Time for Ford to act on Ontario’s reliance on international students for post-secondary funding
Wednesday, August 30th, 2023
The government’s failure to properly fund post-secondary is the root cause of the burgeoning international student population and the strain it puts on housing… What it needs to do is reduce the system’s reliance on those students’ fees by reducing their numbers and making up the difference itself. That would help both the housing market and the stability of post-secondary education.
Tags: budget, featured, housing, immigration, jurisdiction, multiculturalism
Posted in Education Delivery System | No Comments »
How did Ontario’s disgraceful disability support program get so bad?
Tuesday, February 22nd, 2022
The vast majority of Ontarians with a disability are not on the program. Of those who are, 57 per cent have either mental illnesses or developmental disabilities. Nevertheless, the PCs’ new “vision” for the disabled continues to push the optimistic goal of finding jobs for them… Instead, they are ignored by a provincial government that can afford to give wealthy people a break on their power rates, vacationers a tax break for renting a cottage, maybe even make licence plates free, a cheap political stunt that would cost $1 billion a year.
Tags: budget, disabilities, featured, ideology, jurisdiction, participation, pensions, poverty, standard of living
Posted in Inclusion Debates | 1 Comment »
With child-care program Trudeau finds a model for influencing provincial policy
Saturday, December 18th, 2021
… the success of Trudeau’s child-care program has given the federal government a means to mould provincial policy from Ottawa and he said it’s one he could use again… The agreements vary fairly drastically from province to province — a strategy that allows the federal government to push its agenda while maintaining the autonomy and regional differences of its provincial counterparts. Essentially, the government put the money on the table and invited provinces to come and negotiate for their slice.
Tags: budget, child care, economy, featured, Health, jurisdiction
Posted in Governance Policy Context | No Comments »
Freeland prepares to take us down a self-defeating path
Sunday, September 20th, 2020
The problem with putting government-influenced distribution of wealth ahead of wealth creation as a public policy goal is that it tends to create a national economy that is a zero-sum game — i.e., stagnant — and pursues a socioeconomic goal in which wealth is taken from those who have earned it and given to those who have not, in the name of social justice and in implicit exchange for their votes. This ultimately leads to massive discontent, corruption and a failed economy.
Tags: budget, economy, ideology, standard of living, tax
Posted in Equality Debates | 1 Comment »
Liberals are considering a universal basic income, but economists have tough questions for its proponents
Thursday, September 17th, 2020
“What we’re really talking about is not ensuring everyone receives a cheque but ensuring there’s a minimum floor below which no Canadian ought to fall. So it really is a conversation about rethinking and reinventing our social safety net”… But the program won’t be popular with everyone… Problem 1: The Cost… Problem 2: The Incentives… Problem 3: The Cuts…
Tags: budget, featured, ideology, jurisdiction, participation, poverty, standard of living, tax
Posted in Debates | No Comments »
Trying to avert two Ontario child-welfare deaths a week
Friday, July 31st, 2020
… in 2016, 121 children or youth involved in the system, including those who recently aged out, had died. In 2017, it was 126, in 2018 it was 126 again, and in 2019, 99… But some of the issues… are much broader than those in the child-welfare system. Data is siloed in ways that complicate co-ordination and planning… There are major regional inequalities in available services… “The pandemic really highlighted some of the long-standing issues in the system”…
Tags: housing, Indigenous, mental Health, multiculturalism, youth
Posted in Child & Family Policy Context | No Comments »
Canadians crave a reason to hope
Monday, July 20th, 2020
The problem is no one is really articulating a future-oriented vision these days… Such a vision ought to be bold, ambitious, and inclusive. It should aim to inspire… “for the future to have power over the present, it has to be different than the past.” It’s time for our political leaders to set out a better and different future. Canadians are ready to follow them there.
Posted in Governance Debates | No Comments »
Tax us. Tax us. Tax us. Millionaires beg to be taxed more to help COVID relief
Monday, July 13th, 2020
Calling themselves the Millionaires for Humanity, more than 80 wealthy individuals… are petitioning for higher taxes on the rich to help pay for the billions in new government programs made necessary by the COVID-19 pandemic. “Today, we, the undersigned millionaires and billionaires, ask our governments to raise taxes on people like us. Immediately. Substantially. Permanently.” … Charity isn’t the answer.
Tags: economy, featured, Health, ideology, tax
Posted in Debates | No Comments »
Now is the time to bring a basic income program to Canada, says B.C. senator. But the pilot project could cost $100 billion
Thursday, July 9th, 2020
Woo’s proposal would put the basic income project in place for six months from October of this year until March 2021. A basic income could replace income support programs like welfare with money everyone would receive, but the support would gradually be reduced as a person’s income rose. Woo said the COVID-19 pandemic is the ideal time to do a broad test of the idea.
Tags: budget, economy, ideology, jurisdiction, participation
Posted in Social Security Debates | No Comments »
How does Ontario respond to people in crisis — and how should it?
Friday, June 26th, 2020
… a big part of this new model has to be better mental-health care in general, so fewer people end up getting to that crisis point in the first place. The current model produces tragic outcomes, yes, but it also doesn’t work for a lot of people who never have a tragic outcome, per se, but need help they don’t get. And this is especially true with racialized or otherwise marginalized communities.
Tags: budget, featured, ideology, mental Health, multiculturalism
Posted in Health Delivery System | No Comments »
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