City of Winnipeg should study benefits of in-house waste collection

First published in the Winnipeg Free Press Sept. 13, 2016 By Lynne Fernandez This fall Winnipeg City Council will determine the future of waste and recycling collection in our city. Current contracts with Emterra Environmental and Progressive Waste …

New Report: It’s Time To Give Back to Manitoba’s North

By Lynne Fernandez A new Errol Black Chair report released today examines how events are unfolding in  Churchill and The Pas. It puts these events in the context of the entire Northern region and urges government to consider …

Manitoba Youth Crisis Workers Left in Limbo

By Lynne Fernandez Manitoba Government and General Employees Union members at Macdonald Youth Services (Local 221), who provide crisis intervention services to youth and families in Winnipeg, walked off the job on August 2, 2016. This move was …

Work Life Blog: What’s at Stake at Canada Post?

The Canadian Union of Postal Workers (CUPW) is currently engaged in collective bargaining with Canada Post. Unlike in previous rounds, the contracts of both the Urban bargaining unit (covering about 42,000 workers) and the unit of some 8,000 …

Inaction Threatens to Stagnate Manitoba Minimum Wage

First published as an editorial in the Winnipeg Free Press July 18, 2016 By Molly McCracken Unless immediate action is taken, 2016 will be the first time in a generation that minimum wage workers will see their wages …

Bill 7: Unfavourable for Manitoban Workers

By Mark Hudson On June 15 the new Manitoba government introduced Bill 7, The Labour Relations Amendment Act, which aims to eliminate the so-called “card-check” system of union certification currently used in Manitoba. Bill 7 would mandate secret-ballot …

When does Temporary become Permanent?

By Lynne Fernandez and Nicole Smith Each year up to 400 mostly Mexican workers come to Manitoba under the Seasonal Agricultural Workers Program (SAWP) to work on local farms. They perform physically strenuous work on vegetable farms and …

Business Wins Big: Throne Speech 2016

By Lynne Fernandez Throne speeches typically are run-of-the-mill exercises that say very little while evoking lofty ideals such as prosperity, innovation and “establishing an open principled government that reflects the values and priorities of Manitobans . . .”.  …

A Ray of Hope for Winnipeg Transit

By Lynne Fernandez Winnipeg’s public transit system is in great need of improvement if it is to meet the needs of those who rely on it – seniors, low-income people, youth and persons with disabilities who cannot drive. …

Uber not the answer to Winnipeg’s transport woes

By Scott Price Ride-sharing service Uber wants into the Winnipeg taxi market. Looking past the marketing facade, Uber isn’t innovative or inevitable. Uber is in fact de-regulation of the taxi industry, modernized using smart phone applications and an …