Manitoba Minute: Issue 127

Manitoba Minute - Your weekly one-minute summary of Manitoba politics.

📅 This Week In Manitoba: 📅

• Premier Wab Kinew has convened Manitoba's US trade council after trade negotiations between Canada and the United States collapsed, unleashing a new wave of American tariffs on $28 billion in Canadian goods. Kinew says the Province has returned to giving preference to non-US firms for government contracts, having held off on sending out tenders during the negotiations because the proposed deal would have forced provinces to remove clauses favouring non-American companies. The Premier describes the procurement policy as part of using the province's leverage, noting that Manitoba Hydro has $30 billion in construction planned over the next 20 years. The provincial government has also promised a tariff-relief package with supports for both businesses and workers who lose their jobs, with details expected in the coming days. Canadian counter-tariffs on US steel, set at the same 50% rate as the American tariffs, take effect on September 8th. Progressive Conservative MLA Konrad Narth, the Opposition's economic development critic, argues that businesses want tax relief and less regulation rather than subsidies, saying they do not want to see "corporate welfare".
  
  
• Meanwhile, the Premier says expanding the Port of Churchill to include an offshore liquefied natural gas terminal in Hudson Bay could cost $70 billion to $80 billion. The figure follows the release of three studies suggesting ice-hardened freighters could safely navigate Hudson Bay beyond the port's current shipping season of roughly four and a half months, with year-round shipping possible using the third-toughest class of ice-hardened vessels. The studies warn, however, that fully laden natural gas tankers could not manoeuvre within the shallow and narrow entrance to the existing port, meaning significant dredging, infrastructure modifications, or an offshore loading facility would be required. Kinew claims the results give the government some certainty as it prepares to pitch investors on the expansion, and he plans to travel to Toronto in September to make that pitch. Opposition Leader Obby Khan says the announcement was dismissive of northern Manitobans' concerns, noting the project has no investors, no federal commitment, and no buy-in from Indigenous communities, and warning that the same warming that melts sea ice could also disrupt the Hudson Bay Railway by melting permafrost.
  
  
• The Manitoba government is proposing regulatory changes to the Agricultural Crown Lands program that would extend the freeze on forage-lease rental rates at $3.66 per animal unit month through the 2027 growing season. The proposed amendments would also create a pathway to consecutive lease renewals for certain leases issued since 2019, rolling back a system under which leases returned to auction after 15 years and a producer who had invested in the land could lose it to a higher bidder mid-career. The changes would re-establish a points-based system for allocating leases and cap the amount of Crown land any one producer or their related entities can lease, with limited exceptions. Agriculture Minister Ron Kostyshyn claims the freeze will put more money back into producers' pockets as the US trade war puts pressure on Manitoba farmers. Brent Benson, President of the Manitoba Crown Land Leaseholders Association, welcomed the renewal pathway, saying ranchers need more certainty to make it viable for young producers to enter the industry. The government is accepting public feedback on the proposed changes over the coming months, with further engagement planned before the regulations take effect.
  
  
• The provincial government is also rolling out a new health and physical education curriculum that will make in-person physical education mandatory for all students from Kindergarten to Grade 12. The curriculum, the Province's first update in 25 years, begins with a voluntary two-year pilot program this September before a full rollout in the 2028-29 school year, and schools in rural and northern Manitoba, Winnipeg, and Brandon have already signed up. The change particularly affects Grade 11 and 12 students, who previously could earn physical education credits for self-directed activity outside school - Premier Wab Kinew claims many students are "just filling out the form and not doing the physical activity". The curriculum also adds new learning outcomes on the mental-health impacts of social media and artificial intelligence, the marketing of vapes and supplements, and risks associated with e-scooters, along with basic cooking skills in junior high and high school. Education Minister Tracy Schmidt says teachers and parents will be able to give feedback as the curriculum is refined during the pilot.
  
  
• Finally, the Manitoba government and the City of Winnipeg are expanding the mandate of Winnipeg Economic Development & Tourism, turning it into a provincewide economic development agency. Business, Mining, Trade and Job Creation Minister Jamie Moses claims the expanded agency will give investors, businesses, and site selectors a single point of entry for opportunities in Manitoba, helping them navigate government programs and advance projects from initial inquiry to implementation. Winnipeg Mayor Scott Gillingham says bringing the City's and the Province's economic development efforts together will make it easier for businesses to invest and grow. Chuck Davidson, the incoming president and CEO of Winnipeg Economic Development & Tourism, will lead the transition. Over the coming year, the agency will work with economic development organizations across the province to explore greater collaboration and integration, which the government says will reduce fragmentation, while major event attraction remains a core responsibility.

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