Manitoba tops up research funding following pleas from scientists
The province will increase its annual funding for Research Manitoba from $14 million to $19 million, Innovation and New Technology Minister Mike Moroz announced Wednesday in a press release.
Oversight of the agency is also moving over to his ministry from advanced education, he said.
The increase in research funding comes two months after dozens of Manitoba scientists, researchers and academics penned an open letter to the government, noting funding to Research Manitoba had not increased significantly since the former Progressive Conservative government cut the agency's budget.
That letter was inspired by comments made in March by Premier Wab Kinew, who mused about attracting disaffected U.S. scientists to Manitoba.
Dylan MacKay, a University of Manitoba food scientist who was among the signatories of the April letter, said Wednesday he was pleasantly surprised the provincial government listened to him and his peers.
More funding for Research Manitoba will translate directly into more actual research and make the province more competitive, both nationally and internationally, MacKay said.
Provincial funding for Research Manitoba bottomed out at $12 million in 2023, according to the agency's most recent annual report.
In 2023-24, the agency allocated nearly $7 million to health research, slightly more than $5 million to natural science and engineering research, and just over $500,000 for the social sciences and humanities, according to the report. That supported 195 researchers and 267 students at a total of 154 organizations, the report stated.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
CBC
an hour ago
- CBC
What young activists think of David Suzuki saying we've lost climate change fight
Canadian environmentalist David Suzuki made headlines last week when he said in an interview with digital news outlet iPolitics that humanity has lost its fight against climate change. Aishwarya Puttur, a former youth climate adviser to the federal government, says she believes there is time left to fight against climate change. Lily Yang, part of Canada's official delegation to a 2025 UN forum on sustainable development, says activism should be focused on dealing with big polluters and industries.
CTV News
2 hours ago
- CTV News
New Hampshire resident denied re-entry to U.S. after New Brunswick visit
A Canadian living in New Hampshire is stuck in New Brunswick after getting turned away from the border. A visit to family in New Brunswick has turned into a prolonged ordeal for Christopher Landry, a longtime New Hampshire resident who was denied re-entry into the United States. Landry, who has lived in the U.S. since he was three, is now separated from his partner and children, raising concerns about the relationship between Canada and its southern neighbour. Landry was stopped at the border in Houlton, Maine, and told he was inadmissible due to a marijuana conviction nearly 20 years ago. 'I was absolutely shocked,' said Landry, who works in manufacturing and has a green card. 'I crossed the same port of entry since 2007, with no issues at all. 'It's terrible. Everything in my life is essentially put on hold. My primary concern right now is, how is my family going to survive at home without me?' Moncton lawyer Mike Murphy, a former New Brunswick justice minister, expressed surprise at Landry's situation. 'It brings new light to the relationship,' Murphy said. 'It really concerns me because now Canada is being treated like really every other nation in the world, despite our social and economic integration. 'I think that Mr. Landry's dilemma is going to be something we see a lot more of. It's going to permeate multiple levels of our judicial system and our regulatory system.' Mike Murphy Moncton lawyer Mike Murphy is pictured. (Source: Josh Smith/CTV News Atlantic) Murphy advises Canadians living in the U.S. to consider becoming U.S. citizens and to carefully examine their past records. 'You're dealing with the United States giving new definition to previous old terms,' he said. 'There are new measures at the border where they are looking at some of your social media. It's a new age that's descended upon us, so be very careful before you leave the United States.' He also suggested the Canadian government consider retaliatory measures, noting many Americans with connections to Canada could face similar issues. 'Mr. Trump and his administration, they have a lot of Canadian friends that might just fall into the same category as Mr. Landry,' Murphy said. 'What happens when they come back to Canada and they're going back and they've had a conviction for marijuana possession or drinking and driving in New York or Wisconsin or California? It may change.' Landry is currently working to clear the old charges so he can return home. 'I'm hopeful that we can get this cleaned up and I can go home and resume my life,' he said. Landry said he never pursued citizenship because he is a third-generation green card holder, but now intends to apply if he is allowed back into the U.S. 'My grandparents held green cards and lived in the United States for over 40 years. And my mother was a green card holder, spent her entire life as a green card holder,' he said. 'I feel like these policies are doing a lot more harm than good… People may make mistakes but it's what you do after the fact that counts.' Christopher Landry Christopher Landry was denied re-entry to New Hampshire after visiting New Brunswick. (Source: Josh Smith/CTV News Atlantic) For more New Brunswick news, visit our dedicated provincial page.
CBC
2 hours ago
- CBC
'We don't know what the next step is': northern Ontario town facing financial crisis to meet with the province
Social Sharing A northern Ontario town that faces a shutdown of municipal services next month is meeting with representatives from Ontario's Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing on Wednesday to help find a solution to its financial problems. "We don't know what the next step is," said Shannon Pawlikowski, the Township of Fauquier-Stickland's director of municipal services, during a special council meeting Monday night. "We don't know if they're going to amalgamate us with another municipality or provide us with loans. Because the cost of operating this municipality exceeds what the tax base can afford." Last week, Fauquier-Strickland Mayor Madeleine Tremblay said the municipality of just under 500 people, located on Highway 11 east of Kapuskasing, has a $2.5 million deficit and would need to cease all municipal services by Aug. 1 without intervention from the province. Tremblay clarified at Monday's meeting that households would still continue to be connected to the municipal water supply after Aug. 1, even if the province doesn't intervene. But other services, such as garbage collection, would no longer be offered. Pawlikowski said residents would have to bring their waste to a landfill in a neighbouring community because it would be a liability to keep Fauquier-Strickland's landfill open without staff there to run it. "It's going to be a big problem if we can't use the dump," said Coun. Pierre Lamontagne. Lamontagne noted, to some laughter in the crowd, that if every household paid $9,000 it would eliminate the municipality's deficit. "I've done the count, and that's what it is," he said. During the meeting some citizens voiced their frustration at the township's poor financial standing. Dan Michaud, who ran for mayor against Tremblay in 2018, said Fauquier's financial problems go back at least that far. "We had this problem eight years ago and it's still not resolved," he said. Other residents asked why the municipality "went on a spending spree." Tremblay told CBC News earlier that upgrades to the water filtration system during the COVID-19 pandemic went over budget, leaving the small community with a bill for $1 million. On Monday, Pawlikowski noted that construction of a new municipal building and health centre came in at $2 million. Stagnant tax base She said that even if the province paid off the township's $2.5-million operating deficit "we would still be operating barebones." Pawlikowski said that while Fauquier-Strickland's population has increased somewhat since the pandemic, the tax base hasn't grown since many of the new residents are families with young children. In the end, council voted in favour of a motion saying it is willing and ready to work with the Ministry of Housing and Municipal Affairs to help solve this financial crisis.
