Right in the centre -Taxes, drugs and school buildings

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Published on Thursday, June 22, 2017

Ken Waddell
The Neepawa Banner
The provinces of Manitoba and Saskatchewan are having some disagreements with the federal government. Neither province likes how the feds are steamrolling out a carbon tax. Saskatchewan seems totally opposed and Manitoba is somewhat opposed. Let it be said, I am totally opposed to a “carbon tax” for several reasons.

1. A carbon tax is nothing more than yet another gas tax and we certainly have enough of those already.
2. A carbon tax is being touted as a solution to climate change which is utter nonsense, as if man-made carbon emissions were even a factor in climate change, the amount that Canada emits is minor compared to other countries. The amount Manitoba emits is minor compared to other parts of Canada. A major volcanic eruption causes more emissions than all the countries in the world.
3. A carbon tax will put Manitoba at a disadvantage in the Canadian economy as so much of our power is carbon-free Hydro.
4. A carbon tax puts the Canadian economy at a disadvantage to the United States, as they are heading in the opposite direction to Canada’s tax policy.
5. A carbon tax, collected by the feds, is being touted as a way of getting money back to the provinces but, as always, bureaucracy will absorb a lot of it. 

The basic problem is that governments do more than they should in more areas than they should touch. In contrast, they abandon their proper role, which is to help establish an economic environment where everyone can not only survive, but thrive. Governments need taxes, but they should be simple transparent taxes like PST, GST and a flat income tax rate for individuals and corporations. Every other tax simply creates bureaucracy and rules and regulations that eat up a huge percentage of the money needed to run the government.

Manitoba is also at loggerheads with the feds over legalized sale of marijuana. Looks like marijuana sale and usage will be legalized. The feds have no idea how they are going to sell it, regulate it or tax it, but that doesn’t matter if our prime minister flippantly promises to legalize marijuana “the day after the election.” I think his drama teacher training kicked in a bit too much in that speech. 

Manitoba has until July 2018 to figure out how to sell the stuff and is digging in their heels on the issue. The province is justifiably concerned about a lot of details, not the least of which is how do you control the use of drugs among drivers? There doesn’t seem to be an easy answer on that point. Any trip down a highway will prove that we have enough bad drivers already, so marijuana isn’t going to make it any better for sure. There is one solution and that is to sell marijuana, alcohol and cigarettes in licensed facilities. Most stores don’t really want cigarette sales and say there is little money in that trade. If all three, namely, marijuana, alcohol and cigarettes, were sold in the liquor stores or a few licensed places it might be the way to go.

On a brighter note, Manitoba is looking seriously at building new schools under a P3, private public partnership, proposal. Businesses will be asked to design, build, own and maintain school buildings. It is an idea that is long overdue. I was first introduced to P3s around 2000, at the federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM) meeting in London, Ontario. At that time, P3s had been in place in England for years already. The Moray Street Bridge in Winnipeg was built under a P3. It has only been tried on a limited basis and needs a wider adoption in our country. With the Design, Build, Own and Maintain (DBOM) model, a company is responsible for all phases of a building’s life. If a company is responsible for all four phases of a building’s life, there should be a strong assurance that all phases will be looked after effectively and at the lowest possible cost. 
Lots of issues facing Manitoba right now and we should all be speaking with our MLAs and MPs about what we feel needs to be done. They need our support and prayers.