Tag Archives: Property Taxes

Homeowner grant threshold raised to $1.285M

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The B.C. government has raised the threshold for homeowner property grant to $1.285 million to accommodate rising property values.

The news comes as hundreds of thousands of annual property assessments are being prepared for B.C. property owners by the government. Last year, the threshold was $1.15 million. The grant effectively reduces the property tax paid by most B.C. homeowners by up to $1,045

Every year the province adjusts the grant to ensure 95.5 per cent of homeowners receive the full amount of the grant. Those with homes above the threshold may still be eligible for part of the grant.

“The homeowner grant provides a maximum reduction in residential property taxes on principal residences of $570 in the Capital, Greater Vancouver and Fraser Valley regional districts and $770 elsewhere in the province,” said a statement issued by the government on Tuesday.

“An additional grant of $275 is available to those who are age 65 or over, permanently disabled or a veteran of certain wars,.”

“We continue to see challenging economic times around the world. By maintaining the homeowner grant, we continue to help families with the costs of owning their homes,” said Finance Minister Kevin Falcon in the statement.

The grant is only available to Canadian citizens and to landed immigrants who normally reside in B.C.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/story/2012/01/03/bc-homeowner-grant.html

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Big bus fare hike pending

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Winnipeg Transit fares will increase a nickel on Sunday, but whether they’ll go up another 20 cents on June 1 remains to be seen.

On Nov. 16 city council voted 8-6 in favour of a surprise proposal from Coun. Justin Swandel to add 20 more cents on top of a routine five-cent increase in bus fares and dedicate the difference to rapid transit expansion.

“The ridiculous conversations that go on between the city and province are not going to fund our infrastructure. We’ve got to get off our butts and fund this thing,” Swandel said at the time.

The five-cent increase is going ahead as planned Jan. 1, making the full cash fare $2.45 as of Sunday. However, both the city and province have said the extra 20 cents will only be added June 1 if no other funding mechanism can be found to raise the hundreds of millions of dollars needed to expand Winnipeg’s fledgling rapid transit system.

So far it doesn’t appear as though there’s been a lot of movement in the six weeks since the vote.

“We have until June. If the province comes up with an alternative source, which everyone can agree on, then it won’t happen. Otherwise it probably will happen. We still have time to work on that one,” Mayor Sam Katz told the Winnipeg Sun just before Christmas.

Premier Greg Selinger’s preference is to fund the line with tax increment financing, a sort of back-door funding mechanism that sees the money roll in once the project is complete.

“We thought tax increment financing would be a way to look at financing it. As rapid transit expands, there are opportunities for urban development projects, and the revenues generated off that can pay for the infrastructure,” he said.

TIF, introduced by the provincial government just a few years ago, allows the government to divert a portion of the property taxes from certain properties when their assessed value increases. The province hopes rapid transit corridors will spur development nearby, which will increase the value of those properties. When the value increases, so too do the property taxes, and the province would divert the difference in its education portion back to the city.

Whether or not that can raise the $200 million or more needed to push rapid transit to the University of Manitoba remains to be seen.

Transit riders would be well advised to start saving their nickels just in case.

http://www.winnipegsun.com/2011/12/28/big-bus-fare-hike-pending

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Reassessment jump may not mean tax hike

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YOU opened your property reassessment notice back in June and probably shrieked in horror.

Yes, the portioned assessed value of all properties across Winnipeg has increased by 14.6 per cent over the past two years, said Nelson Karpa, the city’s director of assessment and taxation.

Shudder.

But does that mean your school property taxes will go up that much?

Probably not.

OK, so that’s not all that reassuring, but let’s walk through it and figure out whether you’re going to get whomped on your school taxes next year after trustees set their budgets in March.

Bottom line, the Selinger government has been encouraging school boards to freeze their property-tax increases, dangling tax incentive grants in front of school board noses. If Education Minister Nancy Allan renews the grants — she’ll issue her annual funding decree in late January — then, if your property’s value increased close to the average, your bill shouldn’t change much.

Let’s take the Winnipeg School Division as an example.

The value of all houses has gone up 14.56 per cent between April 1, 2008 and April 1, 2010, calculates chief assessor Karpa.

If your property’s reassessed value is in that ballpark, you should be laughing.

If your property went up 25 per cent, then yes, you’ll pay more in taxes, because you’ll be paying a greater share of the overall tax burden. If it went up six per cent, you should be paying less in 2012.

Why won’t it stay exactly the same, if you’re at 14.56 per cent and the WSD trustees freeze taxes? Because. Depends. Listen up.

