Community looking for action plan from Province on poverty

By Josh Brandon When Lieutenant Governor Janice Filmon delivers the throne speech November 21, a plan for poverty reduction should top the government’s priority list. The Province has promised a plan by next year’s budget and Manitobans are …

Manitoba tax changes need to target wealthy to reduce poverty

Basic Personal Exemption (BPE) increases are being brought in by the new provincial government under the auspices of reducing poverty. The BPE is the floor at which we start paying provincial income taxes. Not only will these changes …

Honouring Ellen Olfert, founder of SAFE Workers of Tomorrow

By Lynne Fernandez In 1995, 19 year old Stephen Nicholson was on the job site working in a paint booth. He was working on the exhaust system and had been lowered into the vent when suddenly paint residue …

U of M Labour Showdown: A New Sheriff in Town

by Lynne Fernandez On October 28th, an unusual joint statement was released by the University of Manitoba (U of M) administration and the union representing faculty, the University of Manitoba Faculty Association (UMFA). Unusual because these two entities …

Submission: Legislative Committee hearing on Bill 7

Thank you for the opportunity to speak to you today. I hold the Errol Black Chair in Labour Issues at the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives. On behalf of the Chair, I wish to speak in opposition to …

Private Long Term Care and Home Care Zombies

First published in the Winnipeg Free Press Oct 25, 2016 By Pat and Hugh Armstrong UBC economist Robert Evans calls user fees in health care zombies, a policy option that keeps surfacing despite being killed over and over …

Vulnerable Manitobans going without daily bread

First published in The Winnipeg Free Press Oct 19, 2017 as “Manitobans hungrier for meatier food allowance” By Lynda Trono If you only had $3.96 a day to spend on groceries, what would you buy? That’s a question …

Keep Post-Secondary Education Tuition Legislation

By Brianne Goertzen and Michael Barkman First published on the CBC website Oct 14, 2016 Post-secondary education is a public good that all Manitobans value and should have access to. Unfortunately, Premier Pallister, when asked about protecting affordability …

Economic security, democratic rights and the secret ballot

This Work Life first appeared in the Winnipeg Free Press on Oct. 3, 2016. By Sudhir Sandhu Democracy. The word carries a deep meaning for citizens of nations rooted in western democratic traditions. The full measure of the …

Balancing Convenience with Social Responsibility: Liquor regulation in Manitoba

Lynne Fernandez A new Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives MB report: Balancing Convenience with Social Responsibility: Liquor regulation in Manitoba examines the way liquor is managed and sold in Western Canada. The report was authored by Greg Flanagan, …