Manitoba

Manitoba

Updated February 2, 2012
Page révisée le 2 février 2012

---

[ Go to Canadian Social Research Links Home Page ]

---

Jump directly further down on the page you're now reading: * Key Welfare Links in Manitoba(scroll down to the grey box below, right column) * Latest Manitoba Budget * Poverty reduction in Manitoba * Non-governmental sites in Manitoba

MANITOBA GOVT. DEPARTMENT RESPONSIBLE FOR WELFARE January 24 Update/correction In the most recent Canadian Social Research Newsletter (Jan.22, 2012) http://www.canadiansocialresearch.net/personal/news220112.htm ... I passed along the new name of Department responsible for welfare in Alberta, Manitoba, Prince Edward Island and Newfoundland and Labrador. I incorrectly identified the Manitoba Department responsible for welfare as Family Services and Labour [ http://www.gov.mb.ca/fs/ ]. I meant Entrepreneurship, Training and Trade (ET&T) A Manitoba Government official notified me to correct an error in the name of their welfare department. In the Manitoba government departmental reshuffling, welfare (income assistance) was moved out of the Department of Family Services and Labour (formerly Family Services and Consumer Affairs) to the Department of Entrepreneurship, Training and Trade (ET&T): http://www.gov.mb.ca/ctt/index.html ...but as at January 24, the Manitoba ET&T website had zero content on income assistance, welfare or Employment and Income Assistance (the provincial welfare program). The Manitoba Cabinet was announced just recently, though, so the Web updating team is still in the process of changing the Manitoba govt. websites to reflect the new ministrial responsibilities and the new mandates in existing departments. The Bottom line: Manitoba govt. websites are being updated to reflect new govt. mandates; this may take a few more weeks... The Dept responsible for welfare in Manitoba is Entrepreneurship, Training and Trade.

The Manitoba Mincome Experiment
http://legalcheckpoint.blogspot.com/2007/11/social-policy-manitoba-mincome.html
November 15, 2007
By M. L'Heureux
The Mincome Project, also called the Manitoba Basic Guaranteed Annual Income Experiment, was the “first large scale social experiment in Canada and was designed to evaluate the economic and social consequences of an alternative social welfare system based on the concept of negative income tax (NIT)”. The experiment took place between 1975 and 1979 in Winnipeg and Dauphin, Manitoba. The research project was jointly funded by the Federal Government of Canada and the Manitoba Government. Little is known about the experiment as the federal government chose to shelve the report for reasons still unknown to the public. The raw data that was accumulated during the experiment is still relevant to today’s Guaranteed Income debates and is available in some academic libraries and in all provincial legislatures.
Source:
Legal Checkpoint Blog
http://legalcheckpoint.blogspot.com/

Related link:

Dauphin's great experiment: Mincome,
nearly forgotten child of the '70s, was a noble experiment
By Lindor Reynolds
November 28, 2009
DAUPHIN — Thirty-five years ago, this pretty town surrounded by farm land and far from big cities was the site of a revolutionary social experiment. For five years, Mincome ensured there would be no poverty in Dauphin. Wages were topped up and the working poor given a boost. The experiment, a collaboration between Ed Schreyer's provincial NDP and the Liberal government of Pierre Trudeau, would cost millions before the plug was pulled. The program saw one-third of Dauphin's poorest families get monthly cheques. In 1971, at a federal-provincial conference held in Victoria, Manitoba expressed interest in being the testing ground for a guaranteed income project. The Schreyer government applied for funding. In June, 1974, Mincome was approved...
Source:
Winnipeg Free Press

---

- Go to the Guaranteed Annual Income Links page:
http://www.canadiansocialresearch.net/gai.htm

Minimum Wage: Current and Forthcoming Minimum Hourly Wage Rates for Adult Workers in Canada - federal govt. site --- the best resource for info on current and upcoming minimum wage levels Source : Minimum Wage Database

---

Hotlinks The links below will take you directly to the following Manitoba government and non-governmental web pages: Government of Manitoba Home Page Human Services Guide Departmental Index Daily News Releases Department of Family Services and Consumer Affairs Disabilities Issues Office Housing and Community Development Department of Finance Department of Labour and Immigration Department of Education and Literacy Manitoba Agriculture, Food and Rural Initiatives Status of Women Department of Health Legislative Library of Manitoba Manitoba Human Rights Commission Manitoba Seniors and Healthy Aging Secretariat Manitoba WorkInfoNet (MBWIN) Laws and Regulations of Manitoba Winnipeg Free Press Winnipeg Harvest City of Winnipeg Social Planning Council of Winnipeg Manitoba WORKink Manitoba Centre for Health Policy and Evaluation Manitoba Provincial Election Resources Manitoba will go to the polls on Tuesday, October 4, 2011. Source: Election Almanac - complete coverage of federal, provincial and territorial elections in Canada including election results, public opinion polls, ridings and candidates, election news, electoral history, links, and more - Go to the Political Parties and Elections Links in Canada (Provinces and Territories) page: http://www.canadiansocialresearch.net/politics_prov_terr.htm

Key welfare links Department responsible for welfare Manitoba Family Services and Labour Entrepreneurship, Training and Trade (See note under "What's New", above) Name of the welfare program Employment and Income Assistance (EIA) Legislation Employment and Income Assistance Act - Employment and Income Assistance Regulation Source: Laws and Regulations of Manitoba Policy Manual EIA Administrative Manual Online - online welfare policy manual, includes legislation Welfare statistics Go to the Departmental. annual report - welfare stats are under "Employment and Income Assistance Division" See also: Number of People on Welfare, March 1995 to March 2005 (PDF file - 133K, 1 page) Source: National Council of Welfare Welfare rates (benefits) Employment and Income Assistance Facts See also Schedule "A" of the EIA Regulation (above) Latest search results on Google.ca for "welfare, -child, -animal, Manitoba" - Web search results - News search results - Blog search results Related Links * ALL Aboard: 2010-11 Highlights (Word [.doc] file - 39K, 1 page) - April 2010 * AllAboard - Manitoba’s Poverty Reduction Strategy (PDF - 562K, 8 pages) - May 2009 Source: ALL Aboard: Manitoba’s Poverty Reduction Strategy * Rewarding Work (2007 - four-year Manitoba strategy to address poverty) * Annual Reports - Manitoba Family Services and Housing (2001-2002 to 2006-2007) * Anti-poverty initiatives to help Manitobans help themselves (November 26/07) * New Child Benefit, Lower-cost Child Care, Stronger Work Incentives, And Skills Package in 10-point Reconstruction of Income Supports (April 10, 2007) For more information about welfare in other Canadian jurisdictions, see the Canadian Social Research Links Key Provincial/Territorial Welfare Links page

---

Government of Manitoba Home Page

Page d'accueil du Gouvernement
NOTA: Certains ministères offrent une version en français de leur page. Cliquez sur "version française" pour y accéder.
Répertoire des ministères

Daily News Releases
Departmental Index
Statutory Publications

Laws and Regulations of Manitoba - Manitoba provincial laws and regulations are available online for free.
This online service makes laws and regulations accessible for reference, research and private use.

---

Human Services Guide - contains information on services provided by Manitoba Advanced Education; Manitoba Education, Training and Youth; and Manitoba Family Services and Housing. You can choose to browse the full list or a list by service category (recommended), or do a keyword search.  This is an extensive list of programs and services, and it includes descriptions and links to further information in the following areas: Adoption - Child day care - Counselling - Emergency Assistance - Employment - Financial Assistance - Housing - Parent and Caregiver Supports - Protection of Children and Adults - Services for Employers - Supports for Adults with a Disability - Supports for Children with a Disability - Training - and more.

