Provincial budget blasted as ‘Brandon blind’

WINNIPEG — Brandon West Progressive Conservative MLA Wayne Balcaen called Tuesday’s NDP budget “Brandon blind,” saying there’s “absolutely nothing” in it for Westman.

The provincial budget did include $7 million to break ground on the Dauphin Centre for Justice and $4 million for design work and land acquisition for an overpass at the intersection of the Trans-Canada Highway and Highway 5 north of Carberry.

It also included construction of a K-8 school in Brandon, design work for a new school in Neepawa and a French-language school in Brandon, and a number of infrastructure projects across the region.

But Balcaen, the Tory justice critic, said there was nothing in the budget to curtail the sharp increase in rural crime.

“It’s scary and I know people are scared,” he said. “People are afraid to go out, people are concerned, and (the NDP) don’t do anything to address this.”

The former Brandon police chief said he would have liked to see additional funding for Brandon Police Service.

“They’ve had a very successful cadet program. Let’s double up on that. Let’s give them some money and some commitment to continue that to protect our citizens.”

Brandon Mayor Jeff Fawcett said he “probably” would have liked to see more things for Brandon in the budget.

“Some of the things that I know that they probably would’ve announced are smaller, and so they’re not as big of a deal to put in the budget, and I know right now we’re working on a number of items that are in the works that wouldn’t get announced (now),” Fawcett told the Sun at the Manitoba legislature.

Finance Minister Adrien Sala said the government “is investing in the strength” of rural and northern communities.

“These communities deserve reliable infrastructure, good jobs and health care they can count on,” he said.

Other Westman items in the budget include $1.5 million for the RM of Dauphin’s Northgate Trails to position them as a mountain biking destination, $225,000 for the Swan Valley Legion Park revitalization project and $100,000 for the Western Manitoba Women’s Centre in Brandon to increase capacity and expand programs for women, gender-diverse people and their children.

The province will also construct a bridge on Highway 5 at Spruce Woods and repave 21.4 kilometres of Highway 2 east of Deleau. There was no cost estimate available, but a provincial government official said $51 million is set for all bituminous road reconstruction across the province.

The construction of a K-8 school in southwestern Brandon that’s set to start this year is expected to cost just under $30 million, according to the official.

Design work for the Brandon French-language and Neepawa schools will cost a portion of $6.5 million to be split between four schools, including builds in Winnipeg and Ste. Anne.

Provincially, the budget includes free transit for youth, which is intended to lower greenhouse gas emissions and create life-long bus riders. It also includes a plan to scrap the provincial sales tax on all groceries, though fresh foods were already exempt from the tax.

Fawcett said he was happy that the government is removing the PST from groceries and scrapping bus fares for youth, noting that the city will have to figure out the logistics for the transit system.

The budget also includes a $5.9-million increase in municipal funding, $4.5 million of which is part of a two per cent yearly increase in municipal operating funding announced by the NDP when it took office.

The additional $1.4 million will go to other items like capital grants and Manitoba GRO (Growth, Renewal and Opportunities) funding.

“We need to continue to provide reliable funding to municipalities,” Sala said.

“There were many years there where they were not getting increases,” he said about the previous PC government.

He said higher funding for municipalities has ripple effects that help residents.

“We know when we invest in municipalities, we’re also helping to keep costs low thoughout Manitoba.”

That means lower municipal taxes, more money for police officers and supports and services, he said.

Sala told reporters at the legislature that the Dauphin Centre for Justice project will bring a lot of jobs to the city.

“We made a commitment to invest in that community, and so this is delivering on that commitment,” Sala said.

Premier Wab Kinew last year said the construction of the centre would start this fall.

The total cost of the project is pegged at $142 million, Tuesday’s budget document said.

Dauphin Mayor David Bosiak said the budget is generally very fair to the city, especially when it comes to the justice centre and trail system.

“It’s all really good for us, really positive,” he said Tuesday afternoon. “We’ve been looking forward to this project. So just another step in the process of getting it completed. So that was exceptionally good news for the community.”

The upgrades to the trail system “gets us into the big league,” he added.

He added that the added municipal funding and funding for policing are other positives for the city.

“I’d have to say that Dauphin’s … very pleased generally,” he said. “There’s always specifics where you can argue that we didn’t get something or someone else got more. But generally, we’re pleased.”

Michelle Lemoine, president of the John Howard Society of Brandon, said she’s happy that shovels will be going into the ground for the Dauphin centre.

“Each community needs somewhere for folks to go when they’re experiencing challenges in their lives, and it helps the community feel safe to have a centre like that,” she said.

Panning the budget, Opposition Leader Obby Khan said the province is in trouble.

“I’m shocked, and I’m actually really disappointed at the lack of announcements or projects within this to grow our economy, to pay for services in Manitoba,” Khan told reporters.

He said rural and urban Manitobans are part of the same ecosystem when it comes to the budget.

“This budget fails to address the need of growing our economy to pay for services that we need in our economy,” Khan said.

“We will continue to be a have-not province under this NDP government.”

Westman PC MLAs echoed similar sentiments.

“It’s a lot of rehash of the previous budget. Not much new, not much relief for Manitobans that are certainly suffering with a cost of living these days,” Riding Mountain MLA Greg Nesbitt said.

He said he would have liked to see more for farmers, who need assistance with high fertilizer and gas prices.

Agassiz MLA Jodie Byram called it a “nothing budget.”

“There’s nothing there for Westman in terms of delivering anything tangible to the families in not just Westman, but across the province,” Byram said.

Also mentioned in the budget was that the province will work with Assiniboine College and the regulator to establish a new licensed practical nurse to registered nurse pathway program for rural and northern communities.

The province announced $500,000 to bolster the existing pathway program at Red River College Polytechnic for this fall.

The Assiniboine College program has a proposed start date of next January, though a government official said that date is more of a goal than a rule.

The budget forecasts a $498-million deficit.

» alambert@brandonsun.com