Portage la Prairie,
March 20, 2006

Back to Workshops Page

Thanks to the Canadian Mental Health Association for hosting the Portage workshop.

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
  • Recently a low-income apartment complex was sold to be turned into condominiums
  • Decent
  • Affordable
  • Safe
• Childcare
  • Huge waiting lists
• Employment
  • More than minimum wage
  • Full-time
  • Discrimination for people without contacts: “It’s who you know and how long you have lived here”
  • Lack of job security
• Stagnant Town
  • Mayor is 88? years old
  • City councillors 70+
• Segregated Community
  • Have versus have-nots
  • Stigma
• Poverty
  • Portage denies homelessness
• Crime/Safety/Security
• General lack of services
  • Dentist — too expensive if not on Social Assistance
  • Psychiatrist — comes to Portage 3 times a month — have to book months in advance
  • Not enough doctors
  • No psych ward
  • Not enough focus on prevention
• Transportation
  • No bus service
  • Services in Winnipeg difficult to access without a vehicle
• Justice
  • Zero tolerance/domestic violence
  • No Legal Aid in Portage
  • Court system
    – Testifying is not a solution
    – Counselling is a solution
• Women’s Shelter
  • Feels like a jail for kids
  • Location not secretive
• Counselling
  • Expensive
  • Kids have no access
  • Can only afford if on Social Assistance
  • No choice of counsellor — man assigned for domestic violence case?! (Victim services)

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?

There are not enough services for people in need, which tends to result in dishonesty as people find ways to use services that are in place.

• Canadian Mental Health Association
  • Not enough women-focussed services
• Women’s Shelter (many concerns were voiced)
  • Stigma
  • Location not secret
  • Felt pressure to leave partner (“You have to leave him”) rather than that I was receiving options
  • Did not gain sense of empowerment
  • Felt like an inmate
• Food Bank — but can only access every 60 days!
• Seniors Drop-in
• Young Parents Resource Centre
• Healthy Baby
• Learning Centre (many positive things were said)
  • Computers/fax/update resume/photo copying
  • Excellent staff who follow-up and make helpful suggestions and references
• Herman Centre
  • Seniors drop-in
  • Crafts
  • Games
  • Dancing
• Library
• Friendship Centre
  • Eagle Fire Métis Youth Program
• Big Brothers/Big Sisters
• Victim Services — has helped, but could be expanded:
  • Not flexible
  • No choice of counsellors/not enough
  • Not understanding of client’s needs
  • Complicated system

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

• Big Mama program
  • A play on words of the Big Brothers/Sisters program
  • Women who support mothers in need
• Bus system
• Free housework once a month
• Be “me” for a day/six weeks, live on Social Assistance (program for government decision makers)
• Cater more to women’s programming
• More FREE drop-in women’s counselling
• Legal Aid in Portage
• FREE self-defence for women
• More women city councillors and under 80
• Woman-made lake — it would be clean and have flowers

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?

• Bus system for kids after school
• Flex-time in jobs
• After-school programs
• Teen Programs/ Drop-In

4. What ideas do you have on how the Government could earn more money? Use the creativity you have learned from your experience as a woman living with a tight budget.

• prioritize/prevention
  • If you have safe, decent and affordable housing, everything else will fall into place
• Justice system — use mediation instead of retribution
  • Little has been gained from zero tolerance
  • More marriage counselling
• Legalize marijuana and tax it
• Increase corporate tax
• Use tax money to help people, not to fund holidays
• Government workers — spend 6 weeks in the life of someone on S.A.