---

June 9, 2011
Job training, children's opti-care, transit assistance
among new initiatives to help Manitobans escape welfare
Fourteen new initiatives under the province’s ALL Aboard poverty-reduction strategy, including a Children's Opti-care plan, will help more Manitobans get off and stay off welfare, Family Services and Consumer Affairs Minister Gord Mackintosh, Housing and Community Development Minister Kerri Irvin-Ross, and Labour and Immigration Minister Jennifer Howard announced today.
Source:
Government of Manitoba News Releases

Also from the
Government of Manitoba:

New legislation strengthens poverty reduction strategy (PDF - 295K, 3 pages)
Backgrounder
June 20, 2011
WINNIPEG
On Friday, June 17th, the Manitoba legislature passed important legislation that will give some authority to the government’s poverty reduction strategy. The Poverty Reduction Strategy Act will create the means to define, monitor and enforce what the government does to deal with poverty and social exclusion. This act was embedded in Bill 51, The Budget Implementation and Tax Statutes Amendment Act, 2011.

All ABoard : Manitoba's Poverty Reduction Strategy NOTE: this link takes you to the Manitoba section of the Anti-poverty Strategies and Campaigns page of this site: http://www.canadiansocialresearch.net/antipoverty.htm Since May 2010, ALL links to content concerning poverty reduction strategies and campaigns have been moved to the above page from the individual provincial/territorial pages, including government and NGO links.

Government Departments

Manitoba Family Services and Labour ...........................version française

Sitemap --- see everything on one page.

For links to general information about the site and the Department, start on the Departmental home page - it also includes links to Popular Topics and Key Initiatives including child care, housing, welfare (Employment and Income Assistance), Manitoba's Five-Year Plan for Child Care, the Affordable Housing Initiative, Child and Family Services Restructuring, the Manitoba Provincial Strategy on Disability, the National Child Benefit Restoration and more.

Channels
[Each channel is a portal to further resources on a particular theme (including online publications)]
- Children and families - all services to families and children, from adoption, day care and child welfare to the Shelter Assistance for Family Renters program
- Persons with disabilities - covers a range of programs, including : day care for children with disabilities - services for children in care with disabilities - children's special services - Home Adaptations for Seniors' Independence - Income Assistance for Persons with Disabilities - Residential Rehabilitation Assistance Program (RRAP) for Persons with Disabilities - Supported Living - Vocational Rehabilitation - and more...
- Financial assistance - An expanded view of this section appears below.
- About the Department

Employment and Income Assistance Facts
- incl. links to the following info: Basic Assistance (Rate Information) - Shelter Assistance - Health Needs - Other Assistance - Employment - General Information

--------------------
NOTE: For key welfare links in Manitoba,
scroll back up to the grey text box on the page you're now reading.
--------------------

Financial assistance -
Programs covered in this section include :

Building Independence - offers opportunities to Employment and Income Assistance participants who are looking for work

Child Day Care Subsidy - helps eligible families with the costs of child care

Children's Special Services - support for families to care for children who have physical and/or mental disabilities

Employment and Income Assistance - provincial program of last resort for Manitoba individuals and families in financial need

55 PLUS - income supplements to lower-income Manitobans who are 55 or older

Health Services - provides essential drug, dental, and optical supplies and services to Employment and Income Assistance participants and children in care

Income Assistance for Persons with Disabilities - financial assistance for low-income adults with a disability
[ Related link : Manitoba Services for People with Disabilities ]

Municipal Assistance - assistance provided by a local municipality to those in financial need who live outside of Winnipeg

For more information about welfare in other Canadian jurisdictions,
see the Canadian Social Research Links Key Provincial/Territorial Welfare Links page

Selected links:

From
All ABoard : Manitoba's Poverty Reduction Strategy

Province invests $950 million this year in All Aboard Poverty Reduction Strategy
More Than 560 Organizations, Individuals Helping Guide Priorities: Irvin-Ross, Mackintosh
April 9, 2010
The province is committing $950 million this year to fighting poverty and promoting opportunities for low-income Manitobans including more than 30 new initiatives and program enhancements, Housing and Community Development Minister Kerri Irvin-Ross and Family Services and Consumer Affairs Minister Gord Mackintosh announced today. (...) The province set its priorities for program enhancements and new initiatives under ALL Aboard based on research and discussion with stakeholders and individuals living in poverty, the minister said. At the top of the list are housing, getting Manitobans off welfare, more child care and building awareness of existing supports.
See also: Anti-poverty Strategies and Campaigns:
http://www.canadiansocialresearch.net/antipoverty.htm

--------------------------------------

Manitoba looks at debit cards for welfare recipients:
Plan would circumvent cheque-cashing companies’ fees
By Steve Lambert
May 12, 2010
Winnipeg — The Manitoba government is looking at giving welfare recipients special debit cards to get around the stigma, fees and hurdles that can come with cashing monthly cheques. The cards would be attached to an account where money would be deposited every month. People on social assistance would no longer have to wait for cheques to arrive in the mail and then find a place to cash them. They could spend money by swiping their card at any retail outlet, and the card would be automatically reloaded every month. (...) The government prefers to use direct deposit for welfare payments, but less than two-thirds of recipients have signed up. Many don’t have bank accounts and must pay fees at cheque-cashing companies to get their money. It’s why poverty-rights groups are encouraging the government to set up the debit cards.
Source:
Globe and Mail

--------------------------------------

Welfare conditions spur complaint to province
March 26, 2010
The quality of life on social assistance in Manitoba has triggered an ombudsman complaint against the Manitoba government. "There were a number of items on the complaint, such as people not getting information about what they're eligible for," said Paula Keirstead, spokesperson for the Community Employment and Income Assistance Education Program. "[And] people being detracted from applying for EIA, when everyone has the right." Keirstead was one of the signatories of the complaint.
Source:
CBC Manitoba

$30-Million strategy opening doors for Manitobans with Disability
New Investments Kick-start Consultations to Build Foundation for Comprehensive Strategy
June 4, 2009
News Release
The province is renewing its commitment to a long-term strategy for Manitobans who have disabilities with a $30-million down payment on more accessible housing, enhanced access to public buildings, more support for children with disabilities in child care, better employment services and improved supports for caregivers, Family Services and Housing Minister Gord Mackintosh, minister responsible for persons with disabilities, announced today. (...) As a basis for consultations, Mackintosh released a document that focuses on 10 priorities for action as the province seeks to build on its 2001 strategy: Full Citizenship: A Manitoba Strategy on Disability.

The new discussion paper:

Opening Doors: Manitoba's Commitment to Persons with Disabilities (PDF 1.83MB, 46 pages)
June 2009
(...) In 2001, the Manitoba Government released Full Citizenship: A Manitoba Provincial Strategy on Disability – a policy document detailing the province’s vision for the full participation and inclusion of persons with disabilities in Manitoba. Over the past eight years, this strategy has guided the province’s approach to disability. We have made significant strides in each of the strategy’s four building blocks: income support, access to government, disability supports and employment for persons with disabilities. (...) The goal of this discussion paper is to expand on the vision for persons with disabilities that was outlined in the 2001 strategy.

