Fighting Poverty

---

"Everything we do as a government, from budgeting to social policy decisions, is weighed for its ability to reduce poverty and increase the inclusion of low-income Manitobans in all aspects of community life."

Greg Selinger, Minister of Finance, 21 May 2009

---

The work ahead

The Doer government marked 10 years of fighting poverty with the launch of its AllAboard strategy. It builds on our successes over the last decade in bringing more and more Manitobans on board as fully fledged participants in our economic and social life.

There are four pillars to the AllAboard strategy:

• safe, affordable housing in healthy neighbourhoods


• education, jobs and income supports


• strong, healthy families


• co-ordinated services that are easily accessed

The strategy recognizes that poverty is about more than money alone. It’s complex, and requires long-term solutions that get at root causes.

The Doer government will be tracking progress in each of these four areas, and engaging in ongoing discussions with other governments, businesses, non-profits and individuals on the strategy.

---

The work to date

Better wages and benefits

• Increase in minimum wage from $6 an hour in 1999 to $9 as of October 2009


• Increases to amounts Income Assistance recipients may earn before their benefits are affected


• Rewarding Work Health Plan benefits for those moving from income assistance to paid work

Better jobs through more training opportunities

• New allowance for job seekers


• Rebound to Work - retraining and job referrals for low-income workers left jobless by the current downturn


• Second-lowest college tuition fees in Canada


• Doubling of scholarships and bursaries


• 10,000 more apprenticeship spaces


• High school graduation rates improve dramatically - from 71% in 2002 to 79% in 2008

More affordable housing

• Over 5,000 housing units repaired, renovated or built for low-income families


• A rent subsidy - Manitoba Shelter Benefit - to help low-income Manitobans pay rent for private housing


• Homelessness Outreach Team


• 100 more homeless shelter beds

Child care - Overcoming gender barriers to workforce participation

• 10,000 new fully funded spaces


• New child benefit program for low-income families, including the working poor

Full citizenship for Manitobans with disabilities

• marketAbilities program to help persons with disabilities find and keep jobs


• New funding for fully accessible public housing


• Increases to Income Assistance for persons with disabilities, as well as increases to the amount that they may save without affecting their Income Assistance benefits


• Introduction of Registered Disability Savings Plans


• Launch of consultations for a new long-term vision for Manitobans with disabilities - Opening Doors www.gov.mb.ca/dio

Raising the prospects of Aboriginal Manitobans

• Closing the Gap - a 10-year initiative to reduce the gaps in living standards between Aboriginals and non-Aboriginals


• $42 million for Aboriginal off-reserve housing


• An Aboriginal Education Action Plan to help more Aboriginal students complete high school, enter post-secondary institutions, and start careers


• Employment and training opportunities with northern Hydro projects, the floodway expansion, and construction of an all-weather road on the East Side of Lake Winnipeg


• 45% more Aboriginal students enrolled in colleges, 275% more in apprenticeships

A better start for newcomers

• A code of practice for the fair assessment and recognition of the credentials of immigrants, overseen by a fairness commissioner


• More investments in settlement services, including language training, for newcomers

Due regard for seniors

• Special tax relief for seniors in the form of more generous tax credits and the ability for couples to split pension income for tax purposes


• An Aging in Place Strategy that gives seniors more choices in the kind of care they can receive while continuing to live in the community

---

The results to date

• Child poverty

  Manitoba’s child poverty rate has been reduced by 43% since 1999 (Income in Canada Report, May 2009)

• Single mothers

  The percentage of children with single mothers on low incomes has declined from 59% in 1999 to 28% in 2007

• Overall poverty rate

  Manitoba has the third lowest overall poverty rate in Canada, behind only Quebec and Alberta (Low Income in Canada: 2000-2004, Human Resources and Social Development Canada)

For a more complete picture, consult AllAboard: Manitoba’s Poverty Reduction Strategy at http://www.gov.mb.ca/fs/allaboard.

Figures current as of July, 2009

Adobe Acrobat version.