FRANCAIS

April 10, 2001

• schools and health care first
• new investment in families and communities
• renewed commitment to promote and build our hydro resources
• better management of natural resources and environmental protection
• tax cuts we can afford
• balanced budgets and strong debt retirement measures
• improving transparency and accountability in government

• Tuition fees held to last year’s levels, with offsetting funding for colleges and universities.
• $10.9 million for the College Expansion Initiative for increased spaces, course options and accessibility.
• New support for high-demand training areas such as aviation/aerospace.
• Funding for provincial bursaries totals more than $12 million over two years -- the first student bursary program in a decade.
• ACCESS funding bolstered to help Aboriginal students pursue an education.
• Operating grants increase for colleges and universities – building on the largest capital investment in decades, $101 million, for Manitoba’s colleges and universities.
• Initiatives to support the Manitoba Training Strategy and build on the recent economic summit.
• More funding for public schools -- bringing the total increase to $47.5 million in just two years, compared to a total of $15 million in the 1995 to 1999 budgets.

• Funding for health care increases to $2.6 billion -- with new initiatives to deal with hallway medicine. Over the past 18 months, the number of patients in hallways has been decreased by 80 per cent.
• $22 million to replace and upgrade aging diagnostic equipment, with a further $18 million next year.
• Ongoing support for expanded nurse training and recruitment programs -- building on enrollments that have already increased 60 per cent.
• New incentives to keep doctors in Manitoba after they graduate.
• The world-class Pan Am Clinic to double in size as Manitoba’s newest public health facility.
• Manitoba to work with other provinces, the public and health care professionals to contain spiralling drug costs, one of the greatest strains on the system today.
• 80 new vehicles for emergency medical services added throughout the province over the next 18 months and continued development of a co-ordinated transport system.
• New initiatives for better care and co-ordination of emergency rooms.
• Regional Health Authorities can better manage due to timely and predictable budgets.
• Disease and illness prevention become a stronger focus, adding to recent initiatives such as HealthCheck public information campaign, the meningitis vaccination program and the largest flu vaccination program in Manitoba history.
• Tobacco Tax increases

• A $40 million down payment to begin doubling the Red River Floodway's capacity. Although Manitoba and Ottawa are currently working to improve the floodway inlet, further large-scale upgrading is needed to prepare for floods larger than 1950 and 1997.
• Manitoba Hydro to build on the global demand for clean, renewable hydropower, creating new jobs and opportunity in the process.
• Significant housing and renewal initiatives including Neighbourhoods Alive!, the Residential Rehabilitation Assistance Program (RRAP), the Supportive Housing Initiative and the Rural and Native Housing Program.
• A commitment to community safety by increasing the number of law enforcement officers and strengthening crime prevention programs such as Lighthouses.
• $183 million for transportation infrastructure.
• A new Canada-Manitoba infrastructure agreement which will invest up to $180 million in Manitoba over six years.
• More funding for Workplace Safety and Health. Safer workplaces mean reduced injuries, better job security, lower workers compensation costs and improved productivity.

• Child care funding increases 7.7 per cent, building on last year's 18 per cent increase.
• A 42 per cent funding increase for Healthy Child Manitoba -- introduced last year to better focus resources on early childhood development.
• Completely ends the claw-back of the National Child Benefit for hundreds of families on income assistance with children aged six and under.
• A new prenatal program to help more low-income moms meet the special nutrition needs of pregnancy.
• More funding for programs such as Neighbourhoods Alive! and Lighthouses, which help communities become safer and stronger.
• New support for family violence prevention programs and women's shelters.
• Manitoba farmers receive $25 million in provincial support through the Canadian Farm Income Program as the province continues to seek greater federal assistance.
• New support for persons with disabilities.

• Personal income taxes cut by 10.5 per cent or $165 million annually by 2003.
• The second consecutive $75 increase in the education property tax credit -- bringing the minimum tax credit to $400 from $250 in just two years, an additional saving of $53 million for homeowners and renters.
• Manitobans save $218 million annually in combined personal income taxes and education property tax credits by 2003.
• Reduce middle income bracket tax rates.
• Non-refundable tax credits increase by 2.5 per cent over 2000, a benefit for all income taxpayers.
• 4,000 lower-income Manitobans removed from the tax rolls.
• The small business income tax threshold increases to $300,000 from $200,000.
• A reduction in the general rate of corporate income tax from 17 to 15 per cent in four equal, annual steps -- the first cut in this rate since the Second World War.
• A further reduction in the small business tax rate to five per cent in 2002. The new five per cent rate will be available to more businesses than before due to the increase in the threshold to $300,000.
• Tax cuts to encourage the growth of promising young industries such as film production and microbreweries.

• A positive balance of $10 million for 2001-2002 -- with a Fiscal Stabilization Fund draw of $60 million, less than one-third of the amount budgeted in 1999-2000.
• Debt servicing costs at the lowest budget share in two decades and the third lowest in Canada.
• A long-term plan to retire general purpose debt and pension liabilities by $96 million annually. Last year's $96 million included $21 million for pension liabilities -- the first such payment in 40 years.
• A projected 2.4 per cent growth in Manitoba's economy in 2001.
• Further steps to improve transparency and accountability in government.

• The quality of Manitoba drinking water safeguarded with a $300,000 training program for inspectors and testers.
• Growth of the livestock sector accompanied with nearly $400,000 more for on-farm inspections and technical reviews -- building on the Livestock Stewardship Initiative.
• A new environmental tax credit for property owners who return land to its natural state.
• Provincial sales tax applied to fertilizer and pesticides for non-agricultural purposes.
• A $1 million fund to address the effects global of climate change in Manitoba over four years.
• More provincial parks and protected areas, including Boreal forest.
• Water power rentals raised to Ontario levels to help pay for water strategy and flood protection, including an expanded Red River Floodway.

• Initiatives to address the shortage of skilled workers, including funding increases for programs that attract immigrants.
• Support for cultural industries like new media.
• Eco-tourism initiatives and a strategy to attract more U.S. visitors to Manitoba.
• Research and development tax credits for research undertaken by private industry.
• Guaranteeing a 10-year advantage for gasohol to promote the production and use of gasohol to reduce harmful emissions.
• Intensifying efforts to attract more energy-intensive business to Manitoba, with some of North American's most affordable and reliable hydro.