The Canadian Taxpayers Federation is urging the Manitoba government to focus on tax relief rather than exploring government-run grocery stores as a way to address food affordability.
The call comes after the province released a grocery price study that examines several options to improve food access, including potential pilot projects involving government-operated grocery stores.
CTF Prairie Director Gage Haubrich said the proposal risks wasting taxpayer money without lowering grocery bills for Manitobans.
“Politicians love big flashy announcements that make it look like they are doing something different, but in the case of a government grocery store, all that’s going to happen is that millions of tax dollars are going to be wasted and food won’t be made more affordable for Manitobans,” Haubrich said.
Instead, the federation argues the province should focus on reducing taxes.
“The best way for the government to make life affordable is to cut taxes,” Haubrich said. “Manitobans already pay the highest provincial taxes in Western Canada and can’t afford to send a dollar extra to the provincial government.”
The federation points to examples from other jurisdictions as evidence that government-operated grocery stores have struggled to achieve their goals. It noted that a publicly supported grocery store in Kansas City received more than $24 million in funding since 2016 before closing in August 2025 amid financial difficulties and inventory shortages.
The Manitoba study itself notes that grocery retailing requires specialized expertise in areas including procurement, logistics, inventory management, food safety and workforce management.
Haubrich said that reality should give policymakers pause.
“The most concerning part about these government grocery store schemes is thinking about how much money is going to be wasted without actually helping Manitobans fill up their grocery carts,” he said. “It’s nothing new. It’s a scheme that’s been tried time and time again.”
The federation argues that lower taxes would be a more effective way to improve affordability for families facing rising food costs.
“Manitobans don’t need the government playing grocer, they need lower taxes,” Haubrich said. “That’s what makes life more affordable.”
The Manitoba government has not announced any plans to establish a government-run grocery store, but the grocery price study identifies the concept as one option that could be explored through future pilot projects.
By Steven Sukkau, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
Original Published on Jun 24, 2026 at 14:29
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