Gambling, impaired driving rules figure in Manitoba throne speech

WINNIPEG Manitoba’s Progressive Conservative government is temporarily halting any expansion of gambling in the province, and will also look at new rules against impaired driving.

The government’s agenda for the coming year, laid out in its throne speech, also includes plans to move more employable people off welfare and to simplify taxes and royalties for the oil and gas sector.

The throne speech says any further expansion of gambling will be paused pending a review of the province’s gaming strategy.

It also says assessments of people on welfare will be more timely and consistent, with new supports to help those who can work move toward employment.

The Tories also plan more immediate roadside penalties for drivers with lower levels of alcohol in their system, and performance-based funding for colleges.

The Tories say their new plan to move people off welfare will help people and reduce poverty.

“In the past, assessments of employable Manitobans on assistance were informal, non-standardized, inconsistent and often delayed,” states the speech, read in the legislature chamber by Lt.- Gov. Janice Filmon on Tuesday.

“A new approach will feature more timely and holistic assessments … and more rapid connections to supports to rejoin the workforce sooner.”

The throne speech also includes promises to reduce wait times for diagnostic imaging, joint replacements and cataract surgery.

There will also be a comprehensive review of taxes and royalties on energy production “with a goal of simplifying the tax and royalty structure.”

The government is promising new consumer protection against high-pressure sales tactics and new supports for victims of domestic violence as they deal with the court system.

The throne speech does not include any big-ticket spending items. Premier Brian Pallister is past the halfway point in a mandate that has focused on fiscal restraint, including wage freezes for public-sector workers and job cuts in Crown corporations.

The Tories have promised to cut the provincial sales tax by one percentage point in 2020 and balance the budget by 2024. The deficit for the fiscal year that ended in March came in at $695 million.