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 ignited and engulfed Stephen in flames. There was no rescue plan in place and it took several minutes before Stephen was pulled from the vent. He suffered third degree burns to most of his body.
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 are in the middle of bargaining a collective agreement and one would expect each side to be posturing against the other. No, they haven’t reached an agreement. Remarkably, in clear violation of the right of the parties to engage in collective bargaining, they have had the terms of a one-year agreement dictated to them by a third party.
This is the presentation Lynne Fernandez, Errol Black Chair in Labour Issues made in person for the Provincial Budget Consultation on October 26th, 2016.
Minister Friesen and Panel Members, thank you for inviting me to present this evening.
Recent developments in Churchill and The Pas have focused public attention more on the North. Part of the reason for the growing crisis there is that economic activity has been driven by people and companies that do not have a lasting connection to the places they are doing business, nor have they worked to reduce inequities or respected local cultures.
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 again by the evidence. During Manitoba’s recent provincial election Brian Pallister invoked zombies anew by saying that he would not rule out the introduction of private sector options in health care. This would be a mistake.
By Paul Moist
A version of this article will also be published in the Wolseley Leaf Community Newspaper
Winnipeg City Council is currently considering a development fee to ensure that suburban growth in our city pays its fair share of city-wide infrastructure needs.
Such fees are nothing new: municipalities surrounding Winnipeg levy them as do most major Canadian cities.
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 Laura Shields deals with every day. Laura is a 61 year old woman who grew up in Winnipeg’s North end. From the age of 17 she worked in a number of factories on an assembly line. Later, she worked for the post office. Because of a slipped disc and twisted pelvis, Laura is unable to work. Her husband, Lyle, used to work selling the Winnipeg Free Press but the paper stand at Hargrave and Portage closed down. With only a Grade 6 education, Lyle has been unable to find a stable job. Their stories have been used with permission.
By Hani Al-Ubeady, Emily Halldorson and Ray Silvius
As the Syrian refugee crisis continues, so do Canada’s — and Manitoba’s — obligations toward refugee resettlement. With a reported 900 Syrians to arrive in Manitoba before the end of this year, what have we learned since last autumn?
We believe the overall response from Canadians and Manitobans during the Syrian refugee crisis of late 2015 and early 2016 was overwhelmingly positive, despite vocal detractors. There was a flood of donations of money, furniture, material and time Canadians contributed toward Syrian refugee resettlement. There was a surge in initiatives to sponsor Syrian refugees under the private sponsorship program.
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 word far exceeds the individual rights it implies. For Canadians, it is viscerally connected to the foundations of our history.
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