Child & Family Debates « Social Policy in Ontario

Archive for the ‘Child & Family Debates’ Category

Canadians want home care, not long-term care facilities, after COVID-19

Monday, November 15th, 2021

… home care is expensive, even when governmental subsidies exist — it has a much heftier price tag than public nursing home care. And for those who don’t have family members who can provide informal care, public long-term care homes are often their only choice… Governments must make home care a viable option for their aging citizens by making it more affordable via a variety of means, including subsidies and tax exemptions.

Tags: budget, disabilities, featured, housing, ideology, Seniors, standard of living
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‘Don’t mess with moms. Get it done’: 50 prominent Canadian women urge party leaders to prioritize child care

Wednesday, September 15th, 2021

… investing in early childhood education shows that serious investment in high-quality child care will boost economic growth while reducing poverty and drastically improving education levels among young kids. The signatories of the letter say affordability is key… A report from the CCPA recently found that a Toronto family paying full fees for a child in licensed daycare could save $10,000 more per year under the Liberal child-care plan than with the Conservatives’ tax credit… We’re waiting to see how these parties will act in office…

Tags: budget, child care, economy, featured, ideology, jurisdiction, participation, standard of living, women
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Here’s what Erin O’Toole doesn’t understand about daycare

Tuesday, August 17th, 2021

There’s no doubt more money flowing to parents would help with affordability… [but] Spurring demand without building supply is not a balanced equation. That’s partly why the Liberal budget dedicated billions of dollars to agreements with the provinces to expand early learning and child-care capacity and to boost the wages of child-care workers — simultaneously lowering fees and creating more spots. The $30-billion price tag is enormous, but the Liberals — and many a public-policy researcher — argue that society will benefit handsomely over time and the net cost to Canadians will eventually be negligible.

Tags: child care, economy, featured, ideology, participation, poverty, tax, women
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Government must follow report finding and invest in home care

Tuesday, May 18th, 2021

Without an immediate investment of $600 million, Ontario’s home care system will fail. Queen’s Park seems more focused on institutional care, having announced billions for hospitals in its spring budget. This is missing the mark; seniors want the government to help them age with independence, in their own homes.

Tags: budget, disabilities, Health, ideology, Seniors, standard of living
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Same Old Federal Thinking Hampers Childcare Plan

Thursday, May 6th, 2021

It would have been simpler and more expedient for the federal government to directly fund childcare costs through grants or tax credits. And a focus on affordability for parents needing to work would have enabled the federal government to save some money for other health-related provincial transfers.

Tags: budget, child care, ideology, jurisdiction, participation, rights
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Youth ‘aging out’ of care deserve better. The Ford government needs to deliver real reform

Tuesday, March 23rd, 2021

Some 12,000 children and youth live in foster homes and group homes in Ontario. About 2,000 of them turn 18 every year at which point they are usually forced to move out of their foster or group home to live independently, whether they’re ready or not. (There is financial assistance and other supports beyond 18 for some youth but it’s not universal and it’s not enough.)

Tags: child care, ideology, youth
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Long-term-care houses of horror

Tuesday, March 9th, 2021

In Alberta, Ontario, Quebec, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba, nearly 100% of senior respondents said “they will do everything they can to avoid moving into an LTC home.” … As of March 5, 2021, the NIA had tracked 14,596 LTC-home deaths across the country… 80% of deaths in Canada’s first wave occurred in LTC homes – “the worst record among wealthy nations for COVID-19-related deaths”

Tags: disabilities, Health, housing, ideology, jurisdiction, mental Health, standard of living
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The Ford government needs to treat child care as the essential service it is

Monday, February 1st, 2021

Ontario was one of the first provinces last spring to offer emergency workers free, around-the-clock child care with enhanced safety protocols. But since then, the Ford government has reverted to type… Many have had enough… more than 200 centres across the province have closed since the spring – at least 133 of them permanently… A child care crisis… does not bode well… for the province to “build back better” once the health crisis lifts.

Tags: budget, child care, economy, featured, Health, ideology, participation, women
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What if we were as serious about ending violence as ending the pandemic?

Tuesday, December 8th, 2020

At the beginning of the lockdowns, women found it difficult to flee their abusers; as lockdowns eased and they returned to shelters, workers noticed an escalation in the severity of violence they were reporting – more broken bones, more strangulation, more sexual violence… If this year has taught us anything, it’s our ability to work collectively to end a public health crisis. But we have to open our eyes first.

Tags: crime prevention, Health, ideology, mental Health, women
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Deliver on national child-care this time, please

Sunday, December 6th, 2020

For now, all the Trudeau government has put up for a national child-care system is a down payment and a promise… The down payment includes $420 million to help provinces train and retain qualified early-childhood educators and $20 million over five years to fund a secretariat to craft its national “child care vision.”