Archive for the ‘Equality’ Category
« Older Entries | Newer Entries »
City wants to hide priority neighbourhoods, pretend they don’t exist
Monday, July 4th, 2011
Jun 29 2011
Listen to the slick, contemptible councillors and the slithery rhetoric aimed at channeling the few targeted dollars away from the poorest citizens. Whoever knew that Jane-Finch and Rexdale were “gravy,” a waste of money in Toronto the Good? …There is a reason these areas were deemed priority neighbourhoods. In some, three in four families live below the poverty line. Worse, there was an astonishing lack of resources to serve the residents. In fact, some downtown neighbourhoods were poorer in terms of household incomes, but had the social supports to make life tolerable.
Tags: budget, ideology, poverty, standard of living
Posted in Equality Debates | No Comments »
If we don’t stand in the way, we can help native youth
Friday, June 24th, 2011
Jun. 24, 2011
Chronic disparities in funding for health, education and social services for more than 700,000 first nations people are the product of entrenched discriminatory policies. But the discriminatory thrust of such policies can be challenged now, under the Human Rights Act… Disparities in essential services to first nations people are well documented… As of June 18, people can file complaints against first nations governments as well as the federal government if they believe they have been discriminated against in relation to services that affect their daily lives.
Tags: economy, Indigenous, participation, standard of living, youth
Posted in Equality Delivery System | No Comments »
Aboriginal Canadians get a fuller share of rights
Monday, June 20th, 2011
Jun. 19, 2011
… practices like sexual harassment in the workplace; denial of an apartment because of someone’s background; or dismissal from a job because of a family feud. Previously, aboriginal Canadians could not use the complaint mechanism in the Act to appeal to the Canadian Human Rights Commission if they faced this kind of unacceptable discrimination. Now, they can… The most obvious new challenge that the extension of the Human Rights Act will allow – over access to band offices and other on-reserve facilities for people with physical disabilities – might also be the most visible and costly one.
Tags: Indigenous, rights
Posted in Equality Debates | No Comments »
Recession stalls progress on poverty; almost one in 10 Canadians poor: StatsCan
Monday, June 20th, 2011
Jun 15 2011
… the poverty rate edged up in 2009 to 9.6 per cent — the second straight year that poverty has grown after more than a decade of steady declines… In the past, recessions have deepened poverty in Canada for years, and exacerbated the gap between rich and poor… So far, that doesn’t seem to be the case. While the national poverty picture isn’t pretty, the number of people in the top, middle and bottom echelons of income in Canada remained fairly steady as the recession took hold.
Tags: economy, poverty, standard of living
Posted in Equality Debates | No Comments »
Ontario publishes accessibility standards
Wednesday, June 15th, 2011
Jun 10, 2011
The Ontario government has released the final Integrated Accessibility Standards Regulation under the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, 2005. The regulation, which comes into force on July 1, 2011, combines information and communication, employment, and transportation standards… the regulation “represents a significant shift in human rights and accessibility law affecting nearly all organizations in Ontario with respect to their human resources practices and in the way they do business.”
Tags: disabilities, rights, standard of living
Posted in Equality Delivery System | No Comments »
Will the disgrace ever end?
Tuesday, June 14th, 2011
June 13/2011
… federal programs for First Nations require a legislative basis that will designate respective roles, responsibilities and eligibility. As it stands, there is no legislation or clarity on important areas such as education, health and drinking water. There is also a need for legislation that commits Ottawa to provide statutory funding to meet defined levels of service, which would eliminate the current climate of uncertainty about funding from year to year. First Nations also need organizations to support local service delivery, such as school boards, health service boards and social service organizations.
Tags: budget, Indigenous, participation, poverty, standard of living
Posted in Equality Debates | No Comments »
For more diversity in the legal profession
Tuesday, June 14th, 2011
Jun. 07, 2011
A more racially diverse legal profession and judiciary is a goal worth pursuing. It is important to have legal leaders who reflect Canada’s rapidly changing demographics. This would help law firms to compete successfully in the global economy and foster innovation, and help judges and Crown prosecutors overcome any subconscious biases, so that they can apply the law more equitably. So far, the record is mixed.
Tags: multiculturalism, participation, rights
Posted in Equality Delivery System | No Comments »
Sponsors of ‘rogue’ immigrants must repay welfare, Supreme Court rules
Tuesday, June 14th, 2011
Jun. 10, 2011
The Supreme Court of Canada has upheld the right of federal and provincial governments to collect social-service payments from the sponsors of immigrants. The landmark ruling involves the cases of eight Ontario immigrant families that sponsored relatives from abroad, and who later went on social assistance. Under federal immigration law, the sponsors agreed to repay any welfare payments that their new arrivals may have incurred after they got to Canada.
Tags: budget, immigration, rights
Posted in Equality Delivery System | No Comments »
Turning elitist proposals into populist ones
Monday, June 13th, 2011
Jun. 13, 2011
In five years as a minority government, the Conservatives introduced tax changes of broad benefit to the general public: two cuts to the GST, various tax credits, the tax-free savings account. Now, with a majority in hand, they have promised two major tax reforms that will turn them from populists to elitists… These are costly schemes, each running ultimately to billions a year.
Tags: ideology, standard of living, tax
Posted in Equality Debates | No Comments »
The high price of being a trailblazer
Friday, June 10th, 2011
Jun 09 2011
Thousands of students with disabilities have to miss classes, drop courses and extend their years of university, taking on more debt than their nondisabled peers. In 2007, she launched a constitutional challenge, alleging that the Canada Student Loan Program violates the equality clause in the Charter of Rights… Simpson can’t afford to keep fighting… She earns a modest salary as a counsellor at the Canadian Hearing Society. But she refuses to buckle. This is no longer about her. It’s about all the young people with disabilities who are counting on her to be their trailblazer.
Tags: budget, disabilities, ideology, rights, standard of living
Posted in Equality Delivery System | No Comments »
Recent Comments