Winnipeg Free Press

Winnipeg Free Press (Newspaper) - May 23, 2025, Winnipeg, Manitoba KILDONAN PARK GOLF COURSE R E D R I V E R C H I E F P E G U I S T R A I L M A I N S T P E R I M E T E R H W Y R I D G E C R E S T A V E S C O T I A S T H E N D E R S O N H W Y H E N D E R S O N H W Y River Ridge II 2701 Scotia St. Winnipeg, MB KILDONAN PARK A s s i s t e d L i v i n g I n d e p e n d e n t O n l y 2 S u i t e s w i t h P r i v a t e B a l c o n i e s R e m a i n i n g Independent Assisted Living provides care and support 24/7 allowing residents to Age In Place safely and comfortably throughout the years! Call Chassity to Arrange Your Personal Tour 204.272.0369 Worry-Free Living At Its Finest Where Caring is Our Number One Concern™ www.allseniorscare.com FRIDAY, MAY 23, 2025 A4 ● WINNIPEGFREEPRESS.COM NEWS I TOP NEWS Province’s property tax relief changes are a horrible mess T HE rollout of the province’s new education property tax credit has been nothing short of a disaster. What the NDP government pitched as a relief measure for homeowners has instead become a bureaucratic nightmare, leaving many Manito- bans without the financial assistance they were promised. During the 2023 election, the NDP campaigned on maintaining the 50 per cent education proper- ty tax rebate brought in by the previous Progres- sive Conservative government. The NDP pledged to “take the politics out of it” by applying the rebate directly to municipal property tax bills. However, in its 2024 budget, the government broke that promise and instead introduced a tax credit of up to $1,500. The Kinew government justified it on the grounds that the previous system was overly complex and disproportion- ately benefited homeowners with higher-value properties. It sounded reasonable on paper, but the imple- mentation of the new credit has been a hot mess for many homeowners. For starters, the flat $1,500 credit does not automatically adjust for inflation or increases in property assessments. That means homeowners in areas with rising property values and school division mill rates could be paying more in school taxes without receiving additional relief. A property owner in the Louis Riel School Division, for example, with a home assessed at $371,100, will pay $316 more in school taxes this year. One of the most glaring issues with the new credit — which was just revealed by the province this week — is a requirement that to receive the credit homeowners in Winnipeg and Brandon must register their properties as their principal residence. If that step is overlooked, homeowners are left out of the credit entirely. It’s a stipulation few, if any, knew about until now. And it’s proven to be a significant barrier, particularly for new homeowners who may not be aware of the need to register, or for those who have recently moved. The province’s explanation (or excuse) is a cop- out. It shifts the blame onto individuals, rather than acknowledging the government’s failure to adequately communicate the new rule. The NDP had ample opportunity to inform the public about the registration process but failed to do so, leaving many residents in the dark. Initially, those who didn’t register their prop- erty with their municipality were told they could claim it on their income taxes next year. That’s cold comfort for those who need the money now, not next year. Besides, that’s not what the NDP promised voters in 2023. But then on Wednesday, the province changed its mind. A provincial spokesperson told media the government has now directed the City of Winnipeg to let the money flow sooner. It’s a rat’s nest that was entirely avoidable. The transition from a rebate system to a tax credit was anything but seamless. Many homeowners reported receiving less financial relief than expected. It has led to confusion and frustration among residents, many of whom feel they were not adequately informed or prepared for the changes. Moreover, the government’s decision to phase out the previous rebate system without a clear and effective replacement has left many Manito- bans questioning the fairness and transparency of the new policy. While the NDP argued that the new system would provide more targeted relief, the reality has been a patchwork of outcomes, with some homeowners benefiting and others being left behind. The impact of these changes is particularly harsh for seniors and fixed-income individuals who have lived in their homes for decades. Many of those residents are now seeing their proper- ty values and education taxes soar, leading to increased financial strain. The timing couldn’t be worse. Many low-in- come homeowners are already struggling with affordability issues, as inflation in some sectors continues to rise, particularly at the grocery store checkout. The reality is, the NDP’s decision to eliminate the rebate system without a clear and effective replacement has left many Manitobans worse off. Instead of providing relief, it has created an additional burden for many. The NDP has to take responsibility for that and come clean with the public on how many homeowners have been negatively affected by the change, including the number who received no tax credit at all. It should also launch a comprehensive public information campaign to ensure homeowners know how the new system works and how to access the tax credit if they haven’t received it. The Kinew government has a lot of work to do to fix the mess it has created. It’s been a botched rollout that has eroded public trust in a govern- ment. tom.brodbeck@freepress.mb.ca TOM BRODBECK OPINION Crown attorneys to train to help prosecute hate crimes M ANITOBA Crown attorneys will receive en- hanced training on the prosecution of hate crimes as part of a national effort to crack down on racism, discrimination and violence against marginalized groups. The federal and provincial governments are providing $95,000 for the program, which follows the recent arrests of two Winnipeg men charged with separate hate-related offences. “The impact of a hate crime is significant in a number of different ways. If you are a member of the targeted group, it involves the deep, personal injury of being made to feel this is not a place for you,” said Crown prosecutor Ami Kotler, a mem- ber of the working group of provincial attorneys who handle hate crime cases. “The occurrence of hate crimes… corrodes the bonds that hold communities together; it normal- izes perspectives and approaches that can never be allowed.” While the Manitoba Prosecutions Service does not have a formal hate crimes unit, the working group has existed for several years and includes about a dozen prosecutors who specialize in vari- ous fields of criminal law, Kotler said. The money will