Manitoba's 2001 strategy:

Full Citizenship: A Manitoba Strategy on Disability (2001)
The White Paper, Full Citizenship: A Manitoba Strategy on Disability, proposes a comprehensive Provincial strategy on disability. It responds to recommendations from the disabilities community in the areas of access to government, employment, disability supports, services to Aboriginal persons with disabilities and income supports. It further proposes measures to enhance government accountability for access and inclusion of persons with disabilities.

Source:
Manitoba Disabilities Issues Office
[ Manitoba Family Services and Housing ]

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

May 21, 2009
Province launches homeless strategy with focus on mental-health housing
Up to 2,000 Manitobans to Benefit from 285 More Mental-health Housing Units, 600 to Benefit from New Portable Housing Benefit: Ministers
A new strategy to reduce and prevent homelessness will connect homeless people and those with mental-health challenges to stable, secure housing and support services, Healthy Living Minister Kerri Irvin-Ross and Family Services and Housing Minister Gord Mackintosh said today.
The HOMEWorks! homeless strategy includes 10 new initiatives in the following program areas:
* Emergency Shelters * Outreach * Housing with Services * Prevention

For more information on Manitoba's HOMEWorks! Homeless Strategy homeless strategy, go to the
ALL Aboard: Manitoba’s Poverty Reduction Strategy home page, where you'll find links (in the right-hand margin) to:
* Homeless Shelters * Emergency Homeless Shelter Standards * The Salvation Army Project * Cold Weather Strategy * Homeless Outreach Team * Project Breakaway * Housing with Services * Portable Housing Benefit * Community Wellness Initiative * Homelessness Prevention Summit * Housing First * The Mental Health Commission of Canada * Housing and Supports for People with Mental Illness * Contacts

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Low-income Families in the North Get Increased Assistance to Address High Cost of Food and Essentials
March 15, 2007
Employment and income assistance (EIA) for residents of Manitoba’s northern and remote communities will increase effective April 1 to help residents buy expensive essential goods and nutritious food, Family Services and Housing Minister Gord Mackintosh announced today.

2002/03 - 2003/04 Employability Assistance for People with Disabilities (EAPD) Report
May 18, 2005
"This Canada-Manitoba Agreement on Employability Assistance for People with Disabilities (EAPD) Report describes activities that were cost-shared under the EAPD Agreement during the 2002/03 and 2003/04 fiscal years. The EAPD Agreement provides for the transfer of federal funding to provinces and territories for a range of programs and services that enhance the economic participation of working age adults with disabilities in the labour market. Programs and services eligible for funding under the EAPD Agreement must provide the skills, experience and supports necessary to assist persons with disabilities prepare for, attain and retain employment. Funding is also provided for programs and services for individuals who are experiencing vocational crisis."

Related Links:

Labour Market Agreement for Persons with Disabilities (LMAPD)
Baseline Report 2004-2005
November 2004
"This Canada-Manitoba Labour Market Agreement for Persons with Disabilities (LMAPD) Baseline Report describes objectives, services, target populations and planned expenditures for programs and services to be cost-shared under the LMAPD Multilateral Framework for the 2004/05 fiscal year. Societal indicators of labour market participation from Statistics Canada.s Participation Activity Limitation Survey for Canada and Manitoba are also included. The LMAPD provides for the transfer of federal funding to provinces and territories for a range of programs and services that enhance the economic participation of working age adults with disabilities in the labour market. Programs and services eligible for funding under the LMAPD must recognize the unique labour market challenges faced by persons with disabilities and consider the distinct needs of each individual with a disability in determining the set of interventions required to prepare for, attain and retain employment."

..............................................................................................................................

Improvements to Exemptions for People with Disabilities Receiving Employment and Income Assistance Announced
April 14, 2003
"Manitobans with disabilities living in the community can now use certain lump-sum payments to improve their quality of life, without affecting their Employment and Income Assistance (EIA) benefits (...) The new exemptions for EIA were developed with the community and allow people to obtain enhanced disability supports."

Manitoba Announces New Support For Families And Children
April 28, 2003
"More for Day Care and Children with Disabilities, Legislation to Improve Collection of Child Support Payments"
Related Links:
Health Child Manitoba
Source: Department of Family Services and Housing

Social Services Appeal Process Improved By New Legislation
News Release
February 19, 2002
"The new Social Services Appeal Board Act, which ensures Manitobans have a fair and impartial appeal process for a variety of social services programs, has been proclaimed."

Sale announces initiatives to improve housing
Family Services and Housing
October 11, 2000
The provincial government has introduced the Neighbourhood Housing Assistance Program (NHA) to help communities improve housing stock and has taken over
administration of the Residential Rehabilitation Assistance Program (RRAP) from the federal government. As well, a more generous heating allowance is being used
to calculate rental payments for public housing accommodations. More...

Government Restores Increase to the National Child Benefit Supplement
July 27, 2000

Building Independence : Lowering Barriers to Employment
Initiatives Designed to Help People Looking for Meaningful Work

$9.1 Million Increase In Funding For Manitoba’s Child Care System
Family Services Minister Announces New Direction For Employment Income Assistance Recipients
Manitoba Ministers Critical of Federal Homelessness Announcement
December 17, 1999
Family Services and Housing Minister to Chair Ministerial Council
Increased Spending to Enhance Programs, Services for Children and Youth
National Child Benefit Reinvestments Support Lower-income Families
Manitoba Government Introduces New Legislation to Support New Welfare Reform Initiatives
July 5, 1999
Learnfare: Providing Young Parents And Their Children With The Keys To Success Parents Under 18 on Welfare Required to Stay in School, Take Parenting Courses
June 18, 1999
Work Requirements for Able-bodied Recipients : New Policy Initiatives Build on Successful 1996 Welfare Reform Strategies
June 17, 1999
Province Looks To Improve Income Program For Disabled
June 1999

Provincial and City Social Assistance Merge
March 1999
New One-tier System to Improve Service For Manitobans in Need: Minister Bonnie Mitchelson 
$1.5 Million More Announced for Training
October 1998
Program to Assist Lower Income And Income Assistance Families (NCB Reinvestment) 
Manitoba Invests in Children and Families
June 17, 1998 
Manitoba to Invest in Children and Youth: Province Surpasses the National Child Benefit To Invest in Manitoba's Future
March 1998 
Investing in Children and Youth a Priority
March 1998 
Manitoba Reaffirms Commitment to National Child Benefit
January 1997 

New Directions in Child and Family Services (July 1996) 
Statement of Government Policy on Manitoba Children and Youth 
March 1998 
Province Releases ChildrenFirst Status Report
May 31, 1999
$9.1 Million Increase In Funding For Manitoba’s Child Care System

Department of Finance ------------------ version française

Budgets

Manitoba Budget 2011 - Steady Growth. Positive Results
April 12, 2011
- main budget page, includes links to all budget papers
[ Version française de la page principale du budget 2011 ]
Manitoba's five-year economic plan takes a balanced approach. It supports jobs, protects services and has Manitoba on track to return to surplus. The plan is producing positive results. And Budget 2011 is sticking to the plan.
Manitoba Budget 2011:
* Puts Families First with tax credits for children’s activities, seniors and caregivers, plus thousands of new child care spaces
* Invests in Health Care so all Manitobans who want a family doctor will have one by 2015
* Builds Your Community by committing one percentage point of PST to municipal roads, bridges, transit and community centres
* Creates Opportunities for Young People by freezing university tuition increases to inflation and giving strong support to schools, universities and colleges

Department of Labour and Immigration

Minimum wage to increase to $9.50 per hour Oct. 1
Province Balancing Needs of 28,000 Minimum Wage Earners with Needs of Manitoba Businesses: Howard
April 8, 2010
The province will increase the minimum wage by 50 cents to $9.50 an hour on Oct. 1, Labour and Immigration Minister Jennifer Howard announced today. (...) The minimum wage rate last increased by 25 cents to $9 per hour on Oct. 1, 2009, following an additional 25-cent increase on May 1, 2009. (...) With this increase to the minimum wage, Manitoba will maintain its position near the middle of Canadian rates. Regular increases to the minimum wage are an important factor in reducing poverty and are part of ALL Aboard, Manitoba’s poverty reduction strategy, said the minister.

