PC government makes almost $95M worth of spending commitments on day before pre-election blackout

Manitoba's Progressive Conservative government made almost $95 million worth of new spending commitments on Thursday as the hours ticked down to a pre-election blackout on new policy and funding announcements.

The priciest commitment will give 25,000 health-care community and facility support workers some of the same financial incentives already afforded to nurses and allied health staff. The value of those incentives, including retroactive payments, is $70 million. 

The PCs also promised $11.8 million for new addictions treatment and housing amenities in Brandon, $6.7 million for a feasibility study for a new rail line or pipeline to Hudson Bay and nearly $2.9 million, shared with the federal government, on beef and forage research.

As well, Premier Heather Stefanson's government announced $1.7 million to help people enter the labour market, $1 million worth of support for the Winnipeg Sea Bears to host the Canadian Elite Basketball League championship in 2025 and $800,000 for Winnipeg's drug-treatment court.

The government also signed a memorandum of understanding to help Newlight Technologies, a carbon-sequestration company based in Huntington Beach, Calif., build a manufacturing facility in Manitoba. There was no financial commitment attached to that pledge.

Efficiency Manitoba, a provincial Crown corporation, also announced $2 million worth of funding for lighting upgrades at Manitoba hockey arenas.

Beginning Friday, the government may no longer make new funding or policy announcements. Friday marks 60 days before an election slated for Oct. 3.

Stefanson chose to make the Sea Bears announcement her final media appearance before the pre-election blackout.

"It really has nothing to do with the election whatsoever," she said at centre court in Canada Life Centre.

The Election Financing Act forbids many types of government advertising, announcements and news conferences in the 60 days prior to an election, with some exceptions such as matters of public health and continuations of ongoing ad campaigns at agencies such as Crown corporations.

The law is aimed to prevent the governing party from getting a campaign advantage over other parties, which do not have access to government resources.

In 2021, the Progressive Conservative government changed the law to allow for more exceptions, including continuations of ongoing ad campaigns by government departments.

Stefanson said the government plans to continue to run ads on public health and environmental issues such as the threats posed by West Nile virus, Lyme disease and invasive species.

She also said the government needs to continue to remind people to ensure they received their provincial property tax rebate cheques, as well as cheques the province attributed to a carbon tax relief fund mailed to most Manitobans.

"Some people haven't received their cheques for, say, the carbon relief fund and the property tax fund, so [for] things of that nature we'll make sure to let Manitobans know how to access those funds," Stefanson said.

NDP MLA Matt Wiebe accused the government of tilting the electoral playing field by changing the law and continuing to advertise with an election looming. 

Manitoba Liberal Leader Dougald Lamont, meanwhile, promised Friday to fund half the cost of searching the Prairie Green landfill for the remains of Indigenous women believed to have been deposited there, should the Liberal party form government this fall.