Funding freeze may end, new policing model possible, Manitoba municipalities told

Manitoba cabinet ministers have signalled a possibleend to thefreeze on municipal operating funding and pledged to explore a policing model that giveslower-risk policing duties to staff with different levels of training.

Fourteen members of Heather Stefanson'scabinettook questions for more than an hour Tuesdayfrom elected officials at the Association of Manitoba Municipalities fall convention in Winnipeg. The questionscovereda range of subjects, from funding to escalating crime and retaining health-care workers.

Municipal Relations Minister Eileen Clarke told delegates the question she's heard more than any other in discussions with municipal officials regards financial support.

The Progressive Conservative government has offered no-strings-attached funding,which municipalities have appreciated, since coming into power in2016, but the amount of money has stayed the same from the beginning.

While the province has supplemented that funding with support for specific projectsranging from infrastructure to pandemic measures,municipalities have long complained thegrant funding doesn't cut it.

"I did make a commitment to [AMM]president [Kam] Blight in the spring that I would make it a priority to work on a funding model that would be more acceptable to the municipalities and perhaps meet some of the additional demands," said Clarke, who took over the municipal relations portfolio in January.

'Working on' addressing funding concerns

Theminister added she will be presenting her proposal to the province'sTreasury Board in the coming days.

She wouldn't divulge what she wishes next year's funding commitment tobe, but she seemed to suggest such an idea would be appreciated.

"We are working on it and hopefully when the budget comes out in 2023, there will be news to follow."

Later in the session, new Winkler Mayor Henry Siemens stressed thatincreased funding is needed badly. He said municipalities such as his are brainstorming how topay2023 bills with 2016levels of funding.

"We're dealing with a seven-year freeze from our partners and we're askingwe're begging for you to review that and recognize the difficulty that we're going through trying to make things work when the costs are up everywhere," Siemens saidto applause from his colleagues.

In response, Clarke said she's heard the advocacy frommunicipalities and AMM officialsloud and clear.

She later said "the Treasury Board will see that I have a lot of support for the lobbying that I do as well."

In speeches to the AMM convention in the morning NDP Leader Wab Kinew and Liberal Leader Dougald Lamont both said they would end the funding freeze if they became premier following next year's election.

In another development, the subject of escalating crime was top of mind for a number of municipal officials at the forum.

Justice Minister Kelvin Goertzenexpressed his sympathy.

"Your frustration is felt, I think, by many Manitobans. Something's changed in the last two years. There's no question about it," Goertzen said in response to a councillor.

He said the province is looking attiered policing models and is considering legislation.

Such a model is gaining favour in other jurisdictions as it focuses police officers on the demanding parts of their job, such as arrests, and leaves other properly trained individuals to handle other responsibilities, such as delivering subpoenas or responding to animal control calls.

In an interview afterward, Goertzenreferred to new Winnipeg MayorScott Gillingham'selection pledge to look into putting peace officers on buses as oneexample of what Manitoba could allow. Provincial legislation isrequired before that could happen.

"When we look at things like tiered policing, it would allow potentially something like a bus security force to be able to ensure that those who are on the bus both feel safe and are safe. But also in rural Manitoba, there'sother things that are happening on bylaw enforcement" whereRCMP have "a difficult time keeping up with everything," Goertzen said.

Asked during the ministerial forumabout filling policing vacancies at rural detachments, Goertzensaid he's spoken with a number of police officers who said they'rereluctant to encourage other peopleto join the profession.

He said it's been a tough time for policing. Calls todefund the police, or at least reduce their funding, havegained traction in the province and beyond.

"Society has to respect the work that our police officers do, not question everything that they do. Wherethere are questions, ask them, butto tell them each and every day, 'We thank you for the role that you're doing. We know that you have a hard job. You're running into places that we're running from, and we thank you for that service,'" Goertzen said.

Also at the ministerial forum, Health Minister Audrey Gordon said thegovernment would consider extending its proposed health-care worker incentives to nurses working less than 70 per cent of full-time hours. The province had considered70 per cent as the threshold for benefits.

As well, cabinet ministers heard two delegatesquestion the province's approach of sending the education property tax rebate throughthe mail, rather than via digital means. It was suggestedthe province could save hundreds of thousands of dollars in postage.

Finance Minister Cameron Friesensaid there's "no administrative advantage" to sending the payments digitally.

He said the annual cheques also had the "effect of teaching people that we are still fully funding education.There is some bad messaging out there somehow going that the rebate is a consequence of reductions to education funding," something Friesen stressed is completely false.