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MIKAELA MACKENZIE \/ FREE PRESS FILES<\/p>\n
\nMental health care at the Health Sciences Centre is being expanded in this year’s budget.\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n
The budget includes $13.6 million for a new mental-health zone next to the Health Sciences Centre emergency room in a bid to help lower ER wait times at the inner-city hospital.<\/p>\n
Coverage by social workers will be expanded to 24-7 in ERs and urgent care departments.<\/p>\n
More people with mental health, addictions and housing needs are showing up in ERs, the province said.<\/p>\n
Manitoba will introduce 32 care beds at Siloam Mission, at a cost of $2.3 million, for patients who still need health care but are well enough to leave hospital.<\/p>\n
PST-free groceries<\/p>\n
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t MIKAELA MACKENZIE \/ FREE PRESS FILES<\/p>\n
The provincial sales tax will be cut for all food sold in grocery stores, starting July 1 \u2014 a move that will cost the government more than $30 million per year.<\/p>\n Basic groceries, such as fruit and vegetables, are already exempt.<\/p>\n Finance Minister Adrien Sala listed ready-to-eat rotisserie chicken, prepared platters, potato chips and soft drinks as examples of items that will be PST-free.<\/p>\n Free child care<\/p>\n \n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t Low-income families will get free child care, this year’s budget states.<\/p>\n Free child care will be offered to about 3,500 low-income families, or about 5,000 children, who currently pay $2 a day. The measure will cost the government more than $3 million annually.<\/p>\n \u201cThis is about ensuring those families that need the most help can get that help, get access to child care and, hopefully, get into the economy,\u201d Sala said.<\/p>\n The government said it will open 21 child-care centres and 2,315 new spaces this year.<\/p>\n Changes to homeowners tax credit<\/p>\n The annual credit will rise by $100 to $1,700 for a majority of homeowners in 2027, except those who have higher-valued homes, as part of a \u201cmore progressive\u201d measure, the budget said.<\/p>\n The credit will be reduced on a sliding scale for homes with assessed values of more than $1 million. Homes valued at more than $1.5 million will no longer receive the credit.<\/p>\n It\u2019s being unveiled at a time when some school divisions propose education property tax hikes of about 10 per cent to balance their books.<\/p>\n Cardiac care centre<\/p>\n \n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t MIKAELA MACKENZIE \/ FREE PRESS FILES<\/p>\n
Heart Care Manitoba, a new cardiac centre of excellence, will open at St. Boniface Hospital with $22.1 million in funding.<\/p>\n The cash will add 18 beds, create a cardiac zone next to the ER and place a cardiac specialist in the ER to provide \u201crapid\u201d consultations for patients with symptoms such as chest pain.<\/p>\n Other highlights include $1.7 million to perform 200 more hip and knee surgeries at the hospital in Selkirk, and 3,250 additional elective MRIs at a cost of $1.2 million.<\/p>\n Wildfire response<\/p>\n \n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t MIKE DEAL \/ FREE PRESS FILES<\/p>\n
The ongoing review of last year\u2019s wildfire season \u2013 the worst in 30 years \u2013 led to interim measures, including $1.2 million for 19 additional wildland firefighters and $1.2 million to improve weather information and fire mapping systems.<\/p>\n The latter is intended to provide more lead time for evacuations.<\/p>\n A new fire attack base will be built in the Thompson area. Separate funding will restore campgrounds in Nopiming Provincial Park, which was damaged by fire last summer.<\/p>\n Rent credit increase<\/p>\n Manitoba is increasing the renters affordability tax credit to $675 in 2027 from $625 this year, as part of a pledge to eventually restore the credit to $700.<\/p>\n The top-up for seniors will rise to $385.71 in 2027 from $357.14.<\/p>\n Sala said the province wants to find a way for renters to obtain the credits sooner, rather than waiting until tax season.<\/p>\n Free transit for kids<\/p>\n \n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t MALAK ABAS \/ FREE PRESS FILES<\/p>\n
Sala said the province, the City of Winnipeg and other municipalities with transit systems are in discussions about a plan to provide free transit for kindergarten to Grade 12 students.<\/p>\n The province has budgeted about $10 million for the initiative.<\/p>\n Sala said the program will create a \u201cnew generation of bus riders\u201d and help to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.<\/p>\n Healthy food for seniors<\/p>\n \n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t MIKAELA MACKENZIE \/ FREE PRESS FILES<\/p>\n
Manitoba is spending $5 million for fresher, healthier food for seniors, as part of what the province said is the first funding increase for food in personal care homes in more than a decade.<\/p>\n The budget also supports a new acute care of the elderly and geriatrics unit at HSC to care for older adults who have complex medical needs.<\/p>\n The goal is to improve patient flow and reduce the length of patients\u2019 hospital stays to ease pressure on acute medical units and ERs.<\/p>\n Aid for farmers<\/p>\n \n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t MIKAELA MACKENZIE \/ FREE PRESS FILES<\/p>\n
