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The Government of Manitoba is planning out a cap on salaries paid to executives in the public sector and is not ruling out cutting current wages.
The PC government introduced a bill outlining “a compensation framework” for senior officials at Crown corporations, school divisions, and health authorities.
Finance Minister Scott Fielding said that the government will seek the help of a consultant to determine an appropriate salary range for different jobs.
Fielding added that are several variables to consider, but they want to make sure there is some consistency in regards to what executives are getting paid.
Under the proposed law, a public body could see funding clawbacks if they ignore the set cap.
The introduction of the bill follows a spat between Education Minister Kelvin Goertzen and the Winnipeg School Division. Goertzen stated on social media that almost 200 school division staff were making $100,000 a year or more. The superintendent’s salary is listed at over $250,000.
The NDP's finance critic Mark Wasyliw, says that the salary cap should also include executives in the private sector.
Fielding based the bill on current legislation in Alberta, where in June last year, they reduced salaries of almost all school superintendents after a review found that they were making too much. They also decreased severance payments and retirement allowances.
Fielding went on to say that it’s too early to tell of similar cuts would come into play in Manitoba.
One of the bill’s other provisions would allow the province to set a new financial reporting requirement for municipalities. The provision is aimed at ensuring fiscal years for municipalities and the province would end at the same time, as well as syncing accounting practices.
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- Contributed by Josh Sigurdson
Last night, at around 9:30 pm, Prairie Mountain RCMP responded to a single-vehicle rollover in the RM of Rossburn.
The vehicle contained four people from Waywayseecappo First Nation and it was travelling west on Road 144 when it left the road and rolled several times. One of the occupants was thrown from the vehicle.
A 45-year-old female and a 31-year-old male were pronounced dead on the scene.
A 47-year-old male and a 32-year-old male were taken to hospital with non-life threatening injuries.
Police believe that the occupants were not wearing seatbelts, and speed is considered a factor in the accident.
RCMP continue to investigate.
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- Contributed by Josh Sigurdson
A newly-elected NDP MLA has introduced a private member’s bill that would ban mandatory overtime for Manitoba nurses if passed.
NDP health critic Uzoma Asagwara introduced Bill 205, which would require that nurse’s employers stop using mandatory overtime as a routine, and would prevent licensing colleges from disciplining nurses who refuse to work overtime.
The Manitoba Nurses Union says mandatory overtime is a huge concern for its members and has become more prevalent as employers use it as a tool to address staffing shortages, that the union blames on the government.
The Union said that in the first quarter of 2018, nurses had already logged more mandatory overtime than all of 2017.
The private member’s bill is modelled on a law passed in New York that bans mandatory overtime, except in emergency situations.
As the bill was introduced by an opposition member, it is unlikely to catch the attention of the PC majority government.
The MNU is hoping to see a bipartisan approach towards the bill.
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- Contributed by Josh Sigurdson
It’s been under 2 years since the Catalyst and Vanguard Credit Unions merged into Fusion Credit Union.
Despite being young, Fusion Credit Union has been named a Top Manitoba Employer.
Fusion CEO Ron Hedley says their goal was to be named a top employer in a couple of years, but he’s very happy with how quickly it happened.
“It’s incredible. It’s a real honour at this stage of our journey.”
Hedley goes over how they got to this point so quickly.
“The process is really just talking about us, I mean it was really just describing what we do and a little about our employees and the environment they work in, and our communities.”
That environment they have for their employees is one that’s fun, creative, and professional. Hedley adds that they know what they’re here for and that’s to serve their members.
Hedley says they like the direction the credit union is heading in and their staff shares that opinion.
“These are great people and we have had great results and we just want to continue down that path. The benefits are, that they like to come to work every day.”
Hedley says they’re constantly doing innovative things and people across the organization are always encouraged to participate.
This year, Fusion launched the Full Circle Fund, a special fund to support ambitious projects that enhance the quality of life for people of all ages in the communities served by Fusion. Recent community projects funded include the Gilbert Plains Community Hall, Whitmore School Playground in Dauphin, Foxwarren Arena, Binscarth Museum and the Oak Lake Community Hall.
