Manitoba sending second round of cheques to help with inflation
The Manitoba government is issuing a second round of cheques to help people deal with inflation in a move that critics say has more to do with boosting the governing Progressive Conservatives' chances in the next election.
Everyone who filed tax returns last year with a net family income of less than $175,000 will be eligible under the plan announced Thursday. Single people are to get a payment of $225. Couples will receive $375.
"We are committed to helping Manitobans make ends meet and truly hope this ... will help ease the strain many Manitobans are facing this winter," Premier Heather Stefanson said at a news conference inside a Winnipeg grocery store.
The cheques are different from a first round of payments last fall that was limited to families with kids under 18 and low-income seniors. The cost of the new program is $200 million -- more than double that of the first round.
The theme of the benefits has also changed. Last fall the program was aimed generally at rising inflation. The new program is called the Carbon Tax Relief Fund -- a shot at the federal government's imposition of carbon pricing on Manitoba and other provinces that have refused to impose their own pricing regime that meets federal requirements.
"It's very clear to us that the federal Liberal-NDP coalition is not going to reverse this decision (to impose the carbon pricing system)," Stefanson said.
A report last year from the parliamentary budget officer, an independent analysis body that reports to Parliament, said the average Manitoba family pays less in federal carbon pricing than it receives in federal carbon rebate cheques. But when estimated indirect effects, such as relative drops in capital investment and labour income are added in, the carbon price is costing the average Manitoba family more, the report states.
The Opposition New Democrats said the province appears to be trying to score political points by mailing out cheques and picking a fight with Ottawa. The next provincial election is slated for Oct. 3 and the Tories have been trailing the NDP in opinion polls for more than two years.
"The government has to go to the polls in a few months and here they are. They're going to send cheques to everybody in the province," NDP Leader Wab Kinew said.
A poverty rights group said the cheques aren't targeted at those who need help the most.
"Some of the wealthiest Manitobans are going to be getting the same relief cheque as some of the lowest-income Manitobans," said Josh Brandon of the Social Planning Council of Winnipeg.
Many low-income earners don't file income tax returns and won't get a cheque, he added.
Cheques based on income tax returns are the fastest way to get money into people's hands, Stefanson said.
The government is sending out the cheques at a time when the province has run deficits every year since 2009, with the exception of a small $5-million surplus in 2019.
The government is seeing revenues increase as the economy rebounds from the depths of the COVID-19 pandemic, Stefanson said.
The province is also getting a 19 per cent boost in equalization payments from Ottawa for the fiscal year that starts in April. It is also hoping for a new health-care agreement with Ottawa that would boost federal health transfer payments.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published on Jan. 26, 2023.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
More than 115 cases of eye damage reported in Ontario after solar eclipse
More than 115 people who viewed the solar eclipse in Ontario earlier this month experienced eye damage after the event, according to eye doctors in the province.
Last letters of pioneering climber who died on Everest reveal dark side of mountaineering
George Mallory is renowned for being one of the first British mountaineers to attempt to scale the dizzying heights of Mount Everest during the 1920s. Nearly a century later, newly digitized letters shed light on Mallory’s hopes and fears about ascending Everest.
Toxic testing standoff: Family leaves house over air quality
A Sherwood Park family says their new house is uninhabitable. The McNaughton's say they were forced to leave the house after living there for only a week because contaminants inside made it difficult to breathe.
Decoy bear used to catch man who illegally killed a grizzly, B.C. conservation officers say
A man has been handed a lengthy hunting ban and fined thousands of dollars for illegally killing a grizzly bear, B.C. conservation officers say.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
An emergency slide falls off a Delta Air Lines plane, forcing pilots to return to JFK in New York
An emergency slide fell off a Delta Air Lines jetliner shortly after takeoff Friday from New York, and pilots who felt a vibration in the plane circled back to land safely at JFK Airport.
B.C. seeks ban on public drug use, dialing back decriminalization
The B.C. NDP has asked the federal government to recriminalize public drug use, marking a major shift in the province's approach to addressing the deadly overdose crisis.
'I was scared': Ontario man's car repossessed after missing two repair loan payments
An Ontario man who took out a loan to pay for auto repairs said his car was repossessed after he missed two payments.
First court appearance for boy and girl charged in death of Halifax 16-year-old
A girl and a boy, both 14 years old, made their first appearance today in a Halifax courtroom, where they each face a second-degree murder charge in the stabbing death of a 16-year-old high school student.