A Message from YourPresident

Monday, March 20th was the first day of spring, and the weather has been a constant topic of conversation It is cold, colder than normal, colder than the last 100+ March’s on record. Gross.

But what we know is that warmer weather is inevitable. The sun is stronger, the days longer. We are headed for a Manitoba summer. Hallelujah.

This also signals the upcoming conclusion to my tenure as president, and as I reflect on the previous ten months, I am abundantly grateful for the opportunity to serve my community in this role. I have had the pleasure of some fortuity as your president. Case in point, my appointment to the Premier’s Economic Advisory Committee on Competitiveness (PEACC) was admittedly, a surprise to me When they called to see if I was interested my first question was, ‘did you mean to call me?’ And I can also admit to feeling very out of place at the first meeting But what I have come to learn, is that confidence, is a choice So, as I sat with my pages of notes from our board and members, I reminded myself that I was invited there, and that I had a job to do, for Brandon, for the Chamber, for the members. So, I chose, confidence. And by our last meeting, the chair hugged me good-bye, and I was thanked for my participation, input, and for consistently bringing attention to rural Manitoba. Phew.

The PEACC’s final meeting to present our recommendations to Premier Stefanson and Deputy Premier Cullen, was in early March. It was well received, and some of the recommendations were reflected in the budget, specifically the tax reform Raising the basic personal tax amount and adjusting the tax brackets and rates to close the gap between Manitoba and other prairie provinces, was a key suggestion from our committee We also strongly and unanimously recommended the abolition of the payroll tax, and the budget does include increased exemption thresholds and a commitment to take further action in years to come. From a layperson perspective I would deduce that the government must find a way to replace the revenue the payroll tax provides. From the many meetings of this committee, and with our MLAs and other government officials, I did not get the impression that they won’t abolish it, but rather that they are working to responsibly consider how to abolish it. Optimistic.

The complete set of recommendations purpose is to advise cabinet, and as such is deemed confidential However, I can tell you that we broke it down into the eight areas –Tax Reform, Healthcare, Community Wellness and Housing, Education, Immigration and Labour, Infrastructure, Manitoba Hydro, Rural and Northern Development and Quality of Life Brandon and our area are represented in the document and the premier did comment that some of the items can be actioned in year, which is good news. Thank you to the Premier for the invitation to participate. Grateful.

If you have no confidence in self, you are twice defeated in the race of life. With confidence, you have won even before you have started. Cicero

Wishing you all a very Happy Easter and I hope to see you at our annual gala and 140th birthday celebration on April 13th.

Stay well

Tanya LaBuick, Brandon Chamber President