Government NEWS Public Information Branch Legislative Bldg., SERVICE MANITOBA Phone 946-7439 Date: February 28, 1969. THRONE SPEECH UNVEILS WIDE-RANGING PROGRAMS - - Plans Cover Most Government Areas A series of government programs, covering nearly every phase of provincial activity, were unveiled Thursday in the Speech from the Throne which opened the third session of the 28th . In addition to increased aid to municipalities and school boards, the Throne Speech outlined the following programs: Agriculture: .Additional funds for crop insurance. .Provision of services associated with a new program to increase the avail- ability of short and intermediate term credit to Manitoba farmers. .Maintenance of programs to assist agricultural development and expansion of some programs on a priority basis. .Implementation of further projects under the 10-year federal-provincial agreement to undertake a major development program in the Interlake. .Completion of the third and final phase of the Agricultural Extension Centre, Brandon, to serve western Manitoba agriculture. .New legislation to enable municipalities to deal more effectively with efforts to prevent loss of productivity in agriculture through soil and water erosion. Education: .Increased financial aid to local taxpayers by raising the province's present 65-per-cent share of the school foundation program. .Legislation to extend powers of the Public Schools Finance Board to con- trol total spending of unitary school divisions. .Provision of retroactive grants to January 1, 1969, for those multi-district school divisions which, by referendum, request to be made unitary divisions. (Of the 48 school divisions in Manitoba, 40 are unitary. Four of the remaining eight have asked for another referendum.) .Exploration of development of television as. a means of instruction in education, and the possibility of establishing an "open university" accessible to all who want to continue or expand their education through educational television. .Provision of capital funds for continuance of construction of new educa- tional buildings. -more- -2- THRONE SPEECH UNVEILS .Increased bursary support for students at the post-secondary education level. Health and Social Services: .Legislation to include certain optometric and chiropractic benefits in the Medicare plan that goes into effect April 1, 1969. .Emphasis on rehabilitative, rather than punitive, treatment for offenders, with inclusion of correctional institutions in the new Health and Social Services Department. .Establishment of a new rehabilitation camp in northern Manitoba. .Extension of mental health facilities, including the third and final stage of reconstruction of the reception building at the Selkirk Hospital for Mental Diseases. .Establishment of a family planning program. .Extension to all parts of Manitoba of provincial public health services and extension of "home care" to serve a greater area. .Provision of housing, in co-operation with the federal government, in five remote, unorganized areas of Manitoba. Plans for public housing are nearing completion in certain rural centres. Proposals for low rental full recovery housing for medium and low income families in Metropolitan Winnipeg have been invited from private con- tractors, and it is expected provincial participation will be requested for further implementation of urban renewal area No. 3 in Winnipeg. Transportation: .Continued expenditures for trunk highways and provincial roads. .Included with other developments are construction of the Lynn Lake road, extension of No. 6 Highway north from Grand Rapids, a new bridge over the Saskatchewan River at The Pas, completion of the Portage la Prairie bypass, completion of No. 59 Highway through Metropolitan Winnipeg and continuing of the four-laning program on the Trans. Highway East. Mines and Natural Resources: .Legislation to grant Manitoba Hydro a licence for a high-level diversion of the Churchill River at South Indian Lake, and an outline of measures "to ensure that the compensation of relocation of those affected will be fair and equitable." .Completion of the Portage diversion and Shellmouth dam this year which, with the fully-operational Red River floodway, will provide a three-fold flood control program. .Continuation of the dyking program for villages and towns in the Red River valley. .Funds for continued water control and conservation measures throughout Manitoba. .Legislation to participate with the federal government in establishing a -3- THRONE SPEECH UNVEILS freshwater fish marketing board. (The Throne Speech reported that the value of mineral production and mineral exploration reached an all-time high in 1968, and that information on "recent developments" in these fields would be provided the Legislature.) Municipalities: .Establishment of a Provincial-Municipal Tax Structure Committee to comple- ment the work of its federal-provincial counterpart. .Short-term fiscal aid to help municipalities fulfill present responsibilities. .Provision of a new draft Local Authorities Election Act and new draft Municipal Act. .Financial assistance to municipalities for 1970 Centennial Year celebrations. Labor: .New measures "to improve and update legislation to protect workers and their families." (The speech noted that while several hundred collective agreements between employers and employees were concluded in Manitoba in 1968, in only four cases within provincial jurisdiction did strikes take place in connection with agreement negotiations.) Industry: .Continuation of programs to increase provincial economic and industrial development and to expand employment opportunities. .Particular emphasis on ensuring that programs aimed at accelerated economic growth will take place in a balanced way among all regions of Manitoba and in support of the private sector. .Continuation this pre-centennial year of the Spirit of '70 program which encourages involvement of all citizens in Manitoba's efforts for economic development. .Tabling of the report of the Commission on Target for Economic Development to 1980, which outlines development objectives and programs for the coming decade. Consumer Affairs: .Establishment of a consumer bureau as a branch of the Department of Consumer and Corporate Affairs. .Establishment of the office of ombudsman "to serve as an independent instru- ment of the citizen to investigate administrative decisions, omissions or delays on the part of provincial government departments and agencies in relation to which the citizen alleges to have been aggrieved." Tourism: .Provision of programs to continue "the high level of tourist activity" within the province. .Opening of Spruce Woods Park -- one of Manitoba's three Centennial Parks -- this year, and continued development of Asessippi Park, aiming at a 1970 centennial -4- THRONE SPEECH UNVEILS opening. (Bird's Hill Park was opened for the 1967 centennial). .Provision of programs "so that the public demand for park and recreational facilities may be met."

Legal: .New improved expropriation procedures. .New procedures in dealing with persons found intoxicated in public places. The Throne Speech reported that legislation to implement recommendations of the Electoral Divisions Boundaries Commission would be presented to the Legislature. The Legislature will also be asked to consider legislation to enable the Manitoba government "to make adjustments to ensure better equity for estate taxpayers in Manitoba." The Throne Speech said the Manitoba government had joined in making repre- sentations to Ottawa which had led to some modifications in the federal estates tax. But there still was widespread concern over its probable effects, and consequently provincial legislation is planned to provide more equity for estate taxpayers.

-30-