Archive for the ‘Social Security Debates’ Category
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Cost of Ontario’s 1995 ‘welfare diet’ soars amid inadequate rates
Sunday, October 11th, 2015
“The so-called welfare diet of 1995 was not a good diet nor a healthy one… However, it does provide a useful benchmark for comparing the food costs that social assistance recipients have encountered since 1995.” Not only have general welfare rates never recovered from the Harris cuts, the cost of food has skyrocketed… food prices continue to go up at rates that are higher than core inflation… governments should tie minimum wage, welfare and pension increases to the all-items Consumer Price Index.
Tags: budget, economy, featured, Health, ideology, poverty, standard of living
Posted in Social Security Debates | 1 Comment »
Social safety net stolen from us
Thursday, October 1st, 2015
… to keep the professional class of personal income tax paying voters quiet, there are a multitude of tax exemptions that are geared to be most advantageous or those in the higher wage brackets. Corporations… enjoy the benefit from a multitude of tax exemptions… Those benefits are mostly hidden in the tax system… The total exemptions amount to about one third of the federal budget revenue available, or about $100 billion.
Tags: budget, ideology, poverty, standard of living, tax
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We can stop hunger in Toronto
Wednesday, September 23rd, 2015
Food bank visits were up to almost 897,000 in 2014 in Toronto… a 12-per-cent increase since the 2008 recession… the median length of time people are dependent on the food bank has doubled, from one year to two. That reflects a trend… away from full-time jobs with benefits to precarious part-time, casual work… the federal government has made it tougher to access Employment Insurance. Most surprising in the report are the profiles of those who are hungry… a full 37 per cent of those using the food bank have a college diploma or university degree.
Tags: budget, featured, Health, ideology, poverty, standard of living
Posted in Social Security Debates | 1 Comment »
Ontario’s Poverty Reduction Strategy: Still missing a federal partner
Wednesday, September 23rd, 2015
A comprehensive federal poverty reduction plan was developed in 2010 by the Standing Committee on Human Resources, Skills and Social Development and the Status of Persons with Disabilities but no concrete action has been taken to implement that plan. Instead we’ve seen the government double down on skills development and labour market connections, with very little recognition that the nature of work is changing or that our social safety net has eroded.
Tags: budget, economy, ideology, poverty, standard of living
Posted in Social Security Debates | 1 Comment »
Policies should focus on basic needs
Thursday, September 3rd, 2015
A recent report from the food-security research project PROOF, based at the University of Toronto, noted that “in 2012, four million individuals in Canada, including 1.15 million children, experienced some level of food insecurity. This represents nearly 13 per cent of Canadian households.” Moreover, they noted that the rates in half the provinces… “were the highest rates observed yet in these provinces and territories.” … Is this the Canada we want to live in…
Tags: budget, homelessness, housing, ideology, poverty, standard of living
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Will John Tory be Toronto’s anti-poverty mayor?
Wednesday, September 2nd, 2015
City staff have done a commendable job of leading community consultations and drafting Toronto’s first ever poverty-reduction strategy. The plan passed with overwhelming support at council. .. The interim report itself has more than 70 recommendations under five categories. It calls for substantial action on affordable housing, and significant improvements in transit. It presses the city to be a leader in creating stable, quality jobs with living wages. It addresses issues on access to child care, recreation, and develops new ways to tackle food security.
Tags: budget, featured
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Social policy is integral to economy but was ignored in federal leaders’ debate
Wednesday, August 26th, 2015
Shock absorber, fiscal stimulus and economic stabilizer: These are all crucial roles of social policy and of income-security programs, specifically. They blow wind into the sails of the economy and help ensure a smoother economic ride. While their vital roles are central to the country’s economic health, they are relegated to the sidelines in most debates. An economic-policy discussion without its intrinsic social-policy component is definitely incomplete.
Tags: budget, child care, disabilities, economy, featured, Health, homelessness, mental Health, pensions, poverty, standard of living, women, youth
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Sarnia’s mayor wants more talk about poverty from political party leaders
Sunday, August 23rd, 2015
“Normally, in the past, at least one or two of the main parties were always very vocal about equality and inclusion, trying to bring together that gap between those that have and those that don’t”… Rather, the major political party leaders are focusing their brands on the middle class… “I understand the middle-class focus,” Bradley said; “but to the exclusion of those who don’t have the advantages of the middle class?”
Tags: budget, economy, globalization, poverty, standard of living
Posted in Social Security Debates | 1 Comment »
Ottawa has a duty to support the Ontario Retirement Pension Plan
Wednesday, August 12th, 2015
Creating a future where Ontarians have a more stable and secure stream of income in retirement is the right thing to do. The potential advantages of having fewer retirees drawing on social assistance and more retirees continuing to meaningfully participate in the economy are considerable… An effective system is already in place for the Canada Pension Plan administration (CPP).
Tags: budget, economy, ideology, jurisdiction, participation, pensions, standard of living
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Ontario is right to push ahead with pension reform
Wednesday, August 12th, 2015
Both opposition parties agree that Canada is heading for a retirement crisis. The CPP is highly respected and very good at what it does – but it doesn’t do enough. It covers annual earnings up to only $53,600, with a maximum yearly payout of just $12,780. That’s far from enough to secure a comfortable retirement for most people… The obvious, common-sense solution is to expand the plan significantly, building on its low-cost structure and rock-solid reputation.
Tags: ideology, jurisdiction, participation, pensions, poverty, standard of living
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