Manitoba deficit nears $1B

The Manitoba government's deficit for last year has come in at just under $1 billion.

The final figures for the fiscal year that ended in March show the government ran up $999 million in red ink. That's more than double the original estimate, but slightly less than the government's most-recent prediction.

Finance Minister Stan Struthers says the main reason for the increased deficit was flooding in 2011, which caused hundreds of millions of dollars in damage.

It also increased spending for emergency costs and agricultural support programs.

But spending in many government departments was up as well.