20°c A few clouds
7°c Sunny
Winnipeg Free Press - PRINT EDITION
Clampdown would cut welfare payments
Justice Minister Andrew Swan, June 2012 (JOHN WOODS / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS ARCHIVES) Photo Store
Welfare recipients who have an outstanding arrest warrant should fess up.
Justice Minister Andrew Swan said Friday the province will stop, reduce or deny benefits to people with outstanding warrants for serious crimes.
The new measure is part of a wider effort to cut down on the high number of outstanding warrants. It was first announced more than a year ago when the province rolled out funding to create a new squad to pursue high-risk fugitives with outstanding warrants.
The province funds 72 positions for the joint Winnipeg Police Service-RCMP warrant enforcement unit. As of Oct. 17, 729 arrests had been made.
Conservative justice critic Reg Helwer questioned why it's taken so long for the warrant squad to identify those on income assistance.
"What took them so long to use this tool?" he said. "It's obviously something they felt wasn't important enough to get moving on."
Swan said the stumbling block was streamlining police access to information in government databases to track individuals with outstanding warrants.
"We wanted to line everything up so that we now have a rigorous and comprehensive way of seeing whether there's outstanding warrants for serious offences," he said.
Swan said people who apply for or already get income assistance will be required to deal with outstanding warrants under the Criminal Code to prevent benefits from being cut off.
Provisions are in place to minimize the impact on family members. If two or more people are in the household, there will be no cut to basic benefits for rent, utilities and health care.
Eligibility for welfare would be reinstated once a person confirms outstanding warrants have been cleared up.
-- Bruce Owen
Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition November 17, 2012 A7
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.
More Latest News
- Back to Top
- Return to Latest News
Poll
Most Popular Latest News
- Man dies after being pulled from vehicle submerged in Winnipeg retention pond
- Grocer Joe Cantor dies at 88
- Winnipeg woman camps out in front of legislature to protest child welfare
- New owner for lumber stores
- Peeping Tom portrayed as sexual deviant in court
- 87-year-old woman tells jurors, 'Somebody had to stand up to' Donald Trump
- Famous city grocer loved job, customers
- Man killed after test drive a regular guy, and it cost him his life: widow
- Man shot to death in Fla. while being questioned in Boston Marathon bombing investigation
- Housing slowdown to worsen, cost 150,000 jobs, says mortgage group
- 87-year-old woman tells jurors, 'Somebody had to stand up to' Donald Trump
- Man dies after being pulled from vehicle submerged in Winnipeg retention pond
- Aboriginal leader Elijah Harper dies
- Woman killed in head-on crash in southwestern Manitoba
- Horrific crash kills minivan driver near Brandon
- Charleswood deaths being investigated as domestic incident
- Grocer Joe Cantor dies at 88
- Rainfall warning issued for southern Manitoba
- Winnipeg woman camps out in front of legislature to protest child welfare
- Crushing blow for amateur sport
- Seattle man dribbling soccer ball to Brazil killed by car on Oregon Coast
- 87-year-old woman tells jurors, 'Somebody had to stand up to' Donald Trump
- Man dies after being pulled from vehicle submerged in Winnipeg retention pond
- Driver crashes into tree near golf course
- Arrests made after raids on local head shops
- Aboriginal leader Elijah Harper dies
- News of city's $17-million winner leaks out on FB
- Passengers from diverted flight to leave Winnipeg Thursday night
- No threat from bag found at Winnipeg Square
- Susan Griffiths dies in Switzerland
- New owner for lumber stores
- Grocer Joe Cantor dies at 88
- Famous city grocer loved job, customers
- Developers to unveil plans for bold downtown tower
- Order of Manitoba recipients announced
- Man dies after being pulled from vehicle submerged in Winnipeg retention pond
- Paying bills and consumer consumption hurting Canadians' ability to save: study
- MP Bruinooge says Bill 18 could infringe on religious freedoms
- Elijah Harper: The humble man who said no
- Two charged in golf course burglary
- New owner for lumber stores
- Aboriginal leader Elijah Harper dies
- Marsh Madness: Photographers Fred Greenslade and Joe Bryksa capture spring migration's grandeur at Delta Marsh
- Grocer Joe Cantor dies at 88
- Prominent Canadians back petition to rename Victoria Day to honour aboriginals
- Famous city grocer loved job, customers
- Horrific crash kills minivan driver near Brandon
- Province removing red tape in alcohol sales
- Animals are animals, new ads say
- Skin picking gets status as distinct disorder, should help sufferers access help
- New owner for lumber stores
- Aboriginal leader Elijah Harper dies
- Dogs can experience separation anxiety and depression just like humans
- Ontario steps in to help save ELA
- Saskatchewan professor wants to test the health benefits of nose-picking
- 'Revenge of the redheads': Ginger-haired Montrealers gather in celebration
- An uncommon phenomenon
- Passengers from diverted flight to leave Winnipeg Thursday night
- Hundreds pitch in to dig out houses damaged, destroyed by Ochre Beach ice floe
- Retail sales in province see 2 per cent increase in February
Ads by Google
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.