Disabilities Issues Office
In 2002, the Government of Manitoba established the Disabilities Issues Office (DIO) to support and report to the Minister responsible for Persons with Disabilities. The DIO works independently across government and acts as a centerpiece for coordinating policy and programs for persons with disabilities.

Full Citizenship: A Manitoba Strategy on Disability (PDF - 8.1MB, 47 pages)
May 4, 2001
The White Paper, Full Citizenship: A Manitoba Strategy on Disability, proposes a comprehensive provincial strategy on disability. It responds to recommendations from the disabilities community in the areas of access to government, employment, disability supports, services to Aboriginal persons with disabilities and income supports. It further proposes measures to enhance government accountability for access and inclusion of persons with disabilities.
Source:

Housing and Community Development

Womens' Directorate

 Manitoba Women's Advisory Council
" The Manitoba Women's Advisory Council advises the Manitoba government on issues concerning the status of women. The Council, a self-governing organization operating at arms-length from government, ensures that the voices of women throughout the province are heard."
- inl. links to Who We Are - Events/Information (Manitoba) - Parenting on your Own (resources for single parents, see link below) - Links to Women's Organizations

Parenting on Your Own - Manitoba (and some national) resources for single parents, incl. descriptions and links under the follwoing headings : Aboriginal Services - Abuse - Child Care - Disabilities - Employment/ Education/ Training - Health - Housing - Income Assistance - Legal - Money Management & Stretching The Dollar - Recreation And Wellness - Support For Families
Introduction - Parenting on Your Own
Table of Contents - Parenting on Your Own

Single Parent Families to Benefit from New Online Resource Guide
News Release
April 05, 2002
- Release of the sixth edition of Parenting on Your Own, a guide designed to support single parents, and launch of the Internet version of the guide.
"The handbook provides information about and resources for health, child care, finances, housing and many other topics. Hundreds of resources as well as contact information for community organizations are included. Over the years, more than 60,000 copies have been printed."

 Department of Health ..................................version française

Legislative Library of Manitoba.

 Manitoba Human Rights Commission

Manitoba Seniors and Healthy Aging Secretariat
[ version française ]

Manitoba Seniors' Guide 2008-2009 (PDF - 2.2MB, 100 pages)
Table of contents:
* Personal Information/Frequently Called Numbers * Information * Seniors Organizations * Community Resource Councils * Senior Centres * Finances * Housing * Health Services (Provincial, Community) * Community Living * Resources for Newcomers * Safety and Security * Index

Welfare fills gap as jobless wait for EI
Federal government to blame for tardy processing, advocate says
http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/local/welfare-fills-gap-as-jobless-wait-for-ei-136420573.html
By Bruce Owen
December 30, 2011
More Manitobans are collecting welfare despite the province having one of the lowest unemployment rates in the country, the most recent provincial numbers say.
And experts say one reason is due to the unemployed being forced to apply for provincial social assistance because of increasing delays in processing federal Employment Insurance claims. (...) Neil Cohen, executive director of Winnipeg's Community Unemployed Help Centre, said it's becoming more common for jobless Manitobans to collect provincial assistance because of the length of time it takes to get Employment Insurance claims processed. In some cases, it takes up to six weeks or longer.
Source:
Winnipeg Free Press
http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/

Related links:

Community Unemployed Help Centre (CUHC)
http://www.cuhc.mb.ca/
CUHC is a non-profit organization primarily dedicated to providing information, advice and representation to unemployed workers in Manitoba experiencing Employment Insurance problems. We also engage in broader social policy issues related to unemployment.
- incl. links to:
* Home * About Us * What You Need to Know Before You Apply * UI/EI Information * Appeals Information * Making EI Better * Help Centres in Other Provinces * Links
TIP : CUHC's roots are in the Manitoba labour movement, but Employment Insurance is a federal program, so the information on the CUHC website applies to all jurisdictions. Recommended reading!

From Food Banks Canada:

Hunger Count 2011 (PDF - 4.2MB, 36 pages)
A comprehensive report on hunger and food bank use in Canada, and recommendations for change

Selected HungerCount Information 1999-2011 (Microsoft Excel 2007 file - 626K)

Chart : Food bank use in Canada (March 2011)
Food Banks Canada has released data detailing how many Canadians used food banks across the country in March 2011. Hover over the chart to read how many people used food banks in each province that month, and what percentage of those people were children.

Provincial HungerCount 2011 Reports
Click this link to access all HungerCount reports for 2011 as well as reports for 2008 to 2010.
NOTE: HungerCount 2011 reports are available for the following provinces only:
* British Columbia * Alberta * Saskatchewan * Manitoba * Ontario * Nova Scotia

Source:
Food Banks Canada
Food Banks Canada is the national charitable organization representing and supporting the food bank community across Canada. Our Members and their respective agencies serve approximately 85% of people accessing food banks and food programs nationwide. Our mission is to help food banks meet the short-term need for food, and to find long-term solutions to hunger.

Media coverage:

Food bank use stays high
November 1, 2011
Food bank use across Canada remained more than 25 per cent above pre-recession levels in March, the group representing food banks said Tuesday. Food Banks Canada said an annual survey of its members showed a slight decrease in the number of food recipients from the same month a year earlier — two per cent to 851,014 — but little change over all. The steady numbers show the effects of recession are still being felt across Canada, and the organization says that means economic recovery isn't working for everyone.
Source:
CBC News

---

Stretched food banks a measure of Canada’s frail recovery
By Tavia Grant
November 1, 2011
The number of Canadians using food banks has declined slightly, but persistent demand indicates many are struggling in a frail economic recovery. More than 851,000 individuals visited a food bank in March alone, a number that’s little changed from last year’s record and still 26 per cent above prerecession levels, Food Banks Canada’s annual survey, to be released Tuesday, shows.

[ 397 comments ]

Related Globe and Mail articles:

* Feed a student, feed the future
* Food bank use drops, but still higher than before recession
* It's time to close Canada's food banks

Source:
Globe and Mail

Young parents squeezed for time and money, report finds
A University of British Columbia study found that it's much more expensive to raise a family than it was a generation ago.
October 18, 2011
By Andrea Gordon
Canadian parents are raising children with far less money and time than their baby boomer predecessors, despite the doubling of the Canadian economy since 1976, says a report from the University of British Columbia. At the same time, Canadians approaching retirement are wealthier than ever before, setting up an intergenerational tension that threatens young families, according to the study, released Tuesday.
Source:
Toronto Star

The report:

Does Canada work for all generations?
By Paul Kershaw and Lynell Anderson
October 18, 2011

National Summary (PDF - 814K, 4 pages) / (Version française - format PDF)
Fact Sheet

Excerpt from
the national summary report:
Canada is not currently working for all generations. There is a silent generational crisis occurring in homes across the country, one we neglect because Canadians are stuck in stale debates. My colleagues and I hope the 2011 Family Policy Reports for all provinces will refocus public dialogue on one of the most pressing social and economic issues of our time: Canada has become a far more difficult place to raise a family.

