Trail Talking

I’m hoping to spend lots of time out and about in the constituency this month, before the legislative session picks up again in March. And some exciting events are being held in Dawson Trail this winter.

On Feb. 11, I hosted another Coffee With Bob. This time the gathering was held at the Villa Youville care home in Ste. Anne, and featured local musicians along with coffee, tea and snacks.

February is also I Love to Read Month, when schools across Manitoba celebrate literacy. I plan to stop by elementary schools throughout Dawson Trail and read to some of the classes. I look forward to sharing the importance and joy of reading with students.

When I join my fellow MLAs to resume proceedings in the House next month, we will move forward once again with legislation to improve our province and the lives of Manitobans. Our government is making steady progress, in particular, in fixing Manitoba’s finances.

Halfway through the 2018-19 fiscal year, the projected provincial deficit was $3 million lower than what had been forecast last year. This indicates that our careful management has been successful as we move toward balancing Manitoba’s books during our second term.

The recently released second-quarter financial report affirms our fiscal discipline and accountability to taxpayers, citing a summary deficit of $518 million – a significant $177-million improvement over the 2017-18 year-end deficit of $695 million.

Our government is making these gains with disciplined spending throughout the public sector. For a third straight year, we are on pace for government expenses to be on or under budget while we invest more than ever for Manitoba in family services, education and health care.

A lot of work remains for us to return to fiscal balance, though we promised Manitobans we would return the budget to balance in our second term. We will keep that promise with smart management and discipline, while steering our province in the right direction.