The Manitoba government is slashing the capital budget for highway infrastructure by about $57 million this year, but insists it’s not a cut and ongoing projects will not be disrupted.
The Opposition Tories have repeatedly targeted the budget for provincial roads and highways since it was released April 2, while suggesting projects could be delayed or cancelled.
“Absolutely not,” Transportation and Infrastructure Minister Lisa Naylor told the Free Press Tuesday. “We will spend every dollar. We will be transparent — that is the difference.”
The 2024 budget allocated $500 million for highway infrastructure, down from $557 million under the Tories in the last fiscal year.
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“Last year, the (Tory) government committed $500 million in highway infrastructure. We are doing the same,” Transportation and Infrastructure Minister Lisa Naylor said.
Naylor claimed it’s not an actual cut. She said the Progressive Conservatives underspent by millions in the 2023-24 fiscal year, and made cuts to the infrastructure budget during their two terms in government.
“Last year, the (Tory) government committed $500 million in highway infrastructure. We are doing the same,” she said.
PC infrastructure critic Konrad Narth disagreed with the minister’s take.
“The truth of the matter is there is a cut to what was budgeted last year to what was budgeted this year,” said Narth, who was elected last fall.
Narth said past NDP governments underspent on infrastructure. Addressing last year’s underspending under the Tories, he said there were commitments to projects where “timelines didn’t align.”
“We will spend every dollar. We will be transparent — that is the difference.”–Transportation and Infrastructure Minister Lisa Naylor
The transportation and infrastructure department’s’s overall capital budget is $540 million for 2024-25, down from $704 million in the previous year. Within that, the budget for water-related infrastructure has been reduced by about $104 million.
An increase in the operating budget was fuelled by nearly $8 million in additional funding in a bid to increase highway maintenance, including 24-7 operations on the Perimeter Highway around Winnipeg.
Naylor said the NDP is using the five-year infrastructure strategy announced by the PCs last year, although it will look at new projects based on economic development opportunities or other needs.
She said a tender will soon be awarded for a functional design study for highways 1 and 5. The intersection north of Carberry will be redesigned to improve safety, after 17 seniors were killed in a collision between a minibus and tractor-trailer on June 15, 2023.
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The intersection of the Trans-Canada Highway and Highway 5 will be redesigned after 17 seniors were killed in a collision between a minibus and tractor-trailer last summer.
Repairs to southbound Highway 75 — the major trade corridor between Manitoba and the U.S. — that weren’t completed last year will wrap up this season, the province said.
A spokesperson for the province said almost $17 million has been budgeted to complete projects between Ste. Agathe and Morris, and continue concrete rehabilitation work between Morris and the Canada-U.S. border.
The Kinew government’s first budget invested heavily in areas such as health care and efforts to address social issues.
Chris Lorenc, president and CEO of the Manitoba Heavy Construction Association, said infrastructure cuts typically occur when there is a change in government.
“The fact there was no hack-and-slash was a good sign,” he said.
“The fact there was no hack-and-slash was a good sign.”–CEO of Manitoba Heavy Construction Association Chris Lorenc
Lorenc wants the NDP to become the first government in Manitoba to publicly release a report on the state of the province’s highways and bridges, including cost estimates for upgrades and a long-term vision.
It will help efforts to improve highway conditions, grow the economy and allow the industry to plan and prepare, he said.
“In short, it allows us to be competitive,” said Lorenc, a member of the government’s new blue-ribbon infrastructure advisory panel, which is tasked with prioritizing projects.
He said the government’s early commitments, including plans to invest in CentrePort Canada Inc. and the deep-sea port in Churchill, signal a “deeper and more genuine commitment to the importance of infrastructure” in Manitoba.
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The province’s plans include investing in CentrePort Canada.
Located in Winnipeg and the RM of Rosser, CentrePort Canada is North America’s largest trimodal inland port (air, rail and highway) and foreign trade zone.
Gage Haubrich, prairie director of the Canadian Taxpayers Federation, said Manitobans have expectations when it comes to the state and safety of public highway infrastructure.
“It’s a cut in spending on one of the things taxpayers expect the government to focus on,” he said. “Roads are a good area to spend money on.
“Everyone uses highways, and making them safer is important for everyone.”
chris.kitching@freepress.mb.ca
Chris Kitching
Reporter
As a general assignment reporter, Chris covers a little bit of everything for the Free Press.