Archive for the ‘Social Security Policy Context’ Category
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Lessons from Ontario’s Basic Income Pilot
Thursday, October 17th, 2019
Michael Mendelson looks at Ontario’s experience to offer lessons on how to – and how not to – set up future Basic Income trials. The report focuses in particular on three aspects of the pilot in which the experimental design fell short: lack of a “saturation” site, problems of enrollment, and use of the income tax system to test recipients’ income… The author also suggests a five-step process for governments considering another Basic Income experiment…
Tags: budget, disabilities, economy, featured, ideology, participation, poverty, standard of living
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Poverty costs Ontario up to $33B annually, new report says
Friday, October 4th, 2019
The study, entitled The Cost of Poverty in Ontario, examines the relationship between poverty, poor health, the justice system and lost productivity. It makes the economic case that investing in people by reducing poverty is not only socially responsible but financially sound. The loss of what’s known as “opportunity income” accounts for the largest chunk of the cost of poverty — $19.4 to $25 billion — followed by health care with $3.9 billion.
Tags: economy, featured, Health, ideology, participation, poverty, standard of living
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Ford government cancels planned cuts to social assistance payments
Thursday, October 3rd, 2019
The Ford government is scrapping controversial cuts to welfare for vulnerable children and adults with part-time jobs as part of a broader review of Ontario’s social assistance system… Each month, the Transition Child Benefit helps an average of 32,000 children whose families are either not receiving the Ontario Child Benefit and the Canada Child Benefit or are not getting the full amount.
Tags: budget, ideology, poverty, standard of living
Posted in Social Security Policy Context | 2 Comments »
Open Letter to federal candidates urging support for a national basic income
Friday, September 6th, 2019
A great many [issues] are linked to income insecurity, which manifests itself in the form of costly symptoms, like anxiety, illness and societal unrest. If the underlying problem is about income, however, then the solution must be too or it will not get better.
Tags: economy, featured, ideology, participation, poverty, standard of living
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How raising the age for CPP and OAS to 67 would benefit the whole country
Monday, April 15th, 2019
It’s past time we updated a retirement-income system conceived in the days when people lived just 10 to 15 year after retirement… “This isn’t a recommendation to assist the government in improving sustainability or save the government money.” … Retirees will need more savings than previous generations because they will live longer, because company pensions have become more scarce and because saving is made more difficult by low interest rates.
Tags: economy, pensions, standard of living
Posted in Equality Debates, Social Security Policy Context | No Comments »
Ottawa takes first steps towards improving Canadian retirements
Saturday, March 23rd, 2019
Many employers have now shifted to defined-contribution plans, where workers tuck away a certain amount of savings every month. These plans can help an employee accumulate a substantial stash over the course of his or her career. The problem is that once the employee retires, it is entirely up to him or her to figure out how to transform those accumulated savings into a steady stream of income that can last a lifetime.
Tags: economy, pensions, standard of living
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Alberta makes the biggest strides as child poverty rates drop across Canada
Wednesday, February 27th, 2019
Alberta has the lowest child poverty rate in the country at 5 per cent, having managed to cut its rate in half in just two years, between 2015 and 2017… University of Calgary economist Ron Kneebone pointed to the national Canada Child Benefit and, at least in Alberta, the Alberta Child Benefit, as the biggest reasons for this improvement. Both were introduced in recent years to provide better income supports for parents.
Tags: budget, economy, ideology, jurisdiction, participation, poverty, standard of living
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Measuring low income and Canada’s Official Poverty Line
Sunday, January 20th, 2019
the Market Basket Measure (MBM) will be used as Canada’s Official Poverty Line. Statistics Canada is currently conducting a comprehensive review of the MBM… By participating in this consultation, you will be supporting Statistics Canada’s ability to accurately measure low income and poverty.
Tags: featured, jurisdiction, participation, poverty
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Young Barrie widow elated to see end of age discrimination
Monday, January 14th, 2019
… the legislation said if a person is under 35 and has no children, they do not qualify for a spouse’s CPP. The belief was a young widow without children could adapt financially to a loss… And now, she’s received a letter from the government asking her to reapply for CPP. “It said effective Jan. 1 you are no longer required to have dependent children”… The government estimates it will affect 40,000 people.
Tags: ideology, pensions, rights, women
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Why we need to fix Canada’s new measure of poverty
Thursday, December 27th, 2018
… some vital daily costs don’t even make it into the basket; some, like child care or prescription medication, are designated as “out of pocket” expenses, not basic needs… The MBM may help Statistics Canada to show changes in poverty on tables and spreadsheets, but in its current form, it could harm the very people who live in poverty. That is because service providers across the country will use the cost of the basket, with all its flaws, to measure eligibility, meaning people may not qualify for services they need.
Tags: child care, economy, ideology, jurisdiction, participation, poverty, standard of living, women
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