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‘The greatest Machiavellian fraud’: Ontario’s bitter fight over what became OHIP

Wednesday, May 10th, 2023

… the provincial government kept sending signals that it wanted no part of the federal medicare plan scheduled to begin in mid-1968. In November 1967, provincial treasurer Charles MacNaughton mused about opting out and using federal medicare contributions to tackle issues the Robarts government felt were more pressing, such as education and housing. A combination of OMSIP and existing private plans, many believed, was good enough for Ontarians.

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Education isn’t about job training — no matter what Doug Ford wants you to believe

Thursday, April 20th, 2023

… they’ve decided to reshape the province’s education plan, gearing it toward ideas that are more reminiscent of plans for an early 20th-century Fordist or Taylorist factory than a contemporary society… Ontario has one of the best systems in the world, outperforming all other G7 countries on reading and beating all G7 countries except Japan in math and science… If the government wishes to improve education, it can spend more on teachers and reduce class sizes.

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What the new Ontario budget means for those on social assistance

Friday, March 24th, 2023

In this budget, as in all its previous changes to social assistance, the government did not introduce any new funding for the province’s nearly 400,000 Ontario Works beneficiaries. Ontario Works is social assistance for those who are not disabled but cannot work. The program provides a maximum of $733 per month for a single adult, an amount that has not changed since 2018, when the current government halved planned increases . 

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Could free birth control be on the horizon in Ontario? 

Saturday, March 18th, 2023

“The most reliable birth-control choices are the most expensive options, costing $380 upfront,”… “We know that, in this climate, when people are living paycheque to paycheque, they don’t have $380.” … In funding contraception, governments can spend money to save money, says Boulous: “We know that, for every dollar you spend, you get $90 in savings in indirect and direct costs.”

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Federal health minister dings Ontario for private billing

Saturday, March 11th, 2023

Federal health minister Jean-Yves Duclos announced Friday that he will be reducing the Canada Health Transfer to eight provinces, including Ontario, for breaches of federal policy regarding billing patients for medically necessary costs… Further, Duclos signalled that Friday’s announcement will not be the end of the measures the federal government is considering to reinforce the public aspect of Canada’s health-care system.

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‘The rich and everybody else’: Financial inequality in Canada keeps growing 

Thursday, January 26th, 2023

Fifty per cent of  households are earning less than $16,000 to $17,000. That’s even after taxes and transfers and benefits. That gap between the 50 per cent of the population, roughly 8 million people or more, and that top 1 per cent of earners, a very small slice of the working population, is huge. And it’s growing bigger… Capitalism and democracy have always been in contestation. People want votes. People want rights. And they see that, usually, they can’t get them, because there’s a whole bunch of rich people who aren’t willing to do it.

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By the numbers: Here’s the living wage in 10 Ontario regions

Thursday, November 17th, 2022

In Ontario, the minimum wage is now $15.50 per hour, having risen from $15 in October. According to the OLWN, in 2021, the highest living wage was $22.08 for residents in Toronto… “It doesn’t account for debt repayment or saving for education… “we’re talking about the barest living wage for workers to thrive, to have a family, to participate in our society”

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Why hasn’t medical care in Canada included teeth?

Saturday, November 12th, 2022

… when Canada’s Medical Care Act was passed in 1966, only physician services were covered — even though the 1964 Royal Commission on Health Services report (considered the blueprint for Canada’s universal health insurance program) had recommended free dentistry for all children and eventually for all adults. The Canada Dental Benefit, which received parliamentary approval on October 27, will provide free dental care for uninsured Canadians with an annual family income of less than $90,000, starting with children under 12 in December 2022.

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Posted in Health History | 1 Comment »


What a new food-bank reports tells us about deep poverty

Thursday, October 20th, 2022

“We are failing people every step of the way”… Policy-makers have a selection of choices before them to slow or halt that cascade… but they boil down to this: either give people access to more money to buy food or help the charitable sector, like food banks, with more resources to bridge the gap. Right now, Yalnizyan adds, “the governments are doing none of the above.” 

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‘It breaks my heart’: Ontarians on social assistance are struggling even more amid inflation

Tuesday, September 20th, 2022

ODSP recipients recently got a 5 per cent rate increase. But advocates say that doesn’t make up for decades of neglect — or account for sky-high inflation… The PCs have repeatedly said that they will tie future rate increases for ODSP to inflation in law — each rate increase would, therefore, in some way keep up with the actual buying power of what recipients get in each cheque… At time of publication, no legislation to this effect is before the house. 

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