The report calling on the government to help transform Winnipeg's inner-city

The "State of the Inner City Report" was unveiled at news conference on Tuesday. (Source: Joseph Bernacki/CTV News)

The Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives (CCPA) is highlighting the need for a major transformation of social and economic justice in Winnipeg’s inner-city.

On Monday, the organization released this year’s “State of the Inner City Report,” which includes the following calls to action:

- Investment in the social, economic and physical infrastructure of the inner-city; 

- The convening of a table of Indigenous and community leaders to identify strategies to address the crises in the inner-city.

“We know what the problems are, we know what the solutions are too,” said Sarah Cooper, assistant professor in city planning at the University of Manitoba

“This is more of a call to action to governments, to federal, provincial and municipal governments, to invest in the inner-city and also for Indigenous and community leaders to direct that investment.”

The report goes on to say there are several crises in Winnipeg’s inner-city, including poverty, housing needs, drug overdoses, cost of living increases, safety concerns and weakening infrastructure. It adds that the current system is not working.

“That investment is needed to support communities where they’re at,” Cooper said.

“So it could be investment in community organizations to support the local communities. It could be investment in the physical infrastructure, like housing, transportation - all of those kinds of things.”

The goal of this year’s “State of the Inner City Report” is to advance the community’s vision for social and economic change through the creation of calls to action that can be used to advocate with the government. The calls to action build on past report research and feedback from community organizations.

The full report can be found online. 

- With files from CTV’s Joseph Bernacki.