Saturday, January 28, 2023 - Winnipeg’s long-awaited CentrePort Canada Airport Area West regional water and wastewater project will go ahead as part of a $140-million investment in nine municipal projects by the Manitoba government, Premier Heather Stefanson announced today.
“This new funding package builds on our government’s significant measures to provide Manitobans with relief from the rising costs of living including the federally imposed carbon tax,” said Stefanson. “Our government is eager to work with our municipal partners to invest in critical infrastructure projects that support the growth of our communities and our economy.’’
The total cost of the nine jointly funded municipal water and wastewater projects will be $259 million. This includes a provincial investment of two-thirds of the funding for CentrePort Canada’s Airport Area West regional water and wastewater project that is critical to the growth of Winnipeg and surrounding communities. The Manitoba government will provide $40 million of the project’s total $60-million budget and the City of Winnipeg will provide $20 million.
“The expansion of CentrePort South is one of the most significant economic development projects Winnipeg has seen in decades,” said Mayor Scott Gillingham, City of Winnipeg. “Adding servicing to this land unlocks the potential for thousands of new jobs, hundreds of millions in investment, expanded trade opportunities for Winnipeg industry and new housing to help serve our growing population.”
An additional $100 million is being invested in eight municipal projects from Brandon and Portage la Prairie to Morden and the Rural Municipality of Springfield, said Stefanson.
The funding of critical infrastructure is one component of a nearly $850-million support package to help Manitobans make ends meet, relieve pressures on the health system and foster economic growth across the province, the premier added.
The premier noted the measures include:
$200 million in cash payments to Manitobans from the Carbon Tax Relief Fund;
$318 million to address pressures in the health-care system;
$120 million for community and economic development and growth;
$50 million to support Ukraine relief efforts in Manitoba; and
$20.7 million in previously announced federal grants that the Manitoba government is allocating to municipalities for transit funding.
These recent funding commitments build on the Manitoba government’s initial affordability measure that provided approximately 145,000 families with children and a household income of less than $175,000 with a cheque for $250 for the first child and $200 for each additional child, and provided more than 52,000 seniors with less than $40,000 in family income a cheque for $300.
In addition, the 2022 program provided Manitobans receiving Employment and Income Assistance (EIA) a long-overdue increase to the basic needs rate. EIA general assistance clients without dependent children began receiving an extra $50 per adult each month and all EIA disability clients began receiving an additional $25 per household each month.
The premier noted historic tax relief measures were also part of the $2,020 Tax Rollback Guarantee, which has now exceeded the original commitment and is $2,400 or $4,800 for a two-income family as of 2022-23. Some of these initiatives include:
indexing personal tax brackets and the basic personal amount;
reducing the PST to seven per cent from eight per cent;
exempting the costs of home insurance, personal services and preparing income tax returns and wills from PST;
reducing vehicle registration fees;
eliminating probate fees; and
phasing out the education property tax.
To find out more about how the Manitoba government is helping Manitobans, visit: https://www.manitoba.ca/helpingMB.