Archive for the ‘Social Security’ Category
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Prosper Canada simplifies the search for government benefits with new Benefits wayfinder
Thursday, January 27th, 2022
As Canada confronts the worst wave yet of the COVID-19 pandemic, the need to help people who are financially struggling to access financial relief has never been greater… The Benefits wayfinder can be used by individuals, as well as community service providers that help people to access their income benefits. The design process engaged target users and incorporated their feedback at every stage to ensure the tool delivers on its promise to simplify and demystify the search for government benefits.
Tags: featured, jurisdiction, poverty, standard of living
Posted in Social Security Delivery System | No Comments »
Welfare in Canada, 2020
Sunday, December 12th, 2021
For each province and territory, this report provides data and analysis on the total welfare income that households receiving social assistance would have qualified for in 2020, including COVID-19 pandemic-related supports… The reports look at four different household types for each province and territory.
Tags: budget, disabilities, jurisdiction, poverty, standard of living
Posted in Social Security History | No Comments »
Food banks are a blessing, but they’re no fix for poverty
Monday, November 22nd, 2021
“Until we address the systemic chronic stressors that are producing and reproducing vast inequalities in our communities, we will never be resilient to the acute shocks that occasionally arise,” the report said. “The time to act is now. We urgently need to protect low-income households who continue to struggle with job losses, reduced employment hours and precarious housing.”
Tags: economy, featured, ideology, participation, poverty
Posted in Social Security Debates | No Comments »
The cost of living is rising. So why aren’t social-assistance rates?
Tuesday, November 2nd, 2021
Year-over-year, Canada’s Consumer Price Index, a measure of inflation, rose 4.4 per cent — the highest rate since 2003 — in September… Shelter is up 4.8 per cent, and food is up 3.9 per cent. But ODSP benefits haven’t increased since the Doug Ford government halved a planned 3 per cent bump three years ago, saying the previous government had committed to spending money the province didn’t have… ODSP payments now are worth less than they were 17 years ago.
Tags: disabilities, jurisdiction, participation, poverty, standard of living
Posted in Social Security Policy Context | 1 Comment »
How a national disability benefit would improve my life — and the lives of so many others
Saturday, October 9th, 2021
I’m one of more than six million Canadians with a disability. More than 40 per cent of people who live below the poverty line in Canada have a disability… Poverty makes my life challenging. COVID-19 made it worse. A national disability benefit would improve my life in many ways. A national disability benefit would help people like me improve our living conditions and be less isolated. It would have a positive impact on our health and wellness. It would raise us out of poverty and allow us to live with dignity.
Tags: budget, disabilities, housing, jurisdiction, participation, poverty, standard of living
Posted in Social Security Debates | No Comments »
Developing a costing for a basic income is not a neutral exercise
Tuesday, July 27th, 2021
Creating income floors for everyone in Canada is necessary and desirable, but basic income and income floor are not synonymous… Expanding and improving social assistance, increases in targeted tax credits and benefits, strengthening Employment Insurance, stronger labour standards, and investments in public services would be less costly, more effective, and have fewer negative consequences than the suggested basic income.
Tags: budget, disabilities, economy, ideology, participation, poverty, standard of living
Posted in Social Security Policy Context | No Comments »
Ensuring the success of Ontario’s vision for social assistance transformation
Tuesday, July 27th, 2021
The overall vision that MCCSS has laid out for service delivery transformation is encouraging. However, it is important to recognize that the vision set out in the paper can only be realized if meaningful investments are made in public services. To that end, it does not appear that the government of Ontario has a plan to enable the vision’s success. There is only so much progress and fiscal room that can be made through streamlining administrative processes.
Tags: budget, disabilities, ideology, participation, poverty
Posted in Social Security Policy Context | No Comments »
Shaking up the systems: Fighting poverty in post-pandemic Canada
Saturday, July 24th, 2021
At the core of the questions raised by the NACP was the idea that we need structural change to reduce poverty in Canada… we offer a number of policy ideas that can help systematically reduce poverty… rooted in what the evidence tells us… the idea that everyone across Canada has the fundamental human right to live in dignity and participate fully in society, and it is the duty of all levels of government to respect, protect, and fulfill these rights.
Tags: budget, featured, ideology, participation, poverty, rights, standard of living
Posted in Social Security Policy Context | No Comments »
Social Assistance Summaries 2020
Tuesday, June 29th, 2021
The Social Assistance Summaries series tracks the number of recipients of social assistance (welfare payments) in each province and territory. It was established by the Caledon Institute of Social Policy to maintain data previously published by the federal government as the Social Assistance Statistical Report. The data is provided by provincial and territorial government officials.
Tags: budget, disabilities, jurisdiction, participation, poverty
Posted in Social Security Delivery System | No Comments »
Life stabilization on a welfare income is impossible
Thursday, June 24th, 2021
… people’s lives cannot be stabilized without increasing social assistance rates. While they slowly starve, recipients will be required to “participate in prescribed employment and life stabilization assistance activities.” But there is no clear plan to show how local service delivery agents will be able to co-ordinate life stabilization services that are notoriously in short supply, such as affordable housing, counselling and mental health services. And adding names to years-long waiting lists does not stabilize anything. In fact, it can have the opposite effect.
Tags: budget, featured, Health, housing, ideology, mental Health, poverty
Posted in Social Security Policy Context | No Comments »
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