The value of apartment buildings has gone up substantially higher than houses, so apartment building owners will pay a greater share of the tax burden, thus reducing the hit on homeowners by a few bucks.

But the value of businesses, with the exception of those in the St. James-Assiniboia School Division, has gone up at a slower rate than houses’ value, so a few dollars and cents of the business share of the tax burden shift over to individual homeowners.

And finally, there will be new properties coming on the tax rolls for the first time, which should nudge down existing properties’ share — such as new homes in Waverley West, Sage Creek, Amber Trails.

Clear?

The jump in values is nowhere near as dramatic as in the last reassessment two years ago, which was based on a five-year change in market values, said Karpa. This increase is smaller: “Values are still going up, but not to the same trajectory,” he said.

Two years ago, there was a considerable shift from business to homes, but the change in their relative values has been far less significant a change this time.

“It’s not a very material shift,” Karpa said.

The values of owner-occupied condos have shown the most fluctuation, rising about twice as much in Seven Oaks than in Pembina Trails and St. Norbert.

And just to complicate, confuse and confound the picture even more, mill rates will go down next year if school boards freeze taxes. Lower mill rates mean a lower tax bill, right?

Um, no.

Municipalities and school boards calculate mill rates by dividing the assessment base into the amount of money they want to collect through property taxes.

If school boards freeze property taxes, then the only new money will be provincial grants, and the amount collected through taxes should remain constant.

A larger assessment base divided into a constant amount of property taxes collected produces a lower mill rate.

But since that lower mill rate gets multiplied by the higher property value to produce your tax bill, it should all even out.

Obvious, eh?

http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/local/reassessment-jump-may-not-mean-tax-hike-136420428.html

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Homeowners see lower costs with lower rates: RBC

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Canadian homeowners caught a modest break during the third quarter as mortgage costs receded slightly, reversing a two-quarter trend in which affordability decreased.

A new report from RBC Economics says the driving factor was low interest rates, which helped reduce fixed mortgage rates across the country.

As a result, the bank says it was more affordable for Canadians to own a standard condominium, two-storey home or detached bungalow in the third quarter, though not by much.

The following RBC statistics include the total mortgage, utility and property taxes incurred by Canadian homeowners:

Owning a condo cost 29 per cent of median pre-tax household income at the national level, a drop of 0.2 percentage points from the previous quarter.

A two-storey home also became cheaper to own, but still costing 48.8 per cent of household income. That was down by 0.6 percentage points.

Finally, a detached bungalow ate up 42.7 per cent of that same income, a decrease of 0.7 percentage points from the second quarter.

In terms of a regional picture, RBC says Vancouver remains the most expensive housing market in the country.

In a statement, RBC Chief Economist Craig Wright said the Vancouver-area has “sky-high property values in upscale neighbourhoods making it both extremely unaffordable and the most at risk of a downward correction.”

On the other hand, RBC says Alberta is among the most affordable provinces in which to buy a two-storey home, detached bungalow or condo.

RBC also says that the Manitoba market “showed some of the more significant improvement in affordability among the provinces in the third quarter.”

Daryl Harris, a Winnipeg-based mortgage professional with Verico One Link Mortgage and Financial, said he was surprised by the RBC report’s analysis of the Manitoba market.

“Affordability generally follows one of two things, either lower rates or a decrease in house prices and I have seen neither in our market,” Harris told CTVNews.ca in a telephone interview on Friday.

Looking ahead to 2012, RBC believes housing prices are unlikely to soar any time soon.

“We expect to see further slowing in the pace of home price increases next year, as housing demand levels out,” said Wright.

“These factors will set the stage for a period of relative stability in affordability trends in Canada.”

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Burnaby landlord questions city budget, tax increases

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Burnaby landlord Gabriele Cocco couldn’t believe the numbers.

Upset at his increasing property assessments, he started looking at his taxes and making inquiries at Burnaby city hall, including a Freedom of Information request.

The figures he got back in response were, he said, “a little bit astonishing, quite honestly.”

According to the information sent to him by the city finance department, the population of Burnaby increased 15.8 per cent between 2000 and 2009.

During that period the number of city employees grew by 17.8 per cent. But the overall city budget grew from $208.5 million in 2000 to $327.3 million in 2009, an increase of almost 57 per cent.

The city portion of residential property taxes went up 56.3 per cent.

