Archive for the ‘Social Security Policy Context’ Category
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Welfare reform plan scares Ontarians with disabilities
Saturday, March 16th, 2013
Mar 15 2013
Under the new system, there would be no distinction between disability support recipients and general welfare recipients… Nor would there be a special diet allowance. Individuals with “wasting diseases” (those causing loss of body mass) such as HIV/AIDS and Huntington disease, could apply to the Ministry of Health for nutritional supplements.
Tags: budget, disabilities, featured, Health, ideology, pensions, poverty, rights
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Pensions hit the perfect storm
Saturday, March 2nd, 2013
Mar. 02 2013
CPP rates eventually are going to rise.. Or, governments could acknowledge that seniors’ needs for drugs are almost universal, and so add drugs for seniors to the CPP, paid for by higher contributions, an initiative that would meet a genuine social need and extend the spirit of medicare in a financially responsible fashion.
Tags: economy, Health, ideology, pensions, pharmaceutical, standard of living
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Build on Canada Pension Plan to bolster retirement savings
Friday, February 22nd, 2013
Feb 21 2013
Unlike other investments, a CPP-linked mechanism would be easy to understand and simple to participate in. It would encourage savings over a decades-long horizon. It would lock in contributions until retirement. It would https://spon.ca/benefit from scale, good management and a low cost structure. And it would deliver a predictable income on retirement. In short, it’s a safe, secure option.
Tags: pensions, standard of living
Posted in Social Security Policy Context | 1 Comment »
As the fiscal chill thaws: social policy ideas for the medium term
Wednesday, January 30th, 2013
Jan. 30, 2013
This commentary argues that we need to begin now to develop well thought-out ideas for social policy reform. It sets out 12 areas for future social investments by the federal government, including increases to the Canada Child Tax Benefit and enhancements to the adequacy and coverage of the Working Income Tax Benefit.
Tags: budget, featured, pensions, poverty, standard of living, tax
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Kathleen Wynne should take fast action on welfare reform
Tuesday, January 29th, 2013
Jan. 28, 2013
It could take years to tackle high unemployment among young people (hopefully not as long for extra-curricular activities) but social assistance reform has the potential for some quick and valuable fixes, with most at little cost. They would help many welfare recipients take a much-needed step toward the goal of employment.
Tags: budget, featured, ideology, poverty, standard of living
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Time to jettison outdated welfare system and start afresh
Friday, November 2nd, 2012
November 01, 2012
… a 10-year plan to replace the province’s overloaded, barnacle-encrusted safety net with a program designed to get people the right kind of help — mental health and addiction services, affordable housing, accessible child care, post-prison reintegration programs and practical employment training — to become as self-sufficient as they can. Many social assistance recipients are employable and want to work. All can live purposeful lives.
Tags: budget, featured, Health, homelessness, ideology, mental Health, poverty, standard of living
Posted in Social Security Policy Context | 1 Comment »
Frances Lankin and Munir Sheikh give Ontario an affordable plan to modernize social assistance
Wednesday, October 31st, 2012
October 30, 2012
Not only did the two commissioners… come up with a way to transform Ontario’s social assistance system from an $8.3-billion program that perpetuates poverty into an $8.6-billion strategy that reduces it; they won endorsements from business leaders, health professionals, community activists and social analysts. That is a monumental achievement — but not enough to guarantee its success. Four daunting hurdles stand in the way:
Tags: budget, disabilities, featured, ideology, participation, pensions, poverty, standard of living
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Ontario welfare reform plan is on the right track
Friday, October 26th, 2012
October 24, 2012
…the existing system doesn’t accomplish either of its goals – making sure the poorest Ontarians have a decent minimum income, and helping those who can work start supporting themselves as quickly as possible. Even those inclined to blame people on welfare for their own misfortune should agree that if we’re going to spend billions, let’s make sure it’s for something productive.
Tags: budget, featured, ideology, participation, poverty, standard of living
Posted in Social Security Policy Context | 1 Comment »
Poverty reduction strategies are wrong-headed
Tuesday, October 23rd, 2012
Oct 23 2012
Studies are clear: the savings from eliminating poverty would be enormous, reducing costs associated with health care, addictions, policing, and so on… with greater funds, people living in poverty… require fewer social services, are more motivated to achieve greater education, and have more resources and better drive to seek better jobs… a basic income through a negative income tax that would give money directly to people who need it… but “community leaders” too often ignore this idea.
Tags: budget, Health, ideology, poverty, standard of living
Posted in Social Security Policy Context | 1 Comment »
Consider guaranteed annual income to reduce poverty
Tuesday, October 23rd, 2012
Oct 19 2012
“If you go out and work, you should be better off than on social assistance.” A guaranteed annual income works with, rather than against, low-wage earners, and removes the “welfare wall” — that point when there is no financial incentive to working. The guaranteed annual income challenges our assumptions about motivation and personal responsibility.
Tags: budget, Health, ideology, poverty, standard of living
Posted in Social Security Policy Context | 1 Comment »
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