A living wage lifts workers and the economy

By Kirsten Bernas and Lynne Fernandez As of October 1st, minimum wage earners in Manitoba will earn $10.70 per hour – just over $20,800 annually. This leaves a family of four, with both parents working, with an income …

Province introduces online calculator for low-income renters

By Josh Brandon If you are a renter in Manitoba paying more than 25 percent of your income in rent, you may be eligible for a benefit of between $20 and $270 per month, thanks to recent changes …

Rooming Houses to Rooming Homes

By Molly McCracken   [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V4n-Hv3_QXk?feature=player_detailpage&w=640&h=360] In Winnipeg’s inner city, and especially in West Broadway and Spence neighbourhoods, older homes converted to rooming houses are an important type of housing for many people living on low incomes. However, …

A Province with No Poverty

By Shaun Loney The so-called war on poverty has been an abysmal failure.  Poverty rates in Canada remain at stubbornly high levels.  Most provinces, including Manitoba, still have about one in 10 living below acceptable low-income cut-offs. Low-income …

Government responds to calls to increase EIA shelter allowance

By Molly McCracken This past weekend, Theresa Oswald, Minister of Jobs and the Economy, said she agreed with a long-standing anti-poverty goal. “We agree that 75 percent as a target is the right goal”. The provincial government has …

Understanding the Living Wage Concept

Lynne Fernandez, Errol Black Chair in Labour Studies, CCPA MB. “Living Wage Laws don’t help the most vulnerable” by the Fraser Institute’s Lammam and MacIntyre, is based on a misunderstanding that is evident in the title. Living wage …

Upstream thinking, healthy society and reviving Canadian democracy

By Dr. Ryan Meili Social factors play a significant role in determining whether we will be healthy or ill. Our health care is but one element of what makes the biggest difference in health outcomes. This has been …

We Day sidesteps the real issues of child poverty

By Molly McCracken This week, 16,000 high school students will be bused to the MTS centre to attend “We Day” and be encouraged to help others. Organized by social enterpreneurs Mark and Craig Kielburger, their globally branded Free …

“Indians Wear Red”: Aboriginal Street Gangs in Winnipeg

They were kids when they started. Teenagers locked up in the youth detention centre, watching movies about American street gangs. Soon they realized that if they stood up for each other, and worked together, it was easier to …

What goes around comes around: A living wage and worker solidarity

By Lynne Fernandez, Errol Black Chair in Labour Issues There have been some rumblings from south of the boarder that people under 40 may not recognize and that may be only vaguely familiar with others: the sound of …