Policies for progress and prosperity

Burrows

Our province is progressing towards prosperity. Our government is working to improve community safety, help students get the food they need at school, and strengthen support for our frontline workers.

Safety is the issue I hear about most when I’m out in the community, especially from small business owners and front-line workers. That’s why I’m pleased to share that our government has launched a $10-million business security rebate program to help local businesses recover from property damage and invest in security upgrades. Eligible businesses with 75 or fewer employees per location can receive rebates of up to $2,500, with applications processed on a first-come, first-served basis for eligible costs incurred since Aug. 23, 2024. From lighting, alarms, and cameras to window protection, repairs, and insurance deductibles, this program offers practical support for safer storefronts and safer streets across Burrows.

That same approach matters for our kids, too. Manitoba’s universal school nutrition program is now reaching an average of 93,431 students every day and provided more than 30 million meals and snacks during the 2024–25 school year. I recently visited the Maples Collegiate kitchen and nutrition program team and saw first-hand how much the students appreciated this program. For families in Burrows, this means fewer rushed mornings, more consistent school days, and more students ready to learn and fully present in their classrooms.

In the legislature, we also advanced bills that reflect what Burrows residents have asked for – communities that are safe and inclusive. This session included legislation to hold people accountable for sharing non-consensual intimate images and to give courts authority to order those images removed online. We also moved forward legislation recognizing sign languages, including Indigenous sign languages, as distinct languages.

Looking ahead, the house has adjourned until March 4, 2026, and we’ll keep building on our work when we return by bringing forward measures to improve patient safety and end mandatory overtime for nurses, along with new legislation to ban dangerous weapons from our public spaces. We will also move forward with eliminating mandatory sick notes, so workers no longer need to see a doctor to verify a short-term illness. This change will free up more than 36,000 hours of doctors’ time each year – the equivalent of over 50 full-time doctors’ worth of patient care returned to Manitoba’s health system, saving taxpayers about $8 million.

Most importantly, I want to keep hearing from you. Manitobans can share priorities for Budget 2026 through an online survey (open until Feb. 21, 2026), or email ideas to MBbudgetfeedback@gov.mb.ca. Your input helps shape decisions that affect our community – and all of Manitoba.