The Winnipeg RAG Review

Tuesday, 21 May 2013

The "religious freedom" issue

A past logo of the Frontier Centre
for Public Policy.

Image obtained from the
Green Market Oracle

Waaayyyyyy back (by blog standards) at the end of March I discussed the hard right Frontier Centre for Public Policy's article on Bill 18. There I noted the (unwarranted) claim that the Safe and Inclusive schools measures in Bill 18 would impede discretion and sound teacher judgement.

Part of the two-pronged approach of rightwing opponents - particularly the Pallister CONs - has been to claim that this bill is too weak by not mandating specific penalties while simultaneously claiming it's too strong because it grants protections to all supportive, anti-bullying student groups - regardless of whether religious bullies approve.

The later half of the Frontier Centre's policy note details their opposition based on this "religious freedom" issue:

The importance of sound judgement when it
comes to the use of public funds is no
laughing matter.

Image Source:
Borris Minkevich/Winnipeg Free Press

Well, the country club conservative of Tuxedo and mayor of Winnipeg Sam Katz wants to privatize city golf courses. Deputy mayor and fiscal axman Russ Wyatt says we have "no choice".

There's likely little benefit to the city in having a plethora of public or private golf courses. It'd make more sense for golf courses be converted into multi-use public parks, some used for the development of cooperative housing, others for mixed-used development or market-driven housing development, and a few retained as affordable public golf courses for all Winnipeggers.

A good way to conduct a review of our City golf courses would be to run a thorough public consultation. That way we could get citizen input on a broad range of alternative uses.

But the City doesn't seem to be conducting such an open-ended, listening exercise. Rather, it looks like the Katz administration is telling the public that City Hall should privatize golf courses. He's trying to use such ads to get constituents to pressure critical councillors to pass his measure.

The ads say they're from a group called Responsible Winnipeg.

Problem is that the $90,000 ad campaign of Responsible Winnipeg is funded with public money!!!

It's a City initiative, though initially the City logo didn't accompany the ads. Katz called this an oversight and subsequent ads now have the logo.

What this means is that the City bureaucracy is getting involved in a political, City Council debate - trying to influence a vote through public messaging and pressure politics.

If this isn't illegal then it should be. This is bloody obscene.

The civil service side of our City is supposed to be about implementing the policies of council, not making council chose certain policies. The City budget isn't Sammy's to use for whatever he wants, it's our money. Russ Wyatt should be swinging his financial axe at this waste of public money.

Meanwhile, the "independent advocacy group" known as the Canadian Taxpayers Federation is deafeningly silent on this issue.

Strange that this use of taxpayer money for a political campaign hasn't caught their attention. I mean, as a taxpayer federation they're all about the prudent use of public monies, right?

It's almost as if the "Taxpayers Federation" cares more about an ideological, slash-and-burn agenda than the appropriate use of taxpayer dollars.

But that couldn't be right, could it?

Regardless, I suggest our Mayor and the financial axeman respect the spirit of this initiative. If we're going to save big bucks privatizing public golf courses, why not start saving bucks now by privatizing the campaign to privatize golf courses?

I'm sure Sam Katz could fund the campaign for this deeply-held conviction of his. Heck, maybe Wyatt could give some of his salary to make this media blitz happen.

After all, one must make great sacrifices in the call of public service.

Right?

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Monday, 20 May 2013

New blog Poll: How often do you follow Manitoba political news

Well, have a new readership poll out asking how often you follow the political news of this province. Think it'll be interesting to see the results.

Give'r a try.

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Stop it with the 'burbs, Province!

Ridgewood South Precinct Area

Image Source: Ridgewood South Precinct Plan

The Province is hiking the PST and Winnipeggers (along with the rest of Manitoba) are angry. Our Mayor has denounced this hike while renewing his call for one percentage point of the PST to go to the City so as to deal with the "infrastructure debt". Sam Katz keeps noting that this situation is desperate.

Meanwhile the City's in the stages of approving yet another suburban development: Ridgewood South. The City Council's Committee on Property and Development has unanimously approved this nonsense plan without debate.This development hasn't inspired protests like the PST hike or opposition on City Council, but it should.

