Manitobans are growing worried about the cost of living and crime in the province, leading them to doubt the justice system, according to a recent poll.
The Benchmark Survey, conducted by polling firm Leger, is normally conducted every few months and provides the government insight into the public’s top concerns.
The Canadian Press recently obtained the survey prepared in March under the province’s freedom of information law.
The top concern among 800 respondents was the rising cost of housing, food and gasoline, with 81 per cent saying they were worried.
More than half of the respondents were discouraged about Manitoba’s economic outlook, and six in 10 were either discouraged or very uncertain about the outlook for their financial situation.
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Fletcher Barager, an associate professor of economics at the University of Manitoba, says rising inflation and interest rates have many feeling squeezed.
“Many households are just scrambling to just sort of catch up and say ‘how are we going to manage this?’ and ‘what is the future going to look like?’ because for many of them, it is a completely new and different situation,” he said.
Barager says people are just trying to balance their budget and while there is possibly some light at the end of the tunnel, people aren’t out of that tunnel yet as they still deal with high interest rates and inflation.
Two-thirds of respondents said they’re concerned about crime and safety, up 11 points from a year earlier.
Lastly, fewer than half of respondents said they were confident in unions, provincial politicians, the justice system, courts and the media.
— with files from the Canadian Press
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