"A very exciting budget, building on that theme of 'One Manitoba' and 'Building One Manitoba," says MLA for Brandon East, Glen Simard. "I think you heard that from the Finance Minister in his budget speech, build, build, build!"
Last week Thursday the Province of Manitoba released their 2025 budget with one of those highlights being two new schools to be built in the City of Brandon, and funding for one of the most important event venues in the Wheat City.
Simard is also the Minister of Municipal and Northern Relations and the Minister responsible for Francophone Affairs and Minister responsible for Manitoba Liquor and Lotteries.
"Tons of exciting news for Brandon and Brandon East," shares Simard. "We'll start at the Keystone Center. This is an important investment that we made where we over more than doubled funding to the Keystone Center's operating. This is very exciting news for a building in Westman that has very high importance."
"And also, exciting news about building two new schools here in the Brandon area, which will serve kids from all over Brandon," he continues, "and we know that we are addressing the overcrowding issues with their expansion at Maryland Park, the school and then building a new one in the southwest corner of the city is extremely exciting."
During Thursday's budget announcement the province committed to building two new schools in Brandon, a French-language school for Division Scolaire Franco-Manitobaine, as well as the Brandon School Division's new school to be built in southwest Brandon.
Over the course of the next three years, the provincial government committed to eleven new schools across the province including a new high school in Neepawa.
"And of course, you know, being Minister of Municipal Northern Relations, I'm very happy to formalize our commitment of the 2% / 2% / 2% for multiple years to municipalities. And of course, the One Manitoba Growth Fund that also adds additional dollars, 4% of the gas tax as well. So very happy about that."
When the NDP came into government the municipalities had been under municipal operating grant freeze where the amount that they received in 2017 was the exact same amount you got in 2022, says Simard.
"So, for us to be able to commit to raise that every year by 2% it allows municipalities to catch up in terms of their operations but also plan for the following year and being able to follow up on that. It gives us some stability to municipalities and Westman locals to be able to build that into their planning."
He adds the One Manitoba Growth Fund offers an addition $12.4 million that goes out to all those municipalities, on a per capita basis. "So, very happy about that. It builds on their growing rural dynamic that we see going on here, so exciting!"
Please listen to more with Minister Glen Simard below.