But for Cocco, who owns several light industrial and commercial properties, he was most aghast at the 191.6 per cent jump during that period in property taxes the city received from owners of light industrial properties and the 57.3 per cent jump in the taxes received in the business, or commercial, category. The city saw an almost 30 per cent increase in taxes paid by owners of major industrial properties.

“It’s obscene,” said Cocco. “I couldn’t believe the discrepancy between the consumer price index and the increase in property taxes. There’s no correlation.”

On one of his light industrial properties, at Waltham Avenue and Kingsway, the total taxes went up almost 52 per cent between 2004 and 2011, he said. However, the portion that goes to city hall saw less of an increase, at 27 per cent.

The budget increases “don’t relate to the private sector increases,” he said. “You couldn’t afford to stay in business with these kinds of [cost] increases.”

In the end, Cocco stressed, it’s not the landlords who suffer, but the tenants to whom the tax increases get passed. He’s lost at least one tenant who simply found the increases too onerous.

“I’m a frugal guy,” he said. “I don’t believe just because we’re in our heyday here and there’s a lot of building and a lot of money coming into the city that you should just go out and spend it.”

For his part, Cocco admits he’s raising his concerns now in hopes it will give voters something to think about as they head to the polls on Saturday. He believes it’s important to at least elect some people that could serve as opposition to the dominant Burnaby Citizens’ Association, which currently has a monopoly on council.

Burnaby Mayor Derek Corrigan responded that there were many things that happened between 2000 and 2009 that has resulted in increased operating costs at city hall, including growth in population and in the business and industrial sectors.

The large increases in property taxes collected include not only inflationary jumps but also more money from a growing tax base, resulting from new housing, commercial and industrial developments.

“So our tax base keeps growing … the actual services and the amount of revenue, will keep increasing but it won’t necessarily mean that your average citizen is paying more on their taxes than the normal rates that they expect” of two to 3.5 per cent per year, Corrigan said.

As for the increase in costs, much of it is due to wage increases and the provision of more services, he said.

The wages paid to the city’s RCMP officers make up much of the almost 55 per cent increase in the city manager’s department budget, which includes fire, police and library services.

RCMP officer wages added continuing costs to the operating budget in 2002 ($750,000 per year), 2004 ($600,000 annually), 2005 (24 new officers at a cost of $2.5 million a year), 2006 ($1.5 million), 2007 ($1.2 million) and 2008 ($245,000 for three additional officers plus $850,000 in wage increases). In 2009, the wage increase totalled $2.8 million, plus the RCMP received new mobile workstations at a cost of $450,000 and four new RCMP clerks ($350,000).

Policing was a big issue in previous elections, said Corrigan. “And we were asked to meet the community desire for more policing. As a result, we have been paying significant tax dollars to enhance our police force over those years.”

Corrigan noted that for several years before this period, RCMP wages were frozen which resulted in the large catch-up increases since then. In addition, RCMP are paid the average for the top three police forces in Canada.

“The problem is we don’t have any choice,” he said. The RCMP contracts are negotiated by senior governments.

Other ongoing cost increases have resulted from four new community police offices opening in 2000 ($750,000), the opening of McGill library branch ($2 million), a new city computer system ($3.7 million), improvements at Riverway Golf Course ($630,000), and the opening of the Tommy Douglas library branch ($1.6 million).

New facilities generally attract more users which creates a need for more staff and expanded opening hours, he said, noting that the Tommy Douglas library saw a 30 per cent jump in users, compared to the old Kingsway branch it replaced, as soon as it opened.

He said it’s expected that the new Edmonds community centre currently under construction, will cost the city $1 million a year in additional staffing, even after revenues are factored in.

There were 10 firefighters added for Fire Hall No. 7 in 2007 ($850,000) and another 10 firefighters and a fire captain added in 2008 ($1 million).

The increase in the city finance department’s budget, which grew by 102.5 per cent from $12 million in 2000 to $24.4 million in 2009, is largely to do with computerization of the city’s operations over that 10-year period, Corrigan said.

The wage hikes of other city workers has also added to the costs, he said, noting CUPE had a four per cent increase in its contract negotiated a few years ago, which is higher than the current rate of inflation. Until contracts come up for renegotiation, the city isn’t able to bring wage hikes in line with inflation.

The 59 per cent increase in the engineering department is largely in the utilities area (almost 97 per cent on its own) which is recouped from taxpayers, said Coun. Dan Johnston, chair of the city’s finance committee.

