Budget 2012 is finding responsible ways to reduce administrative spending - which means more money going directly into things that matter most to families.
Restoring Balance
- Target spending increases to key front-line services: health, education and training, infrastructure, public safety and services for families.
- Balance expenditure reductions with modest, fair measures to increase revenues, without raising any major tax rates.
- Reduce the number of regional health authorities to five from 11 to streamline services.
- Merge the Manitoba Liquor Control Commission and the Manitoba Lotteries Corporation.
- Work with municipalities to support regional
co-operation. - Reduce the number of government-appointed agencies, boards and commissions by 20 per cent.
- Defer wage increases and reduce office expenses for members of the legislative assembly.
Health Care
- Provide faster cancer testing and treatment and provide free cancer drugs for all patients allowing more patients to remain at home.
- Hire more doctors, nurses, physician assistants, nurse practitioners and health technologists.
- Increase the tobacco tax by 2.5 cents per cigarette to reduce smoking rates.
- Provide all Manitobans access to a family doctor by 2015.
- Invest in new medical equipment and Quick Care clinics.
- Build and open new health care facilities.
Infrastructure
- Renew over 2,400 kilometres of roads.
- Improve flood-protection measures in Brandon and along the Assiniboine River and Lake Manitoba.
- Increase the gasoline tax by 2.5 cents to support road and highway improvements, including repairing flood damages.
- Proceed with Manitoba's 10-year highway renewal plan to spend $4 billion over ten years on Manitoba's highways.
Families
- Introduce legislation to guarantee Manitoba families will pay the lowest combined bills in the country for electricity, home-heating and auto insurance.
- Meet the commitment to fund 6,500 child care spaces this year.
- Increase funding for affordable and social housing.
- Increase funding to hire more firefighters, police officers and cadets to keep families safe.
Business and Innovation
- Cut red tape for businesses by reducing how often small businesses have to file sales tax.
- Create an Energy Opportunities Office to help Manitoba businesses plug into the opportunities from hydro investments.
- Loosen the restrictions on Sunday shopping in consultation with labour and business.
- Invest in the Metis Economic Development Fund, the First Peoples Economic Growth Fund and the Communities Economic Development Fund to serve northern and Aboriginal businesses and leverage private investment.
Communities
- Improve excess moisture insurance, forage establishment insurance and the forage restoration benefit.
- Create new housing in Brandon and find ways to better use buildings in the downtown Brandon area.
- Build or expand 54 child care centres.
- Invest in new parks, community centres and municipal infrastructure.
- Build and open new health care facilities.
- Continue to invest in downtown Winnipeg.
