422 civil servants hired in 2011

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JOE BRYKSA / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS archives Stan Struthers: will not lay off civil servants

The provincial government added 422 civil servants to its payroll last year as it racked up a record $999-million deficit.

In a report released Monday, the Manitoba Civil Service Commission said the number of government employees stood at 15,300 on March 31, an increase of nearly three per cent over the year before.

The devastating flood of 2011 is blamed for most of the province's recent budget woes, but spending has also increased in several unrelated areas.

In March 2011, Manitoba had 14,878 civil servants; in 2010, there were 14,890.

The figures include regular, term and casual government employees. Not included in the numbers are school teachers or employees of Crown corporations and regional health authorities.

The Justice Department, which includes oversight over provincial jails, saw its staff increase by 244 last year. The Health Department saw its complement rise by 66. Significant departmental reorganization makes it tricky to compare several other areas.

Finance Minister Stan Struthers reiterated Monday the government will not lay off civil servants as it strives to keep this year's projected deficit -- pegged at $460 million -- from ballooning.

But he said the province will try to reduce positions through attrition. "No doubt, there are positions that are vacant now that we can eliminate and repriorize within the civil service..." Struthers said at a news conference called to demonstrate how the province is holding the line on costs.

To keep the deficit from exceeding $460 million this year, the government said from the outset it needed to reduce program expenses by $128 million and sell $80 million worth of Crown assets.

To date, it's delayed or eliminated $66 million in spending, but has yet to sell any assets.

"We are very pleased with the progress that we've made in achieving more than half of our target," Struthers said of the program cuts. He said he still hopes to meet the targeted asset sell-off, but refused to hint what might be on the sales block.

On Monday, the province also released its first quarterly financial report for the current fiscal year, which began April 1. The government incurred a loss of $428 million during the first three months of 2012-13, compared with a projected deficit of $637 million for this point in the year. The difference is likely due to the timing of the payment of certain bills, Struthers said, but he added it also points to the fact the government is on the right track.

Conservative MLA Reg Helwer was doubtful the province would reach its deficit target, noting last year at this time, the government was also claiming to be on target but wound up $1 billion in the red. "Is that what we're on target for again in Manitoba? We can't afford that."

Colin Craig, Prairie representative for the Canadian Taxpayers Federation, said the government isn't being nearly as aggressive as it should be in getting its spending under control. The increase in the number of civil servants in the past year demonstrates that, he said. "Because their level of spending is so high, because they're hiring so many bureaucrats, that's why our taxes are so high," Craig said.

larry.kusch@freepress.mb.ca

On the chopping block

THE government announced Monday it has delayed or cut $66 million worth of programming so far this year to keep its deficit from ballooning. This includes:

$309,000 -- through elimination of the 'in motion' ad campaign that promotes physical activity;

$290,000 -- by placing a hold on tourism grants pending the results of a review;

$117,000 -- by ditching the contract for a news-monitoring service;

$22.8 million -- through applying "lean management principles" to all regional health authorities;

$12.1 million -- through increased purchases of generic drugs;

$65,000 -- by publishing copies of government legislation exclusively online;

$1 million -- by cutting budgeted assistance to farmers for managing barn manure;

$11 million -- savings identified through the amalgamation of 11 regional health authorities into five; and

$919,000 -- by delaying funding of new initiatives in education.

Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition October 2, 2012 A6