By Annette Desmarais
First published in The Conversation February 28, 2023
Real estate is a hot topic in Canada. Most Canadians are acutely aware of how home prices and rents have skyrocketed in the last 15 years or so. In large cities, investor ownership of condos and houses has attracted the attention of policymakers and the public at large, prompting the federal government to crack down on foreign buyers.
Previously published in the Winnipeg Free Press March 30, 2023
By Elizabeth Comack
In “A Tale of Two Sentences” (March 18, 2023 Winnipeg Free Press) Dean Pritchard reports on the stories of two men who were facing similar criminal charges for weapons and drug offences. Both men were being supported by Morberg House, a residential recovery centre, and by all accounts had made great strides in moving forward in their lives. When it came to sentencing, however, the judge handed the Indigenous man a federal prison sentence and gave the non-Indigenous man a conditional sentence that enabled him to remain in the community and continue working with the recovery centre.
By Niall Harney
Previously published in the Brandon Sun and The Winnipeg Free Press, March 23, 2023
The 2023 Manitoba Budget released on March 7 announced close almost $1 billion in revenue cuts. Despite claims about affordability for low and middle-income households, most Manitoba families will not receive anything near the tax savings promoted by the province. Make no mistake, these tax cuts are a giveaway to the rich that will reduce our capacity to fund public services for years.
Resources and ways you can support and act to fight income inequality and for social justice
- Follow and support the MMIWGTS+ Implementation Committee
- Follow and support MIGRANTE
- Follow and support Disability Matters
- Follow and support the work of Make Poverty History Manitoba’s provincial election campaign and next City of Winnipeg four-year budget campaign.
- Follow and support the work of Right to Housing coalition’s provincial election campaign.
- Make the Minimum wage a Living wage
- Paid sick days now – Manitoba Federation of Labour
- Tell Canada to tax excess profits – Canadians for Tax Fairness
- Follow and support Climate Action Team Manitoba
- Follow & support Health Care for All Manitoba
- For local research and analysis please sign up for the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives – Manitoba weekly roundup at www.policyalternatives.ca (at bottom of page) or see www.policyfix.ca
- Follow & support working building a more inclusive, fair economy with the Canadian Community Economic Development Network (click Manitoba!)
- Support Sustainable Building Manitoba’s campaign for code adoption – homes and buildings need to be energy efficient to be truly affordable
- Claim: “Budget 2023 removes 47,400 low-income Manitobans from the tax rolls and saves the average family $1,000”
Impact: More of the Basic Personal Amount tax change money will go to Manitoba’s richest 10% than the bottom 50% combined.
The poorest 10% (100,100 Manitobans) get no benefit from this change as they don’t make enough to be on the tax rolls currently.
The second-poorest 10% (990,900 Manitobans) saves only $74 by the increase in the Basic Personal Amount.
The richest 10% save $1,322 on average from the increase in the Basic Personal Amount and the increases to the tax brackets. The increased spending due to these tax cuts could drive up prices and inflation.
Source: More of Budget 2023 tax changes go to Manitoba’s richest 10% than the bottom 50% combined
By Thomas Linner
Manitoba health care is at a crossroads. From emergency care to home care, the entire system is at a breaking point caused by Pallister-era decisions to close emergency rooms and privatize services. Instead of stepping up to fix these problems, Premier Stefanson has carried on the same agenda of cuts and privatization.
By Zach Fleisher
As the old adage goes, budgets are not only a financial blueprint for a government’s plan but also demonstrate their choices and values.
By Kirsten Bernas and Shauna MacKinnon
By Kyle Ross, MGEU President
The Stefanson government’s full-on privatization of provincial liquor sales went into overdrive last week with the introduction of Bill 30.
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