Manitoba.

• Author: Yarish, Rick
• Position: Legislative Reports

[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

The Fourth session of the 39th Legislature resumed on March 23, 2010, with the delivery of the first budget from new Finance Minister Rosann Wowchuk.

The 2010-2011 total operating expenditure of $10.7 billion represents an increase of 5.2% from 2009-2010. Highlights of the government's budget included:

* Providing a funding increase of almost three percent for public schools;

* Providing post-secondary institutions with a 4.5 percent operating increase;

* Adding hundreds of new child-care spaces across the province;

* Creating a pension plan for child-care workers;

* Improving emergency healthcare services and upgrade emergency departments;

* Limiting increases to pharmacare deductibles to the rate of inflation and continue covering all eligible drug costs above deductibles;

* Providing operating funds for a police helicopter in Winnipeg;

* Creating a police commission and an independent investigation unit;

* Providing more resources for corrections and nine full-time prosecutor positions;

* Limiting core government spending growth to an annual average of less than two percent over the five-year plan;

* Decreasing the budgets of one-half of all government 'departments in 2010-11 to focus on priority areas of Manitobans;

* Reducing the pay of cabinet ministers by 20 percent and propose to freeze the wages of members of the legislative assembly and senior government staff;

* Eliminating the deficit over the five-year plan and return to surplus by Budget 2014; and

* Investing $1.8 billion in infrastructure spending, a 90 percent increase over 2008.

During his contribution to the budget debate on March 24, 2010 Official Opposition Leader Hugh McFadyen moved a motion expressing non-confidence in the government, which stated that the budget failed "to address the priorities of Manitobans by":

* Forcing Manitoba families to pay higher hydro rates, higher water bills and a range of other hidden taxes in order to pay for three wasteful NDP pet projects which are:

* Forcing Manitoba Hydro, against its advice, to build Bipole III on the west- side route, costing Manitobans an extra $640 million and damaging the environment; and

* Forcing the City of Winnipeg to remove nitrogen from its waste water, a decision that is expected to cost ratepayers an additional $350 million, and which respected scientists say could be harmful to the health of Lake Winnipeg;

* Forcing unwanted enhanced driver's licences on Manitobans, costing $14...