Archive for the ‘Social Security Policy Context’ Category
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Child poverty a better target for family relief
Saturday, November 8th, 2014
Let’s imagine you’re a prime minister with $4.6 billion to spend. Do you: Eliminate child poverty? Or, Give upper middle-class parents a 1 per cent increase in income? … the total package of measures will give the average family with an income under $60,000 an additional $970 per year, while families with incomes over $180,000 per year will get, on average, an additional $1,452… People without children younger than 18 get nothing… what else could we do with $4.6 billion per year aimed at helping children? Could we eliminate child poverty? I think we could come close.
Tags: budget, child care, featured, ideology, participation, poverty, standard of living, tax, women
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More spin than substance in poverty reduction plan
Tuesday, September 9th, 2014
Anti-poverty advocates have learned to welcome crumbs from the Ontario Liberals. That is what they got in the five-year poverty reduction strategy unveiled by Deputy Premier Deb Matthews last week. The 56-page blueprint consisted of recycled promises, long-term goals, soothing language and self-congratulations (despite the fact she fell far short of her last five-year target.)
Tags: budget, homelessness, ideology, jurisdiction, poverty, standard of living
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Ontario gives with one hand, takes with the other
Friday, August 1st, 2014
… every time the Ontario Child Benefit goes up, the parent’s basic needs allowance goes down by a commensurate amount. To policy-makers, this makes perfect sense. It takes children off the welfare rolls and encourages their parents to get a job. To parents struggling to make ends meet, it makes no sense whatsoever. The province gives with one hand and takes with the other, leaving them no better off. In fact, they lose ground because the cost of living is rising faster than social assistance rates.
Tags: budget, featured, ideology, participation, poverty, standard of living, women, youth
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Kathleen Wynne’s pledge to tackle poverty needs fleshing out
Saturday, July 12th, 2014
Wynne is right to take the long view and push poverty reduction higher up on the priority list as the books gradually improve. That in itself is good for the economy. However, her agenda needs fleshing out… Even after the modest top-ups in the budget, there will be a substantial gap between social assistance rates under Ontario Works and the Ontario Disability Support Program and the current poverty line… At a minimum, Queen’s Park could index social assistance to prevent people from falling further behind.
Tags: budget, child care, disabilities, housing, ideology, poverty, standard of living, women
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Six questions Ontario must answer before it starts a pension plan
Friday, July 11th, 2014
The ORPP will be mandatory for any paid employee that is not already covered by a pension plan with their employer. But what qualifies as a pension plan? … [We need to:] Be precise about the policy target… Be clear about any redistribution that will occur… Notice that low-income families won’t benefit from a simple expansion of benefits… deal with interprovincial migration… [and not] get locked into something that won’t work for other provinces.
Tags: economy, ideology, jurisdiction, participation, pensions, standard of living
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Ontario and federal pension plan pitches: Why both are smart policy
Tuesday, May 6th, 2014
Opponents of plans such as this, including an enhanced CPP, say employers and workers can’t afford the costs. But what if these costs were seen as a way of forestalling governments of the future from raising taxes to support retirees who didn’t save enough? … We can’t give up on urging people to save more for retirement on their own, but let’s recognize that the track record for advocacy like this is weak. We need retirement programs where savings are deducted at source.
Tags: economy, ideology, pensions, poverty, standard of living, tax
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CPP hike a better fix for retirees
Tuesday, April 29th, 2014
There is probably no harm in writing provisions for target-benefit plans into the federal pension-standards law, but it’s a bandage on a wooden leg… The Canada and Quebec pension plans operate efficiently and serve the entire labour force. The provincial governments, which control the public plans jointly with the federal government, are already on board for expansion. A series of small, staged contribution increases with long advance notice should allow companies to adjust.
Tags: economy, ideology, participation, pensions, poverty, standard of living
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A new ‘OPP’ could be a lifeline for Ontarians
Sunday, April 27th, 2014
The CPP is a world-class success. Its only shortcoming is that there is not enough of it to go around, because Ottawa has consistently refused to increase the amount of contributions — and thus payouts — needed to ensure a comfortable retirement for most middle-class Canadians… Replicating the CPP model also leaves open the possibility that federal and provincial governments could follow Ontario’s lead in future
Tags: budget, featured, ideology, jurisdiction, participation, pensions, standard of living
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Poverty carries a significant price tag
Tuesday, February 4th, 2014
… poverty costs the Saskatchewan economy $3.8 billion per year. Of this cost, about two-thirds is made up of lost opportunity such as decreased economic productivity and tax income, and the balance consists of poverty-fueled use of social services, the judicial system and health services… “additional costs because we’re not being successful in dealing with poverty”… The reason for… ‘Poverty Costs’ — is that people take into account both the human… [and] economic costs.
Tags: economy, featured, ideology, poverty, standard of living
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Co-operation and creativity needed for pensions and job training
Friday, January 24th, 2014
At the heart of the disagreement are different visions of the role of the state and the role of federalism. The federal Conservatives and some provinces such as Alberta hold that citizens should be provided with options but not be forced by the state to behave in a particular way… However, expecting most low- and middle-income Canadians to voluntarily set aside more money for retirement is not realistic… Canadian workers have nearly three-quarters of a trillion dollars of unused RRSP contribution room.
Tags: economy, ideology, jurisdiction, participation, pensions, standard of living
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