Northern Manitoba was addressed in the recent Manitoba Throne Speech.
The 15-page speech, issued on Nov. 21 as part of the kick-off for the third session of the Manitoba Legislature’s 41st sitting, showed the provincial government’s plans for the next session.
The speech laid praise to the Look North Task Force, a group of northern Manitoba-based business and community leaders who have spent the past year tracking northern issues and creating recommendations for
provincial policy.
In the speech, the government pledged to follow the findings of the task force to create change for the north.
“Our co-chairs will continue to work on the priority areas identified by northern Manitobans including realizing northern mineral and resource development and creating a mining protocol to guide consultations and create jobs in indigenous communities,” read the speech, which was presented in legislature by Lt.-Gov. Janice Filmon.
The speech also discussed the government’s strategy in reducing the provincial deficit.
Taking a wider look, the government estimates Manitoba’s provincial deficit has been reduced by almost $150 million more than originally forecasted. The speech puts the current provincial debt at
$764 million.
As part of the cost-cutting measures, the provincial government has taken a hatchet to health and government services. Senior management positions in core government services have been cut by 15 per cent over the past year, with more coming in the near future.
“We are beginning the next step of reducing the spans and layers of senior management that add costs and get in the way of our front-line service providers,” read the speech.
The same percentage of non-unionized management staff with health regions were also cut, in accordance with a provincial mandate. Seven management positions with the Northern Health Region were cut in June, including at least one in Flin Flon.
Plans to further accelerate the provincial debt plan are underway, according to Premier Brian Pallister. Previously, the provincial government announced a three-year plan to cut civil service by eight per cent, scheduling to accomplish that mostly by not filling jobs left behind by retiring workers.
The possibility of further cuts in common municipal and provincial services was left open in the speech.
“We will undertake a review of current provincial and municipal service responsibilities where there may be overlap and duplication, in order to streamline service delivery such as road maintenance and renewal, snow clearing, water control and drainage at the most appropriate level of government.”
