Manitoba's child-care system is staggering to meet the needs of parents and children, and recent signs give little confidence the new provincial government will respond effectively. Over a dozen community groups who are ready to proceed with building not-for-profit child-care spaces have had their promised provincial capital grants abruptly frozen, halting all expansion. Wait lists for child care in Manitoba are at an all-time high, at over 15,000 names up from 12,000 just two years ago.

Those of us who were hoping that the Throne Speech would have details about a strategy for Manitoba's North were disappointed. There seems to be a deliberate effort to not mention the Port of Churchill or the Hudson Bay Rail Line in any mention of the North. The absence is odd given the necessity of both for the regional economy and in the case of Churchill's deep-water port, Arctic sovereignty.

The Town of Churchill and all the communities on the Hudson Bay Line north from Opaskwayak Cree Nation and The Pas formed a coalition called The Northern Delegation. It is dealing with the fallout from the port closure and uncertainty around OminTRAX's running of the rail line.

As housing advocates across the country recognize National Housing Day on November 22, we must continue to acknowledge the central role of housing in building inclusive communities and seek ways to ensure that all low-income families have access to affordable, safe and good quality housing. Vulnerable and marginalized populations such as newly arrived immigrant and refugee families all too often suffer the indignity of scouring the private rental market for suitable housing only to face discrimination, unaffordable rental rates, poorly cared for buildings and undesirable neighbourhoods.

In 1995, 19-year-old Stephen Nicholson was on the job site working in a paint booth. He was working on the exhaust system and had been lowered into the vent when suddenly paint residue ignited and engulfed Stephen in flames. There was no rescue plan in place and it took several minutes before Stephen was pulled from the vent. He suffered third-degree burns to most of his body.

In 1999, Michael Skanderberg was electrocuted by a 347-volt power line while working with a lighting crew in Beausejour. He was only 19 when he died.

In 2010, 21-year-old Brittany Lynn Murray was killed on the job. She was struck by a vehicle on the highway where she was working as a flag person. Brittany was an architect student, working for the summer, when she was killed.

Basic Personal Exemption (BPE) increases are being brought in by the new provincial government under the auspices of reducing poverty. The BPE is the floor at which we start paying provincial income taxes.

Not only will these changes do little to help low-income earners, they will bring in less revenue to the provincial purse and undermine the public services that all Manitobans need, especially the poor. Addressing poverty requires more revenue directed at reducing poverty, not less. This is why reducing tax revenue through the BPE in the name of poverty is particularly insidious.

If you only had $3.96 a day to spend on groceries, what would you buy?

That's a question Laura Shields deals with every day. Laura is a 61-year-old woman who grew up in Winnipeg's North end. From the age of 17 she worked in a number of factories on an assembly line. Later, she worked for the post office. Because of a slipped disc and twisted pelvis, Laura is unable to work. Her husband, Lyle, used to work selling the Winnipeg Free Press but the paper stand at Hargrave and Portage closed down. With a Grade 6 education, Lyle has been unable to find a stable job. Their stories have been used with permission.

As the Syrian refugee crisis continues, so do Canada's -- and Manitoba's -- obligations toward refugee resettlement. With a reported 900 Syrians to arrive in Manitoba before the end of this year, what have we learned since last autumn?

We believe the overall response from Canadians and Manitobans during the Syrian refugee crisis of late 2015 and early 2016 was overwhelmingly positive, despite vocal detractors. There was a flood of donations of money, furniture, material and time Canadians contributed toward Syrian refugee resettlement. There was a surge in initiatives to sponsor Syrian refugees under the private sponsorship program.

Democracy. The word carries a deep meaning for citizens of nations rooted in western democratic traditions. The full measure of the word far exceeds the individual rights it implies. For Canadians, it is viscerally connected to the foundations of our history.

The word embodies the weight of sacrifices made by the many who defended democracy against grave dangers in the past and their memory occupies the deepest recesses of our collective consciousness, imploring us to forever stand vigilant against future dangers. As Canadians, we will never lack the inspiration to defend our rights. We are bound by these principles, not only as Canadians but across borders with citizens of other nations, near and far.

Although Carlo Fanelli's book Megacity Malaise: Neoliberalism, Public Services and Labour in Toronto is not about Winnipeg, it offers many insights applicable to Winnipeg and to other Canadian cities. Fanelli is a former Toronto civic employee who looks at civic issues from the point of view of city employees and their unions. His central argument is that the fiscal problems confronting Toronto and all major Canadian cities are not caused by over-spending on civic services nor by excessive union wage demands, although this is what is typically claimed.

The recent death of Larry Morrissette (April 16, 1957 – Sept 20, 2016) is a major loss, not only to his family and friends but also to the many Indigenous and non-Indigenous people that he has worked closely with in recent decades in efforts to re-build Winnipeg's inner city and revitalize Indigenous cultures.