WINNIPEG — Manitoba Hydro and Manitoba Public Insurance employees who work downtown receive a regular payment on top of their salaries to offset costs associated with commuting to the downtown area.
The subsidy costs taxpayers almost $2,000,000 every year.
Approximately 1,000 MPI employees are paid $50 per month in downtown allowance totaling around $600,000 per year.
Around 1,600 Manitoba Hydro workers get $64 per month which adds up to around $1,300,000.
“MPI employees who work downtown receive a $50-per-month downtown allowance to assist them in additional costs associated with working downtown,” read a statement from MPI.
Manitoba Hydro started offering employees their downtown allowance in 2008.
“Employees can use that to purchase bus passes (through Winnipeg Transit’s EcoPass program) or to offset some parking costs,” read a statement from Manitoba Hydro.
However, Premier Brian Pallister has already started cutting government spending to balance the books while not raising taxes.
“Cost containment is a big part of that, everybody else has to contain their costs when taxes go up, I think we in government have a responsibility to look within our organizations and find ways to do a better job,” he said.