---

Provincial Family Policy Reports:
NOTE: The provincial files below are in
PDF format; each file is just under 2MB and 22 pages in length.

* Alberta
* British Columbia

* Manitoba

* Newfoundland and Labrador
* New Brunswick
* Nova Scotia
* Ontario
* Prince Edward Island
* Quebec
* Saskatchewan

Related resources:

* New Deal for Families blog
* YouTube video "New Deal for Families"

Source:
Human Early Learning Partnership
The Human Early Learning Partnership (HELP) is a collaborative, interdisciplinary research network, based at the University of British Columbia. HELP’s unique partnership brings together many scientific viewpoints to address complex early child development (ECD) issues. HELP connects researchers and practitioners from communities and institutions across B.C., Canada, and internationally.
[ University of British Columbia ]

From the
National Council of Welfare:

Welfare Incomes 2010
September 2011
The Welfare Incomes report reflects the estimated incomes (in constant and current dollars) for 2010 of four typical welfare households in each province and territory:
- a single employable person
- a single person with a disability
- a lone parent with a 2-year-old child
- a two-parent family with two children aged 10 and 15
Click the link above, then move your cursor over each province or territory to view welfare incomes by household type for 2010 .
Click on a province or territory to see a chart of welfare incomes over time for that jurisdiction. This feature requires Macromedia Flash; if you don't have Flash or if you've disabled it, click the link below the map of Canada to access the same information in HTML.

Adequacy of Welfare Incomes
Compare welfare benefit levels for all jurisdictions and all household categories for all years from 1986 (1989 for a person with a disability) to 2010 using any one of five measures of adequacy: After-tax average income - After-tax LICO - After-tax median income - Before-tax LICO - Market basket measure (MBM).

Earlier editions of Welfare Incomes (annual)

Source:
National Council of Welfare
[ Conseil national du bien-être social ]
Since the Government Organization Act of 1969, the National Council of Welfare serves as advisory group to the federal Minister responsible for the welfare of Canadians - in 2010, that's the Hon. Diane Finley, Minister of Human Resources and Skills Development Canada - regarding "any matter relating to social development that the Minister may refer to the Council for its consideration or that the Council considers appropriate."

Improving the Adequacy of Social Assistance Budgets:
A Methodology for Pricing Budgets and a Rationale for Making Current Rates More Adequate (PDF - 922K, 58 pages)
Harvey Stevens
July 2011
This report addresses two serious deficiencies in the delivery of Social Assistance (SA) programs by provincial governments in Canada; namely, the absence of clearly defined standard budgets based on realistic needs of SA recipients and the failure to set SA rates at levels adequate to purchase items that meet those needs. Based on the methodology used in constructing the Market Basket Measure (MBM) of low income, the report calculates the cost of all of the basic needs included in provincial SA budgets – food, clothing and footwear, shelter, personal needs and household supplies and transportation.
[ Excerpt from the executive summary ]

[Author Harvey Stevens recently retired from the Manitoba Department of Family Services and Housing. Since 2006, he is Senior Policy Analyst with Healthy Child Manitoba.]

Source:
Social Planning Council of Winnipeg

Time to give the poor a break
By Floyd Perras
April 26, 2011
Have you ever gone 18 straight years without a single cent increase in income?
Some of Manitoba’s poorest families and individuals have.
That’s because welfare rates for basic needs in Manitoba haven’t changed one bit since 1993. Taking inflation into consideration, people relying on social assistance today have only 65% of the money they did back then.
And it’s only getting worse for those on the bottom rung of the ladder.
[ Author Floyd Perras is Executive Director of Siloam Mission in Winnipeg. ]
Source:
Winnipeg Sun

Winnipeg Street Health Report 2011 (PDF - 4.6MB, 48 pages)
By Suzanne Gessler and Christina Maes
Released April 5, 2011
The Winnipeg Street Health Report presents the results of a survey on the health status of homeless people in Winnipeg conducted in the summer of 2010. The report provides an analysis of survey participants’ responses, seeking to help build an overview of homelessness in Winnipeg and contributing to an understanding of the daily living conditions of people experiencing this devastating social problem. The fndings focus on the physical and mental health status of homeless people, how they use health care and social services, and their experiences of accessing these systems. (...) The Winnipeg Street Health Report has been modeled on similar reports conducted in other major Canadian cities. The ability to compare and contrast the Winnipeg fndings with other jurisdictions can contribute to our further understanding of homelessness in general and in particular contexts.
Source:
Main Street Project - Supporting individuals in need since 1972
The Main Street Project has been serving the needs of Winnipeg's most vulnerable residents since 1972. By providing emergency shelter and food services, a drug and alcohol detoxification unit, on-site counseling, transitional housing, and a range of other critical services, we work to support our clients' basic needs, while ensuring their opportunity to make real choices and have meaningful progress, each and every day

-------------------------------

From
CBC News:

Study highlights lives of Winnipeg homeless
60 per cent of Winnipeg's homeless are aboriginal, report states
April 5, 2011
The report took a survey of 300 homeless Winnipeggers. The stark day-to-day realities of hundreds of Winnipeg’s homeless have been documented in an in-depth study highlighting its many causes. The Winnipeg Street Health Report also looks at ways of preventing homelessness.
Source:
CBC News

---

From the
Winnipeg Free Press:

Unique report outlines perils of living on street
April 6, 2011
One out of every five homeless women said she's been sexually assaulted in the past year, according to a first-of-its-kind report looking into the lives of 300 of Winnipeg's homeless people. The Winnipeg Street Health Report, which was released Tuesday, contains insight based on interviews with 90 homeless women and 210 men. Interviews for the 48-page report took place last summer, after researchers contacted people through the city's social-service organizations. The study explores different problems homeless people deal with on a daily basis, from bedbugs in shelters to difficulties for some women to afford sanitary pads and tampons.

---

Homeless persons point way
Editorial
April 6, 2011
A Winnipeg survey billed as the first specifically designed for the homeless reveals that emergency shelters are used sporadically. The city's reliance on charity-based shelters means the root of the problem goes unaddressed.
The Winnipeg Street Health Report, conducted for the Main Street Project, makes a strong case for a new strategy -- public investment in a "housing first" model used in other jurisdictions. In a pilot project, the concept saw 78 homeless Winnipeggers with identified mental illnesses set up in supported, stable housing in December.
The idea is to deal first with the dysfunction bred by homelessness so that underlying causes can be addressed amid stability

---

- Go to the Homelessness and Housing Links page:
http://www.canadiansocialresearch.net/homeless.htm

At Home/Chez Soi
[ Version française du site ]
The At Home/Chez Soi research demonstration project is investigating mental health and homelessness in five Canadian cities: Moncton, Montreal, Toronto, Winnipeg and Vancouver. A total of 2285 homeless people living with a mental illness will participate. 1,325 people from that group will be given a place to live, and will be offered services to assist them over the course of the initiative. The remaining participants will receive the regular services that are currently available in their cities. As of February, 2011 - over 1,600 people have become project participants, and over 700 now have homes. The overall goal is to provide evidence about what services and systems could best help people who are living with a mental illness and are homeless. At the same time, the project will provide meaningful and practical support for hundreds of vulnerable people.

