MANITOBA PLANS TO SUSPEND LICENCES OVER CONTRABAND

People who transport contraband tobacco

would see their driver’s licences suspended if an omnibus budget bill before the Manitoba legislature receives approval. The 68-page bill contains several changes that were alluded to in the provincial budget in April, including raising the maximum fine for tax evasion to three times the amount evaded. The bill would also eliminate a requirement for the province to fund at least 50 per cent of municipal transit operating costs each year. And the province would no longer be required to spend at least one percentage point of the provincial sales tax on local capital projects. Finance Minister Cameron Friesen says the proposed changes are part of the government’s plan to control spending, reduce the deficit and bring penalties in line with other provinces.