Poverty Policy Choices and Winnipeg’s Inner City

By Jim Silver Provincial government policy can be designed to punish those in poverty, or to reduce poverty. Both approaches have been tried in Manitoba, the first in the 1990s and the other more recently. We can compare …

Mainstream media, reconciliation and Wab Kinew

By Tina Keeper and Shauna MacKinnon Winnipeg Free Press columnist Gordon Sinclair’s depiction of Wab Kinew is offensive with damaging implications that reach beyond the election (WFP March 12th and 26th, 2016). Sinclair uses his privileged position as …

The Next Step: Literacy Programming in Manitoba

Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives – Manitoba new publication release: Low levels of adult literacy in Manitoba are a barrier to full participation in our society. Easily accessible supports, located in low-income communities are needed to address this …

Investing in Social Enterprise to reduce poverty and green house gases

By Lynne Fernandez A new Errol Black Chair paper explains how a combination of governmental policies and initiatives in Manitoba allows social enterprises to reduce Manitoba’s greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions while training and employing Inner City workers. The …

No Jesuit School in Winnipeg’s North End: Stop them before they do it again

The Catholic Church ran more than half of Canada’s residential schools. In these schools they immersed Indigenous children and youth in Catholic culture. The effect on these children and youth and their families has been so great that …

Mothering Project: Effective prevention with vulnerable families

By Carole O’Brien  “The root causes of neglect—including poverty, poor housing, food insecurity, and substance abuse—lie beyond the scope of the child welfare system to resolve. But a collaborative approach, working with parents and harnessing the collective resources …

Lived Experience and Perspectives: Women, mental health and housing in Winnipeg

By Jen Erdmann Supportive Housing is an important model on the housing continuum and a positive choice for many people living with mental illness. Whether it is because a person faces greater challenges or because they do not …

Winnipeg’s Racism Challenge

The Maclean’s article citing Winnipeg as Canada’s most racist city has prompted a public conversation that may prove to be useful. It is important that Winnipeg’s two solitudes get to know each other, at a personal and social …

No silver bullet to ‘solve’ poverty

In response to “Generosity doesn’t solve poverty” Winnipeg Free Press article December 17 Mary Agnes Welch is right when she says charity is “not fixing the province’s most serious problem.  However, her critique of provincial anti-poverty efforts falls …

Fixing our Divided City: Lessons from Youth and Elders

By Shauna MacKinnon The Winnipeg Free Press headline “A City Divided” (Oct 7, 2014) and the revelation that “75 percent of Winnipeggers believe the division between the aboriginal and non- aboriginal communities is a serious issue” doesn’t come …