Manitoba premier wants federal government to take 'immediate action' on China's canola tariffs
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Winnipeg Free Press
20 minutes ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
Kinew blames climate change, seeks solutions for sinking water levels in First Nation
The Manitoba government is exploring options to help an isolated northern First Nation, which is without ferry service due to low water levels. Premier Wab Kinew said he met with York Factory First Nation's council, grand chiefs and federal officials Wednesday to discuss the 'tough' situation. 'I conveyed the fact that, yeah, this is all part of one dry condition impact that Manitoba is living through right now,' Kinew told reporters. 'This is all part of climate change. When we're talking about hydro in particular, just to put things into perspective… hydro reservoirs are about at the ninth percentile. SUPPLIED / FILE PHOTO Ferry service along Split Lake in northern Manitoba has been disrupted owing to low water levels. 'So this is, like, 91 per cent of years had more moisture in the hydro basin than this one. You can see there are impacts.' In an Aug. 1 letter, York Factory First Nation called on the provincial government to order Manitoba Hydro to release dammed water in order to raise the level of Split Lake. The First Nation said the move would help to resume ferry service and protect the community's water supply. A small group of York Factory members gathered outside the legislature to support the community's call. Sources have confirmed Adrien Sala, the minister responsible for Manitoba Hydro, is scheduled to meet with executives and board members from the utility on Thursday. Any order by the provincial government that could threaten the generating system's operational capacity must come as a formal ministerial directive from the minister responsible for Hydro. Kinew said the province will continue to work with the community in the short-term by providing boats and chartered flights to help move people or supplies. 'There's probably medium-term things that we'll look at, like maybe moving the ferry, and some other options on the table there, too,' he said. 'We've got to get the environmental piece and the engineering piece looked at for those things.' The First Nation, about 900 kilometres north of Winnipeg, had already called on the provincial and federal governments to fund an all-weather road. 'Longer term, we do need to build an all-weather road network in northern Manitoba, but the challenge is that this is going to cost $5 billion,' Kinew said. 'Our provincial infrastructure budget is $540 million. So, just extrapolate from that and you can see the scale of the challenge.' Wednesdays Sent weekly from the heart of Turtle Island, an exploration of Indigenous voices, perspectives and experiences. Manitoba Hydro said Monday that releasing water from Southern Indian Lake and Lake Winnipeg would jeopardize 'electrical reliability' in the coming months, if a drought continues. The Crown corporation said adequate reserves are needed to supply electricity to Manitobans over the winter, when demand peaks. York Factory First Nation declared a state of local emergency after the ferry stopped operating in July. The service links the community to the provincial highway network during open-water season. Manitoba Hydro said it is paying compensation under the terms of pre-existing agreements. fpcity@
Winnipeg Free Press
20 minutes ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
Kinew calls for Ottawa to help canola farmers hurt by China's tariffs
Premier Wab Kinew is calling for 'immediate action' from Ottawa following a sky-high levy placed on Canadian canola seed imports to China. China announced a preliminary anti-dumping duty of 75.8 per cent Tuesday. The tax takes effect Thursday. Canola seed was Manitoba's biggest export to China last year, bringing in $649 million. Farmers are preparing for this year's harvest in the coming weeks. TIM SMITH / THE BRANDON SUN FILES Canola seed was Manitoba's biggest export to China last year, bringing in $649 million. 'The Chinese government has clearly launched these tariffs at this time of year to cause maximum impact and maximum uncertainty,' Kinew said Wednesday, speaking at the Manitoba Legislative Building. He was flanked by heads of the Manitoba Canola Growers and Keystone Agricultural Producers. Financial support from Ottawa is necessary, Kinew asserted. China claimed Canadian companies have been 'dumping' canola into its country, harming its domestic oil market. However, the new fee follows 100 per cent tariffs it placed on Canadian canola oil and meal. Those tariffs were retaliatory to tariffs Canada placed on Chinese electric vehicle imports last October. Revenue that Ottawa generates from the EV tariffs should be funnelled to impacted farmers, Kinew stated. 'Let's see the federal government step up with the same sort of supports that we've seen for the steel industry, for the auto industry and for the lumber industry,' he said, referencing sectors hit with United States tariffs. Producers have spent maximum amounts of money preparing this year's crop, noted Warren Ellis, chair of the Manitoba Canola Growers. 'On Tuesday morning, we lost our second largest customer,' Ellis said. 