Thompson Local News

Opposition Leader Says Pallister Government "Totally Ignored" Thompson In Budget

According to the Manitoba NDP, the 2018 Budget Implemenation Act doesn’t make any reference to Thompson or the north.

 

Wab Kinew spoke to Arctic Radio News late last week, and said that it was disappointing to see that Pallister government “totally ignored the north” and that they didn’t do anything with the Mining Community Reserve Fund. The Fort Rouge MLA said that Premier Pallister not meeting with Mayor Fenske and Thompson City Council “seems like an oversight”, adding that “when you visit a community you should meet with the leadership...that’s pretty straight forward”.

 

The Mining Community Reserve Fund is one of the biggest points of contention between the municipal and provincial governments. The City of Thompson submitted a request to access the fund, but was denied by the department of Growth, Enterprise and Trade who said that the money in the fund is not accessible when it is below $10M. Before the Legislature rose for the summer, Flin Flon MLA Tom Lindsey repeatedly brought up Thompson and the MCRF, asking Blaine Pedersen (Minister of Growth, Enterprise and Trade) why the funds are not being made available. 

 

In response to the budget, the Manitoba NDP reached out to communities about the kind of spending they’d like to see. When it comes to Thompson, Kinew told Arctic Radio News that the opposition asked for something to be done about the MCRF so that the City can access the funds, or that the Province simply provide money from somewhere other than the MCRF to help offset both the reduced GIL and the lost jobs due to changes at Vale. 

 

Kinew said that as a leader, he wants to be able to represent people and bring forward their concerns. 

 

The full interview with Wab Kinew will air as a three-part Thompson Today series, with part one airing Monday August 20th at 12:40pm and then again at 5:10pm on 102.9 CHTM. Part two will air on Tuesday August 21st, while part three will be played Wednesday August 22nd.

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