Economic strategies on menu at premier’s lunch

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 07/12/2017 (2873 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Manitoba Premier Brian Pallister is expected to draw a crowd of 1,300 to his second “state of the province” address at a luncheon today organized by the Winnipeg Chamber of Commerce.

A source said Wednesday the premier will speak about the findings of a government-commissioned report from Deloitte on successful economic development strategies.

Pallister also “will make a significant announcement regarding the direction of economic development efforts in the province,” the source said.

Last year, at the same event, Pallister issued a challenge to organized labour, saying there were too many bargaining units in Manitoba’s health sector.

It marked the beginning of a tumultuous year between the governing Progressive Conservatives and public-sector unions that included the government passing legislation freezing wages in new contracts for two years.

The premier also beseeched Manitobans last year for help in efforts to fix the province’s finances and improve government services.

“In four years, we will be Canada’s most improved province, and in eight years, people from all over the world will look at us and say, ‘That was the Manitoba miracle,’” he said.

Pallister has limited his public appearances since breaking his left arm and sustaining other injuries during a hike in a wilderness area in New Mexico more than three weeks ago.

larry.kusch@freepress.mb.ca