Passover staple may be missing in Manitoba this year due to U.S. booze boycott
A wine popular at Passover may be absent from the holiday for Manitobans this year. Manischewitz kosher wine is made in the U.S., and Manitoba, along with many other provinces, has pulled U.S. liquor from shelves amid ongoing tariffs.
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Winnipeg Free Press
3 days ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
Manitoba to announce tax extension for wildfire-affected businesses
Voluntary tax deferrals for businesses impacted by wildfires will be announced by the province Wednesday, the Free Press has learned. A source confirmed late Tuesday that the government will offer optional deferrals of the retail sales tax and payroll tax (the health and post-secondary education tax levy) to help businesses affected by the unprecedented emergency that has forced 21,000 Manitobans to flee 27 communities. A similar measure was announced by the province in March in response to U.S. tariffs, with such deferrals available from February through July. MIKE DEAL / FREE PRESS FILES Manitoba Finance Minister Adrien Sala. Details of the program related to wildfires will be made public Wednesday. Meanwhile, Manitoba businesses dealing with the fallout from an early, raging fire season have been waiting for the province to say if and how it will provide any government support. 'We have been hearing a lot of concern about the level of uncertainty — especially from tourism operators who are fearful they will miss out on the entire 2025 season,' said Canadian Federation of Independent Business spokesperson Brianna Solberg. She wrote to Finance Minister Adrien Sala on June 2 asking if the province would consider any specific cost relief or recovery measures for impacted small businesses. Flexibility on provincial tax and fee payments and remittances for affected businesses — such as retail and payroll tax deferrals — was one of the requests made in the letter. It also asked for emergency financial assistance or recovery grants and sought assurances that wildfire-impacted small businesses are eligible for Disaster Financial Assistance. It also requested co-ordination with federal counterparts to ensure Manitoba businesses are eligible for any national wildfire relief programs. Solberg said Tuesday she had yet to receive a response. Sala wouldn't talk about specific supports for businesses when brought up by the Free Press. 'Right now, the focus continues to be on keeping people safe and supporting individuals who've been impacted by the wildfires,' the minister said Tuesday. Sala noted there is $50 million in this year's budget for emergency expenditures and 'a number of relevant departments' have funding available. A separate budget for contingencies is $38.6 million. MIKE DEAL / FREE PRESS FILES Transportation and Infrastructure Minister Lisa Naylor. 'This wildfire season has been worse than many in recent memory, so we are seeing steady use of our existing budget lines to help respond to these challenges,' the minister said. He said the government would have a better idea about the cost of this wildfire season in September. 'It's still early days. I can say that I think we budgeted accordingly and have the resources needed to make sure that we can do what we need to do to take care of Manitobans during this challenging time.' Despite the impact of U.S. tariffs and provincial wildfires hurting the bottom line, Sala said the province still aims to balance the books in his first term. 'We're still committed to balancing the budget,' Sala said. The leader of the Progressive Conservatives said the response from the provincial government was lacking. 'They can be committed all they want, but we all are clearly seeing that the NDP are saying whatever they have to say and not doing the hard work behind the scenes,' Obby Khan said Tuesday. Weekday Mornings A quick glance at the news for the upcoming day. He pointed to Lisa Naylor, the minister responsible for the Emergency Management Organization, who said Manitobans hosting conventions or planning family trips should postpone them until later this summer to ensure there are enough hotel spaces for evacuees. 'Dozens of businesses have called me today, and text-messaged me that this government seems to make announcements and policies without doing their proper due diligence and consultation,' Khan said. 'It seems like they haven't spoken to many businesses, many industry leaders and it's evident with the minister coming out and asking people to reconsider or forego their travel to Manitoba when many of these operators really rely on this tourism and summer revenue and some of them are nowhere near the fires.' MIKAELA MACKENZIE / FREE PRESS FILES Progressive Conservative leader Obby Khan. The president and CEO of the Manitoba Chambers of Commerce said Naylor's plea took some by surprise. 'I think that the government is trying to do the best they can in the current situation,' Chuck Davidson said Tuesday. 'Obviously with the wildfire situation and the number of people that have been evacuated… it's trying to do everything possible to make sure that there's accommodation.' At the same time, tourism operators can't afford to lose guests, Davidson said. 'Some of these businesses are going to need those additional revenues to make sure that they can continue to operate moving forward.' Naylor said Tuesday that the province is housing evacuees in 68 hotels and motels in 14 communities across the province. 'We're looking everywhere for options if they're needed,' Naylor said. 'We're really at the beginning of the wildfire season. We don't know how this is going to go, and we don't know what's going to happen next… So we are trying to keep hotel rooms and motel rooms available as much as possible for evacuees.' Carol SandersLegislature reporter Carol Sanders is a reporter at the Free Press legislature bureau. The former general assignment reporter and copy editor joined the paper in 1997. Read more about Carol. Every piece of reporting Carol produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print — part of the Free Press's tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press's history and mandate, and learn how our newsroom operates. Our newsroom depends on a growing audience of readers to power our journalism. If you are not a paid reader, please consider becoming a subscriber. Our newsroom depends on its audience of readers to power our journalism. Thank you for your support.
