Archive for the ‘Social Security’ Category
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COVID-19 has exposed wide gaps in Canada’s social-safety net
Thursday, April 9th, 2020
This pandemic has shone an unflattering light on how austerity measures have led to fewer investments in supporting individuals and families – measures that would have helped cushion the blow that many people in Canada are now feeling… While governments across the country have rushed to respond to this crisis by investing in social programs and financial assistance, when we reach the other side of COVID-19 those social programs must stay in place – societal inequities that existed before this crisis won’t disappear on their own.
Tags: economy, ideology, participation, poverty, standard of living
Posted in Social Security Policy Context | No Comments »
Open Letter urges Ontario to boost support for people on social assistance
Wednesday, April 8th, 2020
A coalition of more than 130 health care workers, community agencies and Ontarians living in poverty is urging Queen’s Park to increase benefits immediately to almost one million residents on social assistance struggling to survive during the COVID-19 crisis… the coalition says in an open letter to Children, Community and Social Services Minister Todd Smith… “If we are to weather this storm together, we must ensure that nobody in Ontario is left behind”
Tags: budget, disabilities, Health, housing, ideology, participation, poverty
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Trudeau just green lit a ‘basic income’ for Canadians
Friday, April 3rd, 2020
… a basic income will cost $43 billion annually to implement across Canada. If we factor in provincial income assistance – and get rid of this inadequate cluster of systems – we’re down to $23 billion dollars a year… Incidentally, that’s what we pay every year to make the Canada Child Benefit happen – and not quite half the cost of both the OAS and GIS… let this pandemic be a catalyst for permanent action to stabilize the lives of millions of Canadians and create a healthier, more equitable Canada.
Tags: budget, economy, featured, ideology, participation, poverty, standard of living
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Stop talking about basic income and do it
Tuesday, March 24th, 2020
Most people want to work, people try very hard to find jobs. That said, it really depends on designing your program properly so you’re not setting up a situation in which it actually costs people to go to work. The onus is on the people who introduce basic income to design it properly. We’re going to see over the next few weeks how badly people want to get back to work
Tags: economy, ideology, participation
Posted in Social Security Debates | 4 Comments »
Coronavirus shows it’s time to mend the safety net
Friday, March 20th, 2020
Having now accepted that better job protections and income supports are necessary in this crisis, how can we go back to pretending they’re not needed all the time? … This should be a learning experience that guides better policies for the long-term — not simply one-offs that will disappear when the crisis passes.
Tags: budget, economy, featured, ideology, poverty
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Did free cash drive people to quit work? Not according to a new study of Ontario’s basic income experiment
Thursday, March 5th, 2020
Three-quarters of people who were employed before joining Ontario’s ill-fated basic income pilot project continued to work while receiving the no-strings-attached monthly stipend, according to a new study. And more than one-third of those low-wage workers were able to move to higher paying and more secure jobs… The findings shatter the belief among skeptics that basic income discourages people from working.
Tags: economy, ideology, participation, poverty, standard of living
Posted in Social Security Policy Context | 1 Comment »
What poverty reduction advocates should know about the updated poverty measure
Friday, February 28th, 2020
… the basket now includes the cost of cell phone services… actual rents… updated in line with inflation… Under the new measure poverty has fallen from 14.5% in 2015 to 11.0% in 2018… it’s designed to show the overall level of poverty across a population rather than determine if a particular household is in poverty… to track how poverty is changing in different regions and for different groups. It’s best used to inform poverty reduction efforts… the data shows that single working-age adults have one of the highest poverty rates.
Tags: ideology, poverty, standard of living
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Changes to social assistance could harm, not help, people living in poverty
Wednesday, February 26th, 2020
The government is hoping to integrate employment and training services provided to social assistance recipients with Employment Ontario. Currently, municipalities are responsible for delivering these services for social assistance recipients, but the proposed reforms would transfer responsibility to Service System Managers across 15 regions in the province. These organizations can be municipalities or non-profit or for-profit entities, and they will be selected through a competitive process… similar reforms in Australia and the UK have been riddled with problems.
Tags: budget, ideology, participation
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Canada’s poverty rate declines, but strides less apparent for single people
Monday, February 24th, 2020
Canada’s poverty rate declined to a new low in 2018 as the number of low-income people has fallen by more than one million over a three-year period… The percentage of Canadians in poverty was 8.7 per cent, down from 9.5 per cent in 2017 and the lowest under the current formula, which is soon to be replaced… Statscan pointed to gains in market income – that is, income from employment, private pensions and investments – with making an impact… a government focus on child benefits – both at the federal and provincial levels – has also helped
Tags: budget, economy, housing, ideology, participation, poverty
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To fight crime, Canada has to fight poverty, inequality and despair
Tuesday, February 11th, 2020
Liberal politicians want to talk about locking up guns and Conservatives want to talk about locking up people… both approaches are reasonable. But they are narrow in focus. They’re designed to appeal to each party’s base, and as such do not come close to addressing the complex issues behind gun and gang violence… How hard is it for politicians to understand that the most effective policies for reducing youth violence are ones that cut poverty
Tags: corrections, crime prevention, ideology, participation, poverty, standard of living, youth
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