A path to lower grocery prices

Fort Rouge

Happy new year Fort Rouge!

I hope 2026 is starting off well and you were able to experience all the joy and good times the holiday season had to offer. With gifts to buy and family dinners to cook, I know the cost of living was top of mind for many. Lowering your costs is one of our biggest priorities as your government. One of our first actions after taking office was cutting the gas tax, and it made a real difference. Over the past two years, we froze hydro rates, brought a food program into every school, and lowered taxes for homeowners, renters, and seniors. And now we’re tackling grocery prices.

When I talk to folks in Fort Rouge, I often hear that the cost of grocery bills is putting a strain on your wallet. Whether you’re a parent in Corydon, a senior in Riverview, or a young person in Osborne Village, we want every Manitoban to be able to put food on the table and have a little left over at the end of the day to take the kids to a movie or save for the future.

Manitobans work hard, but it’s tough to get ahead when prices keep rising. That’s why we’ve been taking action to lower grocery prices. And we’re starting to see results.

One step we’re taking is creating more competition in the grocery industry. Big grocery companies use hidden agreements, called “restrictive covenants,” to quietly block competitors from opening nearby. When a grocery chain opens a new store, its create a bubble around it in which no other grocery store is allowed to open, in some cases even after the store closes its doors. This blocks competition, making it harder for local stores to open and easier for the big chains to raise prices.

Our first-in-Canada legislation has already removed one third of these property controls and stopped new ones from being created. That means more opportunities for new stores, more competition, and more pressure to bring prices down. Manitoba is becoming the first province to take on big grocery chains and make true competition possible, and we’re not stopping there. We’re also launching a province-wide study to uncover even more ways to lower costs for families at the grocery store.

As we enter 2026, our government will keep working for families in Fort Rouge and across the province so you can afford good, healthy food on your table. If you want to reach out about affordability or life in Fort Rouge, you can visit 2-565 Osborne Street, call 204-615-1922, or email me at wab.kinew@yourmanitoba.ca