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Wake-up call from top judge
Tuesday, August 16th, 2011
Aug 15 2011
Four years ago, Beverley McLachlin, Canada’s chief justice, delivered a blunt warning. “The most advanced justice system in the world is a failure if it does not provide justice to the people it is meant to serve,” she told the Empire Club of Canada. “Unfortunately, many Canadian men and women find themselves unable, mainly for financial reasons, to access the Canadian justice system.”… Governments also must do better. The right to a fair trial is guaranteed in the Constitution. Yet legal aid is offered only to the poorest of the poor. Many services are not covered. Most provinces are cutting funding.
Tags: ideology, privatization, rights, standard of living
Posted in Equality Delivery System | No Comments »
Recession Redux: Time for an Economic Overhaul
Monday, August 15th, 2011
Aug 14 2011
As a social construction, our economy can and must be radically altered. It is clear that the neo-liberal paradigm, with its tax breaks and financial bailouts for the most affluent, is failing not only our societies, but our ecosystems as well… our current economic system does not simply need fine-tuning, it needs a serious and sustained overhaul… It’s time to be compassionate, socially just, and ecologically responsible in the “global village
Posted in Debates | No Comments »
Ageism: it is real and it is wrong
Monday, August 15th, 2011
Aug 14 2011
Until November, [the Law Reform Commission] will hold public consultations for the next three months to make sure nothing is missing or misconceived. A final draft will be released in early 2012.the Law Commission of Ontario… Caregivers routinely assume seniors can’t make their own decisions. Policymakers don’t bother to consult them on issues affecting them. Health-care and social service providers withhold supports to which are entitled. People patronize them, ignore them or exclude them the life of the community.
Tags: disabilities, ideology, poverty, rights, standard of living
Posted in Equality Debates | 1 Comment »
A healthy choice: funding in-vitro fertilization
Monday, August 15th, 2011
Aug 14 2011
This is why the Quebec government’s decision to fund in-vitro fertilization for women having trouble conceiving was wise. It not only acknowledged a deep human need, it took a stand for infant health… Families without free medical care frantically try for multiple embryos, hoping to improve their odds. But twins and triplets “are 17 times more likely to be premature and often require neonatal treatment and special care throughout their lives, taxing the health care system,”
Tags: budget, Health, ideology, privatization, rights, women
Posted in Child & Family Debates | 1 Comment »
The lessons of Britain’s rainbow riots
Thursday, August 11th, 2011
August 11, 2011
In 2008, Roy McMurtry, former chief justice, wrote a report on youth crimes: “The sense of nothing to lose and no way out that roils within such youth creates an ever-present danger.” … doing the slow and painful work of creating a more equitable society is more difficult than finding scapegoats and fanning fears. Stephen Harper is building $9 billion worth of jails when the crime rate is going down. Mayor Rob Ford wants to cut funds to libraries and grassroots organizations rather than trim the bloated police payroll. And Ontario Conservative leader Tim Hudak is promising chain gangs.
Tags: crime prevention, economy, ideology, poverty, standard of living
Posted in Inclusion Debates | No Comments »
Long-term decline of a great party
Thursday, August 11th, 2011
Aug 10 2011
… the actual Liberal vote has declined in every election but one since 1993… One oft-repeated attribute of this Liberal “brand” is that the party is centrist, moderate and progressive… To be centrist or moderate, some other party must first define what is left and right. This is hardly the basis for bold, visionary leadership. As far as “progressive” goes, it is one of the most broadly used and ill-defined political terms… To create electoral contrast, this became twisted into thinking that every problem could only be solved by a new government program.
Tags: ideology, participation
Posted in Governance History | No Comments »
A better way to pay
Wednesday, August 10th, 2011
Aug 09 2011
It is rare that administrative savings and the best interests of welfare recipients go hand in hand. Getting rid of paper cheques, which are increasingly expensive to administer, will save the city at least $1 million a year… For the some 35,000 welfare recipients who can’t get bank accounts, it will mean a welcome end to paying high cheque-cashing fees… Ultimately, the biggest problem with welfare is not the cheque itself but the sum, which is too low to live on with any dignity, and the punitive, rules-bound system that impedes a recipient’s transition to the workforce and self-sufficiency.
Tags: ideology, poverty, tax
Posted in Social Security Debates | No Comments »
Debit cards to replace welfare cheques
Wednesday, August 10th, 2011
Aug 08 2011
Toronto will soon become the first major Canadian city to permanently replace the iconic welfare cheque with a debit card, a move that will produce savings for both Ontario Works recipients and a government that is itself scrounging for cash. About 65,000 of Toronto’s recipients receive their payments via direct bank deposit. Many of the 35,000 who receive cheques do not have bank accounts, and many cash the cheques at payday lending outlets that charge high fees they can scarcely afford.
Tags: budget, poverty
Posted in Social Security Delivery System | No Comments »
The dark heart of England
Wednesday, August 10th, 2011
Aug 09 2011
If you have a job or one day dream of having a job, you cling to a respectability that might pay off eventually. But there will never be jobs for these people. You cannot scare them… Try living there on welfare benefits. Imagine losing them and spending your days in a state of semi-controlled desperation. How do you feed your last grain of self-esteem? You riot… Nobody cares about the poor, especially when they turn thuggish and ungrateful… It’s easier to report on the flames and who lit the fire. But why did they light the fire in the first place?
Tags: crime prevention, economy, featured, ideology, poverty
Posted in Inclusion Policy Context | 1 Comment »
Dream of affordable justice fades
Wednesday, August 10th, 2011
Aug 09 2011
Government cutbacks have forced legal aid providers to restrict their services to all but the abjectly poor… The lion’s share of the money — 75 per cent in Ontario — is earmarked for criminal cases. That means there is little to no help available to deal with family breakups, child custody wrangles, eviction orders, mortgage foreclosures and the aftermath of natural disasters.
Tags: budget, poverty, rights, standard of living
Posted in Equality Delivery System | No Comments »
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