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Youth ‘aging out’ of care deserve better. The Ford government needs to deliver real reform
Tuesday, March 23rd, 2021
Some 12,000 children and youth live in foster homes and group homes in Ontario. About 2,000 of them turn 18 every year at which point they are usually forced to move out of their foster or group home to live independently, whether they’re ready or not. (There is financial assistance and other supports beyond 18 for some youth but it’s not universal and it’s not enough.)
Tags: child care, ideology, youth
Posted in Child & Family Debates | No Comments »
How much COVID help did the Ford government give Ontario schools? An analysis reveals the real numbers
Tuesday, March 23rd, 2021
… in Ontario’s public and Catholic school boards, each school was able to add just 1.5 new staff members on average. In terms of teachers alone, that works out to less than one per school…. most of the funding announced by the province for COVID-19 help in schools actually came from school boards themselves or the federal government.
Tags: budget, featured, ideology, jurisdiction, standard of living, youth
Posted in Education Delivery System | No Comments »
Nurses are not just the front line — we are the only line
Tuesday, March 23rd, 2021
Nurses and other health care workers are facing unprecedented levels of mental health challenges and exhaustion… While the government has been addressing this as an access issue by recently promoting the new college-based Ontario nursing programs, the nursing shortage is due to issues of job satisfaction, funding, and safe staffing, which are not being adequately addressed.
Tags: budget, Health, mental Health, standard of living
Posted in Health Debates | No Comments »
Ontario pledges $106.4M for university, college COVID-19 costs
Saturday, March 20th, 2021
The Council of Ontario Universities (COU) estimates its 21 members have spent or lost $1 billion during the pandemic, but found $500 million in one-time savings. It has said there is “an urgent need for sector-wide cost recovery.” … “while this targeted and time-limited investment will help address some urgent and immediate costs, it does not address the significant long-term financial needs of the sector.”
Tags: budget, ideology
Posted in Education Debates | No Comments »
Canada needs the Connaught model of domestic vaccine production
Saturday, March 20th, 2021
A properly restored Canadian global powerhouse in vaccines would improve on the current world patchwork of players focused on discovery, clinical trials, safe packaging, mass production and a dozen other disciplines, layered over by conflicting priorities of national governments. That model conflicts with Ottawa’s current $1-billion national vaccine strategy.
Tags: economy, Health, ideology, pharmaceutical
Posted in Health Policy Context | No Comments »
Is it time for Ontario to end Catholic school funding?
Thursday, March 18th, 2021
… such a move would save taxpayers an estimated $1.6 billion a year… And school boards across Ontario are facing huge financial crunches, with dropping enrolment often resulting in half-empty schools… a single public system would also mean thousands of students could attend schools closer to home and put a permanent end to calls for public funding for schools operated by Jewish, Muslim and Christian fundamentalists groups.
Tags: budget, featured, ideology, jurisdiction, multiculturalism
Posted in Education Debates | No Comments »
The Divorce Act has grown up, but will we?
Monday, March 15th, 2021
Over the last 25 years, non-court alternate dispute resolution processes have evolved, such as mediation and collaborative law. A major step forward was achieved with the amendments to the Divorce Act that came into effect on March 1 of this year… Mediation and collaborative law processes are almost always faster and less expensive than court. They’re also less stressful on the parties, their children and other family members. Ultimately, they are much more likely to result in a resolution that both parties find acceptable.
Tags: budget, featured, ideology, jurisdiction, participation, rights
Posted in Child & Family Policy Context | No Comments »
The Ford government can’t leave Ontario universities in this financial mess
Wednesday, March 10th, 2021
Increased costs and reduced revenues due to COVID has left Ontario universities scrambling to fill a billion-dollar hole… The crisis at Laurentian is the most visible manifestation of a longstanding structural and funding crisis that has simply been exacerbated by the pandemic… this government has made things worse, not better, for universities and colleges. In 2019, it cut tuition by 10 per cent and then froze it for two years.
Tags: budget, ideology, jurisdiction
Posted in Education Policy Context | No Comments »
Doug Ford helped create a crisis for Ontario’s universities. Now it’s up to him to save them
Tuesday, March 9th, 2021
Bleeding cash, Ontario’s universities are begging for a $500 million cash infusion to stay alive during COVID-19… The premier’s antics created the problem in the first place with that 10 per cent cut. A compensating 10 per cent top-up today is the price to pay to help universities get over the hump — through government funding, not a tuition increase (students cannot be expected to pay, given the disruptions of the pandemic).
Tags: budget, economy, ideology, youth
Posted in Education Debates | No Comments »
Canada will have a $1.6-trillion debt by the end of the year due to the pandemic. Here’s why some economists say we shouldn’t sweat it
Sunday, March 7th, 2021
Blessed with historically low interest rates, which show little sign of rising, and one of the healthiest debt-to-GDP ratios in the developed world, Canada cannot only service its pandemic bill, but thrive on the other side, many experts say… there’s little doubt that the country’s economy will bounce back to some extent in post-pandemic times and that the increased revenues produced by that rebound will help lessen the debt’s impact.
Tags: economy, globalization, Health, ideology, participation, standard of living
Posted in Debates | No Comments »
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