WINNIPEG — Manitoba’s finance minister says next week’s budget will include more money for child care.

Adrien Sala says the spending plan will include money for a 2.9 per cent wage increase for early childhood education workers and 2,000 new child care spaces.

Sala made the announcement at a Winnipeg child care centre, after handing out shoes to several children.

He says the government remains committed to producing a balanced budget before the next election, slated for October 2027.

The deficit for the current fiscal year, which ends at the end of March, has jumped to $1.6 billion and Sala says the upcoming fiscal year will show progress toward balance.

The NDP government has dropped broad hints at other measures expected in the budget, including more money for police, corrections officers, nurse training and cardiac care at St. Boniface Hospital.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 20, 2026

Steve Lambert, The Canadian Press