Residents in The Pas can have their say on how the town plans to spend money in the coming year at a public hearing Wednesday, June 17, 2026. The Town Council has called the meeting for 5:00 PM in the Town Hall Council Chambers, where the 2026 Budget will get its first official reading.
The Town of The Pas posted notice of the hearing on June 15. The session gives taxpayers a chance to learn about upcoming spending plans and offer their thoughts before the budget is adopted.
Budget talks come as the community deals with climbing costs, especially for policing. The town pays roughly $3.2 million each year for RCMP service, which made up about 15 percent of the 2025 budget. Mayor Andre Murphy has called that figure unsustainable for a town of around 5,000 people.
Some help has arrived from the province. In February 2026, the Manitoba government put $3.8 million into The Pas through the Manitoba GRO program. That money is split between upgrades at the Roy H. Johnston Arena and Kelsey Recreation Facilities ($1.3 million) and a rebuild of the cultural learning centre ($2.5 million).
The 2026 provincial budget also created the One Manitoba Growth Revenue Fund, which will share four percent of gas tax money with municipalities for things like community centres and playgrounds. Still, the town must balance its own books, as Manitoba law requires municipalities to pass balanced budgets.
The current council’s term runs through this fall, with the next municipal election set for October 28, 2026. The hearing is an early step in a process that will shape spending into the next council’s term.
