The Reminder is making its archives back to 2003 available on our website. Please note that, due to technical limitations, archive articles are presented without the usual formatting.
Welfare dollars are flowing to Manitoba criminals on the lam even as the tally for outstanding fines reaches nearly $50 million, the official opposition charges. The Progressive Conservatives cite recent figures obtained through Freedom of Information, showing lawbreakers now owe the province more than $49.5 million in unpaid fines. The PCs say the NDP have failed to proclaim a bill prohibiting anyone with outstanding warrants from receiving welfare, even though a bill to that effect passed last June. 'Taxpayers work hard and they deserve to have their tax dollars treated with respect. Giving those dollars to criminals is not respectful,' said PC Justice Critic Kelvin Goertzen. 'Scarce welfare dollars are meant for vulnerable people in need of a hand up _ not criminals evading the law. Why is (Justice Minister Andrew) Swan dragging his feet on proclaiming this bill?' There's also no excuse for allowing the outstanding fine tally reach $49.5 million, Goertzen said. 'No surprise' 'It's no surprise there were nearly $5 million in outstanding fines during a six-month period last year,' he said. 'Criminals don't have much respect for the courts and clearly don't have much respect for their court ordered fines?' Between April 1 and September 30, 2011, the province failed to collect $4.9 million in outstanding fines, the PCs say. The PCs say they uncovered an 'NDP loophole' that allowed criminals on the lam to receive welfare dollars last year, and after public scrutiny, the NDP put forward legislation to close the loophole. 'Obviously the NDP weren't that interested in bringing forward tough-on-crime legislation and were just looking to making a political problem go away before the election,' said Goertzen. 'It's no wonder we're the crime capital of the country.' _ Compiled from a Progressive Conservative Party of Manitoba news release
