A series of strikes

As the Manitoba Liquor & Lotteries workers’ five-week strike ends, two new strikes begin. On Aug. 28, more than 1,700 MPI workers under the Manitoba Government Employment Union (MGEU) Locals 62-68 began walking the picket line to demand wage increases to keep up with the cost of living. The United Food and Commercial Workers Union (UFCW) Local 832 representing 30 staff members at Celebrations Dinner Theatre began picketing on Sept. 6.

Food-bank supports return

Students are back on campus, and the University of Winnipeg Students’ Association food bank is once again open. Students and community members can sign up for the food bank by calling Harvest Manitoba at 204-982-3660 or emailing [email protected]. Folks can pick up their food hamper every Friday from 2 to 3 p.m. in the Bulman Student Centre. Walkin clients will be entered into a lottery system for food distribution at 3:30 p.m.

NDP healthcare campaign pledges

Manitoba NDP Leader Wab Kinew has pledged to rebuild three Winnipeg emergency rooms as part of his strategy to allocate $500 million toward a healthcare recruitment plan. If Kinew is elected on Oct. 3, he plans to hire 300 nurses, 400 physicians and 200 paramedics. He also pledges to build a new ER at Victoria Hospital and restore emergency services at the Concordia and Seven Oaks hospitals over a five-year period to address the healthcare staffing crisis.

Family resource centre celebrating 25 years

Acorn Family Place, a multi-service resource centre dedicated to supporting families, is hosting a week-long celebration for their 25th anniversary from Sept. 11 to 15. The centre offers free licensed childcare and respite, counselling services, wraparound support for families involved with Child and Family Services, work-experience training and access to food hampers, clothing and more. The celebration includes family-friendly activities and a community event on Friday.

Compost program awaiting council approval

Winnipeg is one of the few large cities in Canada that does not yet offer a curbside compost collection program. The City of Winnipeg is waiting for full-council approval on the proposed service, which is expected to begin in 2030. If the program is approved, single-family households would pay an annual fee of $8 to save money for green carts and kitchen pails. Each household’s waste-diversion fee would increase by $96 in 2030, in addition to the existing $69.46 annual charge.

U of W to host Building Trans Solidarity series

The new Building Trans Solidarity event series at the University of Winnipeg will bring academics, educators, students and artists together to learn about issues Two-Spirit, transgender and non-binary communities face, while celebrating their resiliency and work toward a more inclusive future. Organizers hope this series will strengthen trans rights and help facilitate conversations on campus. The first event is on Sept. 23, and the series will include roundtable discussions, keynote lectures and an art and performance showcase.

Published in Volume 78, Number 01 of The Uniter (September 7, 2023)