Archive for the ‘Social Security’ Category
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Doug Ford’s math on social assistance doesn’t add up — and doesn’t solve the problem of legislated poverty for people on ODSP
Wednesday, November 2nd, 2022
… none of the increases noted above come anywhere close enough to lift people on ODSP to a livable income, especially in the face of rampant inflation, years of stagnated rates and various “clawback” rules that reduce other sources of income… Doubling ODSP rates wouldn’t just mean more money in the pockets of clients — it would mean more money spent in local communities. It would mean reduced reliance on food banks and other public supports.
Tags: budget, disabilities, economy, featured, ideology, jurisdiction, poverty, standard of living
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What a new food-bank reports tells us about deep poverty
Thursday, October 20th, 2022
“We are failing people every step of the way”… Policy-makers have a selection of choices before them to slow or halt that cascade… but they boil down to this: either give people access to more money to buy food or help the charitable sector, like food banks, with more resources to bridge the gap. Right now, Yalnizyan adds, “the governments are doing none of the above.”
Tags: budget, disabilities, featured, housing, poverty, standard of living
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Strengthening the social safety net for people in greatest need
Saturday, October 15th, 2022
Maytree recommends that the federal government: 1. Transform part of the Canada Workers Benefit (CWB) into the proposed Canada Working-Age Supplement (CWAS)… 2. Enhance the Canada Housing Benefit so that it provides more consistent support to renters with lower incomes… 3. Work with provincial and territorial governments to ensure alignment with federal initiatives…
Tags: budget, disabilities, featured, housing, ideology, jurisdiction, participation, poverty, standard of living
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BICN Pre-Budget Submission to the Federal Finance Committee
Thursday, October 13th, 2022
A basic income is the kind of simpler, more automatic, counter-cyclic stabilizer we need, adjusting to ups and downs, maintaining a more even keel, making us more resilient… We can learn from CERB and from evidence amassed that a basic income is a far better option than what we have now. Statistical modelling shows it is affordable… We now urgently need a permanent basic income system that leaves no one behind
Tags: economy, featured, ideology, jurisdiction, participation, poverty, standard of living
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Better income assistance programs are needed to help people with rising cost of living
Friday, September 30th, 2022
If the goal of temporary assistance is to help those in need, it must have broader coverage and better tapering. The only program that qualifies at present is the GST credit, but even these payments are modest and only delivered quarterly… A more generous income assistance program should also have more frequent regular payments… a guaranteed basic income for working-age Canadians, might provide better support for those in need.
Tags: ideology, jurisdiction, poverty, standard of living
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Boost social assistance
Thursday, September 22nd, 2022
The Doug Ford government raised ODSP payments by five per cent this month… and will index them to inflation. There was no increase to Ontario Works payments… It’s painfully clear that the base amounts for both programs are simply inadequate given the sharp rise in housing and food costs over the last year… More financial help is needed.
Tags: budget, disabilities, ideology, jurisdiction, participation, poverty, standard of living
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‘It breaks my heart’: Ontarians on social assistance are struggling even more amid inflation
Tuesday, September 20th, 2022
ODSP recipients recently got a 5 per cent rate increase. But advocates say that doesn’t make up for decades of neglect — or account for sky-high inflation… The PCs have repeatedly said that they will tie future rate increases for ODSP to inflation in law — each rate increase would, therefore, in some way keep up with the actual buying power of what recipients get in each cheque… At time of publication, no legislation to this effect is before the house.
Tags: disabilities, housing, ideology, jurisdiction, poverty, standard of living
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How to reduce the depth of single adult poverty in Canada: Proposal for a Canada Working-Age Supplement
Wednesday, September 14th, 2022
The CWAS would not only complement Canada’s existing social safety net, it would be transformative in advancing the idea that working-age single adults should be eligible for income support not because they’ve earned it as workers, but because they need it as people. The CWAS needs to be introduced and implemented without delay.
Tags: budget, economy, featured, ideology, poverty, rights, standard of living
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When it comes to poverty and single adults, solutions need to be both principled and practical
Friday, September 2nd, 2022
… single adults with no children make up half of people living in deep poverty in Canada. Many of these adults have paid jobs and still live in poverty. Our current labour laws allow employers to pay workers poverty wages without benefits, subject them to unpredictable schedules, or misclassify employees as independent contractors – all of which mean that being employed is no guarantee of a decent income… Our systems collaborate to create poverty in many different ways.
Tags: ideology, jurisdiction, participation, poverty, rights, standard of living
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A Guaranteed Basic Income for Canadians: Off The Table or Within Reach?
Tuesday, August 9th, 2022
Pilot projects… indicate that provinces are not in an ideal position to successfully implement an affordable and effective GBI. However, a GBI implemented by the federal government, financed by eliminating the GST credit and lowering personal tax exemptions, could be both effective and affordable. It could also do so without requiring the elimination of those provincial social assistance programs that are more deeply targeted toward people’s needs.
Tags: economy, featured, ideology, jurisdiction, participation, poverty, standard of living
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