MLA and minister of education and training Ian Wishart held a Christmas open-house in his Portage la Prairie office yesterday with a steady flow of guests. Wishart says he also extended the invitation for people to voice their suggestions on the direction for the province's budget development process. He notes several issues were covered with those who attended.

"A lot of people had some thoughts about where the province should go in terms of our financial future. And there were other people with some other issues. Some people talked about the strike at the University which is cause for concern for a lot of families who have kids in there, and I'm one. We're very concerned about it. We talked about a number of local issues as well. It was a pretty good day."

Wishart says people raised other issues with him that were more or less individual-oriented, including immigration, and ensured them he'd try to help out. He adds he makes an effort to be in the local office every Friday and is always open to talk with anyone regarding their concerns.