NDP government spent $94K promoting school nutrition program expansion

The Kinew government spent more money promoting its universal school meal program this year than it did feeding students in some small divisions.

At the start of the 2024-25 school year, the province spent $94,617 on advertisements related to the expansion of breakfast, lunch and snack offerings in kindergarten-to-Grade 12 buildings.

The campaign — details of which were released to the Free Press via freedom of information request — included generic ads touting one of Premier Wab Kinew’s landmark policies.

“Food in every school,” against an orange backdrop — the colour of the ruling party — was displayed on billboards and online ads that ran from Nov. 11 until Dec. 29.

The material alluded to the province’s now-annual commitment of $30 million for what has been described as both a “universal” and “universally accessible” nutrition program.

The new funding is supposed to ensure every student can access a free snack at school when they are hungry, no questions asked.

“If there’s a compelling reason for the ad in terms of motivating the viewer or the listener to do something, then it’s warranted,” said Jonathan Rose, a professor at Queen’s University who researches propaganda and political ads.

“But if not, it begs the question about why the government is wasting taxpayers’ money.”

Rose, head of the political studies department in Kingston, Ont., spent a decade reviewing government ads for Ontario’s auditor general to ensure they met standards in that province.

The Ontario government is prohibited by law from spending money on ads that include the name, voice or image of a sitting premier, a political party logo or a colour associated with the governing party.

Those rules were introduced in 2004 to thicken what Rose calls the “pretty thin lines” between a government in power and the political party that won the election.

He suggested Ontario sets a gold standard for the world when it comes to the oversight of government advertising.

“If there’s a compelling reason for the ad in terms of motivating the viewer or the listener to do something, then it’s warranted. But if not, it begs the question about why the government is wasting taxpayers’ money.”– Jonathan Rose, Queen’s University professor who researches propaganda and political ads

 

Manitoba’s former Progressive Conservative government faced criticism in 2021 for spending a combined $150,000 on Tory-blue bus ads and other signage that touted controversial education reforms that were ultimately scrapped.

As far as Rose is concerned, an effective government ad is informative and compels citizens to take action — be it filing their taxes in a timely fashion, buckling their seatbelts or otherwise.

It is a cabinet minister’s job to spread awareness about the promises they have kept and their actions in general, he said.

The launch of a universal school nutrition program was among the key planks in the NDP’s 2023 election campaign.

School division leaders had significant flexibility when it came to spending their respective provincial stipends during the first official rollout year.

Principals across the province oversaw renovations to expand their food preparation spaces and feed more students.

Some campuses served hot meals throughout 2024-25. Others stocked granola bars and other ready-to-eat groceries.

Opposition education critic Wayne Ewasko accused the province of misleading Manitobans about the universality of the program with its messaging.

Asked about how he’d categorize it, the PC MLA said, “It’s a smattering.”

“Now we’re looking at $94,000 on paid advertisements… according to NDP math… that’s almost 700 additional kids that could definitely be fed.”– Opposition education critic Wayne Ewasko

Ewasko, who was the education minister before the last election, noted that, given there are roughly 200 days on the academic calendar and more than 200,000 students, $30 million is roughly 70 cents per child per day.

“Now we’re looking at $94,000 on paid advertisements. That’s — according to NDP math — that’s almost 700 additional kids that could definitely be fed,” he said.

Whiteshell-area schools, in which 222 students were registered this fall, received $27,000 in provincial nutrition funding for 2024-25.

The province earmarked $74,000 for the Pine Creek School Division. Its Gladstone-based board office oversees the education of roughly 1,125 students in rural Manitoba.

Education Minister Tracy Schmidt defended the 2024 ad campaign, citing its educational value.

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“We believe Manitobans deserve to know about one of the most important changes to our education system in a generation, a universal school nutrition program that ensures no child has to learn on an empty stomach,” Schmidt said in a statement.

The ads were made to ensure parents, teachers and communities understood that “food is foundational, not optional, for learning,” she said.

The overwhelming majority of the $30-million fund was distributed directly to school divisions this year.

The Child Nutrition Council of Manitoba received almost $5 million to expand its grant program.

The remaining funds were distributed to First Nations schools and targeted after-school and summer programs, as per a breakdown provided by Manitoba Education.

maggie.macintosh@freepress.mb.ca

Maggie Macintosh
Education reporter

Maggie Macintosh reports on education for the Free Press. Originally from Hamilton, Ont., she first reported for the Free Press in 2017. Read more about Maggie.

Funding for the Free Press education reporter comes from the Government of Canada through the Local Journalism Initiative.

Every piece of reporting Maggie produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print — part of the Free Press‘s tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press’s history and mandate, and learn how our newsroom operates.