Axman Wyatt

Channelling his inner Wyatt.

Image Source: Initially from film
The Shining, obtained by this blogger
from tumblr

Transcona Ward City Councillor Russ Wyatt is a man Sam Katz seems to trust. After all, our mayor gave him the second top job at City Hall of deputy mayor. Now, what type of sane and sensible things has Katz's number two man done?

Wyatt threw a temper tantrum and called the NDP "socialists" for not redistributing provincially collected wealth to the City of Winnipeg.

This anti-socialist Wyatt is the same man who chaired Steve Ashton's campaign for NDP leadership in 2009. Yes Ashton, the most left-leaning candidate in the race!

Yeah, that was what Wyatt, the "social progressive and fiscal conservative" thought was needed for our province then.

Nowadays, however, he's scheming about axing away civic services for the inner-city and hard-working poor Winnipeggers with drastic cuts. Such cuts he's proposing include:

Wyatt says that the Province's refusal has forced his hand. Obviously, he doesn't want to go hacking away at city services like a madman. But it has to be done 'cause the City just doesn't have enough money and needs to fix roads.

Wyatt's all for axing the Arlington Bridge (top),
pictured second from the right at a Plessis
Underpass funding announcement
(bottom).

Image Source: CBC (top)
Adrian Alleyne/Canstar (bottom)

The funny thing about Russ Wyatt, the axman whose policies would afflict the afflicted, is that he seems to be sparring some folks from his plans. People like those who'd use his pet projects:

It is rather convenient that during Wyatt's hack-and-slash tirade, he avoided the Plessis underpass at $77 million and the expansion of the East End Community Centre for another $12 million. These are his projects, though, and one supposes do not require the same level of scrutiny.

Also, it's ironic that Wyatt is the same elected official who spent over $100,000 in taxpayers' money developing and promoting an arena and healthy-living centre project in Transcona when there was a similar plan approved and already on the table by another local volunteer group. But that wasn't his plan. So the $100,000 was worth it?

("Coun. Wyatt spares his 'legacy' projects from cuts". Scott Donald (May 1, 2013). Winnipeg Free Press)

But I'm sure all that is much more important than the ability of North Enders to travel to western
downtown or the West End for jobs they might have there. The $77 million Plessis underpass is just so much more important than a currently existing bridge North Enders have grown to rely on for their livelihoods.

Thanks, Axman Wyatt, for treating all Winnipeggers as equal citizens of our city.

I'm sure you'll all like to thank Wyatt for his bold and fair vision for our city's future. If so, you can send your graditude to him using this contact info.

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Tuesday, 14 May 2013

Today's NDP embraces flat taxer "fairness"

Greg Selinger, Manitoba NDP Leader
and current Premier of Manitoba.

Image Source: Wikipedia

There've been many warning signs for left progressives and social democrats when it comes to Premier Greg Selinger.

We all know that Gary Doer was uninspired, unprincipled, and singularly obsessed with appealing to suburbanites in southern Winnipeg. Be it boutique tax credits or boosterism for unsustainable suburbs like Waverley West, Doer sacrificed the long-term sustainability of our province for short-term political gain. It's quite fitting that he's now a oil sands salesman down in D.C.

When Selinger became Premier some thought he would lead slightly from the left. After all, he has an inspiring enough background. He's the son of a working, single-mom who started her own business in a poor, inner-city neighbourhood (which, come to think of it, might explain the 0% small business tax). A relative of his struggled with mental health problems. He's been a social (as opposed to party) activist in the past. To top it all of he had the wonkish acumen to make credible policies for the betterment of Manitoba.

But, sadly for the progressive left, there's signs of a more regressive Selinger.

Current finance minister Stan Struthers.

Thinks flat rate taxes are "fair"
because the "cost [will] be shared by
everyone". Fails to note the "regardless
of ability" caveat.

Image Source: The Manitoba Chambers
of Commerce

First he backed Harper's E.I. deforms, effectively throwing unemployed workers under the bus.

