Archived News Releases

November 16, 2015

The 2015 throne speech from the Manitoba government presents a strategic vision to build rural and northern economic development, create good jobs and training opportunities, and give rural and northern Manitobans more opportunities to work, play and train closer to home, Premier Greg Selinger said today.

“Our infrastructure investments are helping to create the economic conditions that have seen Manitoba be a leader in the country in job growth,” Premier Selinger said.  “We want to build on this momentum and create more opportunities for families in rural and northern Manitoba.”

The speech highlighted support for families with significant upgrades to roads and bridges in every part of the province and more training opportunities for young Manitobans closer to home including:

• extending the core infrastructure plan to invest $10 billion in building and repairing roads, bridges and flood protection throughout the province by 2020;
• launching a new Growing Communities Fund to build and renew roads, bridges, water and sewer infrastructure, and recreation centres that families use every day in rural and northern Manitoba;
• partnering with local communities to expand cellphone service and broadband across Manitoba;
• building roads to connect First Nations communities, such as Nisichawayasihk Cree Nation, and broadening the mandate of the East Side Road Authority to build Freedom Road to Shoal
  Lake 40;
• providing stable, predictable and long-term funding to municipalities;
• making significant upgrades to highways in every part of the province, ensuring reliable transportation for agricultural producers;
• promoting Churchill as a tourism destination and gateway to the north with world-class research facilities in Arctic science;
• partnering with communities to rebuild around Lake Manitoba and Lake St. Martin, and investing in crucial flood protection now;
• restoring the health of Lake Winnipeg by working with all partners to reduce nutrient loading, protect fisheries and continue to fight the spread of zebra mussels;
• working with Indigenous communities on sustainable development including new support for Indigenous land-use planning; 
• taking new actions to protect wetlands and wildlife;
• investing in the parks and protected areas that Manitoba families enjoy, such as the Pimachimiowin Aki proposed UNESCO World Heritage Site;
• investing more in after-school programs in northern and rural Manitoba;
• partnering with the University College of the North to build a new trades training centre to help northern students take advantage of northern jobs in created by the mining sector, Manitoba Hydro and infrastructure projects; and
• investing in community-based strategies to expand the local production of healthy foods across the north and work with producers in the agriculture sector to bring local foods to new markets.

“For Manitoba to succeed, rural and northern Manitobans have to have the opportunities to succeed,” said Premier Selinger.  “Together with local communities, our plan will make the strategic investments to build a province where all Manitobans are included in our prosperous and growing future." 

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