Honourable Greg Dewar, Minister of Finance

Transcription

1 Pre-Budget Submissin Hnurable Greg Dewar, Minister f Finance Nvember 7, 2014

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3 CRITICAL ISSUES REQUIRE IMMEDIATE ACTION... 3 Alternate Revenue Surces... 3 Prvincial Sales Tax Rebate fr Municipalities... 3 Cell Service... 3 Cmmunity Places Prgram... 3 Cnservatin Districts... 4 Mdernize Educatin Funding... 4 Plicing Overtime Csts... 4 Reductin f Cmmunity Cntributins fr Health Facilities... 4 Rural Airprts... 5 Supprt fr Recreatin Centre Operating Csts... 5 Veterinary Bard Funding... 5 ONGOING ISSUES - SOME PROGRESS, MORE ACTION NEEDED... 6 Affrdable Husing Shrtage... 6 Amalgamatin Csts... 6 By-law Enfrcement... 6 Fld Mitigatin... 7 Eclgical Gds and Services... 7 Surface Water Management Strategy... 7 Supprt fr LiDAR (Light Detectin and Ranging) Data Cllectin... 7 Health Practitiner Recruitment, Training and Retentin... 8 Palliative Care Services... 8 Planning and Assessment Services Staff Psitins... 8 Libraries... 9 Turism Funding... 9 Prvincial Fire Prtectin Plan... 9 Intercity Bus Service... 9 Transprtatin Infrastructure Radside Drainage and Maintenance AMM's Pre-Budget Submissin Manitba Finance Nvember 7,

4 Mining Issues in Nrthern Manitba Oil Prductin Issues Dutch Elm Disease Management Prgram Prblem Beaver Management SUCCESSFUL INITIATIVES MORE FUNDING NEEDED Municipal Bridge Prgram Municipal Rads Imprvement Prgram Manitba Water Services Bard New Building Canada Plan Handi-Transit Hmetwn Green Team Prgram Partner 4 Grwth Prgram AMM Pre-Budget Submissin Manitba Finance Nvember 7,

5 CRITICAL ISSUES REQUIRE IMMEDIATE ACTION Alternate Revenue Surces Manitba Finance Identify new surces f revenue fr municipalities t address the infrastructure deficit as well as increasing municipal respnsibilities. Prvincial Sales Tax Rebate fr Municipalities Manitba Finance Prvide a PST exemptin t all municipalities r prvide a rebate f all PST revenues paid by municipalities. Cell Service Manitba Jbs and the Ecnmy Cntinue facilitating discussins with cell carriers and ther stakehlders t explre ptins t expand cellular cverage and ensure cmmunicatins technlgy is sufficient t uphld the safety f emergency respnders and the public in Manitba. Cmmunity Places Prgram Manitba Husing and Cmmunity Develpment Prvide additinal funding fr the highly successful Cmmunity Places Prgram t increase the maximum funding available and the number f recipients. AMM Pre-Budget Submissin Manitba Finance Nvember 7,

6 Cnservatin Districts Manitba Cnservatin and Water Stewardship Increase funding t Cnservatin Districts t at least the funding level received prir t the 2013 cuts t ensure they have sufficient perating funding, and cnsider reevaluating the funding frmula. Mdernize Educatin Funding Manitba Advanced Educatin and Learning Prvide sustainable, lng-term funding t cver 8 per cent f perating csts fr educatin t reduce schl divisin reliance n prperty taxes; Rescind the $5,000 cap n the Farmland Schl Tax Rebate; Fulfill electin prmises t eliminate schl taxes n farmland and fr senirs. Plicing Overtime Csts Manitba Justice Supprt efficiencies in the curt system, thrugh technlgy r therwise, and streamline the transfer f patients under The Mental Health Act t help reduce municipal plicing csts due t vertime. Reductin f Cmmunity Cntributins fr Health Facilities Manitba Health Fund all health facilities prvincially r reduce the lcal cntributin requirement frm 10 per cent t a fixed 5 per cent f the prject cst. AMM Pre-Budget Submissin Manitba Finance Nvember 7,

