Manitoba’s 2026 budget to expand child care, aim for balanced finances

By The Staff The Canadian Press

Posted March 20, 2026 6:12 pm

2 min read

The Manitoba budget, set to be delivered Tuesday, will include more money for child care and a smaller deficit, Finance Minister Adrien Sala said Friday.

The spending plan is to include funding for a 2.9 per cent wage increase for early childhood education workers and 2,000 new child care spaces, Sala told reporters at a media photo opportunity.

He handed out running shoes at a child care centre in his St. James constituency.

“I think this focuses on the importance of early childhood education in our province,” Sala said.

The government has dropped broad hints in recent days at new spending in the budget for nurse training, cardiac care, police and corrections officers.

Sala said the NDP government can afford the new spending and still produce a balanced budget before the next election, slated for October 2027.