Winnipeg Free Press

Winnipeg Free Press (Newspaper) - July 11, 2024, Winnipeg, Manitoba B2 ● WINNIPEGFREEPRESS.COM NEWS I MANITOBA THURSDAY, JULY 11, 2024 On a roll: good luck rains down on NDP government I N government, as in life, it’s some- times better to be lucky than good. Case in point? Although the gov- ernment and its agricultural, meteoro- logical and hydrological experts are all cautious about saying it out loud, the drought conditions that have plagued Manitoba for much of the last two sum- mers seemed to have come to an end. It turns out the frequent warnings earlier this year that summer was going to be as dry, dusty and smoky as last year have been greatly exagger- ated. Thanks to historic amounts of rain in April, May and parts of June, moisture levels in the soil across the province are at or above normal levels, giving farmers a real shot to have a bounce- back year. As well, the water levels in the prov- ince’s lakes and rivers are returning to historic normals or, in some cases, exceeding those benchmarks. Mean- while, outflows from major bodies like Lake Winnipeg have surged to power Manitoba Hydro’s generating system. You can also add into the mix the significant decrease in forest fires this summer. How and why does all this add up to a stroke of good luck for Premier Wab Kinew and his NDP government? Let me count the ways. On the agricultural front, all manner of crops across the province are expected to be robust this year as drought-ravaged farmers sudden- ly have the conditions for bumper harvests. Bigger harvests means little or no government income supports, which means more income for farmers and more income taxes collected by government. Although some may bristle at having to pay more taxes, it’s actually a win- win for government and all the things it does. The same holds true for the water levels in our lakes and rivers. In this province, all sorts of eco- nomic fortunes are tied directly to the water levels. The biggest and most impactful connection is between water and Manitoba Hydro. In regular years, Hydro’s network of generating stations creates enough electricity to meet demands within the province and export power to neigh- bouring jurisdictions. The combination of domestic load, firm export contracts and spot export sales can combine to make Hydro a fiscal juggernaut that pumps hundreds of millions of dollars into government coffers. The income is important in two forms: first, government earns direct revenues by charging Hydro fees on the water it uses along with other taxes and surcharges for things like guaran- teeing debt; second, the government also benefits indirectly from higher retained profits in Hydro’s coffers. The provincial government lives and dies — practically and politically — from the bottom line of the sum- mary budget. This includes all of the revenue and liabilities from programs delivered by government and through arm’s-length entities like Hydro. When Hydro loses money, it is typ- ically in such enormous proportions that it can, on its own, move a budget bottom line from surplus to deficit. In 2022-23, Hydro lost $248 million at year end, which was $639 million less than the former Progressive Conserva- tive government had anticipated. That over-estimation of Hydro profits was one of the leading causes of a budget deficit that soared to $1.9 billion in the 2023-24 fiscal year, which ended March 31. That’s a really long way of saying that more water in lakes and rivers means more water through turbines, more electricity to sell as exports, more Hydro revenue, which means a major boost to the government’s bottom line. You can bet that, at some point, the Kinew government will rush to take some indirect credit for the bountiful rainfall. That will likely happen if and when Finance Minister Adrien Sala can report a major reduction in the current budget deficit. Sala is already hoping to take the $1.9-billion deficit he reported in the spring budget and reduce it to about $796 million in the 2024-25 fiscal year. If he is able to hit or exceed that tar- get, you can bet that Hydro will have played a major part. All that means even if the weather drove most of the deficit reduction — and right now, better weather and robust federal transfer payments are doing most of the heavy lifting — you can be sure Kinew and Sala will pat themselves on the back for improving Manitoba’s fiscal outlook. In some ways, taking credit for things that are outside of your control is fair play for any governing party. Even though no government can actually control the weather, govern- ments do suffer condemnation from opposition critics when weather events drive unexpected expenditures or erode tax revenue. The cause of the added expenses may have been a flood or fire, but opposition critics will lam- baste governments for not planning properly. For now, the NDP can thank the heavens (and the clouds) for dumping record amounts of rain on a province that desperately needed it. Going forward, Kinew and Sala should remember one overarching principle when politics and weather collide. Government fortunes can change quickly, just like the