March 3, 2021
Province Seeks Spending Authority for Additional $450 Million to Help Protect Manitobans
– – –Additional Investments Directed to COVID-19 Response, New Schools: Fielding
The Manitoba government is seeking authority from the Manitoba legislature to spend an additional $450 million on its COVID-19 response and other capital commitments, Finance Minister Scott Fielding announced today.
“As the pandemic continues, we continue to adapt our response to address emerging and evolving needs,” said Fielding. “Our investments focus on our top priority of protecting Manitobans, and Manitoba has devoted the third-highest per capita pandemic spending in Canada to help protect public health and safety, prepare for potential future waves of the virus and further support the safe reopening of our economy.”
Today, Fielding will introduce the supplementary appropriation act, 2020-21, which would seek authority to invest an additional $450 million over the remaining month of the 2020-21 fiscal year on health care to protect Manitobans’ health and well-being during the pandemic, as well as investments in capital projects.
This would include authority to spend $400 million on costs related to the pandemic response and the early stages of the immunization campaign this fiscal year, as well as authority to provide $50 million to school divisions for new school construction projects including land purchases. The province will release additional information on these projects once planning is completed and the projects have received final approvals.
“Manitoba’s COVID-19 response has included additional operating costs, wage supports and economic relief to businesses, in addition to health-care costs,” said Fielding. “Alongside our pandemic response, our government is proceeding with investments for important capital projects, such as buying land and building new schools, that will help boost our economy and build a better Manitoba for the future.”
Total COVID-19 supplementary funding for the 2020-21 fiscal year will be $1.98 billion, the minister noted.
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