Archive for the ‘Social Security Debates’ Category
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Social murder and the Doug Ford government
Monday, October 8th, 2018
In 1845, Friedrich Engels described the phenomena by which working-class residents in Manchester died prematurely because of their living and working conditions. He did not simply label the occurrence as we usually do today: “Premature deaths due to unfortunate circumstances,” but rather coined the term “social murder” to make explicit the source of these premature deaths. This extensive quote from his Condition of the Working Class in England begs careful attention in relation to the austerity agenda of Premier Doug Ford.
Tags: budget, featured, Health, housing, ideology, participation, poverty, standard of living
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Ending the scourge of poverty
Thursday, October 4th, 2018
The basic income pilot gained the attention of the international community and Canada because its aim was to eliminate poverty — the scourge of humanity for centuries. This hope was dashed, not because the project failed but because it was terminated before it finished. McLeod did not have hard facts to justify the cancellation; it was done on ideological grounds… the government simply dismissed further discussion by saying the project would “take away the incentive to work” and it did not fit with their vision of the future.
Tags: budget, ideology, participation, poverty, standard of living
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Poverty in Canada: Experiences and Perceptions
Friday, September 21st, 2018
The first part of the study defined and quantified poverty in Canada by asking people whether and how often they have struggled economically. The study created four segments of the population based on the responses… the second part of the study reveals, nearly two-thirds of Canadians believe their federal and provincial governments should be doing more to address poverty (65% and 64% respectively), but public opinion is divided on what policies would be most effective.
Tags: economy, featured, poverty, standard of living
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Ottawa must pick up the ball on basic income project
Sunday, September 9th, 2018
The findings of the $150-million project would have provided hard evidence for governments of all stripes to justify either implementing or dismissing the idea… First, the well-being of those who participated in the pilot project is at stake… Second, as the mayors argue, it makes sense to ensure the money invested in the program so far isn’t wasted… Third, the savings potential for governments in Canada, alone, could be in the billions of dollars if the pilot shows that a basic income works
Tags: budget, disabilities, economy, featured, ideology, jurisdiction, poverty, standard of living
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Mayors ask Ottawa to take over Ontario’s basic income pilot project
Friday, September 7th, 2018
Four Ontario mayors are urging the federal government to take over the province’s basic income pilot project, saying many participants in their communities were thriving and that the research from it would provide “critical information.” … “This was an opportunity for us to have a fact-based, evidence-based evaluation” of how such an approach can improve lives, and potentially save money down the road on things like health care,
Tags: budget, featured, ideology, jurisdiction, poverty, standard of living
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How a universal basic income benefits society
Friday, August 31st, 2018
Receiving a basic income turned my life around. I’ve left unhealthy housing, re-entered the workforce and started repaying debts and retraining. Basic income works. It’s also essential in our automated, outsourced world of scarce employment. One universal basic income program would end poverty, reduce health-care spending and replace broken Ontario Works, Workplace Safety and Insurance Board and ODSP systems. It would save taxpayers billions.
Tags: budget, disabilities, economy, featured, ideology, participation, poverty, standard of living
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Hamilton photographer puts a face to people hurt by cancellation of Ontario’s basic income pilot project
Monday, August 27th, 2018
“The Basic Income pilot allowed me to have the psychological and financial freedom to explore where I could be the most effective in society. I wasn’t using it to survive, I was using it to thrive,” … “It (the pilot) is an investment in people.
Tags: budget, featured, ideology, participation, poverty, standard of living
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Hugh Segal – The Case for a Universal Basic Income
Friday, August 24th, 2018
The top-up being tested in Ontario reminds me of what we did for our senior citizens in 1975 [with the Guaranteed Annual Income System (GAINS)], reducing the level of poverty from 35 percent to 3 percent in three years… that is the challenge that we have to face. And the notion that we can’t afford it is like saying we’re not prepared to fight a disease which destroys the fiber of our society.
Tags: budget, economy, featured, ideology, participation, poverty, standard of living
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Poverty line a blurry target
Wednesday, August 22nd, 2018
… the federal government’s plan to have 850,000 fewer people living on welfare in 2020 compared to 2015 will probably have them lowering the poverty line by the amount necessary to hit that target… / There is a world of difference between people who are “economically challenged” and those who live in genuine poverty — or run the risk of doing so. Until this distinction is front and centre, the issue of real poverty will not get the full attention it deserves.
Tags: budget, ideology, poverty, standard of living
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Anti-poverty strategy will aim for 50 per cent cut in low-income rates: source
Monday, August 20th, 2018
The government wants to reduce the rate of poverty in Canada by 20 per cent from 2015 levels by the end of the current decade, which would require almost 850,000 fewer people living in poverty in 2020 compared to five years earlier… the target increases to 50 per cent by 2030 — a decline of 2.1 million people, including just over 534,000 children under age 18… Absent any new spending, the government is likely to promote efforts to better co-ordinate existing and promised federal programs, as well as better tracking of their impact.
Tags: featured, ideology, jurisdiction, poverty, standard of living
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