Poor Families Hurt By High Energy Prices

The high energy prices, which could result from environmental policies designed to halt global warming, will negatively impact low income families across North America.

At least that's what Niger Innis had to say yesterday afternoon in a speech given to a group of about 40 people at the Convention Centre.

Innis, serves as the national spokesman for the Congress of Racial Equality (CORE), as well as a co-chair of the Alliance to Stop the War on the Poor. He was invited by the Frontier Centre for Public Policy, to speak on the subject of global warming and what impact environmental policies could have on lower income individuals.

"You're in a vicious, eternal cycle of poverty," said Innis, explaining that people at the poverty line, or below it have no way of getting ahead, if they're constantly paying higher prices for mandatory things like gas, heating and electricity.

Innis, refers to himself as an environmentalist, however, in his speech, he dismissed the basic idea of global warming and the negative impact it's having on the environment.

"The only thing constant about the earth's environment is change," said Innis. "It's constantly changing."

His solution to the energy issue is to promote conservation, increase efficiency and continue to embrace new alternatives- like wind and solar power - all without cutting down energy production in North America. "All energy is good energy," said Innis.

Lunch on the Frontier with Niger Innis, was organized by the Frontier Centre for Public Policy. Founded in 1997, the organization is an independent, non-profit, think-tank, that examines public policy and questions popular opinion about important issues.

Peter Holle is the president of Frontier Centre for Public Policy.

"It's to broaden the debate and get some new thinking on the table," said Holle. He explained that since the organization is independent, they are free to give controversial speakers like Innis a platform to voice their opinions.

Along with Winnipeg, the organization also has offices in Calgary and Regina. Innis is also scheduled to speak in those cities.

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Stop the War on Poor Families

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The Frontier Centre for Public Policy

is an independent public policy think tank whose mission is "to broaden the debate on our future through public policy research and education and to explore positive changes within our public institutions that support economic growth and opportunity."