Click here to see who else was named a Top Manitoba Employer.
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- Contributed by Isaac Wihak
A report done by the University of Guelph and Dalhousie University says that food prices will rise between 2 and 4 percent in 2020.
The 10th annual Food Price Report shows that meat prices will increase the most at between 4 and 6 percent, with baked goods only rising about 2 percent in the coming year.
Eating out will also cost more. Prices for restaurants are set to increase 2 to 4 percent.
Seafood and vegetables will also cost 2 to 4 percent extra, with fruits increasing in price by 3.5 percent.
The report says that the average Canadian family will pay, on average, $487 more in groceries in 2020.
Manitoba, Quebec. P.E.I. and B.C. will see a higher food inflation rate thanks to strong economic forecasts, while Alberta, Saskatchewan, New Brunswick, and Nova Scotia will see below average rate increases.
Among several contributing factors of the increases, climate change is a major one, according to researchers.
In the report, the authors write that Canadian food systems will be affected by changing weather patterns, including droughts and forest fires, heavy precipitation, reduced freshwater access and rising sea levels. They added that the parts of the country that rely heavily on agriculture will struggle with a drier summer and wetter spring and winter.
The report goes on to predict that producers in Canada will have to deal with unpredictable yields, harmful heat waves, and disease and pest outbreaks.
Despite all the negative things, they see opportunities for healthier solids due in part to carbon sequestration and reduced amounts of greenhouse gas emissions through changing land-use practices, provided that climate change efforts are conducted properly.
The authors also expect that the federal carbon tax will boost food prices somewhat as well.
To read the full report, click here.
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- Contributed by Josh Sigurdson
After results released yesterday showed that Manitoba students had the lowest test scores in the country, provincial education minister Kelvin Goertzen weighed in.
Goertzen said that the results of the PISA assessment are not acceptable, adding that results like these are the reason that the province launched a K-12 education review.
“Clearly, Manitobans in general, and educators in particular, are concerned about our education outcomes, and that is why we called the K-12 commission because we knew that these results have been sliding for more than a decade,” said Goertzen. “Hopefully we’ll get good recommendations that’ll put us on the path to improve results because that’s what all of us want.”
Goertzen says that even though there has been some backlash towards the K-12 commission, the PISA results shouldn’t be a condemnation of the review; it should be viewed as a justification.
When the minister was asked about whether poverty played into the results, he said that poverty can't be blamed as the only reason.
“If I was to look back to before the tests started to slide, just on a comparative basis, so if I’d go back before the mid-2000s or even the late 1990s, we would have done better in the PISA scores, but my guess is poverty was an issue then too,” said Goertzen. “It’s not necessarily the only cause because there have been times in the past where scores were much better, and yet we still struggled with the issues of poverty. It doesn’t mean it’s not a factor, but it’s clearly not the only factor.”
Goertzen is hoping that the K-12 commission discovers the root of the problem, and presents a solution going forward.
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The results are in from the Dauphin and District Community Foundation’s 24 Hour Giving Challenge.
Heading in, the goal was to raise 10 thousand dollars so they could get a bonus 4 thousand dollars from the province and Winnipeg foundation, even though they raised 43 thousand dollars during last year’s efforts.
They surpassed even last year’s total, raising 56,968 dollars.
In a press release, Kit Daley, the executive director of the Dauphin foundation, says they were thrilled with the response and are grateful for the community.
“It’s not just the current residents, but the ones who have moved away and still care about Dauphin. We want to thank everyone who contributed, including the Province and TWF (The Winnipeg Foundation) for their stretch funding. November 17th was an amazing day for us. We really appreciate the support and the impact it will have on the amount we can grant.”
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- Contributed by Isaac Wihak
The Manitoba government is introducing new legislation that would streamline the sale of Crown Lands.
Central Services Minister Reg Helwer said that the Crown Land Dispositions Act will make the overall process of land dispositions more efficient, effective and transparent.
“Manitobans who want to purchase surplus Crown land for economic or recreational purposes would see shorter wait times and quicker response times from the province on routine real estate transactions.”
