« Older Entries | Newer Entries »
Toronto is getting a fourth emergency service. That’s vital for helping people in crisis
Wednesday, November 29th, 2023
The service, which offers a non-police, community-based response to people experiencing mental health crises… will soon cover the entire city… Police are, after all, not trained mental health professionals, and police involvement has all too often ended in tragedy. In contrast, 93 per cent of the crisis calls were successfully completed, and 95 per cent of people served by crisis teams said they were either satisfied or very satisfied with the service.
Tags: crime prevention, disabilities, homelessness, ideology, mental Health
Posted in Inclusion Delivery System | No Comments »
Ontario’s colleges and universities are strapped for cash. A panel has wisely proposed a fix
Thursday, November 23rd, 2023
… salary and benefit costs in Ontario’s universities are, per full-time equivalent student, among the lowest of any province. And as the report said, all organizations that made submissions “emphasized the value of post-secondary education in creating and maintaining a highly qualified and relevant talent pipeline in Ontario.” As has become obvious, the government’s lack of vision on this file does not just fail a sector. It fails the future.
Tags: budget, economy, ideology, jurisdiction, standard of living, youth
Posted in Education Debates | No Comments »
New Canadians have valuable work experience. A new law will knock down a barrier to putting those skills to work
Tuesday, November 14th, 2023
Studies have suggested that only about a quarter of internationally-trained immigrants in Ontario were working in regulated professions aligned with their training… Banning Canadian experience requirements from job postings and ads is another step toward eliminating systemic barriers newcomers face, creating a more inclusive work force, and addressing labour shortages.
Tags: economy, immigration, jurisdiction, participation
Posted in Policy Context | No Comments »
The Liberals have a chance to make headway on pharmacare. They should seize the opportunity
Thursday, November 2nd, 2023
Hoskins had recommended that a universal program begin with essential medicines, which would initially cost the government $3.5 billion to $4.5 billion. The NDP insists on a single-payer universal system but acknowledges it can’t be done in one fell swoop. It has demanded that timelines for progress be enshrined in legislation. If all this leads to a “foundational” piece of legislation and a firm road map going forward, that will be welcome and significant progress in a time of economic uncertainty.
Tags: budget, disabilities, economy, featured, pharmaceutical, standard of living
Posted in Health Debates | No Comments »
Mental health and prison: a tragic cycle that repeats itself
Saturday, September 16th, 2023
… when offenders are released, they often return to the same circumstances — homelessness, unemployment, drug use, lack of mental health care — that led to their offending in the first place.
Post-release treatment must therefore be just one part of a more comprehensive community effort, one that attends to the health, housing and employment needs of offenders.
Tags: crime prevention, housing, mental Health
Posted in Child & Family Debates | 5 Comments »
Black Canadians suffer racism in the justice system. Efforts are needed to address it.
Tuesday, June 27th, 2023
To be sure, the police aren’t alone in their disparate treatment of Black Canadians and other racial minorities. Police are, inevitably, singled out given their role on the front line of the justice system… racial bias is a systemic problem. And rectifying that will require not just apologies, but a concerted, thoroughgoing effort to eradicate the racism that threatens the very ideals animating and inspiring our system, and our society.
Tags: crime prevention, ideology, multiculturalism
Posted in Equality Debates | No Comments »
Troubled life reveals gaps that led to murder
Thursday, April 13th, 2023
Failures of the health care system become problems the criminal justice system is expected to solve, even though it’s ill suited to do so. That said, the criminal justice system does play a role in issuing and enforcing orders for treatment and counselling… The only way we will solve these problems is by making a full-throated commitment to repair our frayed social safety net, to mend the gaps… and protect innocent people.
Tags: crime prevention, ideology, jurisdiction, mental Health
Posted in Child & Family Policy Context | No Comments »
A plan to end partner violence
Tuesday, April 11th, 2023
… far from protecting women and other innocent individuals, our over reliance on criminal justice might actually be increasing the risks for survivors of intimate partner violence… Given the control often exerted over survivors, the reports emphasize the need for economic security, housing, safe spaces and social and mental health services for survivors. And that in turn means ensuring consistent, stable funding for organizations that provide such assistance.
Tags: budget, crime prevention, Health, mental Health
Posted in Child & Family Policy Context | No Comments »
Cruel health care cut targets the most vulnerable
Friday, March 31st, 2023
… The reason someone is uninsured is often tied to their immigration status and can include those on temporary work or study permits and people who are “undocumented” or without authorized immigration status… To have taken the axe to a small program supporting some of the most vulnerable people in Ontario said a lot about the Ford government, none of it good.
Tags: budget, Health, ideology, jurisdiction, poverty
Posted in Health Policy Context | No Comments »
Ontario has made slow progress to accessibility
Tuesday, March 21st, 2023
… 77 per cent of people with disabilities report having a negative experience in public or at work, while only eight per cent describe their experience as positive. These negative experiences… are the result of a lack of leadership, enforcement, research and accountability, and of flaws in virtually every aspect of the system, including “services, products, technology, buildings, infrastructure, careers, processes and human imagination.”
Tags: disabilities
Posted in Inclusion Delivery System | No Comments »
Recent Comments