AMBM President and Reeve of the Rural Municipality of La Broquerie, Mr. Ivan Normandeau, issued the following statement in response to the Kinew government’s first provincial budget:

We welcome the Manitoba government’s commitment to strengthening the municipal-provincial partnership through a budget that better supports and tools up our members. We see this budget as a stepping stone to further enhance the municipal-provincial partnership with this new provincial government.

At the outset, we appreciate the $100,000 increase in funding from the Department of Municipal and Northern Relations to the AMBM to improve the delivery of municipal services in both official languages, including translation services for our members. This investment is in response to the Notice on the 16 Strategic Priorities of Manitoba’s Bilingual Municipal Leadership. It solidifies the implementation plan for the Municipal Maturity Model (3M) and paves the way for multi-year, predictable and stable funding.

In a context of unprecedented growth for the AMBM, with the addition of four new member municipalities, and in the wake of the implementation of the new municipal regulatory framework (the 3M) by all bilingual rural municipalities, this investment comes at just the right time. We are nevertheless counting on the Manitoba government’s collaboration to supplement this amount once the new Canada-Manitoba Agreement on French Language Services (CMAFLS) 2023-2028 comes into effect, pursuing the overall objective of anchoring a commitment to improving bilingual government services.

This budget delivers on the Manitoba government’s commitment to build a strong relationship with Manitoba municipalities. First, the provincial government is committed to lifting the funding freeze by confirming a total of $221.1 million in municipal operating funding, an increase of $51.4 million. In addition, the strategic infrastructure (capital) funding basket will be increased by $3.3 million to $167.7 million for core municipal infrastructure that supports economic and community development, as well as the protection of Manitoba’s waterways. Funding is allocated on a per capita basis: $93.9 million for the City of Winnipeg and $73.8 million for the other municipalities.

It should be noted that the permanent addition of a $47 million increase in municipal operating funding was initially intended only as an adjustment for the year 2023. In Budget 2024, the Manitoba government not only makes this amount permanent, but also increases it by a further $4.4 million, for an overall increase of $51.4 million, bringing the total for all Manitoba municipalities to $221.1 million. The funding model is based on population and is broken down as follows: $140.6 million for the City of Winnipeg and $80.5 million for other municipalities.

Similarly, the Manitoba Water Services Board’s increase in support of $4 million (to $24 million) will enable rural municipalities to improve water and wastewater management and infrastructure.

In its Budget 2024, the provincial government makes it clear that it wants to work with municipal stakeholders, including the AMBM, to develop a reliable and flexible multi-year funding model that works for all Manitobans. I can assure Premier Kinew and the Minister of Municipal and Northern Relations, the Honourable Ian Bushie, that they can count on us to make progress on this very important issue, to promote the provision of municipal services in both official languages, based on the 3M regulatory framework, in collaboration with our long-standing partner, the Association of Manitoba Municipalities (AMM).

We also welcome the $116 million investment in the construction of 350 new housing units and the repair of over 3,000 more. Here again, we see this gesture as a good start that needs to be improved on later. As set out in the budget, municipalities will be among the partners at the table to facilitate the planning, development, conversion and construction of new affordable housing units. The housing issue is crucial to the attractiveness and prosperity of AMBM member municipalities; it also underpins the need to support the basic, public infrastructure surrounding the sustainable creation of housing, including sewer and drinking water services.

We cannot overlook the investment of $1.2 million to implement a new funding model for public libraries, and we hope that this model will take into account the specific characteristics of the bilingual libraries located in Manitoba’s bilingual municipalities.

Our bilingual local governments, who value creating summer jobs for young people aged 15 to 29, will certainly want to benefit from the $730,000 increase in the Urban/Hometown Green Team Programs.

We would also like to take this opportunity to welcome the announcement of the construction of the community/recreation centre for the Rural Municipality of Taché in Lorette. It is a long-awaited investment.

In addition, the following elements also held our attention because of their structuring effects:

• Capital spending of $540 million on roads and other infrastructure related to transportation and water resource management.
• An increase of $32.9 million in the amount allocated to the Investing in Canada Infrastructure Program (ICIP), a joint initiative of the federal and provincial governments, to support long-term infrastructure projects.
• $20.9 million to support new child-care spaces and increase wages for child-care workers.
• $200,000 to reopen two Manitoba Agricultural Services Corporation service centres.
• New sustainable annual funding of over $4 million for sport and cultural organizations.
• An increase in the operating funding of the Centre culturel franco-manitobain (CCFM) to help support Francophone organizations that provide cultural services and programs to Manitoba’s French-speaking population.
• A grant of $100,000 for remote learning for Francophone high school students in the Division scolaire franco-manitobaine (DSFM).

The AMBM has two subsidiaries: the Economic Development Council of Manitoba Bilingual Municipalities (Conseil de développement économique des municipalités bilingues du Manitoba, or CDEM) and Eco-West Canada (EWC). Continued partnership between the Province and these organizations will be crucial to the development of our bilingual municipalities, and indeed of Manitoba as a whole.

In terms of the green economy, we welcome the $5.4 million investment in rebates for the purchase of electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles, as well as the $10 million investment to support plans to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Not to mention the $6.4 million envelope to implement initiatives under its climate and sustainable development plan, and to restore funding to environmental organizations engaged in strategic greenhouse gas mitigation and climate change adaptation programs across all sectors.

Specializing in supporting and mobilizing municipalities in the energy transition and low-carbon economy, EWC is one of the key organizations supporting the Province in achieving its net-zero emissions targets by working with Manitoba municipalities.

In terms of attracting talent, we support the Manitoba government’s decision to invest in hiring staff to help the Manitoba Provincial Nominee Program (MPNP) process incoming applications, as well as investing $750,000 to improve settlement and economic immigration services for newcomers. Specializing in community economic development and employability, the CDEM is also the provincial government’s sole partner in Francophone and bilingual economic immigration under the MPNP.

We are counting on a deepening partnership with the Manitoba government to adequately support the CDEM so that it can fully exercise its coordinating role on the ground and maximize its impact in Manitoba’s bilingual municipalities by supporting community economic development and job creation in Manitoba’s Francophone and bilingual communities, as well as the importance of investing in land development and entrepreneurship support measures.

In conclusion, we would like to sincerely thank the Honourable Adrien Sala, Minister of Finance, for the publication of this first constructive budget for the future of Manitobans. We believe this is a convincing first step in strengthening the municipal-provincial partnership since the Kinew government came into power. The goodwill demonstrated seems to indicate that the winning conditions are in place to continue and expand this partnership with a view to improving municipal services in both official languages and team up to build ever more attractive, strong and prosperous Francophone and bilingual communities for the benefit of the whole province.

The AMBM is the voice of bilingual municipal leadership in the province of Manitoba. It represents 15 local governments committed to offering services in both official languages to their citizens. Together, these municipalities represent the majority of Manitoba’s population. Manitoba’s bilingual municipal leadership is also at the head of the AMBM Group, a consortium of three organizations with complementary mandates: the AMBM, the Economic Development Council of Manitoba Bilingual Municipalities (Conseil de développement des municipalités bilingues du Manitoba, or CDEM) and Eco-West Canada (EWC), which specializes in the green economy. Complementing each other, these three organizations actively contribute to the development, vitality and sustainability of the province’s Official Language Minority Communities (OLMCs) and the province as a whole.

Information: Office of the Chief Executive Officer (O-CEO), 204-289-4077, [email protected].