The recent Manitoba government’s Speech from the Throne presented the people of the province with a variety of promises, and Morden Mayor Nancy Penner shared her insights on how it addressed not only provincial needs but also local concerns.
Provincial insights
The throne speech, delivered by Lieutenant Governor Anita R. Neville, highlighted several provincial priorities that Penner took note of.
"There was a lot of focus on healthcare. There was an announcement of 870 new healthcare workers... There’s promise of new ER wait time strategies being developed, the north is I think a big boost to keep families close to home... There’s going to be a new MRI clinic, mobile clinic for the north.”
The speech also focused on ways to help when it comes to the Manitoba Hydro bill.
“There’s promise of freezing Manitoba Hydro rates for one year, so that’s promising to help families budgeting in the home.”
Local impact and rural concerns
While Penner acknowledged the broad reach of several of the announced initiatives, she expressed some reservations about the lack of specific measures directly aimed at rural municipalities.
“There was a lot in the throne speech about Winnipeg and safety, which is very important... but for the rural area there wasn’t a lot specifically tagged there.”
However, Penner did see some positives for the rural sector, such as the announcement of two new Manitoba Agriculture Service Corporation (MASC) offices opening next year.
“Those locations were not announced, so it will be interesting to see where those offices are. Of course, we had many offices close over the last number of years, so that will be a welcome announcement.”
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- Assiniboine College bringing accelerated ECE diploma program to Morden
What to expect
While the government proceeds to roll out these new initiatives, Penner shared hopes that rural municipalities like Morden will see more specific actions to address their needs, including a more direct focus on infrastructure and services to support communities outside of Winnipeg.
To listen to the full interview with the Mayor of Morden Nancy Penner, click below.
- Files submitted by Mayor Nancy Penner -