Archive for the ‘Economy/Employment’ Category
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Ontario’s 10-cent hike in the minimum wage is bad for workers, bad for businesses and bad for the economy
Wednesday, October 6th, 2021
Some minimum wage workers work full-time and full year, but most work part-time. At 20 hours a week, a typical minimum wage worker would be earning $29 more a week if the minimum wage was 60 per cent of the average wage. Instead, on Friday, the government of Ontario legislated $2 more a week for them. That’s bad for workers, bad for businesses and bad for the economy… it isn’t business that creates jobs. It’s customers.
Tags: economy, ideology, jurisdiction, participation, standard of living
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The key to Canada’s economic recovery is obvious. Why isn’t anyone talking about it?
Monday, September 13th, 2021
The federal budget estimates that a national child care program would add about 240,000 workers to the labour force. And since those workers are already here in Canada with Canadian credentials, integration into the labour force is seamless. An in-depth study of the economic impact of investing in early childhood education… shows that serious investment in high-quality child care boosts economic growth, reduces poverty, enhances equality, and sets the younger generation on a path to take on the world.
Tags: child care, economy, featured, ideology, jurisdiction, participation, standard of living, women
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Stronger EI and paid sick days are vital for workers. Labour Day is a moment for voters to judge parties on that
Monday, September 6th, 2021
… Canada needs a modern Employment Insurance system that covers all workers, including gig workers, self-employed people and the many misclassified workers who have been abandoned on the sidelines of so-called economic progress… If the pandemic has shown anything, it’s that systemic change is needed in how we view and regulate employment, and that how we treat workers (especially those in low-wage jobs) affects us all.
Tags: economy, Health, ideology, poverty, standard of living
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When it comes to election promises on housing, it’s the details that matter
Monday, August 30th, 2021
The pledges with a far greater chance of creating positive change are the ones that push municipalities to make better and faster planning decisions to increase housing supply, and target federal funding to create housing that’s affordable for lower earners — a niche the market will never fill… Ottawa usually works through the provinces, but it’s welcome to see federal leaders contemplating a more direct relationship with cities.
Tags: budget, housing, ideology, jurisdiction, standard of living
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EI Revisions Should Include More Flexibility in Its Work Incentives
Saturday, August 7th, 2021
Policymakers should revise WWC rules and set an earnings limit under which claimants won’t have EI benefits clawed back, and a modest clawback rate on earnings above that threshold – much like the CRB. Our review of Canadian and international evidence found that under these proposed rules more people, especially those displaced from lower paid jobs and who already have weaker labour force attachment, would be encouraged to work while collecting EI and to work more hours.
Tags: economy, ideology, participation, standard of living
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As a server, hearing others blame CERB for restaurant staff shortages is dehumanizing. If an industry is harmful, why blame low-wage workers?
Thursday, August 5th, 2021
Nobody wants to live in poverty. The idea that the government assistance available is more than what a business can pay makes you think: is it workers in the wrong or is the structure open to oppressive and abusive business models? I hear a lot of talk about how “this is just the way it is,” or “we’ll all go under if we raise wages.”
Tags: economy, ideology, poverty, standard of living
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If employers can’t find workers, they should stop complaining and start offering better jobs
Sunday, August 1st, 2021
The pandemic provided some unexpected benefits.
It freed workers from soul-crushing commutes. People found more time to prepare healthy meals, to get more exercise. They spent less on clothing and styling and worked harder to explore and support local businesses… Perhaps that is what the workforce is doing, imagining a better way to live. Rather than casting insults and wishing for the old normal, perhaps business should do some reimagining, too, about improving an economic model that left most people too stressed to live well and struggling to make ends meet.
Tags: economy, ideology, participation, standard of living
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The future of work in Ontario is at a crossroads. Will we ensure decent employment for all?
Monday, July 26th, 2021
The government has indicated the temporary wage enhancement for personal support workers will be made permanent, which is great news. It should also be expanded to include front-line housing, shelter and child-care staff — all of whom are inadequately compensated for their essential labour. Prioritizing investment in the non-profit sector — a feminized workforce that employs more than 800,000 women across Ontario — would also be a sensible policy decision
Tags: economy, ideology, participation, philanthropy, poverty, standard of living, women
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Good Theory, Good Practice: Seven Principles for a New Political Economy
Wednesday, July 7th, 2021
Mission Economy… speak[s] about how we can restructure the economy to tackle the biggest challenges of our world… There are… seven key pillars to a better political economy that can guide a mission-oriented approach… one that encourages a mission-oriented approach and builds an economy driven by public purpose and citizen engagement.
Tags: economy, globalization, ideology, participation, standard of living
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Common wealth tax myths busted
Monday, July 5th, 2021
Canada’s 47 billionaires increased their wealth by $78 billion during the pandemic, and they now control $270 billion in total. A 1% tax on wealth over $20 million could raise $10 billion in revenue in the first year. As Canada digs itself out of the economic repercussions of the pandemic the time is now to enrich the soil so we can grow back an economy that shares its fruits more equitably with all Canadians. Here are five commonly held myths that continue to muddy the conversation about tax reform:
Tags: economy, ideology, standard of living, tax
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