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For both Alberta and Indigenous peoples, now is the winter of our disrespect
Friday, February 14th, 2020
… this isn’t about a mine any longer, or the environment, or the economy: it’s about respect… the closer you approach respect – reconciliation is another word – as an objective, in haste to atone for past sins, the faster it recedes. For without grievances, there is no leverage.
Tags: economy, ideology, Indigenous, jurisdiction, participation, rights
Posted in Equality Debates | No Comments »
E-learning in Ontario: Way of the future or an ineffective teaching model?
Wednesday, February 12th, 2020
… the most important factor for student achievement is how well e-learning programs are designed, delivered and supported… Contrary to popular opinion, quality e-learning programs cost as much as or more than the traditional classroom model, because students require extra resources to do well… in Michigan, students taking virtual courses have both a teacher and a mentor.
Tags: budget, featured, ideology, jurisdiction, youth
Posted in Education Debates | 1 Comment »
To fight crime, Canada has to fight poverty, inequality and despair
Tuesday, February 11th, 2020
Liberal politicians want to talk about locking up guns and Conservatives want to talk about locking up people… both approaches are reasonable. But they are narrow in focus. They’re designed to appeal to each party’s base, and as such do not come close to addressing the complex issues behind gun and gang violence… How hard is it for politicians to understand that the most effective policies for reducing youth violence are ones that cut poverty
Tags: corrections, crime prevention, ideology, participation, poverty, standard of living, youth
Posted in Social Security Debates | No Comments »
On gangs and guns, politicians are missing the point
Sunday, February 9th, 2020
History has taught us that this is not just a policing issue, or just a gun issue, or just a crime issue. It’s all of these, and a lot more. It’s not something that can be fixed by spending more money on a narrow set of priorities, or by talking tough at a news conference… They need long-term, considered help, not grandiose political posturing
Tags: crime prevention, ideology, poverty, standard of living, youth
Posted in Child & Family Policy Context | No Comments »
Canada lags behind peers in number of doctors per capita: report
Saturday, February 1st, 2020
Canada lags well behind all but the United States among 11 of the wealthiest countries when it comes to the number of doctors per capita, a new report indicates… Canadians have 2.7 practising physicians for every 1,000 people, compared with 2.6 for the U.S. Norway has the most at 4.8. At the same time, Canadians are average in terms of their physician visits each year… [with] higher than average hospital stays combined with a lower than average per capita number of hospital beds
Tags: Health, mental Health, standard of living
Posted in Health Delivery System | No Comments »
We can’t afford to skimp on mental health services
Tuesday, January 28th, 2020
The stagnant model of care we continue to rely on didn’t even work 10 years ago, when far fewer people perceived mental health problems as legitimate and treatable… As the Hon. Michael Wilson, the late chair of the MHCC, once said: funding for mental health must include the “latitude for proving the sound economics of creative approaches.”
Tags: budget, disabilities, economy, ideology, jurisdiction, mental Health, participation, standard of living
Posted in Health Debates | No Comments »
If Doug Ford’s government gets its way, Ontario risks losing its educational edge
Tuesday, January 28th, 2020
… provincial laws in Ontario restrict teachers’ legitimate concerns – what they can protest about, or bargain for – to issues of salary, benefits and working conditions. Teachers are expressly prohibited from negotiating on issues of policy (for example, curriculum), even while policies may be serious issues of concern to them… the factors that allow teachers to teach well, and to know it, are the same factors that support student learning.
Tags: budget, featured, ideology, youth
Posted in Education Debates | No Comments »
Liberal tax cut will cost $1.2-billion more annually than promised: PBO
Tuesday, January 28th, 2020
Canadians with incomes between $103,018 and $159,694 will receive the largest benefit, with a $347 tax cut. Canadians earning $159,695 to $227,504 are next with a $257 tax cut. Individuals with incomes between $51,510 and $103,017 will receive $337. Those with incomes between $15,001 and $51,509 will receive $211 and individuals with income below $15,000 will save one dollar, on average, compared to the status quo.
Tags: budget, ideology, tax
Posted in Governance Policy Context | No Comments »
Children and teens might hide their mental-health struggles. But adults can’t look away
Saturday, January 25th, 2020
… bullying; verbal, physical and sexual abuse; poverty; family violence; parental illness; and more recently, excessive exposure to social media, can all contribute to poorer mental-health outcomes in children. Despite… the progress we’ve made as a society to destigmatize mental illness, many children and teens continue to hide their distress from their families and peers because they feel either ashamed or that they can sort it out themselves.
Tags: disabilities, mental Health, youth
Posted in Health Debates | No Comments »
Why does the Indigenous rate of incarceration only grow?
Friday, January 24th, 2020
Conservative policies stripped sentencing judges and parole boards of discretion, adding mandatory minimums and other limits on their ability to consider specific facts and risks of individual cases. While the Liberals opposed many of these reforms during campaign season, they have done little to address the harmful legacy… we have not learned enough from community-based and Indigenous legal traditions that offer more promising methods of responding to wrongdoing.
Tags: corrections, crime prevention, ideology, Indigenous, jurisdiction, rights
Posted in Child & Family Policy Context | No Comments »