Expanding caregiver support and the bridge grant

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 28/12/2020 (886 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A few weeks ago, the provincial government announced the Caregiver Wage Support and the Manitoba Bridge grant.

Many of you reached out to express your concerns about being deemed ineligible, despite how essential your hard work is during the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. It is extremely disappointing to see so many of our essential workers not receiving the recognition or support they need.

The Caregiver Wage Support program should include health-care workers such as nurses, medical assistants and receptionists, dentists and dental assistants, front-line lab workers, lab technicians and technologists, pharmacy employees, home care workers and attendants, residential support workers, dietary aides, care home nurses and support staff. It should also include child-care workers such as teachers, special education staff, administrators, educational assistants, early child-care workers, and custodial staff.

Recent public health orders have made it very difficult for businesses to stay afloat. At such a turbulent time in our economy, we must stand up for independent and small businesses. They are the backbone to our economy and play a huge role in making Manitoba the beautiful province that it is.

In addition to these two programs, there should also be recognition and support given to people in other jobs and sectors working and putting their health at risk.

Because so many of our essential front-line workers and businesses were left out, I called on the provincial government to make these two programs more inclusive. These individuals have made tremendous sacrifices to ensure that we can access what we need, which is why we need to speak up for each other and, most importantly, take care of one another. 

Back on June 8, I wrote a letter that called for the Manitoba Risk Recognition program to be more inclusive, and the government listened.

On Nov. 30, I wrote a public letter (it can be found on my social media platforms) to the premier to expand eligibility for the bridge grant, and changes were made.

It is because of these two examples that I remain hopeful. I strongly believe that our province could be doing a lot more to support Manitobans. It should follow the lead of our federal government, as 85 cents of every dollar spent on COVID-19 relief has come from Ottawa. There is plenty of room for our province to improve.

If you have questions about if you qualify for either of these programs please visit gov.mb.ca/covid19/programs/index.html

If, for whatever reason, the details remain unclear, feel free to email me at cindy@gocindy.ca

On a much lighter note, I want to wish everyone well over the holidays, and please keep safe.