Ontario’s Economy Blamed for Reduced Transfer Payments

Manitoba’s share of federal equalization money has shrunk dramatically over the last five years, and it’s mostly Ontario’s fault.

That’s according to a new study released Wednesday that bolsters the province’s long-standing frustration over flat federal transfer payments.

The study, done by the Frontier Centre for Public Policy and the Atlantic Institute for Market Studies (AIMS), found Manitoba’s share of Ottawa’s total equalization pie has shrunk more than 24 per cent since the recession. That’s the biggest drop of any of the historic “have-not” provinces.

*This piece appeared in the Winnipeg Free Press