The Reminder is making its archives back to 2003 available on our website. Please note that, due to technical limitations, archive articles are presented without the usual formatting.
Supporting farm families and rural communities impacted by the BSE crisis, providing meaningful tax relief, moving ahead with historic hydro development initiatives and making Manitoba a more attractive place to live, work and do business are among the highlights of the legislative session to deal with the passage of the 2003 budget, Premier Gary Doer said. The session will resume Nov. 20 with a throne speech and introduction of the government's legislative priorities. "We have made significant progress in a number of key areas that were the focus of Budget 2003," said Doer. "We have been able to build on the accomplishments of the previous four years while continuing to prepare for the future of our province." Doer said the government is living up to its commitment to reduce taxes and pay down its debt and pension liabilities while also working to address the significant impact that the BSE crisis has had on farm families and rural communities. "Addressing the BSE crisis and opening up the border to our cattle continues to be a top priority for our government." Some of the highlights of the passage of Budget 2003 include: reducing middle income tax rates by a further six per cent, bringing total personal and property tax savings to $300 million since 2000; forecasting a positive balance of $10 million for 2003-04; continuing to pay down debt and pension liability by $96.4 million for the fourth year in a row; increasing the maximum Education Property Tax Credit for seniors from $775 to $800; and reducing the Education Support Levy on residential property an additional 20 per cent, saving homeowners an additional $17.1 million this year. The province has also recently made $180 million in support available to cattle producers affected by BSE and drought. Doer noted that Manitoba has recently received positive indicators in a number of key areas including: the upgrading of Manitoba's long-term credit rating by Dominion Bond Rating Service from A to A (High), the highest level since the early 1980s; and the growth of Manitoba's population by 7,284 or 0.63 per cent between July 1, 2002, and July 1, 2003, the largest increase since July 1986. Doer also noted that the province will rise to meet the financial challenges posed by BSE and the drought. There were a significant number of forest fires throughout the province this summer and low water levels on the province's lakes and rivers. "This year, we have been hit with a triple whammy of BSE, drought and forest fires. As in past years, we will address these challenges in a balanced and responsible way." Doer said other recent achievements include the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MOU) between Ontario and Manitoba to examine the feasibility of an east-west power grid and the development of the Conawapa hydro generating station. "We are aggressively examining the viability of Conawapa because we see hydro development as an important pillar of our province's economic future," he said, pointing to other current clean energy initiatives including ethanol and the recent signing of an MOU between Manitoba and Iceland to promote hydrogen development. Education and training continues to be a priority for the province, Doer added. He noted significant progress has been made in promoting accessibility and affordability in post secondary education. Recent achievements include: maintaining a 10 per cent reduction in post-secondary tuition fees; doubling the interest-free period on Manitoba student loans from six months to one year; * providing a new 10 per cent tax credit of up to $1,000 per student for employers who provide a work placement for co-op education students; and continuing to expand colleges, universities and apprenticeship training programs. Doer also noted the significant support for the province's public school system including: $23.8 million in new funding for public schools for 2003-04 ($87.3 million in new funding to the public education system since 1999); and a $50 million capital budget for Manitoba's public school system for 2003-04 (approximately $250 million in capital funding since 2000). The premier said that Manitoba continues to work to strengthen the public health care system through such recent initiatives as: See 'Incentives' P.# Con't from P.# negotiating a new settlement with the Manitoba Medical Association that includes significant incentives for doctors to practice full-service family medicine; adding support for home care; funding the largest ever health capital project in Manitoba history at the Health Sciences Centre as well as significant capital investments at hospitals in Brandon and Gimli; providing $47 million for needed medical equipment and training; increasing Pharmacare coverage for new drugs such as Gleevac and Pegetron, effective May 1, 2003; and expanding Manitoba's nationally recognized West Nile virus program. Doer said the government continues to invest in families and communities by ensuring that supports are available to strengthen them by: providing $6 million to fund 778 new child care spaces; increasing funding for applied behaviour analysis programming, fetal alcohol syndrome prevention and for adults and children with mental disabilities; establishing a new seniors' home security program; increasing support to the RCMP in 2003 by $2.4 million, representing a 24 per cent increase since 1999; further strengthening the crown prosecutions budget by 15 per cent; providing $500,000 to support the development of a co-ordinated police unit to fight organized crime; and investing $6.7 million to revitalize older communities in Winnipeg, Brandon and Thompson. "Our government will continue to work to make progress on the issues that are important to Manitobans," said Doer. "By representing the interests of all Manitobans, we have been successful in strengthening our province to meet the challenges and opportunities of the future"
