Pallister puts gaming expansion on hold, targets health-care waits but ignores meth crisis By: Larry Kusch and Jessica Botelho-Urbanski Posted: 1:31 PM CST Tuesday, Nov. 20, 2018 Last Modified: 10:22 AM CST Wednesday, Nov. 21, 2018 Updates

• The government will produce a new Public Service Act to “reflect the principles, values and needs of a modern Manitoba public service” and “ensure a safe and harassment-free workplace,” aligning rules between government departments and the public service.

• There are plans for a new Referendum Act “to restore the rights of Manitobans to vote on major tax increases and provide a framework for calling and conducting a referendum.”

• Manitoba will have its first Clinical and Preventive Services Plan, to be released next summer. A clinical specialty team “will ensure a strong focus on acute mental health and addictions clinical services.” A complementary Quality, Patient Safety and Accreditation Strategy is also in the final stages of development.

• After asking for an external review of the horse racing industry which ultimately recommended more investment, the Manitoba government decided “further expansion of gaming will be paused pending a review.”

• Next year, Manitoba Justice will start reporting annually on recidivism rates, time to disposition offences and custody counts. The government will review The Police Services Act (which is mandatory every five years under the legislation) “to support innovative solutions and improve policing services.”

• The government will “bring forward legislative amendments to allow the safe testing of autonomous vehicles on provincial roads.”

• The province will support two new pilot programs to help victims of domestic violence. The Family Support Worker Program will help those who have been in an abusive relationship navigate family court. The government also plans to introduce plans “to pilot a first-in-Canada family resolution service” in Winnipeg within the next three years.

• There will be new legislation introduced “to better and more efficiently protect Manitobans in the marketplace,” including “protections against unsolicited, high-pressure sales tactics.”

• As part of Manitoba’s 150th anniversary, the government will work with the Hudson’s Bay Company History Foundation to digitize its archives.

• The government will take on “a comprehensive review of petroleum production taxes and Crown royalties,” hoping to simplify the tax and royalty structure.

• Manitoba will move to an “open market” for cannabis with a “streamlined application process” after the initial phase of retail development.

• The government will “make new investments in capital modernization and training to enhance its capacity to assist our agri-food sector” and host a Protein Innovation Summit to promote investment further.

• Over the next year, the government plans to work with the Winnipeg Metropolitan Region “to develop and adopt a regional strategy to improve and co-ordinate land use and development.”

Mayor Brian Bowman

Bowman said he made three requests of Premier Brian Pallister’s government as it was preparing its throne speech, one of which seemed to have been considered.

First, Bowman wanted the city to get an earlier heads-up on what provincial funding will come down the pipe so it can more easily prepare its own municipal budget. (There was no mention of this idea.)

Second, Bowman wanted more support for the city’s meth crisis (there was brief mention of an increase in drug use, underscoring the need for justice reform). Third, he asked for a greater focus on economic development initiatives between the city and province. The latter suggestion seemed to get some traction.

“Provided their economic development strategies don’t involve the dilution of the effectiveness of Economic Development Winnipeg and don’t minimize the economic engine that we have with the City of Winnipeg, that’s something we’ll obviously work collaboratively to support,” Bowman said.

The government said it in the speech that it wanted to provide tax relief for Manitoba families and the premier later took a dig at the city’s implementation of growth fees.

“Governments have to change their approach and stop going into the pockets of people with higher taxes year after year after year,” Pallister said to reporters.

Bowman wasn’t sure what the premier meant.

“I don’t know if he’s envisioning making it illegal for development cost charges in all of the neighbouring municipalities around the City of Winnipeg, but if that’s what he means, we’ll be interested to be part of that dialogue,” the mayor said.

“What I’d like to see is equity with the City of Winnipeg and the neighbouring municipalities. Right now, the legislative framework is not equitable and is very clear on a few fronts for the benefit of rural Manitoba,” Bowman said.

“What Winnipeggers can’t afford, of course, is just to simply have one level of government balance their budget by simply downloading to another level of government. So we’re going to be quite vocal on that, if that continues.”

Michelle Gawronsky, president of the Manitoba Government and General Employees’ Union

Gawronsky wasn’t singing Pallister’s praises after hearing the government wants to develop a new Public Service Act.

“It’s disappointing to me. This was an opportunity to turn a new page… and to me, he’s failed us now with this speech,” she said.

“When I hear about him trying to open up the Civil Service Act, what exactly does that mean? And when’s he going to start consulting with us? When’s he going to start talking to us about what his intentions are?”

Gawronsky believed the throne speech laid the groundwork for further concentration on cuts to government services and pivots to privatization.

Chuck Davidson, president and CEO of the Manitoba Chambers of Commerce

Davidson said he was pleased to see that the province will soon release the results of an economic review that will inform future economic development initiatives in Manitoba.

An action plan is to be released in the coming weeks that will set out goals and priorities along with a restructuring of the Department of Growth, Enterprise and Trade and its programs.

“We are looking forward to the release of that. What that looks like is something that, we think, is extremely important for all of Manitoba,” Davidson said.

He said he was also glad to see continuing progress on the province’s Look North strategy, which is designed to unleash the economic potential of Manitoba’s north for future generations.