Latest News

Winnipeg Free Press - ONLINE EDITION

Manitoba has second-highest poverty rate in country: report card

By: Staff Writer

Posted: 11/29/2012 12:50 PM | Comments: 0 | Last Modified: 11/29/2012 1:16 PM | Updates

One in five children in Manitoba is living in poverty, and government isn’t doing enough to alleviate the situation, the Social Planning Council says in its latest Poverty Report Card.

In real terms, social assistance cheques aren’t as generous as they were 20 years ago when Gary Filmon was in power, the planning council says.

Related Items

Articles
- Senator Art Eggleton spoke on poverty issues at the News Café: REPLAY

And when it comes to child poverty, only Prince Edward Island has a higher rate in Canada at 22.5 per cent to Manitoba’s 20.9 per cent. The national average is 14.5 per cent.

The planning council, at a news conference at Winnipeg Harvest this morning, called on the province to boost the Employment and Income Assistance allowance to $500 from $200 and to increase the minimum wage to $13 an hour from the current $10.25.

The Opposition Progressive Conservatives said the government has no problem handing out cheques but it "needs to start taking results more seriously."

Reacting to the Social Planning Council report, Leanne Rowat, the PC family services critic, said it’s no wonder Manitoba leads the country in food bank use.

"The tax burden on Manitobans is so severe that even those with jobs are not able to make ends meet. This is an embarrassment for a government that claims to care about families," she said.

History

Updated on Thursday, November 29, 2012 at 1:16 PM CST: adds reaction from Progressive Conservatives

Fact Check

Have you found an error, or know of something we’ve missed in one of our stories? Please use the form below and let us know.

* Required

In which story did you find the error? *
Please post the headline of the story or the title of the video with the error.
What was the error? *
Please post exactly what was wrong with the story.
What should we have written?
Please indicate your source for the correct information.
Who else should we interview to improve this story?
Please include any contact information you may have.
Can we contact you in the future for advice on stories about this topic?
Yes

No
First Name: *
Last Name: *
E–mail Address: *
This will only be used to contact you if we have a question about your submission, it will not be used to identify you or be published.
Phone: *
This will only be used to contact you if we have a question about your submission, it will not be used to identify you or be published.
Colour:
Are you blue? If you can see this, leave it blank and get some CSS support.
Enter the words that you see: * This is to prevent our forms from being filled out automatically.
You have failed to correctly identify the words in the box above. Please try again.

More Latest News

Undock

You can comment on most stories on winnipegfreepress.com. You can also agree or disagree with other comments. All you need to do is register and/or login and you can join the conversation and give your feedback.

Have Your Say

New to commenting? Check out our Frequently Asked Questions.

The Winnipeg Free Press does not necessarily endorse any of the views posted. By submitting your comment, you agree to our Terms and Conditions. These terms were revised effective April 16, 2010.