7 Rural Airprts Manitba Infrastructure and Transprtatin Reinstate a capital assistance prgram fr airprts n a basis with municipalities; Increase the amunt f perating grants fr rural paved and unpaved airprts, which have remained at $2,400 and $1,200 respectively, fr at least ten years. Supprt fr Recreatin Centre Operating Csts Manitba Hydr, Manitba Children and Yuth Opprtunities Prvide supprt fr the implementatin f a pilt prject develped by Manitba Hydr t increase the efficiency f lder recreatin centres. Veterinary Bard Funding Manitba Agriculture, Fd and Rural Develpment Reinstate the Technical Enhancement Grant t prvide assistance with equipment csts; Increase funding fr perating csts t keep rural veterinarian salaries cmpetitive and t enable rural clinics t cntinue prviding much-needed veterinary services t their cmmunities. AMM Pre-Budget Submissin Manitba Finance Nvember 7,

8 ONGOING ISSUES - SOME PROGRESS, MORE ACTION NEEDED Affrdable Husing Shrtage Manitba Husing and Cmmunity Develpment The AMM appreciates recent measures t increase the supply f affrdable husing ptins such as the Rental Husing Tax Credit. Fulfill cmmitments t build additinal affrdable husing and persnal care hmes, and prvide incentives t build mre rental husing. Amalgamatin Csts Manitba Municipal Gvernment The AMM appreciates recent cmmitments t hld transitin cmmittee seminars and prvide a field cnsultant prgram t supprt amalgamating municipalities. Cmmit t cvering the hard csts resulting frm municipal amalgamatins, including but nt limited t upgrades r cnversins t municipal ffices, administrative and financial services. By-law Enfrcement Manitba Justice Allcate resurces t supprt the implementatin f new enfrcement mechanisms intrduced in the new Prvincial Offenses Act and The Municipal By-law Enfrcement Act. AMM Pre-Budget Submissin Manitba Finance Nvember 7,

9 Fld Mitigatin Manitba Emergency Measures Implement imprvements t fld frecasting, respnse and mitigatin capabilities, as well as fld preventin infrastructure, in crdinatin with municipalities based n reviews f the 2011 fld; Recgnize and address the ecnmic impact f recent flding. Eclgical Gds and Services Manitba Agriculture, Fd and Rural Develpment Cntinue t prvide prvincial funding thrugh Grwing Frward 2 r ther means t supprt Eclgical Gds and Services (EG&S) and prvide cmpensatin fr water strage. Surface Water Management Strategy Manitba Cnservatin and Water Stewardship Prvide sufficient funding t fulfill the Surface Water Management Strategy bjectives and address inter-jurisdictin flding and drainage issues. Supprt fr LiDAR (Light Detectin and Ranging) Data Cllectin Manitba Cnservatin and Water Stewardship Prvide funding t supprt the acquisitin f LiDAR cverage in partnership with lcal gvernments. AMM Pre-Budget Submissin Manitba Finance Nvember 7,

10 Health Practitiner Recruitment, Training and Retentin Manitba Health The AMM understands this is a lng-term issue; hwever many cmmunities cntinue t struggle with lcal physician shrtages. Cntinue t fund initiatives t help attract and retain health prfessinals in rural and nrthern Manitba and ensure every Manitban has a family dctr by 2015; Cntinue with the implementatin f Brandn Medical Educatin Study recmmendatins t address shrtage f physicians and ther health prfessinals in rural and nrthern Manitba with lng-term slutins. Palliative Care Services Manitba Health Ensure sufficient funding is prvided fr palliative care in every Reginal Health Authrity t deliver gd quality patient care, and avid excessive reliance n cmmunity fundraising. Planning and Assessment Services Staff Psitins Manitba Municipal Gvernment Fill vacancies t ensure all areas f the prvince have access t land use planning supprt, and cmplete the review f municipal develpment plans in a timely manner; Ensure municipal assessment service branches are fully staffed t keep infrmatin up t date and t avid impacting municipal assessment revenues. AMM Pre-Budget Submissin Manitba Finance Nvember 7,

11 Libraries Manitba Turism, Culture, Sprt and Cnsumer Prtectin Establish funding fr a universal, prvince-wide library card system; Increase verall funding fr libraries frm $8.50 t at least $10.00 per capita. Turism Funding Manitba Turism, Culture, Sprt and Cnsumer Prtectin Supprt vibrant cmmunities by cntinuing t prvide funding t prmte turism in Manitba. Prvincial Fire Prtectin Plan Manitba Labur and Immigratin Allcate adequate funding t achieve the gals identified t imprve fire prtectin thrughut the prvince. Intercity Bus Service Manitba Infrastructure and Transprtatin Prvide supprt t cmmunity-spnsred ptins fr affrdable and sustainable intercity bus service in rural and nrthern Manitba. AMM Pre-Budget Submissin Manitba Finance Nvember 7,

