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.
Tax cuts for farm families, management of economic growth, new resources to keep Manitoba communities safe and initiatives to improve the health care system were the focus of the start of the third session of the 38th legislature, Premier Gary Doer said Friday. "Our government continues to work with Manitobans to improve the quality of life in our province, in Winnipeg, in urban centres such as Brandon and Portage la Prairie, in rural communities and in the North," the premier said. Some of the highlights of the session include: Helping rural communities by providing a 33 per cent cut in farmland education property taxes this year which rises to 50 per cent in 2005, establishing a new Office of the Chief Veterinarian to assure consumers of the high quality and safety of Manitoba food, and providing continued support to deal with the impact of BSE including more funding to increase slaughter capacity. Enhancing public safety by providing funding for 40 police officers in Manitoba, investing $1 million to fight organized crime, opening eight new Lighthouses, increasing funding to fight domestic violence and expanding the successful SafetyAid Program to help seniors in Brandon, Portage la Prairie and rural Manitoba. Helping build the North by moving forward on initiatives such as the Wuskawtim hydroelectric project, developing new northern training programs for hydro projects, expanding nurse training and developing new housing initiatives to increase the availability of affordable housing. Improving the health of Manitobans by developing a comprehensive diabetes and chronic disease strategy, investing in more surgeries to reduce wait-lists and finding ways to enhance the fitness and eating habits among youth through the Healthy Living, Healthy Kids Task Force. Developing the Clean Energy Advantage by announcing a $190-million wind farm near St. Leon and continuing negotiations on the Clean Energy Transfer with Ontario. Building a new partnership with the City of Winnipeg by providing the city with a five per cent share of the net revenues from city casinos in 2005, increasing to a 10 per cent share in 2006 and passing new legislation to enable the city to reduce its business taxes. Continuing to build on Manitoba's seven-point action plan for economic growth in collaboration with the Premier's Economic Advisory Committee to help the province continue its strong economic momentum. The premier noted Manitoba is experiencing impressive economic job growth with job creation averaging 6,600 a year since 1999, triple the rate of the previous decade fueled by such industries as the biotech sector. "Our government is also focusing on further action to reduce taxes throughout Manitoba, to protect the land, air and water and to provide more supports to families and communities," the premier said. The legislature sits again in March.
