As deficit rises, province to release budget March 24

The Manitoba government will release its budget on March 24 amid concerns about health care and affordability.

In its latest estimate, Manitoba has projected a near doubling of the deficit: $1.6-billion deficit in fiscal 2025-26, up from the last spring budget’s $794-million deficit estimate.

Dry conditions leading to wildfires and losses at Manitoba Hydro have contributed to the change, the province has said.

Finance Minister Adrien Sala promised some “big-ticket affordability items” in the upcoming budget.

“(This) will help you out at the grocery store, with your mortgage bill and your rent payments,” Sala said in a news release.

The New Democrats recently launched a grocery study to determine how to lower food prices. Early findings could be integrated into the March budget, Sala said at the time.

He flagged the possibility of applying a maximum retail price to two- and four-litre jugs of milk. The province capped the price of one-litre cartons in January; the measure should last all year.

Health-care investments and “staffing up across the system” are included in the spring budget, Sala said Thursday.

The province has pulled unbudgeted money to cover health-care costs lately. Manitoba approved $200 million earlier this month, largely directed to physicians’ services, such as tests and office visits. Last December, the government sought an extra $1.04 billion for health care and Manitoba Hydro operations.

Other provinces facing large deficits, such as Nova Scotia and British Columbia, have tabled budgets laden with cuts.

“With this NDP, Manitoba families should expect higher taxes, poor economic growth and inept fiscal management,” Tory finance critic Lauren Stone wrote in a statement.

The 2026-27 will include support for Manitoba’s diversified, low-carbon economy, a government news release reads.

Sala was in Gimli Thursday for the province’s final budget public consultation meeting; he was unavailable for an interview.

The province continues to take public feedback ahead of budget day. People can participate in an online survey, at engagemb.ca/budget-2026, or by emailing MBbudgetfeedback@gov.mb.ca.

The survey is open until March 8.

More than 25,000 Manitobans have participated in pre-budget consultations, the government said.

gabrielle.piche@winnipegfreepress.com