Today the Manitoba Legislative Assembly resumed sitting for the spring legislative session. There are 20 government bills held over from the fall sitting, including legislation to expand Sunday shopping hours and ending forced unionization on construction projects. Over 20 bills are also expected for the spring session, with a lot of the focus expected to be on changes to Manitoba’s education system. Last year a commission was formed to review Manitoba’s Kindergarten to Gr. 12 education system, the largest such review in decades.
Ministerial mandate letters were also released, and they indicate that Premier Pallister wants to lean on the private sector a little more in his second term. Greater private sector involvement in alcohol sales and parks are just a couple of the areas mentioned. Speeding up the dispersal of surplus assets and exploring more P3 infrastructure projects are also mentioned.
A week from today Finance Minister Scott Fielding will deliver the 2020 budget. Positive news on the budgetary front arrived early this week with the release of the province’s 3rd quarter report. The current projected deficit for 2019-2020 is $325 million, a $35 million improvement over what was originally budgeted in 2019. The province is expected to return to balance in 2022.
If you have questions about any of this information please contact our Manitoba Associate, Michael Juce, at 204-764-0317 or email michael@prairie-sky.co.
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