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Ontario weakened its $10-a-day child care funding rules. Now the federal government is demanding answers
Saturday, September 24th, 2022
…the federal government… raised worry that some taxpayer money won’t be used for its intended purpose of reducing parent fees and improving child care services… Ontario revised its guidelines in August, removing a provision that would have limited “undue” profits, eliminating some “ineligible expenditures,” and relieving some of the financial reporting requirements.
Tags: budget, child care, jurisdiction
Posted in Child & Family Delivery System | No Comments »
Boost social assistance
Thursday, September 22nd, 2022
The Doug Ford government raised ODSP payments by five per cent this month… and will index them to inflation. There was no increase to Ontario Works payments… It’s painfully clear that the base amounts for both programs are simply inadequate given the sharp rise in housing and food costs over the last year… More financial help is needed.
Tags: budget, disabilities, ideology, jurisdiction, participation, poverty, standard of living
Posted in Social Security Debates | No Comments »
One in six households in Ontario is now struggling with food insecurity. Here’s why it’s going to get worse
Wednesday, September 21st, 2022
The chattering classes have embraced a new economic theme: government efforts to fight inflation will trigger more inflation. They’re wrong… Ontario was the only province where more people were food insecure in 2021 than in 2020… Last week the Trudeau government introduced $4.6 billion in federal aid to be spent on inflation relief until the end of 2023, almost every penny for those with low incomes.
Tags: economy, poverty, standard of living
Posted in Debates | No Comments »
Ontario’s hospitals and long-term care are in crisis. Pretending they aren’t won’t solve anything
Wednesday, September 21st, 2022
While hospitals have long been permitted to impose daily charges for patients who overstay — and other provinces already allow it — the latest legislation and regulations will legitimatize the practice… These measures aren’t the end of the world. Nor will they end hallway medicine. More than health-care crisis management, there is an element of political “issues management” at play. The government must be seen to be doing something — anything.
Tags: budget, disabilities, Health, jurisdiction
Posted in Health Debates | No Comments »
Pierre Poilievre vs. the elites (unless they’re rich)
Sunday, September 18th, 2022
Decades of regressive tax measures, particularly lower rates of tax on business and capital, have had a significant role to play in wealth inequality. Progressive adjustments to our tax system could help reduce it. Yet it seems no amount of wealth disparity or empirical evidence can sidetrack Poilievre from his mission to make tax a four-letter word.
Tags: economy, ideology, standard of living, tax
Posted in Governance Debates | No Comments »
We’re losing workers, not jobs
Saturday, September 17th, 2022
It turns out that inflationary pressures are caused by pent-up retirements as well as pent-up spending. And those inflation-causing labour shortages are set to worsen before they improve… The worker shortages hold back economic growth and keep Canada’s productivity growth rates at notoriously low levels. Solutions include fast-tracking immigrants into jobs; experimenting with four-day work weeks and other hybrids; luring retirees back into the workforce; and closing the gender pay gap.
Tags: economy, globalization, immigration, participation, standard of living
Posted in Policy Context | No Comments »
Ontario Ministry of Health reverses course on guardianship requirement for disabled woman
Wednesday, September 14th, 2022
Ontario will stop requiring disabled people who are unable to manage their own finances to have a court-appointed guardian to receive home-care funding as adults. The policy change comes just weeks after the Star reported on the case of Maggie Hickey, a 19-year-old Kingston woman whose parents were told they would lose funding for Maggie’s personal support workers unless they imposed formal guardianship on their daughter.
Tags: disabilities, jurisdiction, participation, pensions, rights
Posted in Inclusion Delivery System | No Comments »
Justin Trudeau’s $3.1B inflation-relief plan includes increase in GST rebate
Tuesday, September 13th, 2022
… the first pieces of legislation… will be to double the GST tax credit, provide dental care payments and increase housing benefits for millions of Canadians… the tax credit increase will last for six months… dental care payments are framed as a first step to achieving a national program… for people without existing insurance… The third measure [will] provide 1.8 million people with a $500 increase their federal housing supports.
Tags: budget, economy, standard of living
Posted in Delivery System | No Comments »
Supporting dementia patients and caregivers is a moral imperative
Tuesday, September 13th, 2022
On average, caregivers provided 26 care hours a week… The toll this takes on caregivers is profound… 45 per cent of caregivers exhibit symptoms of distress. And 21 per cent say they’re unable to continue their care duties due to stress. And we have only seen the tip of the iceberg… all levels of government must help to make delaying dementia a reality.
Tags: disabilities, jurisdiction, mental Health, Seniors, standard of living
Posted in Inclusion Debates | No Comments »
Don’t be scared into supporting privatized health care
Monday, September 12th, 2022
The privatization options will not begin to address the problems of a demoralized and depleted health care workforce and the overzealous constraints on public health care spending and will have negative consequences for both equity and efficiency. Debating private care options is a wasteful distraction.
Tags: budget, featured, Health, ideology, pharmaceutical, privatization, standard of living
Posted in Health Debates | No Comments »
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