12 Transprtatin Infrastructure Manitba Infrastructure and Transprtatin Cntinue t allcate funding t maintain and renew prvincial rads and bridges sufficiently, including gravel rads, access rads and urban highways, particularly: Bridges r highways with safety issues; and Bridges r highways imprtant fr trade and travel. Radside Drainage and Maintenance Manitba Infrastructure and Transprtatin Ensure prvincial highway drainage infrastructure is maintained in rder t ensure there are n negative impacts n municipal infrastructure; Prvide funding fr regular radside mwing t maintain visibility and prevent the spread f nxius weeds. Mining Issues in Nrthern Manitba Manitba Mineral Resurces Supprt resurce-based cmmunities and municipalities in their develpment f lng-term sustainability plans. AMM Pre-Budget Submissin Manitba Finance Nvember 7,

13 Oil Prductin Issues Manitba Mineral Resurces Cmmit t act n recmmendatins made by the Rural Municipality-Oil Industry Wrking Grup t address infrastructure and resurce use challenges in ilprducing and affected cmmunities nce the wrk is cmpleted. Dutch Elm Disease Management Prgram Manitba Cnservatin and Water Stewardship Make funding available fr Dutch elm disease management services fr municipalities wh request these services; Ensure the amunt f prvincial funding prvided t municipalities fr tree remval crrespnds t actual remval csts. Prblem Beaver Management Manitba Cnservatin and Water Stewardship; Manitba Agriculture, Fd and Rural Develpment Wrk with the AMM t ensure the existing prgrams t address infrastructure damage caused by beavers meet the needs f municipalities. AMM Pre-Budget Submissin Manitba Finance Nvember 7,

14 SUCCESSFUL INITIATIVES MORE FUNDING NEEDED Municipal Bridge Prgram Manitba Municipal Gvernment The AMM appreciates the cntinued funding allcated t cst-share municipal bridge renewal in Manitba. Cntinue t supprt municipal bridge repair and replacement in the upcming budget. Municipal Rads Imprvement Prgram Manitba Municipal Gvernment The AMM appreciated the increase in funding in 2014 frm the previus year which prvided $7 millin in cst-shared funding n a basis t municipalities utside Winnipeg. Cntinue t supprt municipal rad repair and renewal in the upcming budget. Manitba Water Services Bard Manitba Municipal Gvernment The AMM appreciated the tp-up t prvincial funding in 2013 and again in 2014 fr a ttal f $16.8 millin in available funding t assist municipalities in the develpment f sustainable water and wastewater wrks. Cntinue t prvide this increased level f supprt municipal water and wastewater infrastructure in the upcming budget. AMM Pre-Budget Submissin Manitba Finance Nvember 7,

15 New Building Canada Plan Manitba Municipal Gvernment The AMM appreciates the cmmitment frm the Prvince f Manitba t prvide a ne-third share fr prjects apprved under the Small Cmmunities Fund f the New Building Canada Fund. Cntinue t supprt majr infrastructure prjects in cmmunities thrughut Manitba. Handi-Transit Manitba Municipal Gvernment, Manitba Healthy Living and Senirs Increase the maximum grant amunt available and ttal funding fr the prgram; Ensure peple with mbility issues have reliable and affrdable transprtatin ptins within their cmmunities, and particularly when they need t travel t medical appintments. Hmetwn Green Team Prgram Manitba Children, and Yuth Opprtunities Increase funding fr this prgram t allw the apprval f mre applicatins and mre summer jbs fr yuth in rural areas. AMM Pre-Budget Submissin Manitba Finance Nvember 7,

16 Partner 4 Grwth Prgram Manitba Agriculture, Fd and Rural Develpment The AMM was pleased t participate nce again n the selectin cmmittee f this prgram with duble the funding frm the first year t award t applicants. Cntinue t prvide much-needed funding fr the successful Partner 4 Grwth prgram t allw regins in Manitba mre chances t identify and pursue ecnmic develpment pprtunities. AMM Pre-Budget Submissin Manitba Finance Nvember 7,