Helwer added that a review in 2018 concluded that the province's land sales process was overly complex and costly. The new legislation aims to help reorganize the system, establish new processes and develop a more efficient governance model.
The proposed changes would give more authority to ministers to make land sales decisions. As it stands right now, all sales above $25,000 require cabinet approval as well as one statute of $500.
Under the new structure, a department minster could sell Crown land and property valued up to $200,000, the minister of finance could authorize sales between $200,000 and $1 million, and cabinet approval would be required on sales of $1 million and over.
Helwer added that the new protocol will reduce the number of transactions that require cabinet approval and speed up the process for land sales.
“Safeguards would be in place to ensure all land sales are open and transparent and free of inside influence.
Minister would review sales to employees perceived to have any influence on the decision, while the cabinet would approve sales to ministers and senior public servants.
More information on land sales or acquisitions can be found here.
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- Contributed by Josh Sigurdson
The Government of Manitoba has introduced legislation that would allow liquor to be sold with take-out orders and through delivery meal services.
Crown Services Minister Jeff Wharton said that many restaurant owners have expressed interest in selling wine, beer, and single-serve beverages through take-out or delivery services.
“This is a win-win for businesses and customers as restaurants will now be able to expand their business and offer an additional service to customers.”
Liquor delivery and take-out orders would be linked to meal orders and offered by licensed restaurants. The liquor would cost the same as an in-dining service.
The changes would also consider social responsibility in serving alcohol. Drivers delivering alcohol will have to be 18 or older, be certified by the LGCCA’s Smart Choices responsible sales and service program, and conduct mandatory I.D. checks.
Wharton also noted that several private wine stores have indicated that they see this as an opportunity to sell more wine to their corporate restaurant customers, which will support their economic viability.
The proposed legislation would also change the Manitoba Liquor and Lotteries Corporation Act to remove the current reference to “beer’ under the distributor section, which limits distribution for private distributors and change it to “beverage alcohol categories.” The change will allow third parties to dispense a wider range of products to vendors.
Wharton added that this is a step to reduce red tape and to provide Manitobans with more choice and convenience, and create greater opportunities and flexibility for businesses.
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- Contributed by Josh Sigurdson
Drivers in Manitoba could see a small break on their car insurance premiums next year.
The Manitoba Public Utilities Board announced that on March 1, 2020, motor vehicle premium rates will decrease by 0.6% for a 13-month period.
Although the rate is decreasing, not everyone will be affected by it. Adjustments to specific classifications of vehicles will be determined based on MPI’s rate design.
The rate that someone pays will be determined by several factors including their driving record, the make and model of their car, and what the vehicle is used for.
It will also be impacted by a person’s actual claims experience.
To find out more information on the rate decrease, go to the PUB’s website
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- Contributed by Josh Sigurdson
Students in Manitoba scored last in the country in math and science, and second-last in reading skills, according to student test results released today.
The Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) results show that test scores in Manitoba are among the worst in Canada. The trend of low scores has been a common theme in the province for a decade.
Since the last PISA assessment in 2015, Manitoba test scores have gotten worse in every category. The 2015 results ranked Manitoba second last in the country when it came to science and reading, and third last in math.
The PISA assessment tests the skills of 15-year-old in math, reading, and science by conducting a two-hour computer-based test.
The only province that ranks lower in reading skills is New Brunswick where 22 percent (compared to Manitoba’s 20 percent) of students tested ranked as “low achievers” in reading, meaning that their results “do not reach the baseline level of reading proficiency that is required to participate fully in modern society.”
Manitoba performed even worse in math and science.
Manitoba had the largest percentage of low achievers in math at 25 percent and in science at 21 percent. The average percentage of low achievers in Canada is 16 percent in math and 13 percent in science. Students in Manitoba are performing below the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) average in both subjects.
The PISA tests were done in April and May of last year and tested almost 3,000 students in the province. Overall 22,000 Canadian students took part in the international test, which is conducted in 79 countries.
The PISA tests are done every three years and are one of two tests that are typically used to compare the skills of Manitoba students to those of their Canadian peers.
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- Contributed by Josh Sigurdson
