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Where is the big idea in this election?
Monday, October 7th, 2019
… what would happen if our parties were focused not just on giving things to the middle class, but instead giving something for the middle class to believe in? Some say national pharmacare is just that: a vision for a changed society in which no Canadian goes without the medication she or he needs.
Tags: economy, Health, housing, ideology, participation, pharmaceutical, standard of living
Posted in Equality Debates | No Comments »
Report aims to put poverty on the agenda in federal election campaign
Monday, October 7th, 2019
… the problem persists in all 338 federal ridings, with First Nations and recent immigrant children impacted the most… In the 68 ridings with the highest rates of child poverty, an average of 32 per cent of children — more than 400,000 — are growing up poor… Twenty-nine ridings with the highest child poverty rates are in Ontario, with 14 of them in Toronto.
Tags: budget, economy, Health, housing, ideology, participation, poverty, standard of living
Posted in Social Security Debates | 1 Comment »
Strike-averting deal with Ontario education workers includes $20M to bring back laid off support staff
Monday, October 7th, 2019
The provincial government will spend $20 million a year to ensure support staff who were laid off last month return to Ontario schools — and remain there for the next three years — and another $58 million annually to help create more support for special education students… educational assistants, early childhood educators, custodians and office staff — also retained all sick day benefits…
Tags: budget, child care, ideology, standard of living, youth
Posted in Education Delivery System | No Comments »
Canadian doctors say political activism part of their jobs on issues affecting health
Monday, October 7th, 2019
Greater activism by physicians is “coming out of all corners right now,” Bloch said. “Doctors, on the one hand, sense their limits. But they are very aware that if they only use their traditional tool boxes they will only get so far in improving people’s health… doctors are quite aware of their privileged voice and many physicians feel some responsibility to use that privileged voice for social good.”
Tags: Health, ideology, mental Health, participation
Posted in Health Debates | No Comments »
Reversing cuts is just the start of what the Ford government needs to do
Friday, October 4th, 2019
Ontario’s social assistance system keeps nearly one million people living in abject poverty. It offers far too few pathways out of it. And the government has not reversed some of its other changes that have made decent low-skill jobs even harder to find. Ford kept Ontario’s minimum wage from rising to $15 an hour, as it was scheduled to do, and rolled back labour reforms designed to improve the lot of workers who need the most protection.
Tags: budget, disabilities, economy, featured, ideology, participation, standard of living
Posted in Governance Debates | No Comments »
Reversal of provincial welfare cuts hailed as victory for municipalities and advocates
Friday, October 4th, 2019
Municipalities, along with refugee services, community agencies and health care providers warned that without the monthly benefit of up to $230 per child, these low-income families would be forced into homelessness… But… the relief may be short-lived, adding the government’s “open-ended social services review remains a cause for serious concern and ongoing vigilance.”
Tags: budget, disabilities, ideology, participation, poverty, standard of living
Posted in Social Security Debates | No Comments »
Scheer is wrong to turn back the clock on Senate reform
Thursday, October 3rd, 2019
Scheer apparently prefers straight-up political patronage and says he’ll appoint Conservative senators “who would help implement a Conservative vision for Canada.” No sober second thought there. Just rubber-stamping and, no doubt, more of the embarrassing antics that long made the Senate one of the most reviled institutions in Canada.
Tags: ideology, jurisdiction, Senate
Posted in Governance Debates | No Comments »
Ford government cancels $28-million budget cut to children’s aid societies, wants to ‘listen and learn’
Thursday, October 3rd, 2019
For the past several years, the government has in essence clawed back money from a society’s budget to basically force administrative efficiencies, such as reducing costs by cutting overhead or sharing services with another agency. Last year, efficiency clawbacks from agencies totalled $10 million overall. This year, the budget clawback is $15 million.
Tags: budget, child care, featured, youth
Posted in Child & Family Delivery System | 2 Comments »
Ford government cancels planned cuts to social assistance payments
Thursday, October 3rd, 2019
The Ford government is scrapping controversial cuts to welfare for vulnerable children and adults with part-time jobs as part of a broader review of Ontario’s social assistance system… Each month, the Transition Child Benefit helps an average of 32,000 children whose families are either not receiving the Ontario Child Benefit and the Canada Child Benefit or are not getting the full amount.
Tags: budget, ideology, poverty, standard of living
Posted in Social Security Policy Context | 2 Comments »
Addressing social needs is a bold new way to improve health care
Thursday, October 3rd, 2019
… known as the Social Medicine Initiative… Its goal is to address poverty and homelessness issues faced by many people… and in doing so improve their health levels… The aim of the initiative is to co-ordinate systems so it’s “easier for patients to access the services they need,” thus reducing the number of patients who require higher levels of care and decreasing the burden on the overall health and social services systems.
Tags: featured, Health, homelessness, ideology, mental Health, poverty
Posted in Health Debates | No Comments »
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