What's happening in each of the five participating cities?

Moncton: one of Canada’s fastest growing cities, with a shortage of services for Anglophones and Francophones.

Montreal: different mental health services provided to homeless people in Quebec.

Toronto: ethno-cultural diversity including new immigrants who are non-English speaking.

Winnipeg: urban Aboriginal population.

Vancouver: people who struggle with substance abuse and addictions.

Source:
Mental Health Commission of Canada

Welfare Incomes 2009 (PDF - 6.2MB, 117 pages)
December 2010
As the National Council of Welfare has done since 1986, in Welfare Incomes 2009 we look at the situation of four family types in each province and territory: a lone parent with a 2-year-old child, a couple with two children aged 10 and 15, a single person considered employable and a single person with a disability.
[ News Release - December 13, 2010 ]
Source:
National Council of Welfare
The National Council of Welfare is an advisory group to the Minister of Human Resources and Skills Development Canada (HRSDC). Its mandate is to advise the Minister regarding any matter relating to social development that the Minister may refer to the Council for its consideration or that the Council considers appropriate.

For links to more Welfare Incomes 2009 resources (media coverage, interactive Welfare Incomes 2009 map, customized charts, earlier editions, etc.),
jump directly to the Welfare rates section of the Key Welfare Links page of this website:
http://www.canadiansocialresearch.net/welfare.htm#rates

Manitoba Child Poverty Report Card - 2010
The Challenge for Manitoba’s Provincial Government (PDF - 2.8MB, 27 pages)
Manitoba maintains it s title as the “Child Poverty Capital of Canada. The November 16, 2010 Throne Speech, The Government of Manitoba claimed to have the second lowest child poverty rate in Canada. This rating used the Market Basket Measure, which is not based on a comprehensive concept which takes into account all of the aspects of poverty. The methodology is also suspect because shelter is so undervalued. Using the comprehensive LICO, which considers income in a manner consistent with how Canadians at all levels see their own economic well-being, the picture is very different. Manitoba has the worst poverty rate in the country, almost 3 percent above the Canadian rate and 1.5% above the next worst province. These figures translate into 43,000 children live in poverty or 1.1 times the size of Brandon.
Source:
Social Planning Council of Winnipeg
The Social Planning Council of Winnipeg (SPC) is a membership-based organization in the voluntary sector committed to providing leadership in social planning and effecting social policy changes.

Manitoba Provincial Election Resources
Manitoba will go to the polls on Tuesday, October 4, 2011.
Source:
Election Almanac
- complete coverage of federal, provincial and territorial elections in Canada including election results, public opinion polls, ridings and candidates, election news, electoral history, links, and more

- Go to the Political Parties and Elections Links in Canada (Provinces and Territories) page: http://www.canadiansocialresearch.net/politics_prov_terr.htm

From CBC Manitoba:

Not Enough Money
Baby food or a bus pass? A TV or a telephone?
About 100,000 Manitobans make these decisions every day. They live below the poverty line. Some are the poorest of the poor in the country. Who they are and where they live will surprise you.

From March 22-26, CBC Television, Radio and cbc.ca will explore why so many Manitobans struggle with poverty and how they survive with Not Enough Money.

------------------------------------------------
NOTE: if you click the link above and scroll to the bottom of the page that opens, you'll find "Poverty by Area", a map of the City of Winnipeg showing family income by neighbourhood throughout the city. I *should* say "...a map of Winnipeg that's SUPPOSED to show family income by neighbourhood..." because that's what a Geographic Information System can do, according to Wikipedia. The Winnipeg map on the Not Enough Money page should be called "How NOT to do a GIS Map."
------------------------------------------------

Making Ends Meet
You don't have much money, but you do have a lot of choices.

Live Chat: Who's accountable?
A round table on poverty.
March 26, 2010

Fighting poverty
What stakeholders and anti-poverty activists say.

Measuring Poverty
Who's to say I am poor?
Looking at the three low-income measures.

Profiles
* Newcomers - Refugees have a particularly hard time making ends meet.
* Single Parents - Single parents are poorer than their married counterparts.
* The Working Poor - You can work and still be poor.
* The Disabled - Earn about $10,000 a year less than those without a disability.
* Seniors - For many older Manitobans on fixed incomes the "golden years" aren't exactly brilliant.
* Aboriginal people - Manitoba has the largest per capita Aboriginal population in Canada.

Source:
CBC Manitoba

Poverty statistics misleading
By Harvey Stevens
December 5, 2009
The recently released November 2009 Manitoba Child and Family Poverty Report Card 2009 (PDF - 458K, 25 pages) states that "Manitoba is once again the Child Poverty Capital of Canada, tied with British Columbia for having the highest number of citizens under the age of 18 living in poverty." It goes on to show how Manitoba has held that highest ranking for eight of the last 19 years and second highest ranking for an additional five of those years. Unfortunately, these are very misleading statistics which are extremely unfair to Manitoba because they are based on a faulty yardstick -- the pre-tax low income cutoffs (LICOs) developed by Statistics Canada more 40 years ago.
Source:
Winnipeg Free
[ Harvey Stevens is a retired civil servant who worked for 18 years as a senior policy analyst with Family Services and Housing. His area of expertise is poverty measurement and income assistance policy. He tried championing the use of the MBM for setting welfare rates while in government but was unsuccessful. ]

20 Years Lost: The Poverty Generation
Manitoba Report Card on Child and Family Poverty (PDF - 458K, 25 pages)
November 2009
All of the children living in poverty in Manitoba today were born since the members of the House of Commons passed the resolution to eliminate child poverty in 1989. (...) In Manitoba, 47,000 children live in poverty. That’s 18.8 per cent of all children, nearly one in five. Manitoba is once again the Child Poverty Capital of Canada, tied with British Columbia for having the highest number of citizens under the age of 18 living in poverty. That’s almost four percentage points above the national average.
Source:
Social Planning Council of Winnipeg

One is too many (PDF - 75K, 2 pages)
Media Release
November 24, 2009
Winnipeg Manitoba—a report released today by the Social Planning Council of Winnipeg (SPC) shows that Manitoba has regained the title of Child Poverty Capital of Canada, with nearly 1 in 5 children living in poverty.

Related link:

Campaign 2000

“We got evicted...did I leave that out?”
Stories of Housing and Mental Health (PDF - 1.4MB, 52 pages)
By Ian Skelton and Richard Mahé
February 2009
This study begins to explore ways of supporting processes of community transformation through enhancing the provision of housing and supports for people living with mental illness. In particular, the study is concerned with factors that mediate between individuals living with mental illness and the broader social environment. (...) In-depth, face-to-face interviews were held over the summer of 2008 in Winnipeg
with people living with mental illness, family members with responsibility for giving care and key informants. This report attempts to portray experiences of housing and mental health as recounted by the interview participants.
Source:
Manitoba Office - Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives
[ More publications from CCPA-Manitoba ]

Poverty and Social Exclusion
Solving Complex Issues through Comprehensive Approaches (PDF - 249K, 4 pages)
September 2008
* Definitions of social exclusion
* Government strategies to address poverty and social exclusion (Europe - Canada - Newfoundland and Labrador - Québec - Ontario)
* Common features of poverty and social exclusion strategies (targets - timelines - citizen consultations - action plans/strategies - accountability and reporting - evaluation of progress)
* Why Manitoba needs a Strategy

Source:
CCPA Manitoba Office

CCPA National Office link:

Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives
The Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives is an independent, non-partisan research institute concerned with issues of social and economic justice. Founded in 1980, the CCPA is one of Canada’s leading progressive voices in public policy debates.

