Around the legislature

Bill unites MLAs

In a rare show of unity, the Progressive Conservatives say they’re supporting the government’s anti-SLAPP (strategic lawsuits against public participation) legislation.

The baseless or meritless lawsuits are intended to intimidate, silence and harass people, the PCs said. Instead of winning the case, the person filing the SLAPP hopes to burden the defendant with the high costs and stress of filing a legal defence, hoping they will abandon their criticism or claim.

Bill 23 says a defendant in a proceeding may bring a motion to dismiss it on the grounds that it arises from a communication that they made on a matter of public interest.

It was one of five government bills the PCs were able to delay until the fall sitting to have more time to review. On Thursday, all five designated bills received second reading, which is required for them to advance to the committee stage before becoming law when the session ends in November.

Housing amendments pushed

The Tories want to see amendments to a government bill establishing new housing rules they say will cast a chill on investment and freeze the development of new units.

Bill 12, the Housing and Renewal Corporation Amendment Act, gives the provincial government “extraordinary power over private buildings and raises serious questions about property rights and future housing developments,” the Progressive Conservatives said in a news release.

The bill requires property owners and investors to obtain government approval to sell their property if the province invests 15 per cent of construction costs to create social housing units. Such legislation could discourage investment in social housing, reduce investment in multi-family dwellings across the province and drive up home and condominium prices, the PCs said.

They proposed amendments to the bill that include raising the 15 per cent government investment threshold and a built-in mechanism to deal with extenuating circumstances like death of an owner or bankruptcy.

Alcohol restrictions move closer

A bill to prohibit alcohol sales in convenience stores and gas stations in urban areas took a step closer to becoming law Thursday.

Bill 8, the Liquor, Gaming and Cannabis Control Amendment Act, was introduced by the NDP government in March to restrict the sale of alcohol across the province after the former Tory government expanded where Manitobans could purchase alcohol. The Progressive Conservatives said Thursday that after they changed the rules, convenience stores sought licences to sell alcohol under the same rules as neighbourhood restaurants.

The 7-Eleven at Ness Avenue and Sturgeon Road became the first in Winnipeg to sell alcohol, after it obtained a liquor licence and added a dine-in restaurant that serves chicken, pizza, hot dogs and other items in late 2024.

The PCs said the bill to restrict such sales, which passed second reading Thursday, limits consumer choice, and that in rural Manitoba liquor is sold in grocery stores and pharmacies.

The province has said that under the proposed legislation, businesses with existing licences would be able to continue selling alcohol but other convenience stores in urban centres would not.