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WINNIPEG – A delegation from the Manitoba Heavy Construction Association (MHCA) recently met with Premier Wab Kinew to present its 2026-27 pre-budget recommendations ahead of the province’s budget day on March 24.

The association came up with several areas to discuss, along with suggestions such as:

• Establishing a Manitoba Economic Development Agency

While the premier announced the Manitoba Economic Development Strategy in fall 2025, the MHCA is recommending it be business-led to “spearhead a co-ordinated economic growth strategy,” and the priorities should be investment in trade gateways and corridors to advance trade diversification; and strategic investments in the Port of Churchill, CentrePort Canada, the Emerson border crossing, and PTH #1 (including east of Falcon Lake to the Ontario border) as key north, south, east, and west trade assets supporting Canada’s global trade diversification, a notice from the association reads.

• Release a Manitoba transportation system investment strategy

The MHCA recommends Manitoba Transportation and Infrastructure (MTI) table a long-term, fully costed Manitoba Transportation System Investment Strategy based on system condition, needs, gaps and opportunities; and that it be supported by both annual and five-year capital programs.

• Increase MTI’s annual highways capital budget

Increase the capital program from approximately $515 million to between $900 million and $1.1 billion annually; phasing in this increase over three years; aligning investments with the recommended long-term strategy; and supporting implementation through sustainable, predictable annual and five-year capital programs.

• Restore authority to tender over budget to accommodate unplanned carryover

The MHCA recommends restoring limited authority for MTI to tender projects beyond the approved annual budget to accommodate unplanned project carryovers.

• Restore carry-forward of unspent highways capital funds

The association is recommending restoring the ability to carry forward unspent highways capital funds into the subsequent fiscal year, with appropriate reporting and oversight to ensure accountability.

• Increase federal and provincial contributions to urban trade gateways and corridors

The MHCA recommends federal and provincial governments contribute no less than 40 per cent of total capital costs. Examples include improvements to Route 90 and the Chief Peguis Trail extension.

“The MHCA delegation left the meeting confident that the premier understood and acknowledged the rationale for these recommendations,” the notice adds. “The delegation is hopeful that they will be meaningfully reflected in the 2026–27 provincial budget, which will be tabled later this spring.”