THE Selinger government will present its 2013 provincial budget on April 16.

That is the day Manitoba's MLAs return to the legislature to resume a session that adjourned on Dec. 6.

Finance Minister Stan Struthers' second budget will attempt to grapple with a deficit that has proved to be more difficult to tame than the government previously thought.

Following upon a record $999-million deficit in 2011-12, which was blamed in large part on the 2011 flood, the government initially projected a $460-million deficit for the current fiscal year. But in December it adjusted that forecast to $567 million for the year ending this March 31.

Struthers also admitted late last year the government would have to delay balancing its books until 2016-17, breaking a promise made before the last election to begin running surpluses by 2014-15.

-- staff

Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition March 8, 2013 A2