The 2008 Manitoba Budget Address

Rural Manitoba

Rural Manitoba is sharing Manitoba’s healthy growth. Over the last 10 years, there have been positive population increases in our rural areas. Three out of 10 immigrants arriving through the Provincial Nominee Program are settling in rural Manitoba and communities like Steinbach, Winkler, and their surrounding municipalities have seen dramatic growth.

Manitoba provides strong support to help municipalities grow. The most recent data show that Manitoba is the province which provides the highest per capita level of unconditional grants to municipalities.

Through the Building Manitoba Fund, municipalities receive a share of provincial income, corporation, and fuel taxes – revenues that grow with the economy. We are the only province that shares tax revenue with municipalities in this way.

This level of support enables municipalities to keep their property taxes down – Manitoba municipalities have the lowest reliance on property taxes in the country.

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to announce that this year the Building Manitoba Fund will provide municipalities outside Winnipeg with a 6% increase over 2007.

Community Places provides funding and planning assistance to non-profit community organizations to build, upgrade or expand facilities that benefit their local communities. Mr. Speaker, Budget 2008 adds almost $1 million to this valuable program.

During 2007, we partnered with the community of Notre Dame de Lourdes to support the successful opening of Centre Albert-Galliot.

Agriculture is a key contributor to Manitoba’s healthy economic performance. Manitoba farm cash receipts in 2007 grew faster in Manitoba than anywhere else in Canada.

Our government is supporting new opportunities for the rural economy with the development of bio-based products and processes. Biofuels like ethanol, biodiesel and biomass will provide new revenue streams for Manitoba producers.

We are helping to develop foods of the future through investments in the Food Development Centre, the Richardson Centre for Functional Foods and Nutraceuticals, and the Canadian Centre for Agri-Food Research in Health and Medicine.

Our government remains committed to farm programs that help ease the effects of unpredictable weather and markets. Over the five years from 2003 to 2007, Manitoba contributed almost $450 million to stabilization programs.

The livestock industry in Manitoba and across Canada has been under significant pressure due to soaring feed costs, low livestock prices and the impacts of a high Canadian dollar. Our government is committed to ensuring Manitoba producers receive support to maintain their farm businesses today, and position the sector for future profitability.

Manitoba, with funding from the federal government’s new Community Development Trust, is investing $14.7 million to support producers of cattle and other ruminant livestock. This is in addition to our government’s adjustments to BSE recovery loans to improve cash flow for cattle producers.

For hog producers, our government made $60 million in loan support available at favourable interest rates. In March 2008, we built on our commitment to protect our water resources while supporting value-added processing and vital jobs in Brandon and Neepawa. Through the Community Development Trust, we are supporting economic and environmental sustainability and building additional capacity that will help protect the industry against future trade action.

Mr. Speaker, Budget 2008 provides the Manitoba Agricultural Services Corporation with an increase of $8.8 million to reflect rising crop values, which have brought the total amount of protection offered by production insurance to $1.5 billion.

Mr. Speaker, today’s budget also invests in the safety and security of the food supply through new investments in inspection services, veterinarian training and services. We are working on development of agri-food traceability processes to address both the safety and environmental needs here at home, and the stringent requirements for international trade.