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Building Manitoba's skilled and dynamic workforce, preserving and building on services for families such as health care, education and training, and enhancing public safety highlighted this year’s speech from the throne today during the launch of the fifth ses sion of the 39th legisla tive assembly. The speech, read by Lt-Gov. Philip Lee, spoke of a province with a proud heritage and a bright future. It touched on the fact that over the past year Manitoba has led the nation in job cre ation, investment and consumer confidence. The speech outlined a number of new steps the province is taking in the area of innovation, trade and education. These include: ~ elimination of the small business tax Dec. 1; expansion of the Manitoba Innovation Council, with the goal of cutting tea tape for entrepreneurs; a new approach to trade promotion that will reflect the increasing importance of global trade links with Brazil, Russia, India and China, the so-called BRIC in co-operation with the Premier's Economic Advisory Council, the creation of a Manitoba Youth Corps that will focus on mentoring opportunities and direct job experience for young people; the launch of a broad consultation process. to help parents help their children excel by utiliz ing things such as plain language report cards, standardized in-service days and improving stu dent attendance; new initiatives to help combat bullying in schools; an expansion of child-care spaces; and ‘a new pension plan for child-care workers to be implemented Dec. 1 The throne speech committed to a number of new enhancements to the province's health-care system including: the establishment of quick-care clinics staffed by nurse practitioners; a new ambulance hel opter; a new primary-care health bus that will pro vide things like checkups and basic health educa tion to remote commu nes new mobile units minimally invasive sur geries; and legislation to cap health-administration costs. To strengthen security for citizens and commu nities, the speech com mitted the province to introducing: more or based police; more Crown prosecu tors; + planning for new cor rectional facilities; enhanced programs to keep kids in school and out of jail; new legal tools to help communities shut down houses used for organized crime; introduction of stronger laws to ensure that criminals are not benefiting from the sup ports offered to law-abid ing citizens; an enhanced effort to work with the federal government to bring in stiffer penalties for home ommunity rnions, _ carjackings and knife crimes; * the launch of a new program, modelled on the successful auto-theft ini tiative, to intensively track violent, high-risk offenders and keep them from reoffending; new legislative tools aimed at giving victims of sex trafficking and sex ual exploitation the abili ty to seek remedies from those who have recruited, harmed and profited from them; and a new mental health court The speech also pro vided initiatives to pro tect consumers and help Manitoba families enhance their quality of life including: a series of measures designed to protect con sumers when buying new homes, condominiums, vehicles and cell phones; the establishment of an independent Tenant Advisor Office to lend assistance to renters and small landlords; a long-term plan on housing security for sen iors; an enhanced suicide ‘vention strategy; an Update of the ALL Aboard poverty-reduc tion strategy; a new program to improve the infrastruc ture and programming of community centres throughout the province; a new initiative to revitalize community centres in rural Manitoba; ~ a further increase to the minimum wage; and a plan to showcase Manitoba artists on the national stage in the spring of 2011 In order —_ that Manitobans can continue to enjoy a green and pros perous province, _ the throne speech committed to a number of measures including: ~ new protected areas 1 Northern Manitoba; * new nutrient reduc tion targets to improve the quality of water in Lake Winnipeg; + regulation of residen tial development outside of Winnipeg in order to ensure proper water and waste-water treatment; improvements 10 provincial parks includ ing repairs caused by recent bad weather; expanded efforts to reduce greenhouse gases; a strengthened Polar Bear Protection Act; and measures to help bet a whales. To improve the quality of life for people in rural and northern Manitoba, the throne speech com mitted the province to: a new five-year plan for highways and bridges; expanded drainage, especially in the Interlake; a long-term redevel opment strategy for downtown Brandon; work towards better access to Red Seal apprenticeship designa tion in rural and remote areas; a new emergency ward for the Dauphin Hospital; and construction of Westman — Cancer Care Centre and Flin Flon Clinic, provision of dialy sis services at Gimli, Russell and Peguis, and ambulance facilities at Ste. Rose and Arborg which are now underway.
Newspaper Details
Roblin Review
Roblin, Manitoba, CA
Tue, Nov 23, 2010
Page 22
Full Page
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