Recommendations for a more inclusive and sustainable economy were shared with the Government of Manitoba through CCEDNet Manitoba on behalf of the Network’s approximately 100 member organizations in the province before Budget 2024.
Manitoba Budget 2024 was released on April 2, 2024.
Below is a summary of CED Highlights that relate to the 5 key priorities shared in the Network budget submission. Links are included to further analysis from community coalitions and CCEDNet member organizations about certain topics.
An Inclusive Economy & Economic Reconciliation, Manitoba Jobs for Manitobans, Community Benefits for Big Projects:
- Read these summaries of tax changes and revenue from the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives – Manitoba here and here
- The Government announced that they are launching an ambitious economic development strategy. CCEDNet Manitoba will work to ensure that Network perspectives and members’ work building community economies will be included – including developing the social economy and CED as a key aspect of Manitoba’s economic development plan
- The plan will include expanding Manitoba’s ‘low carbon economy’ by “creating more low carbon jobs and expanding our low carbon economy through strategic investments in clean technologies, sustainable energy, and critical mineral development.” Read the Wilderness Committee’s recent blog about how a critical minerals strategy is actually a climate strategy. CCEDNet Manitoba and its members will work with government to ensure that CED climate strategies are an important aspect of this plan.
- 10,000 new jobs in skilled trades is a key priority of government. The We Want to Work coalition will be actively working to ensure that Social Procurement and Social Enterprise are used to help achieve this goal.
- The government also prioritized Economic Reconciliation, signaling its intent to work collaboratively with Indigenous Peoples to develop a meaningful economic reconciliation strategy. Many CCEDNet members are Indigenous-led social enterprises, cooperatives, and community-based organizations who can help contribute to this priority.
Safer & Healthier Communities
- Creating a new Community Development program that will “help build safer communities by investing in youth programming and crime prevention in the inner city and other high-needs communities.” $12.5 million
- Ahead of the 2024 budget, CCEDNet Manitoba and the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives – Manitoba, urged the provincial government to invest in a renewed community-led development program at a media event. Leaders from member organizations Winnipeg Indigenous Executive Circle, Spence Neighbourhood Association, and Food Matters Manitoba spoke passionately about this need.
- A forthcoming report offers recommendations for a new community development program and fund in the province. It will be shared publicly this spring and encourage government to collaborate with community on a new program.
- Coverage from CTV Winnipeg here and CBC Manitoba here (video).
- $200,000 increase for 12 Neighbourhood Renewal Corporations, key members of CCEDNet and practitioners of CED in communities throughout the province. This will be the first funding increase in over a decade, though it is unclear how it will be distributed.
- $10 million to support plans to meet Manitoba’s emissions reduction targets through the Low Carbon Economy Fund Bilateral agreement and $6.4 million for climate and sustainability priorities and to restore funding to environmental organizations
- The provincial government still has more work to meet community recommendations from the Climate Action Team, included in this budget submission
- And, check out this blog by Shaun Loney about getting serious about the energy transition and how social enterprise fits in.
- On April 22, the government announced it was restoring funding to three environmental organizations, including two CCEDNet members
- The government is developing a new Poverty Reduction Strategy in 2024/25. Make Poverty History Manitoba and Right to Housing will be organizing around this strategy to ensure that priorities of the coalitions are included.
- Read this CCPA Manitoba report The Cost of Poverty in Manitoba, released prior to the 2024 budget. The total cost of poverty in Manitoba in 2019, the latest year for which complete data are available, was $2.5 billion a year, which amounts to 3.4 percent of Manitoba’s GDP.
- $30 million for a universal school nutrition program
- Mental health and addiction care investment of $11 million, including $3.9 million to establish a supervised consumption site, addiction treatment beds, and support harm reduction services
- Read Sunshine House’s recently published report on the Mobile Overdose Prevention site here!
- Lifts funding freeze on municipalities and provides funding for recreation, schools, and other community programs
Making Life More Affordable with Energy Efficient Social Housing
- $116 million to build and maintain social and affordable housing
- Help create 350 units of affordable housing in the next year
- Includes $20 million in capital grants program for non-profits and $67.8 million to maintain social housing, plus $4 million to renovate existing housing stock for non-profits
- The government is committed to end chronic homelessness in 8 years, with $14 million in funding for a variety of programs.
Read Right to Housing’s budget summary here and coverage here – providing information on the coalition’s social housing campaign priorities and how the budget responded
