Winnipegger pushes for affordability as election highlights cost of living

For one Winnipeg mom, the need to maintain everyday expenses has become as important as ever.

Taking care of her three children, Patricia Marquez is seeing an increase in her household costs. It’s why she keeps a close eye on the numbers and has been doing so since 2017 – when she was first pregnant.

“I was looking through ways to save on diapers and formula initially,” said Marquez, who stumbled upon places to utilize coupons on social media. She used coupons as a way to cut down on her costs ever since.

“I usually budget $300 a week for all of us. I have formula coupons (and) diaper coupons. I print some food coupons and toiletries. That would bring me down to less than $100 for sure,” said Marquez, who added that this isn’t a concern for her. Rather, she finds couponing addictive.

She said that she plans for the week every Thursday, when flyers come around. She then matches the prices on there with coupons that she has and peruses other options like apps to determine points that she can redeem. To her, the importance is ensuring that each item is a dollar or less.

“If it’s over a dollar, I think it’s pricy,” said Marquez.

The focus, she noted, is budgeting.

Now with the provincial election just around the corner, Marquez is in the same boat as other Manitobans. For her, and others, affordability is top of mind — a concern made evident as expenses increase. Malcolm Bird, an associate professor of political science at the University of Winnipeg, said the provincial government has the power to help things like housing.

Concerns with rising costs for groceries or fuel are more handled by the federal government. What the province can do to address affordability, said Bird, the province should do.

“The provincial government and the cities have to manage the needs to provide more housing. And where provincial governments are really important are also in the rental housing market,” said Bird.

The professor pointed to other things, like taxes, as a way for individuals to better understand how affordability is affected. He said that in terms of filing taxes, Manitobans are able to make up to $15,000 tax-free. It’s something that tax expert Evelyn Jacks says will save individuals about $1,600 per year.

But more, said Jacks, should be done.

“Take a look at different tax profile groups… the federal government allowed for student loan interest to now be waived,” said Jacks. “(The) provincial government can waive student loan interest.”

Jacks said that there are ways to tackle taxes in a manner that makes life more affordable, such as increasing tax credits or having a credit for graduates that would encourage more people to stay in Manitoba.

The importance, she added, is to ensure that people file their taxes to find out if they are eligible for existing tax credits.

— with files from Global’s Teagan Rasche

1:00 Manitoba has an ‘affordability’ advantage compared to other prairie provinces, professor says