How to make a low income bus pass work
By Ellen Smirl A year after announcing a 25-cent a trip fare increase, mayoral candidate Brian Bowman has promised to create a low-income transit pass if he is re-elected mayor on October 24th. This is great news because… Read More
What we heard: Frequent, Affordable, Safe and Accessible – keys to achieving a more equitable transportation system
By Ellen Smirl Key Findings: • Access to affordable, reliable, safe, and accessible transportation options is an important tool to help people lift themselves out of poverty and build a healthier city. • Greater investment in transit and… Read More
Today’s conservatives are not your Grandpa’s Tories: Co-ops, Credit Unions and Free Trade Policies
By Ellen Smirl On the Main Street in Morden Manitoba there are two gas stations: an Esso and a Co-op. During the busiest times of the week-after a hockey game, or on Sunday when the area’s many churches… Read More
Responding to the Fentanyl crisis: Constructing better drug policy in Manitoba
First published on CBC online edition Dec 3, 2016 By Ellen Smirl Increasing tragic deaths from Fentanyl are raising calls to deal with this crisis. Evidence shows that controlling supply and criminalizing drug users does not address the… Read More
New Report: Summary Evaluation of The Madison Congregate Housing
By Ellen Smirl This study evaluated The Madison, an 85 unit congregate housing apartment located in Winnipeg Manitoba, using qualitative methods and a cost-comparison to the findings of the At Home/Chez Soi Housing First Study. Given the persistent… Read More
Losing Ground: How Canada’s Employment Insurance system undermines inner-city and Aboriginal workers
PDF version Full report (PDF) by Ellen Smirl and Lynne Fernandez The EI system allows workers to pay into a plan that is supposed to provide crucial support for workers between jobs, and quality re/training when required. However,… Read More
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