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Herald Staff The fifth session of Manitoba’s 39th legislative assembly got underway last week with the Speech from the Throne. In delivering the speech, Lt.Gov. Philip Lee spoke of the province’s proud her itage and a bright future, highlighting the need the build a skilled and dynamic workforce, preserve and build on services for fami lies such as health care, education and training, and enhancing public safety. The speech also touched on the fact that over the past year Manitoba has led the nation in job creation, 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 red tape for entre preneurs; a new approach to trade promotion reflecting the increasing importance of global trade links with Brazil, Russia, India and China; in co-operation with the Premier’s Economic Advisory Council; the cre ation of a Manitoba Youth Corps to focus on mentor ing opportunities and direct job experience for young people; the launch of a consul tation process to help par ents help their children excel by utilizing things such as plain-language report cards, standardized inservice days and improv ing student attendance; new initiatives to help combat bullying in schools; * an expansion of child care spaces; and * a new pension plan for child-care workers. The establishment of quick-care clinics staffed by nurse practitioners was the focus of health care ini tiatives outlined in the speech. Also included in the health care portion of the address were enhance ments such as: ‘a new ambulance heli copter; a new primary-care health bus that will provide services such as checkups and basic health education to remote communities; new mobile units equipped to perform mini mally invasive surgeries; and legislation to cap health administration costs. More police and more Crown prosecutors top the province’s law and order agenda for the coming ses sion. Added to that is plan ning for new correctional facilities and programing to keep kids in school and out of jail In the area of security, the speech also highlighted: 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 supports offered to law-abiding citizens; an enhanced effort to work with the federal gov ernment to bring in stiffer penalties for home inva sions, carjackings and knife crimes; the launch of a new program, modelled on the successful auto-theft initia tive, to intensively track violent, high-risk offenders and keep them from reof fending; new legislative tools aimed at giving victims of sex trafficking and sexual exploitation the ability to seek remedies from those who have _~_ss recruited, harmed and profited from them; and a new mental health court. The speech also provid ed for initiatives to protect consumers and help fami lies enhance 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 prevention strategy; an update of the ALL Aboard poverty-reduction strategy; a new program to improve the infrastructure and programming of com munity centres throughout the province; a further increase to the minimum wage; and a plan to showcase Manitoba artists on the national stage in 2011. In order that Manitobans can continue to enjoy a green and prosperous province, a number of envi ronmental measures were introduced via the speech including: new protected areas in Northern Manitoba; new nutrient reduction targets to improve the qual ity of water in Lake Winnipeg; regulation of residen tial development outside of Winnipeg in order to ensure proper water and wastewater treatment; improvements to provincial parks including repairs caused by recent bad weather; expanded efforts to reduce greenhouse gases; a strengthened Polar Bear Protection Act; and measures to help belu ga whales. Looking at life in rural and northern Manitoba, the throne speech committed the province to: a new five-year plan for highways and bridges; expanded drainage, especially in the Interlake; a long-term redevelop ment strategy for down town Brandon; work towards better access to Red Seal appren ticeship designation in rural and remote areas; a new emergency ward for the Dauphin Regional Health Centre; and construction of Westman Cancer Care Centre and Flin Flon Clinic, provision of dialysis services at Gimli, Russell and Peguis, and ambulance facilities at Ste. Rose and Arborg which are now underway.
Newspaper Details
Dauphin Herald
Dauphin, Manitoba, CA
Tue, Nov 23, 2010
Page 3
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