The NDP said Crown land leases will be frozen for the third year in a row, while the 50 per cent school tax rebate for farm properties and the farmland school tax rebate will continue.<\/p>\n The budget increases the cap on the young farmers rebate by $25,000 to $425,000, and bumps the lifetime maximum rebate to $42,500 from $40,000.<\/p>\n Manitoba is setting aside $45.6 million in income stabilization for AgriStability to help producers manage the risks of changing weather and markets.<\/p>\n Social housing units<\/p>\n Manitoba will add 215 social and affordable housing units to help move people out of homeless camps and into places with wraparound supports.<\/p>\n The cost of the units, along with repairs or renovations to hundreds of existing units, will approach almost $144 million.<\/p>\n The NDP pledged to end chronic homelessness in two terms.<\/p>\n More police officers<\/p>\n \n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t Twelve more police officers are expected to be hired across Manitoba police forces. <\/p>\n Manitoba will spend $2.4 million to hire 12 more police officers in the province. A breakdown of the police service or services that will benefit was not available, officials said.<\/p>\n The budget also provides $8 million for the RCMP, and $6 million for the First Nations and Inuit Policing Program.<\/p>\n A two per cent increase ($1.2 million) is slated for the urban policing grant\/public safety basket for communities.<\/p>\n Highway projects<\/p>\n \n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t The budget includes $4 million for the design and initial work on an overpass at highways 1 and 5 north of Carberry.<\/p>\n The budget outlines $3.8 billion in capital investments, including $22.5 million for initial design and other work to eventually twin the Trans-Canada Highway near the Manitoba-Ontario boundary.<\/p>\n The province is spending $4 million for the design and initial work on an overpass at highways 1 and 5 north of Carberry, where 17 people were fatally injured in a collision involving a minibus in 2023.<\/p>\n Other infrastructure highlights include $16.2 million for a road and airport at Wasagamack First Nation.<\/p>\n Sio Silica public inquiry<\/p>\n \n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t The province promises to hold a public inquiry into the Sio Silica scandal. <\/p>\n The budget promises a public inquiry into the former Tory government\u2019s failed bid to push through an environmental licence for a Sio Silica sand mine in the party\u2019s final days in office in 2023.<\/p>\n Terms of reference and a commissioner will be named this year.<\/p>\n Fines were handed to former premier Heather Stefanson and two of her cabinet ministers, Cliff Cullen and Jeff Wharton, after the ethics commissioner found they had breached conflict of interest law for trying to get the mine licensed.<\/p>\n Supervised drug site<\/p>\n \n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t MIKAELA MACKENZIE \/ FREE PRESS FILES<\/p>\n
This year\u2019s budget provides up to $5.6 million to staff Manitoba\u2019s first supervised drug consumption site.<\/p>\n The site, proposed for 366 Henry Ave. in downtown Winnipeg, will first open as an urgent public health need site. An opening date has not yet been announced.<\/p>\n A permanent site requires Health Canada approval.<\/p>\n chris.kitching@freepress.mb.ca<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t Chris Kitching Chris Kitching is a general assignment reporter at the Free Press. He began his newspaper career in 2001, with stops in Winnipeg, Toronto and London, England, along the way. After returning to Winnipeg, he joined the Free Press in 2021, and now covers a little bit of everything for the newspaper. Read more about Chris<\/a>.<\/p>\n Every piece of reporting Chris produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print \u2014 part of the Free Press\u2018s tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press\u2019s history and mandate<\/a>, and learn how our newsroom operates<\/a>.<\/p>\n
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\nMaking all food sold in grocery stores tax-free is expected to cost the Manitoba government more than $30 million per year.\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tJOHN WOODS \/ FREE PRESS FILES <\/p>\n
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\nEighteen beds are being added to St. Boniface Hospital’s cardiac unit, renamed Heart Care Manitoba.\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n
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\nMore wildland firefighters and improved weather information and fire mapping systems are funded in this year’s budget.\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n
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\nKindergarten to Grade 12 students are set to ride city buses for free.\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n
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\nThis is the first funding increase for food in Manitoba personal care homes in more than a decade.\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n
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\nThe budget includes rebates for farmers.\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tJOE BRYKSA \/ FREE PRESS FILES <\/p>\n
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tDARRYL DYCK \/ THE CANADIAN PRESS FILES <\/p>\n
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\nThe proposed supervised drug consumption site is at 366 Henry Ave.\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Reporter
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