The Housing Circumstances Of Recently Arrived Refugees:The Winnipeg Experience
By Dr. Tom Carter et al.
(July 2008 for Prairie Metropolis)

Housing is a central component of the settlement experience of refugees. A positive housing situation can facilitate many aspects of integration. Unaffordable, crowded, unsafe housing, however, can cause disruptions in the entire settlement process. A two-year study of recently arrived refugees in the city of Winnipeg illustrates the significant housing challenges they face. In the first year 75 households who had been in the city a year or less were interviewed. Fifty-five of these households were re-interviewed a year later. The research findings highlight the housing and neighbourhood challenges the households faced in the first year and the changes in their circumstances that had occurred by the time interviews were conducted in the second year.

Download full report (PDF - 2.3MB, 146 pages)

Source:
Institute of Urban Studies, University of Winnipeg

Manitoba Chamber of Commerce calls for welfare hike
March 28, 2008
In an unusual pairing, the Manitoba Chamber of Commerce is teaming up with the Social Planning Council of Winnipeg to urge the province's NDP government to raise welfare rates.After a year of talks with anti-poverty groups, chamber president Graham Starmer has concluded the money welfare recipients receive to pay for shelter falls well below what they need. Social assistance recipients have to dip into other funds because their shelter rates haven't kept pace with inflation, he said.
Source:
CBC

Related links:

Manitoba Chamber of Commerce

Social Planning Council of Winnipeg

Echoes of Inner City Voices (PDF File - 3.6MB, 56 pages)
April 2005 (posted online Feb. 22/08)
By Mike Maunder and Virginia Maracle with Tom Carter, Chesya Polevychok and Tom Janzen
From June 1997 to September 1999, the Winnipeg Free Press ran a weekly series of stories – Inner City Voices – that gave voice to people in the inner city. (...) Five years later the authors revisited some of the people they interviewed to see how their lives had changed and how the inner city had changed.
- incl. statistics profiling inner city characteristics and change; program and policy based material; and, socio-economic, demographic and housing information.
Source:
Winnipeg Inner City Alliance
[ Institute for Urban Studies - University of Winnipeg ]

NOTE : the Winnipeg Inner City Alliance has also just released a January 2008 report on financing providers (PDF file - 311 K, 37 pages) in Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Northwestern Ontario and to three New Local Social Economy Research Projects.

NOTE: When I checked the links on this page in the Spring of 2010, all of the links to Panhandling in Winnipeg were dead.
However, this is such an excellent report that I left the links and text below in case you wish to do some further digging.
The link to the Institute of Urban Studies (at the University of Winnipeg) is still active so you could start there...
Gilles

---

Panhandling In Winnipeg: Legislation versus Support Services
by Tom Carter - Canada Research Chair in Urban Change and Adaptation -
with Anita Friesen, Chesya Polevychok, John Osborne
May 2007
In June 2005, The City of Winnipeg passed an amendment to By-Law 7700/2000 prohibiting some methods of panhandling, and placing restrictions on some aspects of panhandling activity, particularly related to specific types of services or locations. This project addresses the following questions regarding the need for, and the effectiveness of, this legislation:
- Given the nature, number and activity of panhandlers in the city, is this legislation an appropriate response to the circumstances?
- Is the legislation likely to be effective? and,
- Are there more effective means of addressing the issues of panhandling? Is legislation the answer or should the focus be on services and programs to address systemic problems that lead to panhandling in the first place?

The report is available in four volumes:

(scroll to the bottom of the list of journals for a brief summary of the content of each of the four volumes whose links appear below)

Volume 1: Executive Summary (PDF file - 300K, 8 pages)
This volume presents an overview of Volume 2, 3 and 4, and summarizes the findings of the Panhandling in Winnipeg research project.

Volume 2: Literature and Legislation Review (PDF file - 598K, 55 pages)
Academic literature provides valuable insights into who panhandles and why they are on the streets of North American cities. The studies reviewed here document the increasing diversity and overall growth in the numbers of people panhandling. Negative reactions to panhandling have prompted many municipal governments to attempt to control panhandling through legislation and/or program approaches that assist panhandlers to “get off the street”. The main legislative/program approaches to addressing panhandling are reviewed here.

Volume 3: Mapping of Panhandling Activity (PDF file - 10.2MB, 76 pages)
This volume presents the results of field observation of panhandling activity in central Winnipeg. It focuses on the mapping of panhandling locations and panhandling methods, including distribution of panhandlers throughout the study area, priority or high traffic locations for panhandling activity, and proximity to “sensitive services.” The types of panhandling methods used, and the distribution and frequency of occurrences of different methods was also recorded and mapped.

Volume 4: Interviews with Panhandlers (PDF file - 403K, 83 pages)

If you have any comments or questions about the report, please direct them to Tom Carter at t.carter@uwinnipeg.ca .

Source:
Journal articles, research reports ===> See also : * Research Highlights * Background and Resource Documents * Community Briefs
[Institute of Urban Studies (University of Winnipeg)]

Also from the Institute for Urban Studies:

Twelve recent reports on panhandling (special focus on Winnipeg)
Click the link above to access 20 reports of the Canada Research Chair in Urban Change and Adaptation at the Institute of Urban Studies (University of Winnipeg).
The titles of the 12 most recent reports appear below; click the link above to access these studies and more...
* Why Panhandlers are on the Streets of North American Cities (June 2007)
* Who Panhandles in Winnipeg? (June 2007)
* Panhandling in Winnipeg Project: Mapping Methodology (June 2007)
* Location of Panhandling Activity in Winnipeg (June 2007)
* Panhandling Alone or in Groups: What is the Approach in Winnipeg? (June 2007)
* When Panhandlers are Active in Downtown Winnipeg (June 2007)
* Different Groups' Perception of Panhandling in Winnipeg (June 2007)
* Legislative Approaches to Panhandling (June 2007)
* Program Approaches to Panhandling (July 2007)
* Housing Circumstances of Panhandlers in Winnipeg (July 2007)
* Does Panhandling Provide a Living (July 2007)
* Why do Panhandlers Panhandle in Winnipeg? (September 2007)

Source:
Publications / Research Highlights
[ Journal articles, research reports ] ===> See also : Background and Resource Documents * Community Briefs
[ Canada Research Chair in Urban Change and Adaptation ]
[ Institute of Urban Studies, University of Winnipeg ]

Society for Manitobans with Disabilities

Manitoba Office - CCPA
- Publications
Related Link:
Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives (CCPA) - National Office
"The Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives is an independent, non-partisan research institute concerned with issues of social and economic justice. Founded in 1980, the CCPA is one of Canada’s leading progressive voices in public policy debates. By combining solid research with extensive outreach, we work to enrich democratic dialogue and ensure Canadians know there are workable solutions to the issues we face. "

Recent reports:

The Expressive Liberty of Beggars:
Why it matters to them, and to us (PDF file - 282K, 28 pages)

FastFacts: Manitoba's Minimum Wage? Be Realistic! - PDF file - 32K, 2 pages)
August 4, 2005
"A job at $10.00 per hour, with benefits and opportunities for advancement, would draw many into the labour force. Such jobs provide dignity and respect. A wage of $7.25 does not. Nor does it make economic sense."