Those hikes included $7.6 million for watermain replacement, $10.5 million for the cost of water from the regional district, $8.7 million to separate combined sewers (to prevent sewage from accidentally entering local waterways during heavy rainfalls), $2.1 million in the cost of regional sewage services, $2.4 million for yard waste collection, $230,000 in Metro Vancouver garbage fees, $1.4 million for roadwork and $2.62 million for road maintenance downloaded by the province, much of which is recouped from TransLink.

Contracted salary increases accounted for $4 million of the cost increases in the department over the 10-year period.

Johnston stressed that people need to look at both revenues and expenses to get the real picture of the city’s finances.

“I think that you don’t get to be the best run city in Canada in 2009 without having committed to do a lot of things that make for a well-run city,” said Corrigan, referring to the Maclean’s magazine survey,

“You don’t get to where we are without spending some money and certainly that’s been true over the last years. We think that this money’s been a great investment and so far I think it’s proven that’s true.”

http://www.bclocalnews.com/news/133848123.html

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City councillor suggests property taxes could be set to rise in Winnipeg

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A city councillor in Winnipeg is saying property taxes may be set to rise.

Coun. Justin Swandel (St. Norbert) is speaking up publicly about the possibility of property taxes increasing next year.

He said the increase could be five or six per cent.

Winnipeg has had a freeze on property taxes for the past 14 years.

Mayor Sam Katz would not rule out an increase when questioned Thursday.

“I think what I specifically stated over and over again is that you can’t expect a freeze to continue for forever and we’re getting to that point. I think that’s what I stated and nothing has changed from that whatsoever,” said Katz.

In March, the city raised homeowners’ frontage levies by more than a dollar for the first time in 10 years.

http://winnipeg.ctv.ca/servlet/an/local/CTVNews/20111117/wpg_property_taxes_111117/20111117/?hub=WinnipegHome

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Property tax reform almost makes sense

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A property tax reform proposed by the previous Flin Flon city council might be making a comeback as a means of combating declining municipal revenues.

The idea, as already is done in Saskatchewan, is to give municipalities the right to change the way properties are taxed. All properties would pay a base tax, plus a portion tied to value, as opposed to the existing system in which the entire bill is based on value.

A resolution put forth by council and adopted by the Association of Manitoba Municipalities in 2009, points out, rather obviously, that because the present system is based solely on market value, owners of expensive homes pay “far more” for the same municipal services as do residents who live in more modest digs.

In practice, the reform would mean higher property taxes for lesser-valued homes and, potentially, lower taxes for high-end homes.

While there is broad agreement that property taxes should to some extent rise with home values, the resolution attempts to address the level of inequality.

Coun. Tim Babcock, who was not on council two years ago, says he is open to taking a serious look at the proposal.

While Manitoba as a whole grows, Babcock points out that Flin Flon is in decline and yet the municipality must maintain an infrastructure originally designed for a population twice the present size.

“Unfortunately, the reality of the situation is that our tax base continues to shrink while our costs are always climbing,” he says. “We are mandated by the province to provide a certain level of service, and we are asking fewer people to take the brunt of the increase every year.”

So is a minimum tax the answer?

“I don’t know that it is,” Babcock says. “But it’s something we will have to consider in the near future if we want to keep providing the same level of service.”

But not everyone thinks it’s worth considering.

Dennis Hydamaka isn’t about to shed a tear for those on the higher end of the property taxation scale. As a volunteer with Flin Flon’s food bank, he foresees dire consequences to upping the tax burden on low-end homes.

“I certainly would not see it as a good idea, that’s for sure,” he says. “It would increase the disparity between the haves and the have-nots. If you can afford to put up a $350,000 home on Dadson Row (a wealthier part of Flin Flon), you should be able to pay the taxes on that.”

Hydamaka says the proposal’s impact on low-income homeowners would be immediate. And hiking taxes on the many bargain-basement homes that have become rental properties in Flin Flon could in time put some people on the street as their rents rise accordingly.

But would things really be so dire? In Saskatchewan there does not appear to be hordes of people forced to choose between diapers and property taxes. Nor does there seem to be a swell of protests against the notion of a base tax.

Furthermore, the existence of Manitoba’s ever-increasing property tax credit for homeowners could help blunt any impact from a base tax.

For now, this whole debate likely is moot considering the provincial government would have to sign off on any such change. One can hardly imagine NDP Premier Greg Selinger delivering a speech that begins: “For too long now, Manitobans who live in the worst homes in the worst neighbourhoods have been getting a free ride.”

Which does not mean council is out of touch politically. Its resolution made an irrefutable side point: the current property tax system “fails to provide an incentive to promoting the upgrading of properties while unfairly moving the tax burden onto property owners who do.”

