Lawsuit settlement, collective agreements and Hydro losses drove up Manitoba deficit, documents show

New documents show the Manitoba government posted a deficit in the last fiscal year of just under $2 billion – the largest non-pandemic deficit in the province’s history – in the fiscal year that ended in March.The final audited results for the 2023-24 fiscal year show a major factor was a drop in revenue from Crown-owned Manitoba Hydro, where dry weather and low water levels turned an expected profit into a loss.On the spending side, new collective agreements in the public sector and a lawsuit settlement over payments to kids in the child welfare system drove up costs.