Claims of a doctor shortage oversimplifies the issues with health care
Sustaining universal access to care will require governments to face the demographic reality driving medical demand; update revenues so financially secure boomers contribute in line with their costs; overhaul staffing incentives; and reinvest in the social and ecological foundations of health.
Child & Family
Ford government is an obstacle to highly affordable, high-quality child care
Ontario’s auditor general reported the Ford government failed to create the number of child care spaces it promised, even as overall demand has tripled. Much of this failure is down to Conservatives’ fixation on for-profit child care… The result? Thousands of families are still without child care.
Child-care affordability is coming at the expense of equity — and it’s time governments acted
… more than 16,500 children in Toronto are waitlisted for a space, while nearly one in three publicly funded programs deny them access… Funding structures further entrench inequity. Fee subsidies are paid from provincial budgets, while CWELCC affordability funding comes from the federal government. When families stop using subsidies — because spaces are unavailable or eligibility rules too restrictive — provinces and territories save money, while still benefiting politically from federal investments that make care appear more affordable.
Education
Ontario won’t have charter schools, board closings or mergers, pledges education minister
Education Minister Paul Calandra said Friday that… “There will be no closing of school boards in whatever we do… We’re not amalgamating school boards. I’m not bringing in charter schools. I’m not merging the public system and the Catholic system together… But… nothing has convinced him that the ”$43 billion Ministry of Education budget should be delivered by trustees across the province of Ontario.”
Federal budget creates a massive educational opportunity for Doug Ford
Ontario’s universities have the lowest per-student funding of any province in Canada… crumbling infrastructure and outdated instrumentation… reductions in support staff, early retirement incentives, and hiring freezes for new faculty. Such actions have resulted in Ontario having the worst student-teacher ratio of any province in the country. Moreover, larger class sizes, fewer teaching assistants, and stripped-down learning opportunities have quickly become the norm on many university campuses.
Employment
Elbows up: A practical program for Canadian sovereignty
A strong industrial strategy is needed so this frontal attack does not consign Canada to its previous role as supplier of primary staples products… Canada’s trade-oriented, goods-producing industries receive most attention, yet almost 80 per cent of our GDP is produced in non-traded sectors. This includes the care economy, like health care and education, which need more investment, too—not austerity.
I have lived on three continents and I know what is preventing Canada from thriving
A healthy economy sustains strong public systems. Our goal has never been growth at any cost, but growth that keeps health care accessible, schools excellent and a safety net for those who need it. Prosperity and fairness are not opposites; they rise together when rules are fair and ambition has room to run. Immigration belongs in that frame.
Equality
Money is changing hands, not the system
Pay equity isn’t just about fairness—it’s about unleashing economic potential and creating a more just society… It’s time to decouple maternity and parental benefits from Employment Insurance. Childcare and postnatal care are work, not unemployment… Ten per cent of the labour force is self-employed… Tax reform is a powerful tool to fund public services while decreasing the wealth gap. An increase in the capital gains inclusion rate, paired with an annual and indexed lifetime exemption threshold, will allow for greater tax fairness.
Reconciliation includes recognizing Residential Schools are not the only colonial atrocity
… Residential Schools were one part of a much larger colonial strategy to assimilate Indigenous Peoples and erase Indigenous cultures, languages, traditions, practices and governance systems… consider learning even more about the many other tactics. This way, we can acknowledge past harms, work to address current realities and look to foster meaningful engagements with Indigenous communities.
Health
4 things you need to know about health care in the federal budget
Nearly $400 million in cuts to health… No plan to expand pharmacare… $5 billion for buildings – but no plan for health care workers… Cuts to refugee health care… “The affordability crisis is worsening, and Canadians need to know health care will be there when they need it most.
Claims of a doctor shortage oversimplifies the issues with health care
Sustaining universal access to care will require governments to face the demographic reality driving medical demand; update revenues so financially secure boomers contribute in line with their costs; overhaul staffing incentives; and reinvest in the social and ecological foundations of health.
Inclusion
Canada will reduce international student permits by more than half, budget reveals
The 2026-28 plan will allocate 239,800 permanent residence spots for economic immigration, and 84,000 for family reunification programs, including the sponsorships of spouses and parents/grandparents. The share of skilled immigrants will go up from 59 per cent to 64 per cent, while spaces for protected persons and resettled refugees from abroad will drop from 68,350 this year to 56,200 in 2026 and 54,300 in 2027 and 2028.
The federal government recruits skilled immigrants to come to Canada, but then those immigrants see their credentials turned down by individual provinces or regulatory bodies… The increased training money will help mitigate a shortage of people trained in the skilled trades — a gap that is expected to grow over the next decade… The government also announced a temporary federal tax credit of up to $1,100 for personal support workers.
Social Security
A basic income can be a strong investment in mental health
Research shows how poor mental health is a direct consequence of poverty. Money not only helps meet people’s material needs but also alleviates their worries. Reducing poverty translates into significant savings for the economy and the public purse. Canada could save $4 to $10 for every dollar spent on mental health supports. Poverty is not caused by personal failings. It is the social environment people live in that has the greatest impact on life trajectories.
Why the Canada Disability Benefit won’t end disability poverty, and how it could
It won’t be a game-changer, but it could help many if eligibility and access expand and clawbacks are not allowed to erode possibly its entire value… Though the benefit will not fill the poverty gap for hundreds of thousands of people, it could still reduce their depth of poverty… If it is intended to fill the poverty gaps in provincial and territorial social-assistance programs, the benefit amount should reflect that… Poverty is a policy choice – one that is inconsistent with Canada’s human-rights obligations.
Governance
Could a national, public ‘CanGPT’ be Canada’s answer to ChatGPT?
… what if AI were developed as a public utility rather than as a commercial service? Canada’s long history with public service media — namely the CBC and Radio-Canada — offers a useful model for thinking about how AI could serve the public amid growing calls for a public interest approach to AI policy.
I’ve studied housing for over 15 years. These Canadian towns are showing us how to fix the crisis
Too often we frame housing simply as a question of how much we need and defer to the market to build it. Instead, we need to focus on what kind of housing and for whom… The crux of the problem is that housing currently serves two conflicting goals: as shelter and a human right for all; and a commodity from which to make money for some.
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