Archive for the ‘Social Security’ Category
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Quebec basic income program begins, but advocates say many low-income people excluded
Sunday, January 29th, 2023
The program, aimed at 84,000 Quebecers with a “severely limited capacity for employment” such as a chronic illness or mental health condition, will provide an increase of more than 28 per cent for a single person, the government says… they will also have the ability to earn about $14,500 a year in wages – up from $200 a month – and have up to $20,000 in savings, all without losing benefits.
Tags: disabilities, ideology, jurisdiction, participation, pensions, poverty
Posted in Social Security Policy Context | No Comments »
Interpreting the data: Key takeaways from Welfare in Canada, 2021
Friday, December 16th, 2022
The data in Welfare in Canada, 2021 reveal five main findings: Welfare incomes were deeply inadequate across Canada: – All households in every province lived in poverty, and the large majority lived in deep poverty… Most jurisdictions did not make substantive increases to already inadequate social assistance benefits… Total welfare incomes increased in a limited number of cases. In most instances, higher inflation in 2021 negated their positive impact.
Tags: budget, ideology, jurisdiction, participation, poverty, standard of living
Posted in Social Security Delivery System | No Comments »
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
Posted in Social Security Debates | No Comments »
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
Posted in Social Security Debates | No Comments »
‘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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