The chair of the board for the Portage la Prairie Community Revitalization Corporation is looking forward to working with the region's MLA.

James Kostuchuk says he enjoyed the candidates forum held late last month, which allowed him to ask questions to each of the candidates who ran in the Portage riding in the 2019 Manitoba Election.

He says PC candidate -- and now MLA -- Ian Wishart answered his questions about the meth crisis well.

"Well, I was impressed with all the candidates, but Ian in particular, had a very thorough answer regarding the meth crisis that Portage la Prairie is facing," says Kostuchuk. "He clearly understands the issues. He understands what's at stake. I think that bodes well for working together to find strategies to address that concern in our community."

Kostuchuk says he learned something he didn't already know, in terms of the impact on the person.

"I actually wasn't aware of the time that was required to deal with meth addiction," says Kostiuchuk. "At the forum, Ian Wishart spoke to the amount of time that's needed. It's not measured in days or hours. It's measured in weeks. That puts a particular strain on both health care and on the police system."

The PCRC and the Portage and District Chamber of Commerce hosted the forum, and each organization asked questions to each of the candidates. Poverty was another key issue the PCRC wanted to talk about.

"Poverty is a very complex issue, and I think it begins by taking small steps forward to address some of the immediate needs," says Kostuchuk. "Obviously, affordable housing and transportation are two of the top agenda items. I think both of those items are being taken very seriously by all levels of government."