Manitoba Minute: Issue 76

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

📅 This Week In Manitoba: 📅

• Manitoba’s universal school nutrition program has returned for a second year, aiming to provide students across the province with barrier-free access to healthy food. Backed by $30 million in provincial funding and federal contributions of $17 million over three years, the initiative allows each school division to design its own program based on student needs. Schools are using the funding for meals and snacks while also upgrading kitchens and equipment. In the Winnipeg School Division, about 26,000 of 31,000 students regularly participated last year. Supporters say the program ensures students are better prepared to learn, with schools also adapting to cultural and dietary needs. However, the Progressive Conservatives argue that resources may be stretched too thin and that access is uneven across communities. Education Minister Tracy Schmidt has defended the model, saying local divisions know their students best and that adjustments are being made to improve delivery.
  
  
• The Manitoba government will relocate its planned supervised consumption site after residents opposed the proposed location at 200 Disraeli Freeway in Winnipeg’s core. Community members raised concerns about its proximity to schools, a daycare, and nearby homes. Premier Wab Kinew confirmed that the Province will search for another site, using a 250-metre buffer to avoid sensitive areas, and promised more public consultation before moving forward. The facility, operated in partnership with the Aboriginal Health and Wellness Centre, is intended to provide a safe space for supervised drug use, overdose response, and connections to treatment, though it will not supply drugs. The government still plans to open the site before the next provincial election in 2027. The original Disraeli Freeway building will continue to provide other health and social services. Opposition critics have pressed the government for clarity on where the new site will be, pointing out that the original application is still listed on Health Canada’s website. 
  
  
• Manitoba’s Progressive Conservatives are accusing the NDP government of failing to deliver on its pledge to end chronic homelessness, citing a record-high street census that counted 2,469 unhoused people in Winnipeg last November. PC MLAs Wayne Ewasko and Jeff Bereza argued the situation is worse than ever and called for a cabinet shuffle, criticizing Homelessness Minister Bernadette Smith for insisting the government’s strategy is “on track.” The NDP launched its Your Way Home plan earlier this year, promising to end chronic homelessness by 2031 and reporting that 77 people have been moved from encampments into housing since May. Critics say this pace is inadequate, given that about 700 people remain in encampments. Smith defended the government’s progress, pointing to investments in rebuilding affordable housing and wraparound supports, while also blaming the previous PC government for selling off housing and cutting staff. Premier Wab Kinew acknowledged more work is needed but maintained that the strategy is making progress, noting that roughly 10% of those living in tents have already been housed.
  
  
• Premier Wab Kinew says the former Manitoba Developmental Centre in Portage la Prairie, which closed last year, could be converted into a permanent evacuation hub for people displaced by emergencies such as wildfires. The facility, once home to residents with intellectual disabilities and the subject of a $17-million abuse settlement, was recently used to house evacuees during Manitoba’s wildfire state of emergency. Kinew said the Province is now considering whether to make that role permanent and how to ensure northern communities could be quickly and safely transported there if needed. He added that any decision will need to balance emergency needs with broader housing priorities, including homelessness. The Province has not yet made a final decision.
  
  
• The federal government is providing over $21 million to support nine Manitoba manufacturers, primarily in rural communities, with the goal of creating 285 jobs and strengthening local economies. The funding, announced by federal Minister responsible for Prairies Economic Development Canada Eleanor Olszewski, will help businesses grow, modernize operations, and expand production in sectors such as agricultural equipment, RV components, and plant-based protein. Key recipients include PhiBer Manufacturing in Crystal City, Prairie Fava in Glenboro, Decor Cabinets in Morden, and UKKÖ Robotics in Notre Dame de Lourdes. Most of the investments target small towns where these companies play a vital role in community stability. Local business leaders highlighted that the support will accelerate equipment acquisition, create skilled jobs, and generate new revenue streams. The initiative also positions Manitoba as a hub for innovation in areas like automated farm equipment and sustainable agriculture. Manufacturing already employs about 63,000 Manitobans, and Minister Olszewski emphasized that rural towns are key sites of innovation and economic growth.

🚨 This Week’s Action Item: 🚨

A private Manitoba college says it had to sell land and cut courses due the Province's application of the federal cap on international students.

Other Manitoba post-secondary institutions are also seeing declining international enrolment, which affects budgets, programming, and growth opportunities.

What do you think: Should the federal government increase international student allotments? Or are current limits appropriate to meet labour market and housing priorities?

🪙 This Week’s Sponsor: 🪙

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