great outreach to over 700 total strangers! Thank you Morrow Gospel Church. Thanks again to the Manitoba Hydro Forest Enhancement Fund for their ongoing support in riverbank restoration. For example, they provided SOS with $16,000 in funding for plant stock in 1999. Many kilometers of riverbank, over a quarter of the river length in fact, has been restored with their ongoing financial help. Now and in the future Manitoba Hydro has always been there for us. The Human Resource Development Canada-Summer Career Placement once again provided funding for our Green Team Leader. Thanks to Joanne Dandenault and the staff at HRDC for their enthusiastic support. The Manitoba Education and Training-Urban Green Team Program came through once more with the funding for our dedicated young workers. Green team members suffer through heat, rain, mosquitoes, poison ivy and back-breaking, heavy logs every day for minimum wage, and they enjoy the job! On behalf of all of us aging baby boomers, thank you Green Team for making the Seine a canoe-able river. Without you canoeing the Seine would be a series of countless, awkward portages. Now the Seine is clean and green. The way it should be. Pat Leblanc and the staff at Teen Stop Jeunesse began supporting the SOS Green Team in 2002 and so far the relationship has been considered a success by all. At no cost to SOS, Teen Stop, a United Way funded agency, administers the day to day supervision and payroll management for a half dozen SOS workers. SOS provides long-term guidance and the funds for payroll, greenings and cleanings over a 16-week period in the summer. It seems to be a good match for us. We hope to do it again in 2003. The Green Team van, a large and powerful 1973 Maxi-Wagon that hauls people and canoes with ease, was graciously donated by Mr. Dave Christie for the use of Teen Stop, SOS and Bishop Grandin Greenway. Speedy Glass and the Skidmore family of Vancouver donated a free front windshield so that the van can be eventually safetied. Mr. Bob Elliot from Canadian Tire has offered us 4 new tires, installed and balanced, at dealer cost. The Rotary Club has been applied to for funding to fix the brakes. Keep your eyes open for the Green Team Machine at a Greening or Cleaning near you ! The Field of Dreams Greening received support from many sources. The City of Winnipeg and the PFRA provided the planting stock. Volunteers were able to drink juice from McDonalds of Canada, water from the World of Water and eat hot dogs from Safeway. On behalf of the Marlene Streets Tenant Association and SOS, thank you again. Thanks to the City of Winnipeg. Planners, naturalists, politicians, clerks, laborers, people from all departments and all walks of life have supported SOS this year and in years past. While the city is a complex organization with many differing points-of-view, the rank-and-file city worker is inevitably on our side. Everyone is for more green space and for cleaner rivers, but many differ on how to accomplish that end. We value the City of Winnipeg in helping us find our way through the difficult solutions presented to us. Finally, it is my hope that SOS will be thanking Ladco and the Borger Family in 2003 for their spirit of compromise and for their support for the environment. Ladco has proven that they can successfully work with environmental groups such as Ducks Unlimited. While SOS does not represent any duck hunters from America, we do represent many concerned citizens from Winnipeg. This year SOS members have made lasting friendships with Filipino environmentalists, with youth workers, with single mothers on social assistance, with businessmen, with college students and with high school teachers. We could always use more friends willing to help us save our Seine David Watson, Vice President SOS |