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Appropriations committee approves Parks and Recreation budget, including deferred maintenance and Peace Garden match
Summary
The committee approved House Bill 1019 as amended, reducing a comfort‑station request by $1 million, preserving deferred‑maintenance funding, and including language for International Peace Garden matching costs with Manitoba.
The Appropriations - Education and Environment Division voted to approve House Bill 1019, the Parks and Recreation budget, after adopting amendments that trim one request and preserve other priorities.
Representative Sanford, the budget lead for Parks and Rec, described five main components the committee considered: personnel requests to convert nine seasonal positions to permanent status and two new FTEs (including one tied to the new Pembina Gorge park), equipment and technology funding (comfort stations and enhanced building Wi‑Fi), a $12,500,000 one‑time deferred‑maintenance request (reduced from $15,000,000), grant programs for parks and two Peace Garden items including a $1,000,000 sewer/shared cost with Manitoba.
Nut graf: The committee pared a $4.9 million equipment/technology package down by $1 million (primarily by reducing the department’s Wi‑Fi/technology enhancement ask) while preserving comfort‑station funds that are paired with a FEMA match. The deferred‑maintenance and grant lines remain a priority for the panel.
Representative Sanford said the comfort‑station request and FEMA match would permit facility upgrades and that the deferred‑maintenance line focuses heavily on roads and basic infrastructure in parks. Committee members noted the Peace Garden language explicitly requires matching contributions from the Province of Manitoba at the U.S. dollar exchange rate as of July 1, 2025; representatives characterized that provision as a way to ensure reciprocal cost sharing.
The committee adopted the amendments and then voted to report HB1019 as amended with a due‑pass recommendation. The roll calls were recorded in committee minutes and the bill as amended was advanced.
Ending: Members praised the work as pragmatic maintenance and infrastructure funding for parks and said staff and agencies should prepare for potential conference committee adjustments later in the session.
