Winnipeg Free Press

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GreenActionCentre. ca N DP leadership contender Steve Ashton would as premier rebuild the provincial government's relationship with rural Manitoba, which has not only been stung by the increase to the provincial sales tax, but also by forced municipal amalgamation and the closure of government and Manitoba Hydro offices under the Selinger administration. Ashton pledged if he becomes the NDP's next leader, he'll take immediate steps to give communities outside the Perimeter Highway a greater say in issues that directly affect them. He said he would also review the province's policy on centralization of government and Crown offices. " I want to look at some of the office closures that have been proposed the last period of time, but a specific initiative of government that looks at us partnering with local communities to provide government services in rural Manitoba," Ashton said. " With the technology that we have to communicate today, there is some potential significant advantages having government employees and government offices in rural Manitoba." In particular, Ashton said Manitoba Hydro's plan to close 24 of its rural district offices by 2017, in an effort to modernize its operations, could be reviewed. " I want to actually build on a new initiative for decentralization of government services," Ashton said. " In many communities, that one or two jobs is a significant part of the community." Ashton acknowledged the last time government shifted jobs to rural areas was under the former Progressive Conservative government of premier Gary Filmon. In March of 1990, the Filmon government said it wanted to move 692 government and Crown corporation positions from Winnipeg to more than 60 rural communities to inject more than $ 25 million in payrolls into local economies. " With all the new communications and with the new growth in rural Manitoba, what I'm saying is it's time for a new initiative in decentralization that will actually relocate and perhaps even locate new jobs and new services in rural Manitoba," Ashton said. Ashton also said he would increase the rate of growth in infrastructure funding to municipalities, in keeping with a promise he made this week to increase funding to the City of Winnipeg to repair roads and other infrastructure. NDP delegates vote March 8 to decide who will lead the NDP into the next election. Selinger and former jobs and the economy minister Theresa Oswald are also battling for the title. Over the past week, the depth of anger within NDP circles over the cause of the leadership fight has percolated to the surface. The leadership race was triggered by resignations of Oswald and four other ministers from cabinet in protest over Selinger's management of government, most notably his last- minute decision in the spring of 2013 to raise the provincial sales tax without discussing it with his caucus. In a letter to the editor in the Free Press , former NDP health minister Tim Sale said some of Selinger's top staffer have abandoned government to work for Oswald's leadership campaign. Sale said these same staffers have often undercut Selinger since his election as leader in 2009. Veteran NDP MLA Conservation and Water Stewardship Minister Gord Mackintosh said he's been asked to broker a truce between the Oswald and Selinger camps to cork the war of words and put more focus on fighting the next election in April 2016. On Friday at Ashton's announcement, more bad blood bubbled up, this time from Interlake MLA Tom Nevakshonoff, who supports Ashton's leadership bid. Nevakshonoff, first elected in 1999, said Selinger needs to be replaced if the NDP is to regain any traction in rural Manitoba. " We're in the rapids right now," Nevakshonoff said. " I think that goes without saying. Some of the government's decisions, not necessarily all that well- articulated, the result being we're in bad shape, particularly in rural Manitoba. Our numbers are down, and I just don't think the status quo is good enough anymore. Our own party pollsters have told us we're facing oblivion in rural Manitoba and that's serious news for all of us." bruce. owen@ freepress. mb. ca NDP's tax toll nears $ 1B, Pallister says OPPOSITION Leader Brian Pallister calls it the " billion- dollar betrayal" and says Manitobans are about to mark it this coming Wednesday. On Friday, Pallister said he and his staff have calculated that as of Jan. 28, Manitobans will have paid $ 1 billion more in additional taxes and fees than they were led to believe from the governing NDP in the last election in October 2011. The calculation includes the one- percentage- point hike in the provincial sales tax in 2013 and the broadening of goods and services subject to the PST the previous year, such as haircuts over $ 50 and insurance products. There have also been various fee increases and a liquor and beer price hike in March 2013. " This is an NDP government that ran on the promise not to raise taxes," Pallister said. " It means there is a large additional burden being put on seniors, on single moms, on struggling middle- class families." Much to the Tories' chagrin, the Manitoba NDP leadership contest has given the governing party considerable media attention. Pallister, never loath to summon reporters to blast the NDP, has invited the media to meet with him three times this week to comment on either a leadership- candidate promise or a government policy. The Conservatives are also running a series of television ads featuring Pallister discussing such matters as education and health care. Also this week, advocacy group Manitoba Forward launched a web campaign to draw more attention to government- led initiatives such as hydroelectric development. Manitoba Forward, which bills itself as a non- partisan organization, includes Markus Buchart, former leader of the Manitoba Green Party, Roger Kingsley, a board member for both the federal and Manitoba Liberal Party and Graham Lane, former chairman of the Public Utilities Board. - Larry Kusch Ashton offers rural appeal Vows to look at moving jobs outside of Winnipeg By Bruce Owen WAYNE GLOWACKI / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS Steve Ashton is joined by NDP Interlake MLA Tom Nevakshonoff at Friday's announcement. A_ 08_ Jan- 24- 15_ FP_ 01. indd A8 1/ 23/ 15 10: 21: 02 PM ;