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Union Bug Blog

• Jan 09, 2020 - Taking Stock of Manitoba's Social Housing Plan
  

  The Manitoba government has made it quite clear– its intention is to greatly reduce its public housing portfolio and look to the private sector to fill the gap. Experiences elsewhere give housing advocates good reason to be concerned. In the absence of robust subsidies and income support, the private sector has demonstrated an inability to supply safe, well-maintained housing at the affordable threshold of less that 30 per cent of total before-tax household income. The reality that there are currently 7000 households on the Manitoba Housing waitlist reinforces the need for more social housing units.

• Dec 23, 2019 - Government making changes to pension rules
  

  This fall, the Pallister government introduced legislation and talked about changes to how public pensions are managed. And while it’s not yet clear what all of these changes will look like or how they may impact pension plans, it’s important for MGEU members to know a little more about what’s happening.

• Nov 18, 2019 - Union-province showdown begins Monday
  

  In this editorial published November 16, 2019 in the Winnipeg Free Press, MFL President, Kevin Rebeck, explains the background behind the Manitoba labour movement's challenge of Bill 28 (Public Services Sustainability Act).

• Nov 01, 2019 - November is Financial Literacy Month
  

  Throughout November, Canadians are encouraged to take charge of their finances by making a budget, having a savings and debt reduction plan, and understanding their financial rights and responsibilities. If you would like to improve your financial literacy, why not celebrate this November by checking out some of the online resources available.

• Jun 14, 2019 - The government needs to listen to health care workers before it’s too late
  

  The Pallister government is sticking to its flawed plan to overhaul Manitoba’s health care system, even though the plan’s author has revealed numerous problems with the rollout. A review of the plan from Dr. David Peachey identifies a lack of hospital bed capacity, poor planning, increasing wait times, and “seriously low morale” in some health care facilities. Dr. Peachey says, “Overall confidence has been lost in Phase Two” and he says that the plan should be paused.

• Jan 17, 2019 - Social Impact Bonds' Benefits Come at a Cost
  

  Social Impact Bonds (SIBs) are a relatively new mechanism for governments to fund social services, but since being introduced they have been controversial, due to higher costs and payments to private investors. Despite funding some well-regarded, evidence-based interventions, SIBs have raised questions among both academics and community stakeholders as to whether private investors should be profiting from these projects, and what benefit government is getting from the higher costs.

• Nov 26, 2018 - Message to the Premier - Don't Privatize Liquor Sales
  

  The town of Churchill has been through a lot - years of uncertainty about the future of the port, job losses, and record flooding that cut the rail line linking Churchill to the rest of the world.

• Aug 17, 2018 - Shopping Around for Air Services a Risky Proposition
  

  Since coming to power in 2016, Manitoba’s Progressive Conservative government has moved to privatize a number of services, including home care, road and bridge maintenance and public housing. The target of the government’s most recent privatization is Manitoba Government Air Services, which includes its air firefighting fleet, air ambulance and general transport services for Manitoba Hydro and other government entities.

• Jun 08, 2018 - This Public Services Week we Celebrate and Fight for our Services
  

  Prior to being elected as Premier of Manitoba, Brian Pallister pledged that front-line public services and the people who provide them would not face any cuts or reductions. But in the two years since that election, what we’ve seen is a continuous erosion of our public services. Whether they’re big or small, cuts to our public services threaten our quality of life.

• May 02, 2018 - Privatizing Air Services Would Take Manitoba into Troubled Skies
  

  The Manitoba government recently made a baffling announcement about our Air Services branch, which transports critically ill patients to hospital and protects our communities from forest fires. If given the opportunity, the workers who deliver this lifesaving service would tell the Premier that keeping Air Services public is the best of both worlds – providing excellent value with a proven safety record.