Archive for the ‘Social Security’ Category
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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
Posted in Social Security Policy Context | No Comments »
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
Posted in Social Security Policy Context | No Comments »
What are the key trends in Social Assistance Summaries, 2021?
Monday, July 25th, 2022
The analysis in this policy brief provides a first set of pathways for governments to improve the human right to an adequate standard of living of some of the most vulnerable people in Canada… federal, provincial, and territorial governments have long neglected [unattached singles], often preferring to focus on families with children and seniors. Because of this, welfare incomes of unattached singles have become highly inadequate, falling well below the deep poverty income threshold in almost every province.
Tags: disabilities, economy, featured, jurisdiction, participation, poverty, standard of living
Posted in Social Security History | No Comments »
Social Assistance Summaries, 2021
Monday, July 25th, 2022
On average, there were over 595,000 cases (families and single adults) in Ontario’s social assistance programs during 2020-21. Over 36 per cent (217,234) were recipients of Ontario Works and 64 per cent (378,145) were recipients of the Ontario Disability Support Program… In 2020-21, on average, 7.6 per cent of people in Ontario under 65 received Ontario Works or the Ontario Disability Support Program (ODSP), which is 1 in 13.
Tags: disabilities, jurisdiction, participation, poverty
Posted in Social Security Delivery System | No Comments »
Why we need to care about single adults living in poverty
Friday, July 1st, 2022
… single adults made up more than 60 per cent of OW cases and nearly 80 per cent of ODSP cases in 2021. Together, they equal the population of Ontario’s fastest growing city… The social assistance system was intended to be an emergency system – a last resort when all else failed. Well, all else is failing. Our other social systems are not preventing single adults from living in poverty. Rather, these systems are pushing people into poverty and holding them there… our social safety net is a relic of another era, as is our notion of who needs it.
Tags: disabilities, featured, ideology, participation, rights, standard of living
Posted in Social Security Debates | No Comments »
Liberals leave disability benefit bill in limbo as Parliament breaks for summer
Sunday, June 26th, 2022
When the bill was reintroduced… consultations were ongoing even as it took months for the government to bring the same bill back to the table for debate. The regulations will outline who would be eligible, the amount of the benefit, how often it will be paid and how, and an appeals process if applications are denied. There is also a big concern that the benefit might interact negatively with provincial programs resulting in clawbacks on other programs…
Tags: budget, disabilities, jurisdiction, participation, poverty, standard of living
Posted in Social Security Debates | No Comments »
Ottawa should stop clawbacks of pandemic benefits
Sunday, June 26th, 2022
Groups such as Campaign 2000, which advocates to eliminate child and family poverty, have… pressed the federal government to ensure that benefits and refundable tax credits such as the Canada Child Benefit are not clawed back and that any lost benefits are restored. (Ottawa did act to restore Guaranteed Income Supplement payments that had been reduced or eliminated because of pandemic benefits.)
Tags: budget, child care, economy, featured, poverty, tax
Posted in Social Security Policy Context | No Comments »
Inadequate disability supports make the message clear: Your government will help you die, but not live with dignity
Sunday, June 5th, 2022
The toxic combination of inadequate income supports and skyrocketing inflation means that people who rely on disability benefits can no longer afford to live. And some are choosing not to… Let’s ensure that Canadians with disabilities living in poverty are not forced to choose between paying the bills or applying for the right to die.
Tags: disabilities, featured, ideology, participation, standard of living
Posted in Social Security Debates | No Comments »
A guaranteed basic income could end poverty, so why isn’t it happening?
Friday, May 13th, 2022
Ontario’s basic income trial illustrated that people with diverse needs reported better personal relationships with friends and family with basic income. In turn, their sense of social inclusion and citizenship improved… Recent cost-benefit analyses have demonstrated that carefully designed cash-based interventions can be cost effective and generate net savings for society. Recipients rely less on social services over time, meaning governments pay less to fund these programs.
Tags: economy, featured, ideology, participation, poverty, standard of living
Posted in Social Security Debates | No Comments »
A basic income would be an unfair, complicated and costly way to eliminate poverty
Thursday, April 28th, 2022
There are many solutions we can work on to eliminate poverty and inequity in Canada. But a GBI should not be one of them. It’s time we abandoned this utopian dream for pragmatic, rigorously tested, targeted programs that will reduce poverty, provide skills and training and create an inclusive labour market.
Tags: budget, disabilities, economy, ideology, jurisdiction, participation, poverty, tax
Posted in Social Security Debates | No Comments »
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