Not adding up: Surgical and diagnostic privatization in Ontario
Thursday, October 15th, 2026
The Ontario government’s policy direction favours for-profit—rather than public—delivery of surgeries and medical imaging… If the privatization of surgeries and diagnostic procedures was sound health care policy, then the evidence would support this direction—but it does not… Instead, the provincial government should… Stop privatizing surgeries and medical imaging; Immediately increase public hospital funding and service capacity; and, Commit to evidence-based public system improvement strategies.
Tags: budget, featured, Health, ideology, jurisdiction, privatization, standard of living
Posted in Health Delivery System | No Comments »
Fairer pay in the public sector: Gender and new Canadian pay gaps in the public and private sectors, 2025
Thursday, October 15th, 2026
Pay gaps based on gender and immigration persist in Canada. The public sector remains a fairer place for both women and new Canadians to work—pay gaps persist here but they’re much smaller than in the private sector… executive compensation would have to ballon to reflect levels in the private sector. Ultimately, the private sector should strive to emulate progress made in the public sector at paying similar workers more fairly.
Tags: economy, gender, immigration
Posted in Equality Delivery System | No Comments »
Ontario’s minimum wage is falling further behind the living wage
Wednesday, September 30th, 2026
The 2018 minimum wage freeze, coupled with the weakening of rent control, dealt a double blow to low-wage workers and working families across Ontario. Poverty—measured in various ways—has increased in recent years as a direct result of these policies. The provincial government should raise the minimum wage to the living wage rate – a single change that would considerably improve the lives of more than 1.5 million workers in Ontario. That measure would go further in reducing working poverty ifpaired with regulatory changes that halt price gouging in rental housing and groceries.
Tags: economy, featured, jurisdiction, poverty, standard of living
Posted in Debates | 4 Comments »
Alternative federal budget 2026-27: Summary
Thursday, September 17th, 2026
Simply arguing for a strong Canada, without any other criteria, clearly isn’t cutting it… Recent federal budgets have been something of a wishlist from Canada’s corporate elites. The AFB… is a wishlist from below—of regular, working people and the movements they build. It is also a benchmark: a realistic, achievable outline of the Canada that we could have, if policymakers chose a route of ambition—a route of strength, but also a route of solidarity.
Tags: budget, child care, economy, Education, featured, Health, homelessness, immigration, Indigenous, Seniors, tax
Posted in Debates | 6 Comments »
Doing more with less: 10 facts about school funding in Ontario
Tuesday, September 1st, 2026
On the one hand, the provincial government claims to be making historic investments in education, injecting more money than ever into everyday programs, infrastructure, and targeted initiatives. On the other hand, education advocates and researchers point to larger class sizes, deteriorating buildings, rising school violence, and dwindling resources for students who require additional supports due to disability, low socio-economic status, or other circumstances… The pattern that emerges is clear: schools and educators are being asked to do more with less, and students are paying the price.
Tags: budget, Education, featured, ideology, jurisdiction, standard of living, youth
Posted in Education Delivery System | 5 Comments »
Debt by design: OSAP and the political economy of student aid in Canada
Tuesday, May 26th, 2026
… students in Ontario are being asked to shoulder a growing share of the cost of post-secondary education. While these changes may appear exceptional, they are not. Instead, they reflect a broader transformation in how post-secondary education is funded across Canada, where the costs have steadily shifted from the public to the individual… restoring OSAP alone will not make post-secondary education truly affordable. That requires a broader commitment to public investment, and in turn, that means raising the province’s revenue.
Tags: budget, Education, ideology, jurisdiction, participation, tax, youth
Posted in Education Policy Context | 144 Comments »
Canada’s quiet economic driver: Universities and colleges
Friday, May 1st, 2026
Universities and colleges lead the way on driving economic growth: Universities and colleges’ economic output was worth $61 billion in 2025, which was 2.1 per cent of Canada’s total GDP—just $5 billion behind residential building construction, much more than all oil sands extraction ($49 billion), and almost twice as much as mining or transportation manufacturing (at $33 billion each)… Despite only making up about two per cent of Canada’s economy, the post-secondary education sector represents over 34 per cent of all research and development, which was much higher than Canada’s peer countries.
Tags: economy, Education, standard of living
Posted in Debates | 8 Comments »
Do trade deals put public health care up for sale?
Wednesday, April 1st, 2026
… the introduction of a parallel, private-pay system in Alberta based on private health insurance and out-of-pocket payment represents a fundamental change to Canada’s public health care system. Alberta would have a difficult time restricting the newly created market to Canadian firms, even if the government wanted to, and once foreign investors become entrenched, they will benefit from the full force of Canada’s international trade obligations.
Tags: Health, ideology, jurisdiction, privatization
Posted in Health Policy Context | 16 Comments »
The 2026 Ontario budget neglects core provincial responsibilities
Monday, March 30th, 2026
The 2026 budget—much like previous budgets—fails to address the underfunding of health care, K-12 education, post-secondary education, community and social services, and rental and social housing—the core responsibilities of provincial governments. Despite reports showing that Ontario lags behind most provinces in most of these areas, this year’s budget makes no attempt to close those gaps.
Tags: budget, Education, featured, Health, housing, ideology, jurisdiction, tax
Posted in Governance Debates | 10 Comments »
Provinces need to own their responsibility for expanding low-fee child care
Wednesday, February 4th, 2026
The most recent data shows eight of ten provinces will miss the federal goal of having 5.9 child care spaces per 10 children. Only two provinces have that level of access: Quebec and P.E.I… The rest of the provinces weren’t even paying half the cost of their child care programs—they coasted on federal investments… In fact, many of the provinces who have been loudly complaining that the CWELCC program is “too expensive” are also the ones who are paying the least for it.
Tags: budget, child care, featured, jurisdiction, participation
Posted in Child & Family Delivery System | No Comments »
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