State of the Manitoba Economy: Assessing the Real Challenges

By Lynne Fernandez First published in the Winnipeg Free Press December 18, 2018 As reported in the Free Press,  Brian Pallister is “fixing the province’s finances”, with what he calls small, gradual funding cuts. Two questions arise from …

Everyone benefits, everyone pays

By Lynne Fernandez It’s becoming difficult to keep up with the alarming developments unfolding in the US. But one in particular should be of great concern to Canadian workers According to the Economic Policy Institute, the recent Supreme …

Mayor playing with fire

By Paul Moist, Throughout 2018 there has been intense media scrutiny directed at Alex Forrest, the President of the United Firefighters of Winnipeg (UFFW). While this story continues to unfold, we do know its most important facts.

Government’s Directives is No Excuse: Labour rights prevail

By Janet Morrill First published in the Winnipeg Free Press February 9, 2018 On January 29, 2018, the Manitoba Labour Board issued its ruling in favour of the University of Manitoba Faculty Association (UMFA) in the unfair labour …

Labour and the Charter of Rights and Freedoms: 35 years of experience

By Paul Moist and Garth Smorang In April 1982 the Constitution Act was proclaimed. It included the Charter of Rights and Freedoms. The Charter protects Canadians’ political and civil rights. It enumerates a range of fundamental freedoms, including …

Community Economic Development in Manitoba and the Inclusive Economy

By Sara Wray Enns Manitoba is a province of economic growth and economic disparity. It is a province with low unemployment rates, diverse development and incredible resource wealth. On the flip side, Manitoba has continuously had some of …

Freeze to Squeeze

First published by CBC Manitoba online Saturday Oct. 29 By Jesse Hajer and Zac Saltis Governments have often turned to investments in higher education to generate hope and opportunity for young people and others seeking better jobs and …

The $100 Million Question

First published in the Winnipeg Free Press Friday July 14, 2017 By Lynne Fernandez and Ian Hudson In March of 2017, the Premier claimed that for every one per cent the province lowered (or didn’t raise) wages for …

Giving Manitoba’s Working Families a Fair Shake: The 2016/17 Living Wage Update

By Lynne Fernandez Notwithstanding stable economic growth and consistently low unemployment, poverty remains a problem in Manitoba. In 2014, 11 per cent of Manitobans lived in low income. That’s down from 11.8 per cent in 2011, however child …

Uber No Solution for Winnipeg: Analysis of taxi and transport

By Paul Moist Conservative forces in the provincial legislature and at Winnipeg City Hall are combining to enable ride-sharing services such as Uber and allow its introduction into the Winnipeg market. Acting on recommendations of the December 2016 …