weather. dan.lett@winnipegfreepress.com DAN LETT OPINION BRIEFS ARREST IN FISHER BRANCH HOMICIDE THE second of two men wanted for the slaying of a 51-year-old man from Fisher River Cree Nation has been arrested. The victim was found in the Rural Municip- ality of Fisher on June 1, and his death was deemed a homicide. Investigators announced on June 5 that two girls, ages 14 and 16, were arrested and that warrants had been issued for Perry Durocher, 19, and Jerome Moore, 23. Moore was arrested in Winnipeg on July 4. Durocher was arrested in Winnipeg on June 7. All four face manslaughter charges. SUSPECT SOUGHT IN HIT-AND-RUN POLICE are asking for the public’s help after a pedestrian was hurt in a hit-and-run collision. The Winnipeg Police Service said an 18-year- old woman exited a transit bus at a stop on Main Street and James Avenue and began to cross the street at 11:50 a.m. on June 25. She was walking in front of the south-facing bus when she was hit by a southbound Chevrolet Equinox. The SUV did not stop at the scene, the WPS said in a news release. The victim was taken to hospital in unstable condition and later upgraded to stable. Police are investigating and want to speak to the driver of the Equinox. They are asking anyone with information about the incident, including video, to contact the WPS traffic division investigators at 204-986-7085, or Crime Stoppers anonymously at 204-786- 8477 (TIPS) or winnipegcrimestoppers.org. LOGAN AVENUE HOME BURNS AGAIN A fire broke out in a vacant home on the 700 block of Logan Avenue for the third time in eight months Tuesday. Crews were sent to the one-and-a-half-stor- ey house just before 5:30 p.m. and declared the fire under control by 6:02 p.m. No injuries were reported, but a dead cat was found inside. The home was previously damaged by fire in November and February. The cause of Tuesday’s fire is under investigation. On Wednesday, at 12:27 p.m., crews were sent to a fire in a single-family bungalow on the 1400 block of Pritchard Avenue. They declared the fire under control at 12:45 p.m. Preliminary observations suggest the Pritch- ard fire was caused by hot tools being used in a home renovation project. — staff SUPPLIED Jerome Moore MIKE DEAL / FREE PRESS PADDLE PALS Members of the Nature Manitoba Grey Hares paddle along the Seine River approaching Marion Street Wednesday afternoon. The group of retired and partially retired people gather for outdoor activities every Wednesday. Intake freeze at cramped facility, adoption fees reduced No vacancy at humane society T HE Winnipeg Humane Society is so full of four- legged friends, it’s been forced to implement an intake freeze. There are 250 cats and dogs now at the Hurst Way facility, 260 with foster families and another 37 at sat- ellite locations, including PetSmart, Petland and Best West Pet Foods. “Despite pairing up animals in a single room and all the rooms across the shelter, we’re still running into the problem that we do not have any more room,” adoptions manager Daphne Hee said by phone. The shelter is so cramped, a domestic short-haired cat named Tiny has even taken up residence in Hee’s office. To try and encourage adoptions, the fees charged have been reduced for cats and dogs until July 22. For cats six months old and above, the fee is $25; for a kitten it’s $100. Large-breed, adult dogs cost $50 to adopt, and puppies are $150. All animals up for adoption are spayed or neutered, vaccinated and dewormed. Adoptions have slowed as the number of incoming animals has increased, creating a bottleneck, Hee said. She attributes the increased surrenders at the shel- ter to stretched personal finances and rising costs on everything from pet food to veterinary costs. “It becomes very difficult for people who are strug- gling financially to take care of their animal and they have to make sacrifices,” Hee said. The humane society provides various financial as- sistance programs, some requiring an application, on everything from spaying and neutering to urgent care needs. Pet food can also be obtained at the shel- ter without having to prove need. For those wanting to find a new home for a healthy animal or a stray, the shelter is asking Winnipeggers to keep or leave animals where they are. It’s not the first time the shelter has contended with capacity issues, Hee noted. “Last year we also experienced something very similar consistently throughout the year,” she said. The humane society will look to privately run shel- ters across the country to alleviate some of the pres- sure, but Hee said most are facing similar capacity challenges. Hee said she hopes the intake freeze will end after a couple of weeks, but that could change depending on the number of incoming sick and injured animals the shelter is helping. “We’re all trying here,” she said. “Adopt and don’t shop.” The humane society asks anyone interested in a new furry friend to visit the shelter ready to adopt the same day. jordan.snobelen@freepress.mb.ca JORDAN SNOBELEN BORIS MINKEVICH / FREE PRESS FILES The Winnipeg Humane Society has a large influx of cats and dogs and is encouraging people to adopt a pet if they can. ;