Winnipeg Free Press - ONLINE EDITION
School taxes bad, city user fees good
I was signing up for the next round of a city recreation program in which I participate, and was reckoning that costs are up 10 per cent over a year ago.
Nothing new to the program, same number of weeks, same activity, pretty much the same as it was last year ... can’t see how it could cost 10 per cent more.
And I was thinking, by the time I take part in four sessions, two in the winter/spring and two next fall, my costs will have gone up just about the same amount of money that our education property taxes will go up in Winnipeg School Division on our house.
Gosh.
But remind me again -- our city councillors are heroic tax freezers, and our school trustees are villainous, scurrilous spendthrifts who must be brought to justice.
And in a seamless segue...
Up pops the familiar name of Anthony Ramos in my email, and I’m immediately hoping that the chair of Winnipeg school board is sending me news about Gordon Bell’s field, or capital funding for new gyms, or even telling me what Mike Babinsky’s done now.
But no, turns out this Anthony Ramos speaks for an American group called the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network, and it was meeting with Obama’s education secretary to lobby for anti-bullying programs.
Certainly sounds to be something to which Barack should listen, and put into action, but since his attention seems to be increasingly on winning over Republicans ... sorry, I’ll turn my attention back to Manitoba.
- Rate this
-
-
We want you to tell us what you think of our articles. If the story moves you, compels you to act or tells you something you didn’t know, mark it high. If you thought it was well written, do the same. If it doesn’t meet your standards, mark it accordingly.
You can also register and/or login to the site and join the conversation by leaving a comment.
Rate it yourself by rolling over the stars and clicking when you reach your desired rating. We want you to tell us what you think of our articles. If the story moves you, compels you to act or tells you something you didn’t know, mark it high.
The comment period for this story has ended.
Ads by Google
- Back to Top
- Return to Telling Tales Out of School
-
CON >< CUSSIONS
Examining hockey head injuries
-
Random Acts of Kindness
Your encounters with goodness
-
Open Secrets
Red River students mine government data banks
-
Ski with WFP
Register here to ski Asessippi with the Winnipeg Free Press
-
Miss Lonelyhearts
Maureen Scurfield offers life advice
Poll
Most Popular
- Gesturing rudely at OPP while in possession of stolen goods: not a good idea
- Joannie Rochette receives permission to perform in made-for-TV 'Thin Ice'
- Ile des Chenes couple wins St. B Hospital lottery
- Grand Forks declares flood emergency
- Teen robbed, sexually assaulted at bus stop
- Thaw bedevils North
- North Dakota's ramping up for a flood battle. Are you concerned about what will happen north of the border?
- High Canadian dollar here to stay, economists say
- Deadly party ambush linked to revenge, court hears
- City may open diamond lanes to more users
- Crusader up for Nobel Prize
- From poster couple to problem couple
- Freedom for Li expected
- Mild again, but enjoy it while it lasts
- Six-year-old leads RCMP to attacker
- Off-duty officer stops assault on Transit driver
- Man shot after chasing car thieves
- New cutting machine breaks through ice near Selkirk
- Grand Forks declares flood emergency
- Gesturing rudely at OPP while in possession of stolen goods: not a good idea
- Olympic-sized hypocrisy
- Crusader up for Nobel Prize
- Not wrong, just illegal
- Teacher's lapdance caught on tape, watched by world
- Students could be punished
- Second video of lap dance uncovered
- Mr. Matas a worthy nominee
- Is this the worst Olympics ever?
- What should happen to two teachers who performed a sexually suggestive dance routine in front of students?
- Oprah's on, and so is our Jon!
- Gesturing rudely at OPP while in possession of stolen goods: not a good idea
- City may open diamond lanes to more users
- Violence reaches 'epidemic levels'
- Freedom for Li expected
- Man shot after chasing car thieves
- Funding found for cadets to join city police force
- You're just gathering intel, so try to stay sober
- Car thieves meet resistance, shoot man, 59
- Lobby groups target province on BiPole issue
- Thaw bedevils North
- Freedom for Li expected
- Man shot after chasing car thieves
- Greyhound apologizes for stranding passengers
- He can escape her verbal abuse
- Liberals say cutting MP mailings would save $10 million a year
- Eagles, Dixie Chicks to play stadium in June
- Lesbian teen faces classmates after school cancels dance over her request to bring girlfriend
- Explore drug aids before giving up sex
- Gesturing rudely at OPP while in possession of stolen goods: not a good idea
- City may open diamond lanes to more users
- Teacher's lapdance caught on tape, watched by world
- MP may regret taking aim at Christian youth centre: Mayor Katz
- Students could be punished
- Police shoot and kill suspect
- Freedom for Li expected
- Second video of lap dance uncovered
- More ominous issue underlies Youth for Christ flap
- Wielding a weapon costs a life
- Mounties hook ice-fishers for open beer
- Youth centre sparks dispute
- U of M freezes executive salaries
- Pilot walks away from crash
- An intellectual prisoner?
- Violence reaches 'epidemic levels'
- Fraud arrest creates turmoil
- Eagles, Dixie Chicks at Stadium June 22
- Ile des Chenes couple wins St. B Hospital lottery
- Inner-city clinic gets boost from Tolkien Trust
- Eagles, Dixie Chicks to play stadium in June
- Grand Forks declares flood emergency
- Eagles, Dixie Chicks to play stadium in June
- Grand Forks declares flood emergency
- Indian Act changing to treat descendants equitably
- Condos at ex-Penthouse
- New cutting machine breaks through ice near Selkirk
- It's the Sharks vs. the Jets in a jazzy rumble
- Man shot after chasing car thieves
- Iceland airline bullish about Winnipeg
- Ice-cutting machine to stay submerged until spring
- Former prosecutor ambushed on CBC
- Text of Shane Koyczan's opening ceremonies poem, "We Are More"
- Teacher's lapdance caught on tape, watched by world
- Olympic-sized hypocrisy
- Cabela's to open across Canada
- Oprah's on, and so is our Jon!
- Online drug pioneer tumbles
- Mounties hook ice-fishers for open beer
- Not wrong, just illegal
- No listings for buyers flooding the housing market
- Second video of lap dance uncovered
PREVIOUS
2 Comments
Posted by: DebC
March 31, 2009 at 3:49 PM
Do people really think that school trustees have nothing better to do but raise taxes, that they get off on the power?? Seriously. School taxes are going up because the school system is desperately trying to meet the social and special needs of the children in the division, and the Province is not sharing enough of the load. The WSD has a very high number of children with special needs and social needs, both of which need to be addressed so that they may learn, stay in school and graduate. The education of Manitoba's kids is important to all of us, now and in the future. It's not rocket science, we are all going to pay much more down the road if we don't invest now.
Posted by:
March 27, 2009 at 12:06 PM
The difference being I can choose which programs I use but I can't choose to not pay my school taxes.
Maybe the superintendents and trustees need to spend less time complaining and more time working on their budgets.