allow Crown attorneys to learn directly from experts who study hate crimes to give them a deeper understanding of the effect on victims and cultural communities. It will also support outreach initiatives to help the public and police understand and address hate crimes, Kotler said. The need for such education has never been higher. Hate crime cases often require a deep understanding of charter rights, such as the right to free speech. The prevalence of hate-related ma- terial online further complicates things, he said. “Everyone is being required to confront these types of cases more often now,” Kotler said. Ben Wickstrom, a Crown prosecutor and spokesman for the Manitoba Association of Crown Attorneys, said Thursday’s release was the first the union had heard about the funding. While the union appreciates the government investment, Crown prosecutors in Manitoba need further sup- port, he said. “Hate crimes can be highly complex matters to prosecute and education and training is es- sential to ensure justice is served in these cases. Unsustainable workloads and this government’s failure to add any new prosecutor positions are affecting our ability to manage all prosecutions, including those relating to hate crimes,” he said in an email statement. Manitoba is working with the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs and the Jewish Federation of Winnipeg to co-ordinate and support the training, which aligns with Canada’s action plan to combat hate. The plan, which was released in the fall, ear- marked $273.6 million over the next six years. “We’ve been working… to ensure that when hate crimes occur, charges are laid and every legal avenue is pursued,” CIJA vice-president Gustavo Zentner said in a statement. The National Council of Canadian Muslims de- clined to comment on the funding announcement. Hate-motivated crimes in Winnipeg reached a five-year high in 2023, when 46 reports were filed. The number dipped slightly last year to 44, as per the Winnipeg Police Service latest annual report. A Crown attorney was assigned to lead the pros- ecution service’s hate crime working group on Jan. 15 — one day after police arrested 19-year- old Nevin Thunder Young and accused him of de- facing walls and fences with antisemitic graffiti. The charges were upgraded in March to include two counts of commission of an offence for a ter- rorist group, and single counts of participation in the activity of a terrorist group and facilitating terrorist activity. Investigators linked Young to a violent inter- national extremist group known as M.K.Y., police said at the time. On Wednesday, police announced charges had been laid against another Winnipeg man. He is accused of targeting the Jewish, Muslim and LG- BTTQ+ communities, as well as visible minorities, in online posts. Donovan Ballingall is charged with four counts of the wilful promotion of hatred. He was arrested April 29 and remains in custody at the Winnipeg Remand Centre, police said. Court records show Ballingall has a court ap- pearance May 26. “We appreciate the RCMP for handling this case with the seriousness it warrants,” Zentner said in a separate statement, responding to Ballingall’s arrest. “This case is a powerful reminder that hate knows no boundaries.” The Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs said Ballingall is the first person in Manitoba to be charged with wilfully promoting hate. The Free Press was unable to independently verify that information. Manitoba RCMP deferred comment to its na- tional headquarters in Ottawa, which did not re- spond to requests for comment on Wednesday and Thursday. Police did not provide further details about the offences Ballingall is accused of committing, or confirm whether he acted alone or as part of a group. tyler.searle@freepress.mb.ca TYLER SEARLE MIKAELA MACKENZIE / FREE PRESS FILES ‘Hate crimes have devastating impacts on victims and communities, and prosecuting these cases can be complex,’ Justice Minister Matt Wiebe said in a news release Thursday announcing enhanced training for Crown attorneys. U.K. will roll out chemical castration for sex offenders LONDON — The British government will roll out the use of medication to suppress the sex drive of sex offenders as part of a package of measures to reduce the risk of reoffending and alleviate pres- sures on the prison system, which is running out of space. Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood said Thursday that so-called chemical castration would be used in 20 prisons in two regions and that she was considering making it mandatory. “Of course, it is vital that this approach is taken alongside psychological interventions that target other causes of offending, like asserting power and control,” she said in a statement to parliament following the release of an independent senten- cing review. Though the review highlighted the treatment wouldn’t be relevant for some sex offenders such as rapists driven by power and control, rather than sexual preoccupation, Mahmood said studies show chemical castration can lead to a 60 per cent reduction in reoffending. It’s been used in Ger- many and Denmark on a voluntary basis, and in Poland as mandatory for some offenders. The recommendation was part of a wide-ran- ging review led by former Justice Secretary David Gauke. As well as looking at ways to cut reoffend- ing, Gauke recommended reforms to overhaul the prisons system, which is running at near capacity. One of the first things Mahmood did as justice minister after Labour gained power last July was sanction an early-release program for prisoners to free up space. She says she inherited a judicial system that had been neglected for years by the previous Conservative government and set up the review as a means to stabilize it. “If our prisons collapse, courts are forced to suspend trials,” she said. “The police must halt their arrests, crime goes unpunished, criminals run amok and chaos reigns. We face the break- down of law and order in this country.” The review recommended that criminals could be released from prison earlier than they are now for good behaviour, while judges could be given more flexibility to impose punishments such as driving bans. It also recommended that sentences of less than 12 months would also be scrapped for tougher community sentences. It also called for the immediate deportation for foreign nationals handed a three-year sentence or less. The prison population in England and Wales has doubled over the past three decades or so to near- ly 90,000. That’s despite a fall in crime rates and is driven in part by the fact that longer sentences are being handed out amid pressure to be tough on crime. — The Associated Press PAN PYLAS ;