Later, he hiked regressive user-fees after running an election campaign offering boutique tax credits to appeal to suburbanites.

Now, he's effectively throwing the working poor under the bus with a 14.3%, no low-income rebate, sales tax hike.

His finance minister Stan Struthers has embraced the flat-rate taxer conception of "fairness" to defend this.

"The PST is the fairest way to reach these goals because the cost will be shared by everyone," Struthers said, adding Manitoba's sales tax will remain the third-lowest in the country.

("Sales-tax hike to boost flood protection, but province first has to rewrite balanced-budget." Bruce Owen and Larry Kuschlaw (May 4, 2013). Winnipeg Free Press )

Selinger's finance minister is striking a stake through the moral centrepiece of fiscally progressive thought: that those with less ability to pay should pay less. Struthers's flat taxer idea of fairness implies that a working poor janitor and a millionaire heir paying the same flat rate on their purchases is fair because "the cost [is] shared by everyone", regardless of financial capacity.

New fairness: Everyone shares the cost equally,
regardless of ability to pay.

Image Sources: Statigram (top)

J.G. Janitorial Services LtD (bottom)

Without rebates (which the provincial Liberals have rightly argued for) the PST is grossly regressive. This is so because any small purchase will make up a larger share of a working poor Winnipegger's income than a wealthy heir's. Thus, flat rate sales taxes are regressive on the basis of income.

The 14.3% or 1 percentage point increase in the PST, along with the accumulation of user-fee hikes over the years, will disproportionately hurt the poor. This sharing of costs theme sounds a lot like the hollow pleas south of the 49th parallel for "shared sacrifice".

The weak, powerless, and those with broken backs do most of the hauling while the able wealthy carry a lighter load. Some "fairness".

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Monday, 13 May 2013

Readership by riding

Distribution of The Winnipeg
RAG Review reader responses to the poll
question "which riding do
you live in?"

Image Source: Modified
Wikipedia image

Well, the readership by riding unscientific poll has been done for a while. Might as well go over it.

Table of responses constructed by The Analyst.

Sample size was 29 and a plurality of respondents (slightly above 27%) reside in the riding of Winnipeg Centre. Other ridings with a high portion of the poll respondents (each with just under 14% of all respondents) were Charleswood-St. James-Assiniboia, Winnipeg South and Kildonan - St. Paul. Each of these other ridings were markedly less central.

Graph of responses constructed by The Analyst.

The Median number of respondents for a given riding was 3.5. Elmwood-Transcona (1), Saint Boniface (2), Winnipeg North (0), and Winnipeg South Centre (3) scored below this.

Of some interest, the riding with the most reader respondents is heavily New Democratic Winnipeg Centre, but a plurality of reader respondents from Winnipeg (or 69% of 'Peg respondents). The remaining just over 30% of 'Peg city respondents are those in Winnipeg Centre.

One respondent doesn't know or care, another is from out've Winnipeg, and a third prefers not to say.

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Brilliant

Our roads.

Image Source: Access Winnipeg

Obtained from comments to the Freep's website version "Growing pains: The debate over Winnipeg residential development"

swindleman 10:15 AM on 5/11/2013

Widespread development, dilapidated infrastructure & poor public transportation are what Winnipeggers want, so that's what you're going to get.

Katz/Shindleman 2014

Honestly, Katz has embarrassed us with countless flip flops and poor plans on rapid transit.

And under his mayoralty our suburban sprawl problem is just getting worse as our infrastructure budgets are being spread thinner and thinner.

Hopefully, Winnipeggers will prove that they want better in 2014.

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Tuesday, 7 May 2013

"Mr. Angry" becomes "Mr. Bland"

A february 5-6, 2013 Abascus poll showed that
43% of Canadians had a "neutral or unsure"
view of Tom Mulcair, compared to 21%
for PM Stephen Harper.

Image Source: Wikipedia

Good news, Tom, you're no longer "Mr Angry!

The bad news is that you're consider blander than whole wheat bread.

