Federal Budget 2012: We’ve Heard this Song Before

by Shauna MacKinnon and Lynne Fernandez Although there seems to be a collective sigh of relief that the Conservative’s first majority-government budget was not as bad as those that came down in the 1990s, it is important to …

Sports Franchises 7,000,000, Shelters 0: Budget 2012

by Shauna MacKinnon and Lynne Fernandez Although there seems to be a collective sigh of relief that the Conservative’s first majority-government budget was not as bad as those that came down in the 1990s, it is important to …

Ask Target for Fairness: Retail jobs worth fighting for

PDF version by Kevin Shimmin In 2011, American retail giant Target bought 189 Zellers stores across Canada. Soon after the purchase, the corporation sold 39 stores to Walmart and another handful to other retailers such as Sobeys. Target …

Kevin Rebeck’s Response to Bill C-377

Kevin Rebeck, of the Manitoba Federation of Labour, sent this letter to Prime Minister Stephen Harper regarding Bill C-377. This Bill would require labour organizations to submit detailed financial information covering salaries, revenues and expenses each year, to be …

Thinking Alternatives

This weekend the federal NDP will elect a new leader. Whoever party members choose to lead the NDP should take seriously Tony Judt’s 2010 book titled Ill Fares the Land. Judt argues that our inability to stop the destructive policies …

2012 Winnipeg Preliminary Operating Budget goes Madly Off in All Directions

Unfortunately this year’s preliminary operating budget does not set a clear course that will help the city realize the goals stated in OurWinnipeg. Instead, it pits the private sector against the public, businesses against property owners, transit against …

So You Think You Can Budget?

The CCPA has developed an online tool that will let you test your budgeting skills. If you were the Government of Canada, what would you choose? Find out how well you can budget by selecting the programs you …

Canadians Deserve “A Budget for the Rest of Us”

PDF version Read the full Alternative Federal Budget. Lire l’Alternative Budgétaire Pour le Gouvernement Fédéral by Shauna MacKinnon As the federal government begins to reveal tidbits about what Canadians can expect in the 2012 federal budget, many of us …

Achieving Urban Intensification in Winnipeg

PDF version by Brendan Salakoh After two years of research and analysis, the City of Winnipeg has recently released its new official plan, Our Winnipeg. The 20-year growth strategy identifies several corridors and centres which (due to transit, location, …

Money for Water Parks or for Rapid Transit?

This letter was published, in a slightly edited form, in the March 10th edition of the Winnipeg Free Press. Dear Mayor Sam Katz, I was pleased to hear that you cancelled the 20 cent transit fare hike. The …