In other words, Manitobans who invest money in their homes are penalized with higher taxes as said investments boost property values. New siding, decks, garages — all of these enhancements are effectively discouraged.

Perhaps there is room for compromise. An arrangement that does not intensify the tax burden on those who can (often) least afford it, brings more funding sources to municipalities and rewards Manitobans who take pride in their homes.

A lot to ask for, of course, but neither the present system nor Flin Flon’s proposed solution quite makes sense.

Jonathon Naylor is editor of The Reminder

newspaper in Flin Flon.

http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/opinion/westview/property-tax-reform-almost-makes-sense.html

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Police Force Property Tax Hikes

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Residential property tax increases since amalgamation have averaged less than one percent a year when inflation is taken into account, says city finance chief Rob Rossini, and this year’s 0.7 percent rise in the tax rate actually constitutes an inflation–adjusted decrease of more than two percent. In the last 11 years, all of the increase above inflation can be attributed to the police budget which climbed 5.1 percent this year and now accounts for over a tenth of total city spending, and more than 18 percent of the property tax bill.

Rossini’s figures include the effects of area rating and reassessment – but are city–wide averages so the actual results vary from property to property. In some parts of the amalgamated city, taxes have jumped sharply because of rising property values – or at least the values calculated by the Municipal Property Assessment Corporation based on sales of nearby and/or similar homes.

In 2011, the city expects to collect $692 million in property taxes, and provide $130 million to the police. That latter bill is up nearly $50 million since amalgamation. By comparison, the library budget rose just over $7 million in the same period – from $20.2 million in 2001 to $27.6 million this year.

Inflation has totaled just over 27 percent from 2000 to today according to Bank of Canada calculations. Hamilton tax increases have averaged 2.9 percent a year (not counting inflation) over the last 11 years. The hit nearly 6 percent in 2004 and 4.6 percent as recently as 2008, but have been “otherwise very modest” according to Rossini.

“Our tax adjusted increase with inflation is actually below zero last year and in 2001,” he told councillors last month. “I think that’s a very good record.”

The police budget actually recorded one of its largest jumps in 2001 – a 7.7 percent increase – and has only been below three and a half percent once in the last 11 years – in 2010 when the rise was 3.3 percent. In only one of those years did the police budget climb less than the city tax rate (and the difference was only a tenth of a percent) while in most years it has been sharply higher.

The detailed police budget in Hamilton remains secret, although the Toronto police force posts its detailed breakdown on the internet. However, salaries and related personnel costs are known to form over 80 percent.

Hamilton has 793 officers. That’s about 155 per 100,000 people. Halton, with a very similar sized population has 124 officers per 100,000, while Peel Region with 1.3 million people is at 148 per 100,000.

Crime rates have been falling in Canada, with criminal code incidents dropping five percent in 2010 over the previous year.
The crime severity index fell 6 percent in the same period, and crime levels are now lower than 1973.

The most recent annual report (2009) on the Hamilton Police Services website shows a slight drop in criminal calls for service between 2004 and 2009 despite rising population levels. Non–criminal service calls fell 14 percent in the same five year period, and the police budget expanded by nearly $22 million.

Toronto city council is pushing their police force for a 10 percent budget cut. Initially that was demanded for 2012 but has now been extended over two years.

Hamilton city council begins its 2012 budget deliberations later this month with a workshop on the operating budget on October 27. There are two more workshops in early November, and actual decisions start at the beginning of December when next year’s water and sewer rates will be determined.

http://www.viewmag.com/13915-Police+Force+Property+Tax+Hikes.htm

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The buy or rent debate goes on

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Buying a home undoubtedly is one of the biggest decisions and purchases that most people ever make in their lives.

According to a poll this summer sponsored by Genworth Financial Mortgage Insurance Company and the Canadian Association of Credit Counselling Services, there has been a significant increase in the number of people in Canada planning to buy their first home this year – 11 per cent in 2011 compared to six per cent in 2010.

The debate about whether it is better to buy a home or rent has been around for a long time, and a detailed analysis of the pros and cons for each argument is well beyond the scope of a column of this length.

However, in the current low interest rate environment in this country, it’s interesting to look at some of the issues and factors that can go into making that important decision.

The first obviously is how much you can afford to pay. To answer this you need to prepare a detailed monthly household budget. Some of the regular housing costs include mortgage payments, property taxes, utilities such as heat, hydro and water, condominium fees if applicable, and insurance.

