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Why for-profit homes won’t solve long-termcare issues: Privatizing health services is a bad idea that just won’t go away
Wednesday, January 4th, 2023
… for-profit services do nothing to address the major crisis in labour force supply, do nothing about public costs and do too little about public access to care. In fact, they do the reverse; they drain the public system of both people and money. Adding more for-profit services fragments a system already suffering from fragmentation… And the public sector is in a position to quickly offer better work for health-care workers who are at the centre of our health-care system, and more equitable access for all.
Tags: featured, Health, ideology, jurisdiction, privatization, standard of living
Posted in Health Policy Context | No Comments »
Looking forward into the past: Lessons for the future of Medicare on its 60th anniversary
Saturday, December 24th, 2022
The provincial government in Ontario operates a large network of not-for-profit community clinics… lacking explicit democratic co-operative control… it may be time for communities to… voice their desire in words and action for access to the kind of holistic care pioneered by the co-operative clinics. Maybe this time, policymakers will listen.
Tags: Health, ideology, jurisdiction, mental Health
Posted in Health History | No Comments »
We know better, so why aren’t we doing better in supporting the health of children and youth in care?
Wednesday, November 16th, 2022
The complex health and social issues faced by children and youth in care call for a comprehensive cross-sector collaborative approach to health care… children and youth with child welfare involvement are at risk of bearing a heavier burden of illness than their counterparts who do not have child welfare involvement, as a result of an inequitable system of health-care provision that fails to address their unique circumstances.
Tags: child care, Health, ideology, Indigenous, jurisdiction, mental Health, multiculturalism, youth
Posted in Child & Family Delivery System | No Comments »
Preventing use of the notwithstanding clause is a bad idea — and unnecessary
Tuesday, November 15th, 2022
Questions that could be asked of the Supreme Court include: When can section 33 be used? How does the word “notwithstanding” in Sec. 33 relate to the words “notwithstanding anything” in Sec. 28’s equal rights guarantee? How can the clause be amended? … Rather than stoking a constitutional crisis through disallowance, this reference would allow the federal government to de-escalate tensions and, most importantly, clarify the scope of the notwithstanding clause.
Tags: ideology, jurisdiction, rights
Posted in Governance Policy Context | No Comments »
How the Indian Act’s ‘blackout period’ denied Indigenous Peoples their legal rights
Wednesday, October 12th, 2022
In 1927, the federal government introduced Section 141 into the Indian Act. It banned the solicitation or collection of funds to pursue a legal claim on behalf of an Indigenous person or group without the permission of the Department of Indian Affairs… Section 141 was introduced specifically to limit the ability of Indigenous peoples to act within the legal system… it applied to “every person” Indian and non-Indian alike.
Tags: ideology, Indigenous, jurisdiction, participation, rights
Posted in Equality History | No Comments »
Viral infections including COVID are among the important causes of dementia – one more reason to consider vaccination
Monday, October 3rd, 2022
More than 150,000 people with COVID and 11 million controls have been involved in a study of long-term consequences of acute COVID infection. A year after infection, there was an overall 40% higher risk (an additional 71 cases per 1000 people) of neurologic disorders, including memory problems (80% higher risk) and Alzheimer’s disease (two-fold higher risk). These risks were elevated even among those not hospitalised for acute COVID.
Tags: disabilities, Health, mental Health
Posted in Health Debates | No Comments »
Better income assistance programs are needed to help people with rising cost of living
Friday, September 30th, 2022
If the goal of temporary assistance is to help those in need, it must have broader coverage and better tapering. The only program that qualifies at present is the GST credit, but even these payments are modest and only delivered quarterly… A more generous income assistance program should also have more frequent regular payments… a guaranteed basic income for working-age Canadians, might provide better support for those in need.
Tags: ideology, jurisdiction, poverty, standard of living
Posted in Social Security Debates | No Comments »
With family doctors heading for the exits, addressing the crisis in primary care is key to easing pressure on emergency rooms
Friday, September 9th, 2022
Ontario has done better than most areas of Canada with the introduction of family health teams in 2005, with team-based primary care reporting better outcomes for both patients and providers. But no new family health teams have been funded since 2012, which is a problem… Political will is required to invest in the entire health-care system and not ignore the fact that primary care represents a very large part of this system.
Tags: featured, Health, jurisdiction
Posted in Health Delivery System | No Comments »
Indigenous people pay taxes: Demythologizing the Indian Act tax exemption
Wednesday, August 24th, 2022
… just eight per cent of Canada’s Indigenous population — who could potentially qualify for the Section 87 exemption. However, this number is likely lower because status Indians only qualify for the exemption if their income is connected to a reserve… Even though nearly all Indigenous people in Canada pay tax on their income, Canadian governments have not spent nearly as much on services for them.
Tags: ideology, Indigenous, jurisdiction, participation, tax
Posted in Equality Debates | No Comments »
Why doesn’t Canada let schools provide child care?
Wednesday, August 17th, 2022
Canada’s policy-makers could take lessons from other countries who have streamlined early learning and child care within their schools. Instead, they are putting up roadblocks, preventing provinces and territories from using federal child-care dollars to transform schools into one-stop centres for young children… Schools are publicly owned, eliminating the need for costly land and facility acquisition. Operating and oversight mechanisms are already in place.
Posted in Education Delivery System | No Comments »
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