'It's really critical that solutions come out.' Manitoba counts 7,500 canola farmers. Its canola crop production averages around three million metric tonnes. Canola prices will sag, forecasted Rick White, the president of the Canadian Canola Growers Association. The national organization, like Kinew, is urging financial support from the feds 'if a need arises.' 'China is going to leave a big hole that cannot be filled, definitely not in the short term,' White said. Kinew also called upon Prime Minister Mark Carney's administration to work with the Manitoba government on a plan to negotiate an end to Chinese tariffs. The province extended a 'warm and hearty handshake' upon Carney's election and is seeking a coherent strategy, Kinew said. He's spoken with Alberta Premier Danielle Smith and Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe about the issue, he said. 'I think we're all on the same page that Western Canada's ag industry is one of the engines to our Canadian economy,' Kinew said. Monday Mornings The latest local business news and a lookahead to the coming week. China bought 15 per cent of Manitoba's agri-food exports last year, making it the province's second largest market. Manitoba is Western Canada's top pork exporter to China and is second, nationally, to Quebec. (China placed 25 per cent tariffs on pork in March.) Up to 5.9 million metric tonnes of Canadian canola seed ships annually to China at a $4 billion value, White said. The Canadian Canola Growers Association is aiming for a 'better policy environment' from Ottawa, enabling a renewable diesel market using canola seed. The industry could generate a need for more than two million metric tonnes of canola seed within Canada, White said. – With files from Carol Sanders and The Canadian Press Gabrielle PichéReporter Gabrielle Piché reports on business for the Free Press. She interned at the Free Press and worked for its sister outlet, Canstar Community News, before entering the business beat in 2021. Read more about Gabrielle. Every piece of reporting Gabrielle 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.
CTV News
20 minutes ago
- CTV News
‘Dig deep': Councillors encouraged to find more savings ahead of budget talks
City councillors are getting a preview of the difficult discussions and decisions to be made during budget deliberations. The governance and priorities committee received its second update on city finances on Wednesday after a grim forecast in June. This time it was presented with 69 options of items which aren't included in the budget but could be prioritized, if council chooses to add them. The chambers were filled with members of Saskatoon's business community looking to make their cases. 'Our message today is simple,' Greater Saskatoon Chamber of Commerce CEO Jason Aebig said. 'From now until November, dig deep and demand better. Put the big brains in your administration to work on finding savings.' In June, the city forecasted property tax increases of 9.9 per cent in 2026 and 7.3 per cent in 2027 if spending were to continue as is. The increases amount to $22 and $18 per month, respectively, for an average assessed home value of $397,000. Council ended that meeting by asking administration to find additional savings to lower a 2025 property tax increase closer to 5 per cent. On Wednesday, dozens of members of both the Greater Saskatoon Chamber of Commerce and the NSBA filled the chambers to stress the importance of a lean budget cycle. 'Our members are clear, the pace of tax increases that we've seen and are projected to see is not sustainable,' NSBA executive director Keith Moen said to the committee. Moen highlighted the importance of A.I., and the effect the technology could have on city finances and staffing. Rather than welcome crops of new hires, Moen urged the city to explore all opportunities to utilize A.I. and save taxpayers' bottom line. 'A.I. represents the third major wave of technological change following the internet and smartphones,' he said. 'Every city employee, including council, should be planning for the future with A.I. in mind, but those who embrace it will help the city deliver better services at a lower cost. Those who don't risk holding us back.' Administration said the city is beginning to use A.I., calling its usage 'a little immature at this time.' A report is being prepared for council over 'the next several months,' but some councillors want to see those opportunities sooner. 'I think that's something that we could accelerate, and the sooner we hear back on that, the better,' Ward 5 Coun. Randy Donauer said. Wednesday's report before councillors was for information purposes only. No decisions were made, but the 69 options split between operating and capital expenditures — which account for a combined spending of $12.7 million in 2026 and $15.2 million in 2027 — not only set the stage for November's budget deliberations, they prioritize spending if councillors look to add. Ward 4 Coun. Troy Davies said policing is his main priority. He has no interest in reducing the police budget. Council previously learned the police budget alone would account for a 4.09 per cent increase to property taxes if approved as is. 'There's not a whole lot of room, other than going back in and cutting services, which might have to occur as well,' Davies said. 'I think everything should be on the table.' Wednesday's discussion ended with Ward 9 Coun. Bev Dubois asking administration to compile a list of items the city pays for which used to be the responsibility of the provincial or federal governments.
