Manitoba promises to invest in Northern and First Nation communities in 2025 budget

With Manitoba’s 2025 budget now rolled out, the province has made a strong commitment to supporting Northern and First Nation communities.

This includes over $420 million in funding for Municipalities and Northern Affairs communities, along with $155 million allocated for Rural Municipalities.

The Manitoba First Nations Police Service Program will receive $11.9 million, while over $450 million will go towards new school projects and renovations.

The province also plans to train more teachers, introduce a new Land-Based Curriculum, and expand Treaty education across Manitoba.

“We remain optimistic we can continue having this relationship with the government to ensure the north is equipped with dialysis machines and I commend them for having that mobile MRI unit that’s a start, but we have some ways to go to meet the needs of First Nations when it comes to health,” said Garrison Settee, the Grand Chief of MKO.

“This is a budget that was announced with a lot of consideration for Manitobans but also includes First Nations.”

End Homelessness Winnipeg CEO, Jason Whitford was pleased to see the budget focus on increased investments when it comes to homelessness in the city, especially when it comes to our Indigenous population.

“If I was going to give it a grade, I would say B plus,” said Whitford.

“It’s very promising there’s a commitment towards Indigenous-led investments in capacity building and acquiring capital.”

Meanwhile, Travel Manitoba saw a $4.5 million increase, which CEO Colin Ferguson says will not only help generate more money for the province but will also help ongoing funds for Indigenous Tourism Manitoba.

“It’s pretty much A plus isn’t it,” said Ferguson. “They have shown incredible growth even during tough times like the pandemic, we are there to support them, and this a unique advantage this province has.”