MEDIA ADVISORY - Manitoba's 2013 budget: Restaurant industry spokesperson available for comment

WINNIPEG, April 15, 2013 /CNW/ - Dwayne Marling, Manitoba-Saskatchewan Vice President of the Canadian Restaurant and Foodservices Association (CRFA), will be available to provide small business reaction to the provincial budget. Marling will be on location at the Manitoba Legislature tomorrow, April 16.

In both CRFA's written submission and subsequent meeting with Manitoba Finance Minister Stan Struthers, we highlighted nine key budget priorities:

• Labour costs
• freeze Manitoba's minimum wage rate for 2013
• introduce gratuity minimum wage and training wage rates over time
• Labour shortage
• reduce barriers and disincentives to work
• expand Manitoba's immigrant nominee program to include both low- and semi-skilled workers
• Liquor system
• introduce wholesale pricing for licensees
• commit to a comprehensive review of the provincial liquor licensing regime, with particular focus on red tape reduction and equal treatment across licensee classes
• Taxes
• increase Manitoba's Basic Personal Exemption to align with the rest of western Canada
• eliminate Manitoba's payroll tax (Health & Post-Secondary Education Tax Levy)
• commit to no new taxes or tax increases for the balance of the government's term of office

"Manitoba's restaurant operators are looking for the government to present a realistic plan to strengthen and grow the province's economy, and to create an environment where all businesses and all Manitobans can grow and prosper," says Marling. "In even simpler terms, we want to see the government's plan to increase the size of the pie."

As Manitoba's fourth-largest private-sector employer, the restaurant industry directly employs more than 42,400 people at more than 2,200 establishments. Twenty-two per cent of Canadians were first employed by the restaurant industry, making it the number one source of first jobs.

To arrange an interview, please contact Dwayne Marling at 204-926-8557, 204-688-8557(cell) or [email protected].

Visit http://www.crfa.ca/pdf/manitoba_prebudgetsubmission2013.pdf to view CRFA's 2013 Manitoba Pre-Budget Submission.

CRFA is one of Canada's largest business associations, with more than 30,000 members representing restaurants, bars, caterers, institutions and other foodservice providers. Canada's restaurant industry generates $65 billion annually in economic activity and employs more than 1.1 million people in communities across the country.

SOURCE: Canadian Restaurant and Foodservices Association

Dwayne Marling, 204-688-8557 or [email protected]; Prasanthi Vasanthakumar, 1-800-387-5649, ext. 4254 or [email protected].