Winnipeg (North End) —
Lord Selkirk Park Resource Centre
May 18, 2006
Turtle Island Neighbourhood Centre

Facilitators: Jennifer deGroot, Becky Thiessen & Mandy Fraser

The following ideas were generated by workshop participants as part of our gender budget consultations. Please note that this list does not represent the official position of the UN Platform for Action Committee Manitoba (UNPAC). Neither UNPAC nor all of the participants have endorsed these suggestions.

1. What are key concerns for women in your community?

Housing
- Affordable
- Safe — lighting, slum landlord, fencing
- Accessible
- Quality
Poverty
- Good, real jobs
- Education
- Stability, not struggle
- Access to technology
Transportation
Health care
- Community, at-home
- Preventative
- Accessible, wait is too long
Childcare
- Access for all children
- Special needs
- Co-ops childcare
Core funding for women’s organizations
- Space
- Programming
- Community partnerships
- More resources
Neighbourhood/Community
- More mailboxes
- More payphones
- Libraries
- Access to nature — more paths, green space along the river
- Maintain integrity of community, without driving up rent and pushing out the poor
- Housing innovations, co-ops…
Recreation
- Accessibility
- Alternative to gangs
Education
- Tutors from Red River college in elementary
- Junior high tutors for elementary schools students

2. a) What Government programs and services have really worked to meet women’s needs and concerns? How could they be expanded upon or made better?

Women’s Empowerment Program
- Led to the development of North Point Douglas Women’s Centre
- Community initiative, women now doing teacher program
Sistars
- ECE training
- One location — daycare & education
- Red River delivering course
North Point Douglas Women’s Centre
- Constant struggle for funding
North Point Douglas senior coalition
Mount Carmel (limited funds)
- Population health model
  – Look at cause of health/poverty issues
  – Community board
- Integrative/community development
- Multicultural counselling
- Daycare
- Free dental
- Diabetes clinic
- Reproduction counselling
- Teen moms program
- Powwow
- Alternative banking
Sage House Programs could be made better:
- Harm reduction models
- Long term funding
- Treatment programs need more beds and longer terms, women only
- Need longer stay for transition houses, 30 day programs do not meet needs

2. b) What ideas do you have for programs and services that could meet women’s needs?

New innovative energy efficient housing
Safe, accessible public transportation
More opportunities for women to learn trades
- Need childcare
Co-op housing — start up $/subsidies for women to buy into
Food security
- Organic
- Local
- Small business
- Small gardens
Pricing of power
- Pricing of power needs to support and sustain the environment
- More you use, more you need to pay
Safety
- For teens, especially girls
- Older/senior women afraid to leave house
- Beat cops
- Community/volunteer street safety programs
- Long term policing based in relationships

3. Women often do not have enough money to do the things they need to do and they often do not have enough time to do the things they need to do either. Where are you crunched for time? What could the government do to give you more time to do the things you need to do?

Core funding for women’s programs
- More recognition for volunteers, so many programs exist because of volunteers when there is no money to hire employees
Car pooling/sharing programs
Better local transportation
Bike-friendly streets
Childcare outside of 9-5 — overnight, evening, weekends
Pension security
Socio-economic support for people with disabilities and caregivers
Financial credit for work of social value paid by government
Fair/living wage to summer employees
Living wage, not minimum wage

4. What ideas do you have on how the Government could earn more money? Examples include: raising existing taxes, introducing new taxes, or stopping programs that don’t work. Use the creativity you have learned from your experience as a woman living with a tight budget.