Never would have guessed . How about a tall slash of piss ? <| sep |> That isn ' t true across the board . <| sep |> I appreciate the diversity of your top beasts ! <| sep |> I can help . His last name is indicative of him being a part of the Igbo Tribe Yes , TRIBE is indeed the correct term of NigeriaPronounciation is IGBEENOGINI <| sep |> Its my first Black Friday not working in a retail store in 11 years . And Im off tomorrow . Gonna go to a brewery tomorrow and enjoy the freedom . Hell Yeah ! <| sep |> Manitobans concerned about poverty hoped the Progressive Conservative government ' s throne speech would reference the creation of a comprehensive strategy to address this complex issue affecting 130 , 000 Manitobans . After all , the new government ' s first budget had promised a plan by 2017 . Povertyreduction advocates wanted the government to set a goal to reduce poverty and then tell us what it will do to achieve that goal by outlining a comprehensive plan . This way we can evaluate progress and hold government accountable for its share of the results . But when the throne speech was read on Monday to outline the government ' s priorities , there was no mention of targets and timelines providing a vision for poverty reduction . Nor was there any mention of the promised comprehensive plan to address poverty . While the throne speech did highlight some key areas that must be addressed in a plan such as social assistance , child care , mental health and addiction , there was little to suggest that action in these areas will focus on reducing poverty . If a povertyreduction lens is not applied to these policy areas , government action may end up exacerbating the problem . It seems the new government is taking a trickledown approach to addressing poverty . This has been proven ineffective . We need targeted efforts through a comprehensive plan that includes evidencebased solutions informed by the experience of people who have lived in poverty . Community organizations have provided the government with a blueprint for such a plan , with 50 recommendations in targeted areas , including food security , child care , income supports , housing , education , health , training and jobs . The View From Here was endorsed by more than 100 groups and should form the basis of a provincial plan . Last week , Make Poverty History Manitoba launched a campaign calling on the government to ensure its povertyreduction plan featured an increase to the Employment and Income Assistance EIA basicneeds budget . This budget is given to people on social assistance to cover the costs of necessities other than rent . It has not increased in over a decade , while costs for food and other essentials have skyrocketed . The coalition ' s proposed increase would bring the total incomes of all Manitobans up to at least 75 per cent of the poverty line . The poverty line , which is the income level needed to purchase a bare level of basic necessities , is just $ 17 , 469 for a single person living in Winnipeg . Unfortunately , many Manitobans relying on EIA are living far below the poverty line despite investments in supports such as Rent Assist , which has made shelter more affordable in recent years . For instance , the income of a single adult on EIA is equal to 53 per cent of the poverty line , including all federal and provincial benefits . This means they have only half the amount needed to pay for basic necessities such as food , shelter , clothing and transportation . Persons with disabilities make up more than half of the EIA caseload . A single person on disability has a total income equal to 68 per cent of the poverty line . When EIA rates are too low , they perpetuate ongoing reliance on the system . Everyday survival becomes an allconsuming effort , leaving people with few resources to look for work or improve their education and training . Families with children live closer to the poverty line , due in large part to recently enhanced federal child benefits . A single parent with two children on EIA is at 92 per cent of the poverty line , while a twoparent family with two children is at 87 per cent still well below what is needed to raise a family . The throne speech has prioritized EIA reforms that will improve the circumstances of our youngest citizens . Much needs to be done to reduce child poverty . But in doing so , we must not leave behind single adults and people with disabilities who live in the deepest destitution . Ultimately we must lift all Manitobans out of poverty . In the short term , we must close the gap for those who are furthest behind . The latest campaign proposal by Make Poverty History Manitoba and endorsed by more than 100 organizations across the province would deal with crisis levels of deep poverty for about 26 , 000 single adults and persons with disabilities by bringing their incomes to at least 75 per cent of the poverty line . For too long , the province has taken a holiday on indexing the EIA basic needs budget to the cost of living . Catching up will cost approximately $ 52 million annually . Poverty reduction requires investments , but these make economic sense . People with very low incomes spend the additional dollars they gain in our local economy . Runaway costs in services correlated with poverty such as Health , Justice and Child and Family Services are unsustainable . Poverty limits opportunity and health . It makes people more susceptible to disease and shortens lifespans . Poverty becomes a cycle that is difficult to escape and too often becomes intergenerational . An alternative is possible . However , it must start with a plan . Kirsten Bernas and Josh Brandon sit on the steering committee of Make Poverty History Manitoba . For more information , visit www . knowpoverty . ca .