A new Errol Black Chair report released today examines how events areunfolding in Churchill and The Pas. It puts these events in the context of the entire Northern region and urges government to consider the needs and aspirations of Manitoba's Northerners when considering the best way to help.
Inequality and poverty
In the two years since Canada’s pandemic experience began, transit ridership across the country has plummeted. Or perhaps, more accurately, riders who had the ability to work remotely or the ability to find alternate transportation to work did so. Early in the pandemic, ridership in Toronto, for example, declined as much as 85% resulting in a $21 million per week revenue loss for the Toronto Transit Commission (TTC). In turn, the TTC laid off 450 employees and reduced service.
Previously published in the Winnipeg Free Press, February 23, 2022
While the COVID-19 pandemic shows no sign of ending anytime soon, public debates have shifted from emergency response to re-opening and returning to normal. As the recent truckers’ convoy has made clear, some would prefer the re-opening happen immediately, with no regard for public health or science. But even assuming a more rational timeline, simply returning to “normal” is far from an adequate goal for Canada’s recovery.
Since the 2020 State of the Inner City report, which looked at the impact of the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic on the inner city, we’ve had second, third and fourth waves. Both the sense of government urgency and the emergency funding available after the first wave have dried up. The pre-existing, everyday crises of poverty, precarious housing, food security, and ongoing racism and colonialism continue, some worsened by losses of income. A return to “normal” or “business as usual” is not an option.
Previously published in the Winnipeg Free Press January 26, 2022
Adult education in Manitoba is a largely buried treasure. Outstanding work is done throughout the province, but the full potential is not being realized. A re-imagined and revitalized adult education strategy would produce many important benefits, including strengthened families, enhanced employability, and an important step toward reconciliation.
Previously published by the Winnipeg Free Press January 25, 2022
Canada's top CEOs had another fruitful year, this time amid the misery of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The country's 100 highest-paid CEOs from the S&P/TSX Composite recorded their second best year ever for compensation in 2020, according to the report.
These executives got paid an average of $10.9 million in 2020. They now make 191 times more than the average worker wage in Canada.
OTTAWA—Canada’s 100 highest-paid CEOs from the S&P/TSX Composite recorded their second best year ever for compensation in 2020 despite the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a new report by the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives (CCPA).
The report, Another Year in Paradise: CEO Pay in 2020, shows those 100 CEOs got paid an average of $10.9 million in 2020, which is higher than their pay in 2019. They now make 191 times more than the average worker wage in Canada.
On November 25th the City of Winnipeg passed its first ever
This report examines the racial and gender lines in Canada's labour market during the most challenging period of the COVID-19 pandemic to date.
Racialized and Indigenous workers were more likely to become unemployed and be in jobs that put them in close proximity to others, increasing their risk of COVID-19 infection. Racialized and Indigenous workers were also more likely to live with economic insecurity compared to white workers. Female workers were at greater risk of exposure to COVID-19.