Manitoba throne speech promises supervised consumption site, overpass at fatal bus crash site by January

Manitoba’s NDP government is promising construction, saying in its third throne speech it will build an overpass at the site of a bus crash that killed 17 seniors, which would establish the province’s first supervised consumption. Get a site up and running in just a few weeks New fuel-burning generating station to address predicted power shortages.

The address – which outlined the priorities of Premier Webb Kinew’s government for the upcoming legislative session – was It is also heavy on its promises to strengthen the health care system, with a focus on reducing mandatory overtime and enforcing lower staff-to-patient ratios.

Government’s pledge to build an overpass at the current at-grade intersectionN of Highway 5 and the Trans-Canada Highway near Carberry being celebrated by the local peopleThose who fiercely opposed the government’s initial proposal – an intersection configuration that would have required merging and U-turns to get onto the busy Trans-Canada.

On June 15, 2023, a semi-trailer and a bus carrying senior citizens going to a casino collided at an intersection, killing 17 people. Eight other people on the bus were seriously injured.

Following the tragedy, some area residents, as well as Carberry’s city council, called for an overpass at the intersection, but the government initially said this was not an option as the current traffic volume is not sufficient.

But that has changed, Kinew said Tuesday.

“This intersection is now different than any other intersection in Manitoba because of the lives lost and how sad it was to see those seniors pass,” he said, speaking at a brief briefing to reporters before the speech from the throne was read Tuesday afternoon. Lt.-Gov. Anita Neville.

“And because this intersection is different, with that scrutiny and that history, it means we have an extra responsibility to listen to the community’s voice on this.”

The Throne Speech committed to starting design work for the overpass next year.

The address also promised to open a supervised consumption site in Winnipeg next January. However, it did not specify where it would be located other than west of Main Street, or how the government could guarantee timely Health Canada approval.

Kinew said he is confident the deadline can be met, as the province has already done a lot of work on the application and will now file the paperwork and consult with the public.

progressive conservative leader obi khan Said the NDP did not adequately consult with the local community about the planned consumption site, which is normally the case A requirement for federal approval,

“When the Prime Minister doesn’t get his way, he ignores the rules,” the opposition leader said.

This speech is committed to building $3 billion The fuel-generation system at Westman, which is larger than Manitoba Hydro’s original plan for a $1.36-billion station, is designed to prevent the province from eventually running out of power in the winter months.

The proposed facility will have three turbines, instead of the previous plan of two, producing 750 megawatts of electricity. It will burn natural gas, but Kinyu hopes the facility will eventually be filled with clean renewable energy.

Work on 600 MW of wind power is already underway in the province.

Other infrastructure projects cited in the speech include starting construction on the emergency department of Victoria HospitalIn January, a new ER in Ericsdale this winter and a new correctional facility in Dauphin next fall. The Trans-Canada Highway connection from the Ontario border to West Hawk Lake will open next year.

On health care, the speech vowed to end mandatory overtime for staff, starting with nurses.

“You wouldn’t get on a plane with a pilot who worked two back-to-back shifts. Why should you go to an ER where the nurses are told to do the same thing?” The speech says.

will be there too Legislation setting minimum staff-to-patient ratios in priority areas of the health care system.

Kinew said the province will initially consider implementing these two pledges within emergency departments.

Enough nurses to end mandatory OT: Kinew

He also took aim at health-care administrators, saying the province has enough nurses to eliminate mandatory overtime, but system leaders will not stop the practice unless they are given a tougher stance.

“We feel there is a performance issue with our management in health care and we need to address that further.”

The Manitoba Association of Health Care Professionals suggested it would take more staff to meet some of the province’s goals.

Jason Linklater, president of the association, said, “Without a credible health human resources plan, I think there is very little chance of success in filling the many vacancies across the province.”

There is also a commitment to create a patient protection charter that will enshrine the “right to good health care” into law.

Kinew said there will be consequences if the administration does not comply with these new measures.

Patients, meanwhile, will have access to a digital health card starting in January and, at the end of the year, a new online portal to view their lab results and vaccinations.

The province is also planning to stop provincially regulated employers from requiring workers to obtain sick notes for absences of less than a week, a move doctors have sought as a way to free up time to treat patients.

“We all have to wait longer to see a doctor and, as taxpayers, also have to pay for sick notes,” Doctors Manitoba, which advocates for physicians in the province, said in a news release.

To address the crime, the government is planning to ban knives in some public areas and stop their sale on Facebook Marketplace.

The Speech from the Throne also promises “targeted meth sweeps” with the help of various police forces, and the province will purchase an airport scanner to find drugs before they enter Northern First Nations.

On the environment, the province aims to unveil the next steps of its plan to go carbon-neutral by 2050 this spring. The speech committed to announcing legislative targets at a later date.

Speech is committed to finding a way to help Manitobans with the cost of groceries.

The province will conduct a study, and Kinew told reporters that next year’s budget will include some MECsHeinism to help people save money on groceries.

Kinew said the government is committed to balancing the budget in 2027 and promised there will be no tax increases in the spring budget.

The government is planning new honors to honor some of the Manitobans who have recently lost their lives.

A bridge along Highway 313 in Lac du Bonnet will be named in honor of Sue and Richard Nowell, who Died during wildfire season Due to which eventually 32,000 people were evacuated.

And a new scoreboard and bleachers will be built at Sisler High School to recognize Darius Hartshorn, a 17-year-old high school football player who died in October After suffering a serious neck injury during a game.