A small group of Canadians are living it up. The rest of us are struggling. Welcome to the K-shaped economy
… Between [1999] and 2023, the top 10 per cent of wealthiest households in Canada have seen their net worth surge by 195 per cent. The bottom 10 per cent… has seen its wealth contract outright, by 43 per cent… We need to get a better grip on how wealth grows, who owns it, where it’s stored and where it’s hidden… And the potentially toxic social effects of such a disparity in possibility continue to fester.
Child & Family
Ontario budget adds $1.1B for home care
Housing with supports is a key issue in a province that will hit “super-aged” status this year, when roughly 20 per cent of its 16 million people will be 65 or older… the budget… shows that the government sees long-term care as a “vital part of the foundation that holds our communities together and protects the people who “live, work and receive care in homes across the province.”
Reduced Fees, Rising Waitlists: Early Lessons from Canada’s Childcare Plan
To strengthen the program’s impact, the authors recommend expanding licensed childcare spaces, particularly in underserved areas, improving wages and working conditions for early childhood educators, and introducing more flexible supports – such as an income-tested refundable tax credit – for families relying on non-subsidized care.
Education
Ontario’s funding is entrenched in last place, so far behind that it would take more than a 45% increase to match the second-lowest funded province, Alberta. Increasing total university funding by of 13.5% per year for five years would bring per capita funding in Ontario to the national average… The data shows that there is record demand from Ontario secondary school students for an Ontario university education.
Ford’s slashing of student grants holds poor students back and shows why we need a wealth tax
Canadians are fair-minded; we want to live in a society where economic rewards are dispensed — at least to some extent — on the basis of merit… We could come closer to being a meritocracy by imposing a wealth tax, which would take a bit from Canada’s grand fortunes so that poorer kids get a chance to live their dreams.
Employment
What Canada can learn from Mexico’s approach to U.S. trade
Mexico’s strategy offers a template for aligning with the U.S. without sacrificing sovereignty or respect for the rule of law. It is a far cry from a full North American customs union that some hope to achieve as part of the upcoming CUSMA review, which would unduly tie Mexican and Canadian trade policy to the whims of Washington, D.C… The recent China deal is a step in the right direction.
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.
Equality
… Between [1999] and 2023, the top 10 per cent of wealthiest households in Canada have seen their net worth surge by 195 per cent. The bottom 10 per cent… has seen its wealth contract outright, by 43 per cent… We need to get a better grip on how wealth grows, who owns it, where it’s stored and where it’s hidden… And the potentially toxic social effects of such a disparity in possibility continue to fester.
How the Top One Per Cent Threaten Canada’s Future
A modest wealth tax that affects only Canadians with over $10 million in net wealth could raise nearly $40 billion annually. Ninety-nine per cent of Canadians would not pay it. Similar taxes are already in place in Norway, Switzerland and Spain, and California is currently considering a one-time wealth tax on billionaires. Canada is also the only country in the G7 without an inheritance or estate tax.
Health
Hospitals get $1.1B infusion from Ford government as critics warn it’s not enough
Ontario’s public hospitals are getting a $1.1-billion boost in Thursday’s budget amid warnings the extra money will barely cover deficits as they struggle to improve patient wait times… Putting the system on a sound financial footing would require a cash infusion of $2.7 billion… “Costs for the sector have been rising by about six per cent per year, primarily due to Ontario’s growing population, its aging population and inflation, in general”…
What’s the future of virtual health care in Ontario? Despite funding cutback, it may have taken root
“Physicians aren’t able to provide the same level of care at a 50 per cent reduced rate,” Cherniak says. Still, three years after Ontario’s cutback, virtual care is catching on… even without doctors: Ontario Health’s annual report from a year ago cites as a highlight that more than 31,800 patients “connected to nurse practitioners through regional virtual urgent care clinics, with only four per cent referred to emergency departments.”
Inclusion
The wrong people are being asked to pay for Canada’s crisis in health care
Starting on May 1, 2026, beneficiaries [of the Interim Federal Health Program(IFHP)]such as asylum seekers and refugees will be required to copay 30 per cent of the cost of supplemental health benefits, in addition to a $4 for every prescription filled or renewed… This also applies to dental care, physiotherapy, and mental health treatment. For refugees, these services are not optional; they are essential, and paying 30 per cent of their cost is simply not feasible.
I don’t have dental insurance. Do I qualify for the federal government’s dental care plan?
For Canadians whose annual income is between $80,000 and $89,999, the CDCP will cover 40 per cent of eligible oral health-care services; for those in the $70,000 to $79,999 range, the plan covers 60 per cent, and those whose income is less than $70,000 receive 100 per cent coverage. You can see exactly what’s covered on the government of Canada’s website. In many cases you will have a co-payment based on your adjusted family net income.
Social Security
Doug Ford could help solve Ontario’s homelessness crisis in one simple, low-cost step
The province’s social-assistance programs — Ontario Works and the Ontario Disability Support Program — include monthly allowances for basic needs and shelter, but recipients with no fixed address are ineligible for the shelter portion, which totals $390 for OW and $599 for ODSP per single adult. That can make saving for first and last months’ rent nearly impossible. The result is a costly and avoidable cycle: people without homes remain in shelters or unsafe situations because they cannot access the supports they need to help them secure housing.
Finally Mark Carney delivers a breakthrough for Canadians asking for help. Will it be enough?
The federal government recently announced the Canada Groceries and Essentials Benefit (CGEB), an income support designed to help Canadians afford the basics of life. For millions of people struggling to put food on the table, this announcement will mean immediate relief… it treats hunger as a policy problem rather than a charitable one… Ultimately, Canada’s food insecurity crisis isn’t caused by a shortage of food; it’s caused by a lack of income.
Governance
Privacy commissioner challenges Doug Ford’s reasons for changing access-to-information rules
Information and privacy commissioner Patricia Kosseim has filed a six-point rebuttal to Premier Doug Ford’s “various” reasons for exempting himself, his cabinet ministers and political aides from access-to-information laws… in a response to Ford’s suggestion that only the media and opposition parties use the laws, the commission said that in the 2024 FOI requests, “more than 95 per cent were submitted by “individuals, businesses, researchers, and community organizations.”
Protected from voters’ wrath, Doug Ford’s latest budget defies fiscal reality
Ford’s Tories have slashed traditional revenue sources by billions of dollars in good times — licence plate fees, gas taxes and tolls for drivers — only to drive the government deeper into deficit and debt… In the latest budget, those interest payments are now the Ford government’s fourth-biggest expenditure — after health care (41 per cent), education (16.7 per cent) and social services (8.8 per cent)…
Recent Comments