Archive for the ‘Social Security Debates’ Category
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PM prefers to look away
Sunday, October 3rd, 2010
Oct 02 2010
There is ample evidence that far too many Canadians are falling through the cracks of existing income support and housing programs; yet Harper’s government evidently prefers not to think about new ways to help the 3.4 million Canadians the report identified as still living in poverty. Worse still, the Senate report concluded that, far from lifting people out of poverty, many of our existing programs are so badly designed that they hold people down.
Tags: featured, ideology, poverty, Senate, standard of living
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Canada failing to support ill, disabled: study
Saturday, October 2nd, 2010
September 30, 2010
anada’s unique form of federalism has resulted in an overly complex, cumbersome and inadequate support system for the sick and disabled that makes them even more incapacitated and dependent… The federal and provincial governments need to launch a major reform initiative that should include consideration of a devolution of federal support programs to the provinces, the OECD said. “Poverty is already an issue for persons with disabilities and could become a major challenge for Canada as the effects of the crisis continue to unfold,” concludes the report
Tags: disabilities, Health, poverty, standard of living
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$45M dental-care boost protects poorest children
Friday, October 1st, 2010
October 1, 2010
Ontario is expanding free dental services for poor children to include preventative care such as check-ups, cleanings, X-rays and fillings… The free services will be available immediately through Ontario’s 36 public health units, but parents must first fill out applications and meet eligibility rules — having an family net income below $20,000 and no access to other dental coverage. Details are available at www.ontario.ca/healthysmiles.
Tags: mental Health, poverty, standard of living
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Not even a crumb from Harper
Friday, October 1st, 2010
Oct 01 2010
This week, the government delivered its response to the Senate’s 2009 report, In From the Margins: A Call to Action on Poverty, Housing and Homelessness. It rejected every one of the report’s 74 recommendations. It ignored the senators’ evidence that Ottawa is spending $150 billion a year on social programs that merely perpetuate poverty. It concluded with these all-too-familiar words: “The best long-term strategy to fight poverty is the sustained employment of Canadians.” The glimmer of hope… went out.
Tags: featured, ideology, poverty, Senate, standard of living
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Senate Report on Poverty Shelved by Harper Government
Friday, October 1st, 2010
September 28 , 2010
Earlier this year, the Senate of Canada unanimously endorsed In from the Margins: A Call to Action on Poverty, Housing and Homelessness, a landmark report containing 74 recommendations to help lift Canadians out of poverty. Yesterday, the Government of Canada issued essentially a non-response to the report, instead choosing to list its apparent accomplishments in reducing poverty in Canada without directly commenting on a single recommendation contained within the report.
Tags: ideology, poverty, Senate
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Failure to meet mental health needs
Tuesday, September 28th, 2010
Sep 28 2010
Warehousing inmates and denying treatment does nothing to prepare them for life in the community and in many ways it puts every Canadian at risk. The lack of programs and services and the denial of mental health care and treatment must become a human rights issue. Inmates broke the law but their punishment shouldn’t be a death sentence through the denial of appropriate care and treatment.
Tags: crime prevention, mental Health, rights
Posted in Inclusion Debates, Social Security Debates | No Comments »
Ontario’s rent supplement program to change
Thursday, September 16th, 2010
Sep 15 2010
Ontario is quietly tweaking its $185 million rent supplement program for low-income families because not enough people signed up for the 2007 initiative… The program, called ROOF (Rental Opportunity for Ontario Families), was aimed at helping 27,000 low-income working families with children. But just $135 million has been spent and only 21,500 families have signed up for the $100-a-month benefit… The remaining $50 million will be spent on a new program that will allow monthly benefits of up to $300 and serve a broader range of vulnerable people
Tags: poverty, standard of living
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Retirement Security for Everyone Campaign
Friday, September 3rd, 2010
Sep 2nd, 2010
The Canadian Labour Congress (“the umbrella organization for dozens of affiliated Canadian and international unions, as well as provincial federations of labour and regional labour councils”) has excellent, accessible information in support of labour’s Retirement Security for Everyone campaign… Under international human rights law to which Canada is signatory, everyone has the right to “social security” and an “adequate standard of living.
Tags: featured, pensions, poverty, standard of living
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Disability benefits need insurance backup
Tuesday, August 31st, 2010
Aug 30 2010
About 400 disabled employees of Nortel Networks Corp. are scheduled to have their income replacement and medical benefits cut off by year’s end. Nortel is being broken up under creditor protection. Their only hope of getting further money ahead of other creditors is a bill proposed by Liberal Senator Art Eggleton, a former Toronto mayor. But time is running short. It’s a disgrace that federal and provincial governments have yet to do anything to prevent this sort of situation.
Tags: disabilities, Health, pensions, standard of living
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Don’t slash foodassistance
Monday, August 23rd, 2010
Aug 22 2010
Ontario’s special diet allowance currently provides $10 to $250 a month to some 165,000 welfare and disability support recipients, enabling them to buy specialized foods to better manage medical conditions, such as multiple sclerosis and diabetes. Restricting their access to those extra funds by tightening the rules will only make them poorer and, consequently, sicker. All that does is transfer the costs, plus additional ones, from the welfare budget to the health-care budget.
Tags: Health, poverty, standard of living
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