Helping with the back-to-school crunch
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Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 07/09/2022 (265 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.
As students, teachers and school staff head back for another school year this September, I want to wish them well on a safe and healthy return.
September is a very expensive time for a lot of families, with the purchase of school supplies, new clothes and all the other costs of going back-to-school. To help St. Vital families, Victor Mager school held a donation drive on Aug. 20, collecting school supplies, clothing and other new or used items. I met some wonderful people there as I dropped off a backpack full of school supplies. Thank you to everyone who supported this donation drive and the work done to break down barriers to education in our community.
The rising costs families face aren’t limited to back-to-school expenses. We can all see that it is costing a lot more just to get by. When you buy your groceries or fill up at the pumps, it seems the cost of everything is going up and up. Manitoba continues to have one of the highest rates of inflation in all of Canada. It’s getting even more expensive to live and work in this province and wages simply aren’t keeping up.
Jamie Moses, MLA for St. Vital, has been delivering backpacks filled with school supplies to local schools for families in need. (Backpacks and supplies were donated by Bell Canada.)
Supplied photo
We’ve got to do more to help everyone in St. Vital and across Manitoba through this affordability crisis.
One rising cost that Manitobans face is Manitoba Hydro rates. Unfortunately, the Progressive Conservative government is proposing to increase Hydro rates much higher than they’ve ever been. That’s not the right approach and will only make the affordability crisis worse for Manitobans. Rates have already been increased by legislation, without approval of the Public Utilities Board, twice in the last couple of years. Now, the PC government has put forward Bill 36 which, if passed, calls for a five per cent increase to Hydro rates just in time for the winter months and another five per cent every year for years to come.
We don’t believe raising Hydro rates is the right approach, instead, the Manitoba NDP caucus has called for the government to withdraw the legislation and to work together on an all-party committee to address cost of living issues. Let’s work together for all Manitobans and put forward legislation that will make life more affordable for working families.
If you have questions or concerns, please feel free to get in touch with me by email at jamie.moses@yourmanitoba.ca or by phone at 204-219-5407.
Jamie Moses
St. Vital constituency report
Jamie Moses is the NDP MLA for St. Vital.