PST Hike

PST hike of 1 percentage point
will hit Manitobans, particularly
low income consumers, where it hurts:
the wallet.

Image Source: Winnipeg Free Press/BORIS MINKEVICH

Correction May 5, 2013: Steve Lambert notes that I misuse "debt" when I mean "deficit". Noted & corrected.

The Provincial Sales Tax goes up from 7% of pretax purchase value to 8% of pretax purchase value in the 2013 Manitoba Budget. Here are some more facts:

In the 2011 Manitoba Election NDP leader Greg Selinger called accusations from the PCs that he'd raise taxes "total nonsense".
The Balanced Budget, Fiscal Management and Taxpayer Accountability Act, introduced by the provincial Conservative government of Gary Filmon in 1995, requires a referendum to raise the PST (section 10).
Eerily similar to the Federal Conservatives successful circumvention of the requirement for a farmers' vote to remove the Wheat Board's monospony, the Manitoba Government is removing the requirement for a referendum to hike the PST.

Selinger burns through
political capital with regressive
user-fee and sales tax hikes.

Image Source: Ministerial Conference
of the Canadian
Francophonie.

The Ledge might have the right to arbitrarily chuck out laws guaranteeing citizen input at their whim (as, it seems, the Federal parliament does), but they shouldn't. It runs contrary to the populist political culture of our province where we expect respect, humility, and collaboration from our elected representatives. Selinger rightly opposed Harper's circumvention of farmer-input Wheat Board legislation. For the shake of integrity and the principle of participatory democracy he should hold a referendum.

The people of Manitoba are pissed off. The Canadian Federation of Taxpayers Prairie director Colin Craig, the Manitoba Chamber of Commerce, and provincial Conservative leader Brian Pallister are all leading calls for a referendum on the issue. And they're right - for the shake of citizen participation, there has to be a referendum on this hike. Given the pre-election promises of "no tax hikes", it's doubly important that the Premier gets our consent before charging ahead.

This tax hike and the way it was brought will dramatically influence Manitoba politics moving forward. The populist right is already acquiring lots of political capital over this issue, with Brodbeck advising readers on the tax protest and the previously mentioned trio of Craig, MB Chamber of Commerce, and Pallister rallying opposition. Hundreds of Manitobans showed up to the May 2 PST hike protest at the Ledge.

While there's certainly some diehard reactionaries in that crowd (anyone who compares the Manitoba NDP to Soviet communists is only a few parallels north of Tea Party nuttiness), mainstream Manitoba is also ticked. Given that the NDP was sliding before the budget release, this can only spell bad news for the Dippers and good news for the Pallister CONs. It'll be hard for even Goertzen to screw this up.

With the fiscal situation in mind, what would I have done? Part of me thinks it would be tolerable to just wait to get out've annual deficits - both the "deficit-free by 2014" and "no PST hike" promises were reckless given future economic uncertainty. Nobody wins promising tax hikes (as Judy found out), but promising both for your entire term was foolhardy. As the economy booms and global demand upticks, Manitoba's revenues will naturally increase - reducing the ~~debt~~ annual deficit. Obviously, though, I would have to review the provincial finances more closely to see which parts of the ~~debt~~ annual deficit are cyclical and which are structural.

When it comes to quick, revenue-side fixes through consumption taxes I have a few ideas:

An inheritance tax on $300,000 + estates is a
progressive means of collecting more taxes.

Image Source: Welcome to the Wellington
Mansion

Listen to provincial Liberal leader Jon Gerrard: give the poor a PST rebate. Nay, give the bottom 60% of income earners PST rebates (smaller percentages as income increases, that is, to make the rebate scheme progressive).
Established a $100/tonne carbon tax to deal with Manitoba's subpar environmental record. Likewise, a rebate scheme for the bottom 60% could make this tax progressive.

Another progressive revenue policy that could work would be inheritance taxes on estates exceeding $300,000. US data seems indicates that inheritance taxes have a mild to nonexistent effect on the savings and work effort of present day earners and will likely incentivize heirs to work more.

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