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Interpreting the data: Key takeaways from Welfare in Canada, 2021
Friday, December 16th, 2022
The data in Welfare in Canada, 2021 reveal five main findings: Welfare incomes were deeply inadequate across Canada: – All households in every province lived in poverty, and the large majority lived in deep poverty… Most jurisdictions did not make substantive increases to already inadequate social assistance benefits… Total welfare incomes increased in a limited number of cases. In most instances, higher inflation in 2021 negated their positive impact.
Tags: budget, ideology, jurisdiction, participation, poverty, standard of living
Posted in Social Security Delivery System | No Comments »
Strengthening the social safety net for people in greatest need
Saturday, October 15th, 2022
Maytree recommends that the federal government: 1. Transform part of the Canada Workers Benefit (CWB) into the proposed Canada Working-Age Supplement (CWAS)… 2. Enhance the Canada Housing Benefit so that it provides more consistent support to renters with lower incomes… 3. Work with provincial and territorial governments to ensure alignment with federal initiatives…
Tags: budget, disabilities, featured, housing, ideology, jurisdiction, participation, poverty, standard of living
Posted in Social Security Policy Context | No Comments »
How to reduce the depth of single adult poverty in Canada: Proposal for a Canada Working-Age Supplement
Wednesday, September 14th, 2022
The CWAS would not only complement Canada’s existing social safety net, it would be transformative in advancing the idea that working-age single adults should be eligible for income support not because they’ve earned it as workers, but because they need it as people. The CWAS needs to be introduced and implemented without delay.
Tags: budget, economy, featured, ideology, poverty, rights, standard of living
Posted in Social Security Policy Context | No Comments »
When it comes to poverty and single adults, solutions need to be both principled and practical
Friday, September 2nd, 2022
… single adults with no children make up half of people living in deep poverty in Canada. Many of these adults have paid jobs and still live in poverty. Our current labour laws allow employers to pay workers poverty wages without benefits, subject them to unpredictable schedules, or misclassify employees as independent contractors – all of which mean that being employed is no guarantee of a decent income… Our systems collaborate to create poverty in many different ways.
Tags: ideology, jurisdiction, participation, poverty, rights, standard of living
Posted in Social Security Policy Context | No Comments »
What are the key trends in Social Assistance Summaries, 2021?
Monday, July 25th, 2022
The analysis in this policy brief provides a first set of pathways for governments to improve the human right to an adequate standard of living of some of the most vulnerable people in Canada… federal, provincial, and territorial governments have long neglected [unattached singles], often preferring to focus on families with children and seniors. Because of this, welfare incomes of unattached singles have become highly inadequate, falling well below the deep poverty income threshold in almost every province.
Tags: disabilities, economy, featured, jurisdiction, participation, poverty, standard of living
Posted in Social Security History | No Comments »
Social Assistance Summaries, 2021
Monday, July 25th, 2022
On average, there were over 595,000 cases (families and single adults) in Ontario’s social assistance programs during 2020-21. Over 36 per cent (217,234) were recipients of Ontario Works and 64 per cent (378,145) were recipients of the Ontario Disability Support Program… In 2020-21, on average, 7.6 per cent of people in Ontario under 65 received Ontario Works or the Ontario Disability Support Program (ODSP), which is 1 in 13.
Tags: disabilities, jurisdiction, participation, poverty
Posted in Social Security Delivery System | No Comments »
Why we need to care about single adults living in poverty
Friday, July 1st, 2022
… single adults made up more than 60 per cent of OW cases and nearly 80 per cent of ODSP cases in 2021. Together, they equal the population of Ontario’s fastest growing city… The social assistance system was intended to be an emergency system – a last resort when all else failed. Well, all else is failing. Our other social systems are not preventing single adults from living in poverty. Rather, these systems are pushing people into poverty and holding them there… our social safety net is a relic of another era, as is our notion of who needs it.
Tags: disabilities, featured, ideology, participation, rights, standard of living
Posted in Social Security Debates | No Comments »
A closer look at the federal budget’s housing plan
Friday, April 29th, 2022
To improve its approach to housing, we suggest that the federal government: 1. Reaffirm its recognition of the right to adequate housing as a fundamental human right and use this principle to guide policy-making. 2. Establish a cohesive housing policy narrative… 3. Examine demand-side solutions… 4. Consider other factors that can affect the implementation of more housing supply.
Tags: budget, economy, housing, ideology, jurisdiction, participation, privatization, rights, standard of living
Posted in Delivery System | No Comments »
We can’t simply build our way out of our housing crisis
Friday, April 29th, 2022
More new housing will help if it’s the kind of housing that is currently lacking, built for the people who need it most. Various studies indicate that 40 to 50 per cent of people in Canada are living paycheque-to-paycheque. That is, nearly half the population of this prosperous country are income insecure. Plans for new housing must prioritize these people.
Tags: budget, featured, homelessness, housing, ideology, jurisdiction, participation, standard of living
Posted in Inclusion Debates | No Comments »
Welfare in Canada, 2020
Sunday, December 12th, 2021
For each province and territory, this report provides data and analysis on the total welfare income that households receiving social assistance would have qualified for in 2020, including COVID-19 pandemic-related supports… The reports look at four different household types for each province and territory.
Tags: budget, disabilities, jurisdiction, poverty, standard of living
Posted in Social Security History | No Comments »
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