Inflation impacts us all, and our PC government is committed to helping Manitobans combat rising costs with our new $87-million Family Affordability Package. This includes programs to help families with children, low-income seniors, and Manitobans in need the most.
Families with a household net-income below $175,000 will soon be receiving a benefit cheque of $250 with an additional $200 for each additional child. We estimate that 145,000 families with around 282,000 children will benefit from the approximate $63 million in benefits.
We understand that low-income seniors are also struggling with rising costs, which is why our government is committing $300 benefit cheques to all senior households with less than $40,000 in family net-income. This $16 million initiative will help around 52,500 senior households living on fixed incomes.
Our government is also increasing basic needs rates for Employment and Income Assistance (EIA) starting in October, 2022. This means that EIA general assistance clients will receive an additional $50 a month while all EIA disability clients will receive an additional $25 per household each month.
But our government’s initiatives don’t end there. As more Manitobans turn to food banks, we will be providing a temporary grant program through the Food Security Fund, which will help support community organizations with growing demands.
Our government has also made important tax relief measures through Budget 2022, including expanding the child-care subsidy program for $10 per day daycare by 2023, phasing out education property taxes by introducing rebate cheques that averaged $500+ for households, introducing the new renters tax credit and providing rebate cheques to vehicle owners through Manitoba Public Insurance.
After the NDP raised taxes, it was our government that lowered PST from 8 per cent to 7 per cent in order to help reduce everyday costs for Manitobans.
Our PC government remains committed to making life affordable for Manitobans and we will continue to address these rising costs in our province.
Our government is investing over $16 million in new funding to expand staffing and training in personal care homes (PCHs). This investment will increase staffing within the personal care home sector province-wide and build on our government’s commitment to implement all of the recommendations set out in the Stevenson Review.
The new funding will support:
•recruitment and hiring of more than 350 health-care aides to increase the amount of daily direct care provided to residents;
•addition of 72 new positions for registered nurses and licensed practical nurses combined;
•establishment of medical leads to provide leadership and guidance to PCH medical services and infection prevention and control enhancements; and
•investment of $1.5 million in tuition supports and direct care staff recruitment incentives to help build this workforce.
Our government is committed to strengthening healthcare to better support health outcomes for Manitobans in personal care homes.
The labour shortage is very real and is affecting all employers across Canada and the United States.
I had the opportunity to travel to eastern Canada and the United States for work this summer and the shortage of workers was prevalent in every place I visited.
Perhaps where the labour shortage affects all of us the most is in the health care sector where facilities and in turn communities are suffering with a reduced number of health care aides, nurses, doctors and paramedics.
Our government has committed record funding to health and is working hard to fill positions, however we are battling retirements and competition from health care employers in other provinces and in the private sector. We have increased seats in post-secondary institutions for health care courses and continue to recruit for all positions. This summer our Health Minister made it easier for out-of-country health care workers to be hired in Manitoba.
Living in rural community I understand what it means to be short of doctors and nurses and have reduced emergency room hours. I want you to know that our government is doing everything possible to fill positions as quickly as possible.
Greg Nesbitt,Member of Legislative Assembly for the Riding Mountain constituency can be reached at 204-759-3313, toll-free 1-844-877-7767 or by email at [email protected].
