Archive for the ‘Inclusion Debates’ Category
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It’s past time to protect the ‘precariat’
Two new studies paint bleak portraits of the economic circumstances of young workers and others struggling to get by in the new economy. Together, they suggest that while governments may not want or be able to stop the evolution now underway, they must move quickly to address widening gaps in worker protections, lest the better part of a generation fall through the cracks… governments can’t and shouldn’t want to stop innovation. But neither are they powerless to shape it or to protect workers from its worst consequences.
Tags: economy, featured, globalization, ideology, participation, poverty, standard of living, youth
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Strike at the Canadian Hearing Society is about culture, not costs
People who are culturally deaf believe the role of the CHS should be to facilitate their ability to live barrier-free in a world where audism and ableism are rampant – for example, by providing sign-language-interpretation services… the deaf and hard-of-hearing community is changing and the CHS has to adapt to meet its needs. In an aging world, hearing loss is more common, and more deaf and hard-of-hearing people are in mainstream schools and jobs, thanks to technology.
Tags: disabilities, ideology, participation, rights
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The Liberals’ First Nations agenda encounters reality
This isn’t a “First Nations issue” except inasmuch as First Nations, as a population, are disadvantaged relative to other Canadians on social indicators that predict a vast catalogue of bad outcomes, from going to jail to homelessness to dying in a fire or getting murdered. Individual white Anglo-Saxon Canadians so disadvantaged run similar risks; individual aboriginal Canadians who are not so disadvantaged do not… truly transformational change on this front will only come with transformational change on the most basic fronts: education, employment, income. That’s a massive job.
Tags: featured, Health, housing, Indigenous, jurisdiction, poverty, standard of living
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Five ableist things I wish people would stop saying to me
When people say “you seem normal,” it just sounds like they are afraid of neurodivergence and “crazy” people. It’s a veiled form of ableism… People want to see mental health and disability as an individual problem that individuals have and should solve on their own. Talking is often the first step, but what about steps two through 10? When we constantly redirect back to step one, it’s because we’re avoiding the responsibility that we have for helping people…
Tags: disabilities, mental Health, participation
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Census reminds us of importance of immigrants to Canada’s future
Population growth is key to maintaining both the labour force and the sources of innovation and entrepreneurship we need for economic success. Open immigration policies, economic prospects and a still-strong social safety… our future prosperity likely depends on our keeping it that way. As our population ages, and our birth-rate declines, we must continue to welcome newcomers from all over the world, not only out of moral duty, but also economic necessity.
Tags: economy, featured, globalization, immigration, participation, standard of living
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City wrong to choose roads over community housing
Toronto Community Housing is planning to close 425 subsidized units this year because it can no longer afford to maintain them. TCH told the Star an additional 17,500 units — 30 per cent of the corporation’s total housing stock — are in critical disrepair… A 2014 report by the financial services firm KPMG rated Toronto as the most tax-competitive major city in the world… “The money is there if they want it to be, it just comes with trade-offs,”
Tags: budget, homelessness, housing, ideology, jurisdiction, participation, poverty, standard of living
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We can end homelessness in Canada
The report calls for a new federal/provincial/territorial framework agreement focused on community capacity, prevention, and “Housing First” for those now on the streets… Addressing issues of poverty and social justice are regular refrains for progressives; reducing spending while more efficiently using resources are a hallmark for fiscal conservatives. Being a contributing member of society and a full participant in the economy requires an address.
Tags: budget, featured, Health, homelessness, housing, ideology, participation, tax
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Tracking all homeless deaths is long overdue
The efforts to track all homeless deaths… are an important step toward acknowledging the effects of homelessness and, hopefully, putting an end to it… not knowing how many homeless people die in Toronto each year means the city can downplay the problem and ignore the root causes, especially those of street deaths… Toronto’s wait list for subsidized housing stands at a disturbingly high 172,087, forcing some people onto the streets.
Tags: Health, homelessness, housing, mental Health, poverty, standard of living
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Don’t deny my right to celebrate Christmas
… as we move to a more culturally diverse society, the controversial greeting, Merry Christmas is now replaced with Happy Holidays… I may not be Christian, but I am Canadian. And for me, the cultural sensitivity to which we’ve all been trying so hard to adhere has become overly sensitive. Diversity is about sharing. So I don’t mind if you share your Christmas with me.
Tags: featured, globalization, multiculturalism, participation
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A heritage language lost can become a culture gained
Individuals, families and governments have to make choices about how to best use the resources – time, energy and money – available to them. My family chose to immigrate to Canada and is confident our lives are better for it. School boards are already struggling to help all students learn the basics in an official language… Cultures are unchanging only in memory. All evolve with the passage of time.
Tags: globalization, ideology, multiculturalism, participation, rights, standard of living
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