Property tax increases between 4.5% and 6.4% approved for several Winnipeg school divisions

Homeowners successful astatine slightest 4 of Winnipeg's six English-speaking schoolhouse divisions will be paying much successful acquisition spot taxes, immoderate for the 2nd consecutive schoolhouse year.

Manitoba's NDP authorities successful 2024 lifted a multi-year freeze that had been enactment successful place by the erstwhile Progressive Conservative government on the spot taxes schoolhouse divisions tin levy. 

Trustees astatine the Winnipeg School Division (WSD) approved the 2025-26 fund aboriginal this week, including a 5 per cent emergence successful its mill rate. It's the second year successful a enactment Manitoba's largest schoolhouse part has passed a taxation hike, aft a 3.4 per cent summation past year. 

The fund for the upcoming schoolhouse twelvemonth astatine WSD roseate by a 9.4 per cent summation compared to past year, with further funds the part said it needs to trim people sizes, adhd much room technicians and sorb the pressures associated with aging infrastructure. 

The WSD fund for the upcoming schoolhouse twelvemonth went up by 9.4 per cent compared to past year, wealth the part said is needed to trim people sizes, adhd much room technicians and woody with aging infrastructure. 

St. James-Assiniboia School Division approved its 2025-26 fund with a spot taxation summation of 6.2 per cent, up from a 4.12 per cent bump successful the past budget. 

The mean homeowner successful St. James-Assiniboia is expected to wage astir $110 much annually, oregon $9 a month, for schoolhouse taxes, the part said successful a quality release. 

The hike comes arsenic operating expenditures person accrued by 9 per cent from past year's budget. The interaction of those costs are partially tempered by a 2 per cent boost successful provincial support, including nutrition funding.

With the approved $141 cardinal budget, the schoolhouse part plans to summation staff, trim proviso fees for immoderate students and support tiny people sizes arsenic it prepares to invited astatine slightest 150 caller students successful the upcoming schoolhouse year. 

The Louis Riel School Division is expanding its mill complaint 6.4 per cent to code enrolment growth, ostentation and sorb accrued costs from the current teacher corporate agreement, the part said successful a quality release.

The division's approved fund for the 2025-26 schoolhouse twelvemonth sits astatine $273 million, a astir $26 cardinal bump from past year.

Part of the fund volition beryllium allocated to support people sizes by expanding staff, arsenic good arsenic to statesman a six-year program to retrofit aerial conditioning systems astatine 10 schools.

The part is besides spending $250,000 to heighten cybersecurity and $100,000 connected its h2o information aviator programme for Grade 3 and Grade 4 students, the quality merchandise said. 

Seven Oaks School Division volition spot a 4.5 per cent mill complaint increase, truthful the average homeowner volition look an summation of $274 annually, oregon astir $23 a month.

This is the 2nd consecutive twelvemonth Seven Oaks has approved a taxation hike, aft a 2 per cent summation successful the 2024-25 schoolhouse year. 

Pembina Trails School Division tabled its fund with a 2 per cent summation to the spot tax, amounting to a $40 summation for the mean homeowner. A spokesperson for the part said much accusation connected whether it was approved would beryllium released Friday. 

NDP, PCs spar implicit taxation hikes

During question play astatine the Manitoba Legislature connected Thursday, Progressive Conservative Party acquisition professional Grant Jackson attacked the NDP, saying the governing enactment hasn't done capable to money education. He cited a projected 15.5 per cent taxation summation in the River East Transcona School Division.

"Despite promising successful the 2023 predetermination run that they were going to revamp the acquisition model, this acquisition curate failed to deliver," Jackson said. "How does she deliberation this is acceptable astatine a clip of looming Trump tariffs and expanding affordability challenges." 

PC concern professional Lauren Stone said galore schoolhouse divisions crossed Manitoba are proposing taxation increases, with the largest truthful far — 16.55 per cent — astatine Turtle Mountain School Division.

"Nobody from these authorities benches are taking accountability for their mediocre fiscal decisions," Stone said.

Manitoba Education Minister Tracy Schmidt said the PCs slashed schoolhouse backing portion they were successful office, adding that nether the NDP's government, spot owners volition beryllium redeeming connected their taxes done a precocious implemented credit.

Last year, the NDP scrapped a bundle of education-tax rebates successful favour of a azygous $1,500 spot taxation recognition for each location starting this year, which Finance Minister Adrien Sala said volition little schoolhouse taxes "for the immense bulk of Manitobans."