Thompson, MB—Manitoba NDP MLA Tom Lindsey criticized the Pallister government on Tuesday for freezing provincial funding for the Community Economic Development Fund (CEDF) for the last two years.

In 2017 the Pallister government placed the CEDF’s Business Loans program under review and refused to approve any new business loans. That same year northern Manitoba’s main urban centers of Thompson, The Pas, Flin Flon and Churchill saw significant economic challenges .

Today, after two years of frozen funding, the Pallister government has announced a months-long review of CEDF’s loan program.

“The Pallister government has ignored Manitoba’s northern communities and businesses over the last three years,” said NDP MLA for Flin Flon Tom Lindsey. “When hundreds of mining jobs were eliminated in Thompson and Flin Flon the Minister of Growth, Enterprise and Trade dismissed it as ‘business as usual’. When the Churchill rail line was washed out for more than a year the Premier did nothing to help local businesses and families. The Pallister government has repeatedly failed to invest in the future of northern Manitoba – Northern Manitoba doesn’t need another review.”

The CEDF provides loans and guarantees to northern economic enterprises.