Manitoba Minute: Issue 99

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

📅 This Week In Manitoba: 📅

• The Manitoba government is launching a study to explore ways to keep grocery prices affordable amid rising inflation, which reached 5.9% for store-bought food in the province last year. The review will examine issues such as “personalized” or differential pricing, expansion of retail milk price controls, potential adjustments to fees or taxes, and rules on loyalty points, gift cards, and food donations. While Finance Minister Adrien Sala cited US examples of variable pricing, the Retail Council of Canada said there’s no evidence it occurs in Manitoba. The study will be led by the Province’s central statistics bureau, which will consult experts and seek data to guide potential policy measures aimed at easing costs for Manitobans.
  
  
• Manitoba is increasing school funding by 3.5% for the 2026-27 year, with $79.8 million added province-wide, including $51 million for operating costs and $11.4 million for divisions affected by teacher salary harmonization. Education Minister Tracy Schmidt said the funding rise exceeds inflation, but school boards warn that it still falls short of meeting growing financial pressures, including rising salaries and benefits. The Winnipeg, Louis Riel, and Brandon divisions report that enrolment growth and complex classroom needs are creating budget deficits, with some divisions facing millions in shortfalls despite provincial support. Teachers’ unions expressed disappointment, saying the increase does not address chronic underfunding or growing class sizes. Progressive Conservative critics also warned that property taxes are likely to rise to cover funding gaps. 
  
  
• A new report from the University of Manitoba suggests refugees and displaced people in the province have received uneven levels of support depending on factors like country of origin. The study reviewed settlement programs for Syrians, Afghans, and Ukrainians, finding that Syrian and Ukrainian newcomers benefited from enhanced federal and provincial measures, including faster processing, housing support, chartered flights, and on-site reception services. In contrast, Afghan refugees received limited provincial support despite federal initiatives, highlighting gaps in Manitoba’s resettlement framework. Researchers and sector workers praised the Ukrainian response as a “best practices model” that could be applied broadly to all displaced people. The report calls for a consistent, equitable framework for refugees, recommending rapid-response pathways, emergency visa programs, improved housing and income supports, and more employment-focused training. 
  
  
• A recent report from Manitoba Auditor General Tyson Shtykalo finds that many past recommendations to improve provincial services remain incomplete. Of 57 recommendations issued in 2021 and 2023, 31 are still works in progress, including most related to addiction treatment and court backlogs. Addictions and Homelessness recommendations, such as setting wait-time targets, adopting electronic records, and identifying facilities not meeting clients’ needs, remain largely unimplemented, despite high numbers of substance-related deaths in recent years. In the provincial courts, 6 of 7 recommendations addressing staff shortages, outdated technology, and resource gaps are also works in progress, with only the electronic filing timeline fully implemented. Some progress has been made in other areas, including data collection for addiction services and select public health initiatives, but overall, the report highlights ongoing delays in implementing systemic improvements. Ministers for health and justice emphasized ongoing efforts, including new treatment spaces and added court staff, to address the issues. 
  
  
• Premier Wab Kinew thanked Ontario Premier Doug Ford for reaching a deal to keep Crown Royal whisky on LCBO shelves, calling it a win for workers in Gimli and Canadian jobs more broadly. The agreement comes after Diageo, Crown Royal’s parent company, announced plans to close a bottling plant in Amherstburg, Ontario, and move jobs to the US, prompting Ford to threaten a boycott. The $23 million deal includes new investments in Ontario and a commitment to explore a new canning facility, allowing Crown Royal products mashed, distilled, and aged in Gimli to remain available. Kinew had urged Ford to reconsider the boycott, emphasizing a unified approach from premiers that protects jobs in both provinces. The Gimli plant employs roughly 76 people.

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