She’s been in the job for only a week, but Manitoba’s new infrastructure minister is tackling the province’s first major snowfall of the season, and hoping to improve snow-clearing efforts going forward.
Lisa Naylor told 680 CJOB’s The Start that crews are working hard to get Manitoba’s roads and highways clear, but that there’s lots of work yet to be done to shore up the department in terms of staff, equipment and more following years of austerity measures by the previous government.
“The previous government really did starve our public services, froze wages, they contracted out a lot of highway maintenance — and we all know in Manitoba that clearing has suffered as a result, so we’re working on staffing up,” Naylor said.
“We want our government to be an employer of choice for Manitobans. We have been hiring, we’re in that process, we are inviting retired snowplow operators to return.”
A provincial spokesperson told Global News that staffing levels — which have been a concern for a number of years — remain a challenge, with around a 26 per cent vacancy rate for transportation and infrastructure staff.
The fleet of snow-clearing trucks, graders and de-icing equipment continues to grow as well, with an additional 15 replacement truck plows slated for early 2024.
“We have about 340 vehicles for snow-clearing operations but the years of austerity have really affected the number of employees actually maintaining our equipment, so we’re working on building up that workforce so that our services can be maintained on a safe level for Manitobans,” Naylor said.
The goal is to have 24/7 service on major highways in Manitoba, and while that has yet to be attained, Naylor said the new government is looking at options to rebuild the public service in order to make good on that commitment.
Naylor said she wasn’t able to provide a timeline for when that goal is expected to be achieved at this early point in her ministerial role, but said she wants public service workers — across every sector — to know that help is on its way.
“I’m happy to have this portfolio,” she said. “I know it is such a critical area of government to make sure families can move around the province and that our EMS personnel can be able to do their jobs.”
Meanwhile, snow continues to fall on Manitoba roads.
Environment Canada meteorologist Brian Luzny told The Start that things really picked up overnight.
“Winnipeg got maybe one centimetre until midnight, and then at least three or four since then,” Luzny said.
“And then south of the city, there are pockets of up to 10 centimetres — in the Emerson region and down in Gretna.”
Snowy and icy conditions have also been reported Friday through the Hadashville area, and further west on Highway 1 near Austin, it’s the same story.
“It wasn’t that many years ago that we had that Thanksgiving storm that dumped 30 centimetres of snow on the city of Winnipeg,” he said.
“These things happen — some years are heavier than others, some years are light and warm.”
Although the system is expected to move out of the province later on Friday, a snowfall warning remains in place for parts of south central and southeastern Manitoba, not including Winnipeg.
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