Manitoba Minute: Issue 94

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

📅 This Week In Manitoba: 📅

• Manitoba politicians are urging Ontario Premier Doug Ford to keep Crown Royal whisky on LCBO shelves, warning that removing it could cost Manitobans jobs. The call comes after Diageo announced it is moving a bottling plant in Amherstburg, Ontario, to the US, affecting around 200 workers. Manitoba PC Leader Obby Khan emphasized that Crown Royal, distilled and blended in Gimli, is a major employer in the province and argued that a boycott would harm Canadian jobs during uncertain economic times. Conservative MP James Bezan criticized Ford’s decision as short-sighted and suggested it could spark interprovincial tensions. While Ford insists the move is meant to protect Ontario jobs, he encouraged Ontarians to try other Canadian whisky brands. Manitoba politicians highlighted the community and economic importance of Crown Royal in Gimli.
  
  
• The Canadian government is sending military personnel to assist Pimicikamak Cree Nation in northern Manitoba after a days-long power outage caused extensive damage to hundreds of homes and critical infrastructure. The outage, triggered by a broken 300-metre power line on December 28th, led to frozen and burst pipes, putting the community’s water intake and sewer systems at risk. Approximately 4,000 residents, out of 7,000 on-reserve, were evacuated to other communities, with at least 200 homes deemed uninhabitable. The military will provide expertise in water treatment, sewage systems, power generation, project management, and logistics, while tradespeople work on repairs. Chief David Monias and other community leaders welcomed the deployment, emphasizing the urgent need for assistance. Officials continue to assess the full extent of the damage, and efforts are underway to make homes safe so residents can return. The crisis highlights the vulnerability of northern infrastructure to extreme weather and power disruptions.
  
  
• Manitoba is sharply reducing its use of private nursing agencies, moving from nearly 80 contracted firms to just four starting January 15th. Health Minister Uzoma Asagwara says the goal is to curb rising costs, improve oversight, and ensure nurses are properly matched to settings, after concerns about inconsistent qualifications and high per-diem and travel expenses. Some agency nurses warn the change could worsen rural staffing shortages and that fewer agencies and tighter travel reimbursements may make it harder to fill shifts, especially outside Winnipeg. Shared Health also confirmed new rules, including limits on travel compensation, requiring agencies to employ nurses directly, and restricting nurses to working for only one agency at a time. The government says interest in its public “float pool” is growing, and a nurses’ union leader welcomed shifting spending away from private agencies and toward the public system.
  
  
• A Manitoba Court of King’s Bench judge has ruled that the Province acted unreasonably when it revoked and refused to renew tundra vehicle permits held by a Churchill-based ecotourism operator. The Court found the government’s decisions were driven by an improper purpose and were not supported by evidence linking the additional vehicles to conservation harm. The judge also concluded the process was unfair, noting the company was not given notice or an opportunity to respond before its permit was rescinded, despite major financial consequences. While the Court did not order the permits to be automatically restored, it quashed the decisions and sent the matter back to the province for reconsideration. The ruling emphasized that future permit decisions must follow a fair and transparent allocation process. 
  
  
• Former Manitoba MLA Mark Wasyliw has filed a defamation lawsuit against Premier Wab Kinew and two NDP MLAs, Billie Cross and Ian Bushie, claiming they unfairly linked him to convicted criminal Peter Nygard to justify his removal from the party. Wasyliw, now an Independent MLA for Fort Garry, is seeking a public apology, damages, and a court order preventing further statements that could harm his reputation or business. The lawsuit focuses on comments made in September 2024 suggesting Wasyliw’s work as a defence lawyer for Nygard was incompatible with NDP values. Wasyliw argues his removal from the caucus was sudden, unjustified, and part of a “conspiratorial scheme” to damage his political standing. Premier Kinew had previously apologized to defence lawyers for blaming the Nygard case for Wasyliw’s ouster. No statements of defence have been filed, and none of the allegations have been tested in court. Wasyliw claims the statements made by Kinew, Cross, and Bushie were defamatory and misleading.

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