In for the Long Haul: Women’s Organizations in Manitoba - PDF File - 199 K, 24 pages)
August 16, 2005
"Just as women in Manitoba have done for decades past, feminist and women’s organizing for cultural, economic, political, and social change continues unabated. Indeed, many of the issues remain the same as during the second wave women’s movement. Although there may not be a province-wide group mobilizing women under one banner, this study has demonstrated that there is a substantial amount of activity taking place across a wide range of issues emanating from diverse perspectives and experiences."

Source:
Manitoba Office Publications (CCPA)

"There are No Banks Here"
Financial & Insurance Exclusion in Winnipeg's North End (PDF file - 276K, 56 pages)
by Jerry Buckland & Bruce Guenther with Georgi
Boichey, Heather Geddie & Maryanne Mutch
September 2005
"Financial exclusion is a matter of growing concern in Canada considering the decline in the number of mainstream bank branches in some inner-cities and the concurrent rise in the number of fringe banks. This study reports on results from a survey of residents from Winnipeg's North End, a low-income area of the city. The study seeks to understand resident's experiences with financial and insurance services: which ones they use, which ones are important to them and how accessible the services are. As a follow-up to research completed in 2002-2003 in the North End this survey asked questions about a greater number of services (banks, fringe banks, informal financial services and insurance services and financial support services) in a semi-random fashion to a broader range of respondents (low- and middle-income).
Source:
Publications (links to 18 studies and reports)
[ Winnipeg Inner City Research Alliance (WIRA) ]
[ Institute of Urban Studies, University of Winnipeg ]

Surviving on Hope is not Enough:
Women's Health, Poverty, Justice and Income Support in Manitoba
May 28, 2004
Executive Summary
" Women are more likely to live in poverty than men. Women with disabilities, Aboriginal women, and single mothers have higher rates of poverty. Women who live in poverty have poorer physical and mental health than those with higher incomes."
Complete report (PDF file - 725K, 56 pages)

Policy-Related PWHCE Projects
- incl. links to research in the following areas:
Aboriginal Women's Health - Health Reform and Policy - Immigrant / Refugee Women's Health - Informal Caregivers' Health - Lesbian Health - Literature Reviews - Women, Poverty and Health - Older Women's Health - Rural Women's Health - Women's Mental Health - Women, Violence and Abuse - Women-centred Health Programs and Services

Source:
Prairie Women's Health Centre of Excellence (PWHCE)
Related Links:
Centres of Excellence for Women's Health (Health Canada)
- "The Women’s Health Contribution Program supports policy research and education on women’s health issues. Managed by the Women's Health Bureau, Health Canada, the Program is a partnership between community and academic researchers."
Women's Health Bureau
[ Health Canada Online ]

Also from PWHCE:

Women and Social Assistance Policy in Saskatchewan and Manitoba
May 2005
By Josephine Savarese, Department of Justice Studies, University of Regina and
Bonnie Morton, Regina Anti-Poverty Ministry
"The Prairie Women's Health Centre of Excellence (PWHCE) Research Program on Poverty and Women's Health has supported several studies that examine the links between public policy, women's poverty and women's health. In 2003, PWHCE initiated three research projects designed to examine income assistance policies in Saskatchewan and Manitoba and their effects on women's health. Reports from two of these projects were published in 2004: Don't We Count As People: Saskatchewan Social Welfare Policy and Women's Health and Surviving on Hope is Not Enough: Women's Health, Poverty, Justice and Income Support in Manitoba. These two studies were based on several focus groups held in each province and were designed to bring forward the voices and perspectives of those most directly affected by income assistance policies. As Wharf and MacKenzie have noted, 'the knowledge and experience gap between those who make policy and those who must live with the consequences is enormous.' The research helps bridge that gap by providing an important critique of income assistance policies from the perspectives of women living on welfare. The women's descriptions of their experiences reveal the inadequacy of income assistance benefits and the harmful effects on their physical and emotional health."

Complete report (PDF file - 927K, 62 pages)
NOTE: the complete report includes both studies noted above.

Just Income Coalition
The Just Income Coalition formed in the fall of 2002 when a group of representatives from labour, human services, faith, women's, and Aboriginal organizations came together out of a shared concern over the inadequate minimum wage and its impact on low income Manitobans. They recognized that low wages are a major source of poverty in our province and organized around the idea that a strong minimum wage can be an effective tool for promoting economic justice.
- incl. links to : News - Take Action - Just Income Facts - Coalition Partners - Other Organizations - Contact Info

Child Care Coalition of Manitoba
"The Child Care Coalition of Manitoba (est. 1993) is a broadly-based and unincorporated coalition of groups and individuals. The Coalition currently has nearly 50 group memberships. Our members include parents, the labour movement, women's groups, the childcare community, educators and researchers and organizations committed to social justice, among others."

Child care sector has huge economic and social impact for Winnipeg: Time for action, say leading Winnipeggers
News Alert
May 20, 2004
Winnipeg Project
"Child care is an essential element in urban infra-structure. Yet, childcare in Winnipeg is characterized by serious inequities: some neighourhoods have much worse access and service than others."

Frontier Centre for Public Policy
"The Frontier Centre for Public Policy is an independent public policy think tank whose mission is "to broaden the debate on our future through public policy research and education and to explore positive changes within our public institutions that support economic growth and opportunity."

Manitoba Centre for Health Policy and Evaluation
University of Manitoba
The Manitoba Centre for Health Policy and Evaluation is a research unit in the Faculty of Medicine at the U. of Manitoba. MCHPE conducts research on the way health care services are used by Manitobans. It examines patterns of illness in the population, and studies how people use health care services. It also researches the factors that affect health, since there is considerable evidence that many factors influence our physical well-being, including income, education, employment and social status, as well as nutrition, early childhood programs and even highway safety.
This site contains a raft of studies and reports on a variety of health issues.

Winnipeg Free Press

Winnipeg Harvest (Food Bank)

City of Winnipeg

Social Planning Council of Winnipeg (SPCW)
- incl. links to : About Us - Happenings - Resources - Links - Media - Guestbook - Join SPC - Photo Gallery - Contact Us.

Community Legal Education Association (CLEA) 

Canadian Union of Public Employees Manitoba (CUPE) 

CUPE Manitoba Local 500

Manitoba WORKink - "The Virtual Employment Resource Centre"
Career and Employment Resources for Persons with Disabilities 
- Links to a wide range of information for people with disabilities and those who support them. 
Source:
Canadian Council on Rehabilitation and Work

Manitoba WorkInfoNet (MBWIN) - "An Internet directory that provides information on different aspects of the Manitoba labour market and helps Manitobans connect to the information and resources they need for success in the changing job market."
Incl. links to information in the following areas: Financial Help and Issues - Jobs, Work and Recruiting - Labour Market Information and Outlook - Learning,
Education and Training - Self Employment - At Work and In the Community - Occupations and Careers

Search the Web Search Canadian Social Research Links Only

TIP: How to Search for a Word or Expression on a Single Web Page  Open any web page in your browser, then hold down the Control ("Ctrl") key on your keyboard and type the letter F to open a "Find" window. Type or paste in a key word or expression and hit Enter - your browser will go directly to the first occurrence of that word (or those exact words, as the case may be). To continue searching using the same keyword(s) throughout the rest of the page, keep clicking on the FIND NEXT button. Try it. It's a great time-saver!

E-MAIL: gilseg@rogers.com