Manitobans weigh in on the 2024 provincial budget

Global News and 680 CJOB spoke with four Manitobans about their priorities, what they are happy to see and what they think is missing on provincial budget day.

Global News and 680 CJOB spoke with four Manitobans on Manitoba’s provincial budget day: what their priorities are, what they are happy to see, and what they think is missing.

Meet Gorete, Craig, Sarah Jane, and Josh.

Gorete Tavares is a single mother of three children. She rents her home, and says her rent has rose $200 per month last year.

“Rent going up, groceries going up, I mean, how are people supposed to live?” she told 680 CJOB Tuesday.

The cost-of-living crisis is affecting her clients, too. As a counsellor, Tavares sees how financial stressors affect mental health — and can prevent people from seeking help.

“I’ve had recently many clients who had to cancel because they just can’t afford it,” she said. She hasn’t increased her prices in five years, and although she could use the money, she said she hopes to be able to serve more people this way.

Craig Whitman has lived in Manitoba most of his life, and is a semi-retired residential real estate appraiser. He lists fixing health care as a top priority, and says government needs to do more to attract health-care workers, including making it easier for foreign-trained professionals to have their credentials recognized.

“I’m older,” he said. “The knees are going to be have to be replaced one day, and hips, and all that other stuff. We can have all the staff or all the building space in the world, but are we still going to be able to access it?”