The Manitoba government’s battle to cut the deficit is getting another round of help from federal transfer payments.
New figures from the federal Finance Department show Manitoba is to see a $255 million jump in equalization funding next year.
It is the third year in a row that equalization to Manitoba will jump by more than 10 per cent.
Equalization is a federally funded program that gives money to poorer provinces so that they can offer services similar to richer ones.
The Progressive Conservative government has promised to balance the budget before the next election and is predicting a deficit of $350 million for the fiscal year that will end in March.
Manitoba Finance Minister Scott Fielding says the federal funding boost helps, but the province has also controlled spending increases to get closer to a balanced budget.