Tax cut policies stall affordable housing action

Kirsten Bernas and Shauna MacKinnon Previously published in the Winnipeg Free Press September 26, 2023

Manitoba releases a long-awaited homelessness strategy: It must be election time

By Kirsten Bernas and Shauna MacKinnon

Budget 2017: A step back on social housing

By Kirsten Bernas Budget 2017 provides $150M less for the development and maintenance of social and affordable housing compared to last year’s budget. Groups like the Right to Housing Coalition are concerned that this will increase homelessness and …

Housing advocates look to provincial budget for action

By Kirsten Bernas Manitobans should have access to housing but, at any given time, there are about 1,400 people experiencing homelessness in Winnipeg alone.  Many others live under threat of homelessness, paying the rent with money needed for food and other basic needs.

Rent Assist Increase: community work in action

Thanks to community advocacy, low-income Manitobans will have more money to help pay their rent. Three years ago Make Poverty History Manitoba (MPHM) began building support for increasing shelter benefits to 75 per cent of median market rent. …

Making a case for a Labour Market Intermediary

By Kirsten Bernas and Shauna MacKinnon There is a growing opportunity in Manitoba to bridge the economic and social divide between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal people. First of all, Manitoba employers are looking for skilled workers. Second of all, …

View From Here 2015: Manitobans call for a Renewed Poverty Reduction Plan

To address persistent poverty in this province, community groups have outlined a plan to provide Manitobans with the tools they need for a life of dignity and opportunity. The View from Here 2015: Manitobans Call for a Renewed …

Further poverty reduction efforts needed in Manitoba

By Kirsten Bernas There is some good news in the Province’s recently released second annual All Aboard report, which tracks poverty and social exclusion in Manitoba. However, it’s clear that much more needs to be done. The report …

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 …

City hall can help jobless

While election cycles bring some community challenges to the spotlight, the work creating solutions to these complex challenges is ongoing. Winnipeg’s inner-city neighbourhoods have been quietly transforming — creating employment, reducing poverty, reversing neighbourhood decline and preventing crime. …