current forum:Winnipeg Urban Issues & Provincial Affairs

[secondchance]

There is always some truth to any 3rd party complaint - even if it is malicious.

I know that if you are the type of person that prefers to see the good in all people, it isn't pleasant to hear that there is alot of fraud that occurs in a system originally set up to help people who need it.

[bgilchrist001]

There is always some truth to any 3rd party complaint - even if it is malicious.

I know that if you are the type of person that prefers to see the good in all people, it isn't pleasant to hear that there is alot of fraud that occurs in a system originally set up to help people who need it.

Yeah, it sucks to think that you would have enough welfare fraud that you would need an anonymous tip line.

But perhaps the implementation and usage of such a line will help improve the system to the point where the line is no longer needed.

[prasantrin]

This may have already been posted, but here's a link to some social assistance stats from 2004.
http://www.hrsdc.gc.ca/eng/cs/sp/sdc/so ... ge12.shtml

Of special interest--the majority of those on social assistance fall under the "disability" category (53%). The term isn't defined, so I don't know how one qualifies as being "disabled". Also, a whopping 46% could be employed, but aren't (29% are sole support parents, 17% are unemployed--in my opinion, single parents are quite capable of holding down jobs, so I would put them in the "employable" category).

Even better--about 2/3 of those on s.a. have been on s.a. for 25 or more months!

[Bait]

I think we should cut everyone that can work off of social assistance.

[Old Chum]

Being poor supports it own industry and many profit from it cept the people who should .

[Merlin]

If we cut the "poor" off from making babies and taking drugs, maybe they would have more interest in getting educated and looking for jobs.

[secondchance]

In Manitoba, one can qualify under the disability category if they are not able to support themselves (due to health reasons) for a period of greater than 90 days.

There have been 'able bodied' people on assistance for over 25 years, never mind months.

[Northender]

There are a lot of people with chronic mental illness. But I wouldn't have thought a young able bodied individual capable of running around washing windshields all day would be classified as disabled.

[johndk51]

Squeegee Guys and Beggars of all kinds are disruptive nuisances who can sometimes be dangerous.

We as a society admitted that we made a mistake in the 1980's when we opened up the mental institutions and let out people incapable of supporting themselves who later ended up dead or in the gutter. I suggest Winnipeg fixes these 2 problems at once by doing the following:

1) Make squeegeeing & begging illegal on public and private thoroughfares; they are a road hazard, period. They all should be rounded up and directed to either a mental institution or be forced to pick up trash or clean up graffiti for minimum wage.
2) Empower Downtown Biz Patrol and/or police cadets to hand out tickets to anyone who gives money to a panhandler. People can give them food, but no booze, drugs, smokes or money. These people are enablers to antisocial behaviour and will think twice before feeding a bum's bad habits.
3) Panhandlers likewise should be approached by Downtown Biz Patrol and/or these police cadets and taken to either an EIA office to have their EI/welfare revoked or to a mental institution.

If we expect Winnipeg to grow and prosper, we must first clean up the streets to create an environment that is conducive to positive growth.

[secondchance]

Ummm - most of if not all panhandlers are already on EIA.