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Ontario election: 4 ways Doug Ford has changed the province’s politics
Wednesday, May 18th, 2022
The Ford government’s agenda seems driven by instinct more than ideology… fundamentally reactive, and grounded in relatively short-term perspectives… [Its] most recent legislative moves have sought to further marginalize the roles of local governments in planning matters and to eliminate public consultation requirements as red tape… The overall decision-making model… is based on access, connections and political whim… The focus… on short-term savings for consumers.
Tags: budget, economy, Health, housing, ideology, privatization, tax
Posted in Governance Debates | No Comments »
Canada’s premiers are missing a real chance to fix our ailing health-care system
Monday, May 16th, 2022
… unless and until the premiers agree to set out… how they intend to spend and report on the 62 per cent increase in transfers they are demanding to actually bring about real change in their respective health systems, Ottawa should refuse. And Canadians themselves should just say no.
Tags: budget, featured, Health, ideology, jurisdiction, mental Health
Posted in Health Policy Context | No Comments »
A guaranteed basic income could end poverty, so why isn’t it happening?
Friday, May 13th, 2022
Ontario’s basic income trial illustrated that people with diverse needs reported better personal relationships with friends and family with basic income. In turn, their sense of social inclusion and citizenship improved… Recent cost-benefit analyses have demonstrated that carefully designed cash-based interventions can be cost effective and generate net savings for society. Recipients rely less on social services over time, meaning governments pay less to fund these programs.
Tags: economy, featured, ideology, participation, poverty, standard of living
Posted in Social Security Debates | No Comments »
7 principles to guide a national dental care program in Canada
Wednesday, May 4th, 2022
There are myriad details here, but at minimum, there appears to be increasing policy, public and political consensus that access to dental care should be made consistent, reliable and equitable for all Canadians across all jurisdictions. As a result, like it is for health care, federal policy leadership is key… we offer these principles to move forward in a healthy way: in the service of Canadians who, for far too long, have been unable to meet their oral health-care needs because of a lack of access to care.
Tags: budget, economy, featured, Health, ideology, jurisdiction, participation, standard of living
Posted in Health Policy Context | No Comments »
Why Doug Ford will once again win the Ontario election
Wednesday, May 4th, 2022
If a politician or a political party believes voters cast ballots in favour of policy positions laid out in a party platform, then they badly misunderstand persuasion and what it takes to motivate a voter… elections are communication challenges, and communication is not a rational process of information transmission… Communication is a process of producing an impact on others, not transmitting information on policy goals.
Tags: ideology, participation
Posted in Governance Debates | No Comments »
Children across Canada deserve a professional early childhood education workforce
Saturday, April 30th, 2022
Children depend on educators who are skilled and knowledgeable… Decent work for Canada’s child-care workforce should be more than just a slogan; it must be the foundation of Canada’s early learning and child-care plan to ensure that children receive the high-quality care they deserve.
Tags: budget, child care, ideology, jurisdiction, participation, standard of living, women
Posted in Education Debates | No Comments »
Filling the gaps: Why Canada still needs a public dental health plan despite decades of medicare
Tuesday, April 26th, 2022
The Liberal government promised to explore universal dental care in its throne speech of December 2019, and in October 2020, the Parliamentary Budget Office costed a program to provide dental care to all Canadians with a household income of under $90,000, similar to what the Non-Insured Health Benefitsprogram provides for Indigenous people… Most recently, the Liberal government agreed to provide a denticare program, starting with children under 12 and expanding it until everyone with a household income of under $90,000 is covered…
Tags: Health, ideology, jurisdiction, participation, poverty, youth
Posted in Health History | No Comments »
How mRNA and DNA vaccines could soon treat cancers, HIV, autoimmune disorders and genetic diseases
Monday, April 25th, 2022
Using DNA or an mRNA vaccine, researchers are investigating the feasibility of essentially replacing the missing gene and allowing someone’s body to transiently produce the missing protein. Once the protein is present, the symptoms could disappear, at least temporarily. The mRNA would not persist very long in the human body, nor would it integrate into people’s genomes or change the genome in any way. So additional doses would be needed as the effect wore off.
Tags: featured, Health, pharmaceutical
Posted in Health Debates | No Comments »
Housing co-ops could solve Canada’s housing affordability crisis
Wednesday, April 20th, 2022
TheConversation.com April 19, 2022. Margaret Kohn The housing affordability crisis seems impossible to solve. Policies intended to help people priced out of the market often serve to fan the flames and increase costs. An example is tax-free down payment plans like the one just announced in the federal 2022 budget, which can drive up prices by […]
Tags: economy, homelessness, housing, ideology, participation, poverty, standard of living
Posted in Inclusion Delivery System | No Comments »
It’s the 40th anniversary of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, but recent protests show a serious misunderstanding of what those mean
Friday, April 15th, 2022
On the 40th anniversary of the signing of the Charter, it is important to reflect on the rights Canadians share and, more importantly, understand that these rights entail responsibilities to each other. Perhaps if misunderstandings about rights and freedoms were clarified, there would be a greater sense of unity.
Tags: crime prevention, ideology, participation, rights
Posted in Equality Policy Context | No Comments »
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