Global News
3 days ago
- Global News
Credit rating agency says Manitoba's recent tax changes outweigh affordability offers
The Manitoba government is expected to use more 'revenue levers,' similar to its recent income and property tax changes, as part of its plan to reduce the deficit, a credit-rating agency report says. S&P Global Ratings has affirmed the Manitoba government's existing short-term and long-term credit ratings and says the outlook for the province is stable, based in part on expected revenue changes and spending control. 'The stable outlook reflects our expectation that, despite economic growth and trade uncertainty, Manitoba will deploy revenue levers and expenditure management to generate stronger fiscal outcomes in the next two years,' the report, issued May 26, said. The NDP government, elected in 2023, has promised to reduce costs for Manitobans. It has taken out advertising to promote its cut to the provincial fuel tax, an increase to a tax credit for renters and other measures. Story continues below advertisement But the money forgone by the province for those measures is outweighed by recent tax changes that are boosting provincial revenues, a director with S&P said. That includes a change in this year's budget that will no longer see income tax brackets automatically rise in line with inflation. Get daily National news Get the day's top news, political, economic, and current affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day. Sign up for daily National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy 'That alone is enough to offset all the affordability measures that they're putting in,' Bhavini Patel, director in S&P's Canadian international public finance group, said in an interview. The NDP government has promised to balance the budget before the next election, slated for 2027. That would end a string of annual deficits that stretches back almost continuously to 2009, with the exception of two surpluses. Part of the province's revenue growth has come from recent changes that will see many property owners and income-earners pay more. In last year's budget, the government changed the way education tax credits on property are calculated. The government estimated the change would net the province an extra $148 million a year, although that number is likely to grow due to recent increases in property assessments and taxes levied by school divisions. In this year's budget, the government stopped indexing income tax brackets and the basic personal exemption to inflation. By keeping the brackets and exemption constant as wages increase, unlike most provinces, the government is forecasting an extra $82 million in revenue. Story continues below advertisement Finance Minister Adrien Sala said he's not looking at future tax changes aimed at garnering more money, and is expecting an economic boost to increase revenue. 'I think the biggest driver of new revenues will be economic growth,' he said in an interview. He pointed to the recent start of construction of the Alamos gold mine near Lynn Lake as an example. The government is also looking at keeping annual spending growth in check in order to balance the budget, he said.
Winnipeg Free Press
3 days ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
Credit rating agency says Manitoba's recent tax changes outweigh affordability offers
WINNIPEG – The Manitoba government is expected to use more 'revenue levers,' similar to its recent income and property tax changes, as part of its plan to reduce the deficit, a credit-rating agency report says. S&P Global Ratings has affirmed the Manitoba government's existing short-term and long-term credit ratings and says the outlook for the province is stable, based in part on expected revenue changes and spending control. 'The stable outlook reflects our expectation that, despite economic growth and trade uncertainty, Manitoba will deploy revenue levers and expenditure management to generate stronger fiscal outcomes in the next two years,' the report, issued May 26, said. The NDP government, elected in 2023, has promised to reduce costs for Manitobans. It has taken out advertising to promote its cut to the provincial fuel tax, an increase to a tax credit for renters and other measures. But the money forgone by the province for those measures is outweighed by recent tax changes that are boosting provincial revenues, a director with S&P said. That includes a change in this year's budget that will no longer see income tax brackets automatically rise in line with inflation. 'That alone is enough to offset all the affordability measures that they're putting in,' Bhavini Patel, director in S&P's Canadian international public finance group, said in an interview. The NDP government has promised to balance the budget before the next election, slated for 2027. That would end a string of annual deficits that stretches back almost continuously to 2009, with the exception of two surpluses. Part of the province's revenue growth has come from recent changes that will see many property owners and income-earners pay more. In last year's budget, the government changed the way education tax credits on property are calculated. The government estimated the change would net the province an extra $148 million a year, although that number is likely to grow due to recent increases in property assessments and taxes levied by school divisions. Monday Mornings The latest local business news and a lookahead to the coming week. In this year's budget, the government stopped indexing income tax brackets and the basic personal exemption to inflation. By keeping the brackets and exemption constant as wages increase, unlike most provinces, the government is forecasting an extra $82 million in revenue. Finance Minister Adrien Sala said he's not looking at future tax changes aimed at garnering more money, and is expecting an economic boost to increase revenue. 'I think the biggest driver of new revenues will be economic growth,' he said in an interview. He pointed to the recent start of construction of the Alamos gold mine near Lynn Lake as an example. The government is also looking at keeping annual spending growth in check in order to balance the budget, he said. This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 10, 2025.
