Upon reflecting on last Thursday's provincial 2025 budget, MLA for Brandon West, Wayne Balcaen, says it was 'underwhelming', "simply because I think a lot of what I saw and what I heard from the budget was certainly recycled promises that we've been hearing since they got elected and again, a number of the initiatives that the former PC government had brought forward regarding schools and some of the strategies around education."
"So, I was expecting much more, especially in light of all of the world issues right now with tariffs and how we're going to protect the Manitobans," he adds.
Crime in on the rise in the City of Brandon, but also across the province in the rural areas
As the former police chief of Brandon Police Services, Balcaen says he is keenly aware of the rise in crime in the City of Brandon but also in rural Manitoba. The City of Winnipeg was awarded 12 new police officer positions, but not the Brandon Police nor the RCMP were given any additional funding for more officers.
"Rural crime is certainly on the rise and we're seeing lots of issues with people coming forward and saying that their response times are too long, and that people are actually targeting rural areas because they feel that they're easy targets," he explains. "So, I was really hoping that this government would focus on some sort of safety plans and ideas moving forward for our rural neighbors, including the City of Brandon, which they seem to think is rural but is really an urban centre. But all of the expanding area around us there are concerns."
As the PC Critic for Justice, Balcaen says he is hearing concerns from his fellow MLAs across the Westman Region, including the Spruce Woods area, Turtle Mountain and Agassiz, as well the north in Neepawa and Minnedosa. "We are constantly hearing about lots of issues with rural crime, so we really need to get a handle on this, and the government needs to do much better."
"There's certainly a direct correlation between drug use, drug sales, and crime..."
"People commit crimes when they're intoxicated by these dangerous substances, and they also commit crimes to get these substances and fund them. When we look at the preventative side, I would much rather see money being put into detox beds, facilities, and rehabilitation rather than what this government is focusing on, such as injection sites. These measures aren't going to protect the people who need the help."
The former police chief says we must remember that the victims of crime are the ones constantly shouldering the burden of the illicit drug market's effects.
"From my experience with the Brandon Police Service, and I know this is true for the RCMP, Winnipeg, and other municipal police services. The focus is certainly on drugs and knocking down that distribution network. However, they can't do it alone. They need help from the provincial government. And again, not a word on crime and help outside of Winnipeg."
Two new schools are coming to Brandon, but they should never have been put on hold in the first place
The growing population across the province has inspired the Provincial government to invest in 11 new schools across Manitoba, with two of those being in Brandon: The French language school and the Brandon School Division K-8 school in Brandon's south end.
Balcaen says with the great increase in population in the City of Brandon alone, the building of these two schools should have continued as was originally planned by the former government instead of being put on hold. The Brandon School Division Board and administration are seeing unprecedented growth in Brandon, up to 300 students a year and that's increasing.
"Schools are bursting at the seams. There are some schools that that are at 106% and 104% capacity," he adds. "You know the same high schools have been around since I went to high school here. So, you know, eventually we're going to need another high school in Brandon too. So, I was really underwhelmed because this government again brought forward all of the previous promises, but nothing new."
Regarding economic relief for families, Balcaen says we should look at school taxes provincially.
"We're seeing unprecedented increases across the board. For example, in Brandon, school board taxes went up by 6.78%. In some areas, we're getting reports of increases as high as 25%. This is happening at a time when people are struggling to make ends meet, yet the government is allowing taxes to run rampant."
Please listen to more with MLA for Brandon West, Wayne Balcaen below.