Right in the centre - Big changes, maybe
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- Published on Friday, May 6, 2016
By Ken Waddell
Neepawa Banner/Neepawa Press
Manitoba could be in for some big changes. Electing a PC Manitoba government on April 19 with 40 seats was certainly a major shift for Manitoba. What will that mean for Manitoba for the next four years and beyond?
There will be major review of Manitoba’s finances so the new government should know how big the actual debt is and how much has to change to stop the debt from going higher. Many new governments come in on a promise of reducing debt and holding taxation levels. When they get into power, their stated resolve either weakens or it wasn’t there in the first place. There is always huge pressure on government to spend more, borrow more and tax more. There’s always more to do.
The sad part is that very few people feel that the government should hold the line on debt. Adding to the provincial debt is an easy answer to short and long term problems. Need a new road, borrow the money, need a new school, borrow the money. The new government in general, and Premier Brian Pallister in particular, have said that new capital projects won’t be coming any time soon. That’s likely true as Pallister ran on a hold the line on debt platform and will be very reluctant to stray from it.
However, there are other answers.
In Neepawa, there is great pressure to build a new school. More school space is certainly needed. However, the demand for school space may only be there for a few years. The demand could extend for many years, it’s hard to predict. There is another answer, though, and that has been largely ignored by the school division and by the local people. The school division has a large number of empty desks already. The problem is they are located in Eden and Brookdale. Most people want more school seats in Neepawa but the road to that goal is a hard one. It will take several years to get a school approved, it always does. When you take in the time for consent from the Public School Finance Board, the time to design and the time to build, it’s not unusual for the process to take 10 years. In 10 years, Neepawa may not need as many school desks as we need now. If the PSFB has any courage, and that’s a big if, they will tell the local school division to use the desks, the classrooms they already have.
Neepawa and Minnedosa need an upgrade to hospital facilities. The much touted Franklin hospital site for a regional hospital has been on the discussion table for eight years or more. Three years ago, it was estimated to cost $100 million. That cost will be higher now. Again, $100 million is going to be hard to find in the provincial budget. Predictably, it will be two years away from approval and five to eight years away from being built, at a minimum, and that’s assuming the money is found.
One thing Pallister has promised is more care home beds, 1,200 to be exact. Many communities are short of care home beds, some have a small surplus. Hence, people entering a care home the first time are sometimes placed a long way from home, which, while better than not receiving care, is far from desirable for the resident or their families.
Pallister has also promised to look at private investment for care homes. This is a fearful thing for the socialists, but it is also a good thing for the community. Privately funded projects tend to get built faster and below budget, not always, but usually. Government projects almost always get built slower and over budget. It’s been estimated that privately funded care homes can be brought into being for a third less money than government built homes.
I predict that the new government will partner with private investment on many capital projects. What does it matter who owns the facilities as long as the service is being provided? It’s the role of government to set the standards. It’s the role of the provider to meet them.
I wonder if anyone has every asked why we need the government involved in so many things? One answer is that it’s easier to say. “Let the government do it” no matter what “it” may be. It’s tough for a community to raise money to build capital projects, so it’s easier to let government do the building, in spite of higher costs. There is another answer and it’s pervasive. The more we put into the hands of government to run or to build, the more union jobs are created. It’s no secret that the growth in labour unions is coming from the public sector. In fact, the Manitoba Government Employees Union were pretty crafty. In the dying days of the NDP government, they negotiated a five year, no cut contract. That agreement will be nearing its end just in time for the next election. Should the PC Manitoba government get through all the mass of debt and projects that need to be considered, guess what is facing them just before the next election? A lapsing union agreement. You can bet that will be huge factor in the way of getting meaningful change.
