Manitoba budget 2017: A breakdown of the government’s priorities
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Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 11/04/2017 (3417 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.
Salary cost-cutting runs throughout the Progressive Conservative government’s second budget, billed as “responsible recovery” with modest spending increases in key areas of health, education, justice and infrastructure.
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healing
Health
The province plans to spend a little more than $100 million more for health care this year – the smallest increase in recent years. New spending includes:
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$1.7 million to begin universal screening of newborn hearing
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$8.8 million more to expand kidney dialysis and treatment
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$1.6 million for more support of mental health services
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$9.5 million for new cancer drugs, and $6.5 million to lower ambulance fees for Manitobans
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The province will also pay for two replacement ambulances for the City of Winnipeg and will spend $1 million so three provincial nursing stations can continue to operate
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school
Education
The province is spending $36 million more, including reducing barriers low income students face in accessing post-secondary education.
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The province will transform the Manitoba Bursary Program into a grant available to students while they study
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Tuition Fee Income Tax Rebate will be reduced this year and eliminated next year and the Advance Tuition Fee Income Tax Rebate will be eliminated this year
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The province will provide $1.3 billion to students from Kindergarten to Grade 12
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child_friendly
Families
The Manitoba Families budget is up by $105 million, a 5.4 per cent increase from last year. The province wants to begin reducing child-care waiting lists by adding 501 new licenced child-care spaces and 50 new home-based child-care spaces.
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$12.8 million more will be spent to increase the number and quality of affordable housing
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$85 million will go to Employment Income and the Rental Assistance programming clients
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The province won’t change the Primary Caregiver Tax Credit.
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Around $8 million will help refugees who are no longer eligible for federal settlement support.
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gavel
Justice
The province will spend an additional $12 million on Manitoba Justice, which the government says will help ease the backlog in criminal courts.
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The Manitoba Prosecutions Branch will see an increase from $33 million to $34 million while Legal Aid Manitoba gets the same $32.3 million it received last year
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Consumer protection budget, which includes facilitation of consumer-business disputes and tenant-landlord disputes, has been cut slightly to $11.7 million from $12 million budgeted last year
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directions
Infrastructure
The province will invest $1.7 billion on infrastructure this year, inlcuding for health care and education with a focus on flood protection. “Strategic” investment inlcudes:
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$747 million for roads, highways, bridges and flood protection
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$641 million for health, education, and housing infrastructure
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“Up to” $370 million for municipal, local and provincial infrastructure
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Kevin Rollason
Reporter
Kevin Rollason was a general assignment reporter at the Free Press.
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