Canada’s premiers are missing a real chance to fix our ailing health-care system
… unless and until the premiers agree to set out… how they intend to spend and report on the 62 per cent increase in transfers they are demanding to actually bring about real change in their respective health systems, Ottawa should refuse. And Canadians themselves should just say no.
Child & Family
How Baby Boomers will change the way Canadians die
Expanding access not only to doctors and nurses but also to counsellors, social workers and grief experts, as well as special management of medications in the home environment where more people want to die is key, Sumner says… “One thing that members of my generation have taken for granted is that they’re in the driver’s seat as far as their lives are concerned,” he says. “I want to hope that they can drive a lot of this change as well.”
Liberals promise to end for-profit long-term care in Ontario
Calling the warehousing of seniors in long-term-care homes “one of the greatest mistakes” of the last century, Ontario’s Liberals are pledging a multibillion-dollar shift to caring for the elderly in their own homes as long as possible… The $2-billion “home-care-first” plan would provide more supports to seniors who could move on to smaller, more-homestyle facilities when they need higher levels of care…
Education
Children across Canada deserve a professional early childhood education workforce
Children depend on educators who are skilled and knowledgeable… Decent work for Canada’s child-care workforce should be more than just a slogan; it must be the foundation of Canada’s early learning and child-care plan to ensure that children receive the high-quality care they deserve.
Ontario university faculty and academic librarians give a failing grade to Ford’s election budget
… the government admits it is likely to spend $685 million less on postsecondary education in 2021-22 than planned, as the Ford government ignores the needs of the sector and takes a free ride on the back of increased federal transfers. The money the Ford government is “saving” should not be going back into government coffers to be used for the many regressive tax credits included in this budget…
Employment
… why not just bring back CERB when recession hits next time? Because it was too generous to be fiscally sustainable over the long run and not politically sustainable due to sectoral labour shortages. But today’s EI is not fit for purpose either. With less than four in 10 jobless workers able to access it, it’s too stingy. However, there is a lot of consensus on how to fix EI…
A closer look at the federal budget’s housing plan
To improve its approach to housing, we suggest that the federal government: 1. Reaffirm its recognition of the right to adequate housing as a fundamental human right and use this principle to guide policy-making. 2. Establish a cohesive housing policy narrative… 3. Examine demand-side solutions… 4. Consider other factors that can affect the implementation of more housing supply.
Equality
On the 40th anniversary of the signing of the Charter, it is important to reflect on the rights Canadians share and, more importantly, understand that these rights entail responsibilities to each other. Perhaps if misunderstandings about rights and freedoms were clarified, there would be a greater sense of unity.
… here’s what you need to know about the $40B child welfare agreements
After the graves of children who died in Indian Residential Schools were found, countless Canadians stood in solidarity with Indigenous communities and demanded the government not repeat mistakes of the past… public support will be needed more than ever to ensure that the spirit of the agreement is respected and translated into meaningful change for First Nations children.
Health
Canada’s premiers are missing a real chance to fix our ailing health-care system
… unless and until the premiers agree to set out… how they intend to spend and report on the 62 per cent increase in transfers they are demanding to actually bring about real change in their respective health systems, Ottawa should refuse. And Canadians themselves should just say no.
Canadians want it, doctors want it, so let’s get pharmacare done
Canadians should be appalled by how much time is spent every day by doctors, nurses, pharmacists and others working around the lack of real drug coverage in Canada… As stated in the petition, Philpott and Martin call for advancing the timing and scope of Canada’s plans – starting with universal, public coverage of essential medications before the end of 2022. Meanwhile, the government has promised to pass a Canada Pharmacare Act in 2023…
Inclusion
It’s election time and Ontario still chooses not to eliminate poverty
During the campaign, Ontarians will hear a lot of about affordability, except those conversations will not focus on those who can afford the least… no matter who wins this election, people who need social assistance will find themselves in the same place they were in before the election, and the election before that. They will still be in deep, deep poverty.
We can’t simply build our way out of our housing crisis
More new housing will help if it’s the kind of housing that is currently lacking, built for the people who need it most. Various studies indicate that 40 to 50 per cent of people in Canada are living paycheque-to-paycheque. That is, nearly half the population of this prosperous country are income insecure. Plans for new housing must prioritize these people.
Social Security
A guaranteed basic income could end poverty, so why isn’t it happening?
Ontario’s basic income trial illustrated that people with diverse needs reported better personal relationships with friends and family with basic income. In turn, their sense of social inclusion and citizenship improved… Recent cost-benefit analyses have demonstrated that carefully designed cash-based interventions can be cost effective and generate net savings for society. Recipients rely less on social services over time, meaning governments pay less to fund these programs.
A basic income would be an unfair, complicated and costly way to eliminate poverty
There are many solutions we can work on to eliminate poverty and inequity in Canada. But a GBI should not be one of them. It’s time we abandoned this utopian dream for pragmatic, rigorously tested, targeted programs that will reduce poverty, provide skills and training and create an inclusive labour market.
Governance
Raising the incomes of the poorest Ontarians
While the cost of living is going up dramatically, Ontario Works and ODSP rates have been frozen since 2018… more than 843,000 Ontarians are living in deep poverty. / Ontario is in the midst of an affordable housing crisis. / … precarious working conditions… the minimum wage well below the living wage. / Long-term care residents have suffered more than almost any other group in our province during the pandemic.
Why Doug Ford will once again win the Ontario election
If a politician or a political party believes voters cast ballots in favour of policy positions laid out in a party platform, then they badly misunderstand persuasion and what it takes to motivate a voter… elections are communication challenges, and communication is not a rational process of information transmission… Communication is a process of producing an impact on others, not transmitting information on policy goals.
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