Most banks have easy-to-use mortgage tools to help you establish your financial situation and determine how much house you can afford and the maximum price you should be considering. You should do this research before you start house hunting because you don’t want to fall in love with and end up purchasing a home that you can’t afford.

As a rule, most mortgage companies will only allow your housing costs to equal a third of your gross income and if your total debt servicing costs – housing costs plus all of your other monthly debt payments – exceed 40 per cent of your gross income you may not quality for a mortgage.

How important is it for you to own a home? Some people might argue this is the most important question to ask yourself.

Like many other things in life, home ownership is a matter of choice. If it is important to you, you may want to have another look at your budget and re-prioritize your spending. If you really want a home you may have to give up going to movies, dining out, vacations or other discretionary spending for a few years to afford it.

You also need to look at your employment situation. If your employment is not stable, you probably shouldn’t be considering buying your own home because home ownership requires regular payments listed above, and missing them can result in some dire consequences.

How often you expect to move is another consideration. If you expect to be moving every few years then purchasing might not be the best option for you.

Buying and selling a home is expensive. It involves real estate commissions and legal fees, not to mention costs to move furniture and redecorate your new abode. By moving you might end up actually losing the money you may have made on your purchase.

If you decide to buy a home, are you still able to save some money each month? It’s a good idea to tuck some money away for unknown emergency costs that can hit homeowners that normally renters would not face such as furnace or roof repairs or purchases.

You need to have some wiggle room in your budget. If you’re stretched so tight that there’s no room for any savings, you’re probably stretching your budget too far and should reconsider the decision to purchase.

New home owners can take advantage of some government programs to help them.

The Home Buyers Plan (HBP), for example, allows you to withdraw $25,000 from your registered retirement savings plan (RRSP) to put toward the purchase of a home. When you withdraw the money, your RRSP issuer will not withhold tax on the amount you take out. However, if you are considering purchasing a home this year make sure your RRSP contributions have been in your RRSP account for at least 90 days before you can withdraw them under the HBP.

There are many factors that go into the decision to purchase a home instead of renting one. As in most things, doing your homework and seeking professional advice can help you make the decision that is right for you.

Talbot Boggs is a Toronto-based business communications professional who has worked with national news organizations, magazines and corporations in the finance, retail, manufacturing and other industrial sectors.

http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/business/finance/the-buy-or-rent-debate-goes-on–131547148.html

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NDP focuses on health, housing in Brandon stop

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A new ambulance and more home-care services in Brandon and financial support for 2,500 new private-sector rental housing units across the province were promised by Premier Greg Selinger on Saturday.

During a campaign swing through the Wheat City, Selinger said if the NDP is re-elected, a new ambulance for peak hours as well as four full-time paramedics to staff it will be brought in at an estimated cost of $400,000 per year.

Selinger also promised to expand home care by adding more staffing during evenings and weekends. This would cost about $190,000.

“Health care is a priority for the people of Brandon and Westman, and it’s a priority for today’s NDP,” Selinger said in a statement.

“Nothing is more important than your family’s health. (Saturday’s) announcement further improves health services for the growing community of Brandon.”

Manitoba’s NDP government created the country’s first universal home-care program in 1974.

Meanwhile, Selinger said his government would give a $25-million grant to encourage private developers to build 500 new rental units with rents below median levels.

As well, Selinger said the government would develop 1,000 new multi-family and seniors housing units in Winnipeg’s suburbs, including Waverley West and Meadows West.

It would also develop 1,000 new units in downtown Winnipeg and Brandon by allowing the developers to reinvest the incremental property taxes back into the project for 15 years.

“This investment will help relieve some of the pressure on those looking for rent,” the premier said.

Selinger also announced a new program that would see patients in western Manitoba needing non-emergency specialized tests and procedures flown by air ambulance to Winnipeg instead of going by road.

“This new program will shorten the travel time from western Manitoba to Winnipeg, cutting trips to well under an hour from a journey that could sometimes last up to four hours in an ambulance on the road,” Selinger said in a statement.

“This new program is about making travel more comfortable for patients.”

There are an average of 20 inter-facility transfer trips by ambulance from western Manitoba every day.

Meanwhile, in Dauphin Selinger announced $300,000 for a new recreation and skateboard park.

“It will help kids stay active and stay busy,” Selinger said.

The D-Town Plaza recreation park will include skateboarding, BMX biking, inline skating and snowboarding.

http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/local/NDP-focuses-on-health-housing-in-Brandon-stop-130526288.html

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