By Lynne Fernandez, Errol Black Chair in Labour Issues
That Nelson Mandela’s memorial be celebrated on International Human Rights Day is destiny; a more poignant coupling of events cannot be imagined. It seems unusually cruel then to sully today’s tributes to this great man with grumblings of suppression and abuse, but the irony of today’s events coinciding with anti-union legislation being passed in Alberta demands comment. At the same time that her government has pushed Bill 45 through the Alberta Legislature, Premier Alison Redford is paying tribute to Nelson Mandela.
A collection of photographs taken by Winnipeg youth offers a fresh perspective on some of city’s lowest income neighbourhoods. They tell stories of what makes for good places to live, and what needs to change. The exhibition, coordinated by the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives (CCPA) with the support of local community organizations, will be launched Wednesday, Dec 11 at the Graffiti Gallery, 109 Higgins.
The project gave cameras and photography training to sixteen youth from North and West End Winnipeg. The youth were asked to take pictures of their neighbourhood. Many of the photos depict urban decay and abandoned spaces that are too common in Winnipeg’s Inner City. They also point to often-overlooked images of hope, nature and cooperation that are also a part of city life. The results are an urgent call to action to address poverty by supporting community development.
“When we looked at the photos, their artistic voice was immediately apparent,” said Molly McCracken, Manitoba director for CCPA. “We also saw how important community organizations are for these youth and how centrally these figure in their daily lives. Although poverty persists, using holistic practices, community-based organizations can support youth to develop a strong identity and healthy community.”
The exhibition is part of the CCPA’s State of the Inner City Report 2013. The annual report has examined different aspects of inequality in Winnipeg since 2005. This year’s report focuses on youth and poverty. Manitoba has the second highest rate of child poverty in Canada.
The report and exhibition will be launched Wednesday December 11th at 4:30 pm at the Graffiti Gallery, 109 Higgins.
By Lynne Fernandez and Christina Maes Nino
The City of Winnipeg has released its proposed operational and capital budgets for 2014. As in previous years, it is hard to see the vision in this budget or the direction it is taking. Many believe there is no long-term plan guiding political decisions, but one theme does persist: business taxes (and hence scarce revenues) are lowered at the same time as expenditures needed for the sound management of the City are cut. In this budget, already scarce City of Winnipeg workers are forced to take days off without pay. Looking behind the numbers we can see that the budget is designed to continue the City on the path of increasing inequity between residents and neighbourhoods, supporting developers even when what they do is unsustainable, and excluding citizens from participation in decision-making. We’ve seen this movie before.
From Demonized to Organized: Building the New Union Movement by Nora Loreto
Reviewed by Gabriel Bako
This new book published by CCPA National provides a timely analysis of unions and neoliberalism. Mainstream media teaches youth, who have been born and raised under neoliberalism, to be consumers of popular culture rather than critical and active participants in our communities. We’ve known nothing else, so it’s no wonder why more of us believe in the notions of individualism rather than collectivism. Loreto’s book challenges these ideas and invites youth to consider a different perspective.
By Dr. Ryan Meili
Social factors play a significant role in determining whether we will be healthy or ill. Our health care is but one element of what makes the biggest difference in health outcomes. This has been understood for centuries, and empirically validated in recent decades with study after study demonstrating health inequalities between wealthy and disadvantaged populations.
Despite major investments by the Provincial Government in early childhood education since 1999, tens of thousands of families lack affordable child care. Only one in five children under the age of five is in licensed child care in Manitoba. In September, the Province launched a consultation asking citizens how early child care should be improved.
The Manitoba Child Care Association and Child Care Coalition of Manitoba are calling on the Province to make early learning and child care accessible for all families. They have composed an Open Letter to the Province (available here). They are looking for a wide range of groups to sign-on to their call that
Manitoba establish a Commission on Integrated Early Learning and Child Care for Manitoba, with the mandate and resources to develop and propose a multi-year plan for early learning and child care.
Contact Susan.Prentice@umanitoba.ca if you are interested in being a signatory to the letter.
To read more about this issue, please see our Fast Facts: Manitoba Needs a Public Childcare System or Download the PDF
By Molly McCracken
This week, 16,000 high school students will be bused to the MTS centre to attend “We Day” and be encouraged to help others. Organized by social enterpreneurs Mark and Craig Kielburger, their globally branded Free the Children charity by all measures is a smashing success – it raised $15 million in Canada last year. But where does this leave Winnipeg and Manitoba, with our shamefully high child-poverty rates?
The new Canada Jobs Grant (CJG) program proposed in the recent federal Throne Speech represents a fundamental shift in funding for employment training in Canada. Provinces have opposed the changes because they fail to meet local employment training needs. Here in Manitoba, the CJG threatens to unravel successful programs in Winnipeg’s inner city.
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