Posts Tagged ‘disabilities’
In my next teacher-parent meeting, my focus will be the teacher. Here’s why
Tuesday, December 10th, 2024
Since Premier Doug Ford came to power in 2018, school board funding has dropped a stunning $1,500 per student, on average, when adjusted for inflation. The increase in class sizes and the introduction of mandatory online courses have resulted in the province having 5,000 fewer teachers than it would otherwise… With Ontario asking teachers to do more with less and blaming them for the shortfalls of underfunded schools, recruitment and retention will only become more challenging.
Tags: budget, disabilities, jurisdiction, mental Health, standard of living
Posted in Education Delivery System | No Comments »
Massive tobacco settlement at risk of being misused
Tuesday, December 10th, 2024
The settlement provides financial restitution to class-action claimants and allocates funds to a vaguely defined research foundation. But where are the funds for front-line solutions? … To ensure [meaningful change], provinces must direct funds toward lung health programs, tax all nicotine products, close gaps in vaping regulation, and institute ongoing cost-recovery fees… ensuring that the funds are allocated where they’re needed most: to education, prevention, and treatment programs that advance lung health.
Tags: budget, disabilities, Health, jurisdiction, standard of living
Posted in Health Debates | No Comments »
Stream of election gimmicks and promises will violate our human rights obligations
Friday, November 29th, 2024
All of these proposals rely on borrowing money so it can be sent to many people who don’t need it… Meanwhile, homelessness, food insecurity, and poverty are on the rise, and this comes with both immediate and long-term costs. Governments would be wise to invest every extra dollar they have in proven solutions, such as a stronger income security system and non-market housing sector… our governments [are] obligated to steer our society toward the fulfillment of everyone’s human rights…
Tags: budget, disabilities, poverty, rights
Posted in Governance Debates | No Comments »
Why the Canada Disability Benefit won’t end disability poverty, and how it could
Thursday, November 28th, 2024
It won’t be a game-changer, but it could help many if eligibility and access expand and clawbacks are not allowed to erode possibly its entire value… Though the benefit will not fill the poverty gap for hundreds of thousands of people, it could still reduce their depth of poverty… If it is intended to fill the poverty gaps in provincial and territorial social-assistance programs, the benefit amount should reflect that… Poverty is a policy choice – one that is inconsistent with Canada’s human-rights obligations.
Tags: disabilities, poverty, rights, standard of living
Posted in Social Security Policy Context | No Comments »
It’s not too late to fix a government benefit that could lift thousands more Canadians out of poverty
Tuesday, November 26th, 2024
… its very design ensures that [the Canada Disability Benefit] will help far too few people in need. There are two key reasons for its underwhelming impact: unnecessarily restrictive eligibility criteria, and the wildly insufficient size of the benefit… The CRA applies rigid, and often arbitrary criteria, to establish eligibility — especially with respect to mental health conditions and chronic illness… The other critical flaw in the Canada Disability Benefit’s design is the woefully low benefit of only $2,400 per year.
Tags: disabilities, featured, Health, participation, poverty, standard of living
Posted in Social Security Debates | No Comments »
Toronto hospital to open permanent supportive housing apartments for homeless people
Monday, October 7th, 2024
A new housing project for those who live on the streets and frequently end up in the emergency room is set to welcome its first residents in Toronto this month, supported by one of the largest hospital networks in Canada… The hope is that the project will ease pressures on hospitals while also providing stable care for vulnerable individuals… [and] a playbook for other jurisdictions or other partnerships between every level of government, between hospital and community, to try to advance concrete solutions for people
Tags: disabilities, Health, homelessness, housing, mental Health
Posted in Inclusion Delivery System | No Comments »
We’re doctors. This is the glaring hole we see in our national health care conversation
Thursday, October 3rd, 2024
Eliminating out-of-pocket costs for medications used to treat diabetes, cardiovascular disease and chronic respiratory conditions would result in 220,000 fewer ER visits and 90,000 less hospital stays annually, saving the health care system $1.2 billion a year… Unaffordable drugs invoke worry, helplessness and dread and creates a potentially damaging dependency. Granted, it’s difficult to assign a savings to the emotional costs currently being paid, but it’s intellectually dishonest to not even mention them.
Tags: disabilities, featured, Health, ideology, mental Health, pharmaceutical, poverty, standard of living
Posted in Health Debates | No Comments »
Six key takeaways from Welfare in Canada, 2023
Monday, September 16th, 2024
Total welfare incomes were deeply inadequate across Canada in 2023. Increases to social assistance benefits between 2018 and 2023 were uneven across jurisdictions. Very few jurisdictions have indexed benefits and tax credits to inflation as of 2023… Provinces and territories should invest in higher social assistance benefits and tax-delivered income supports. Governments at all levels should index all social assistance benefits and tax-delivered benefits or credits to inflation where they don’t already do so.
Tags: budget, disabilities, featured, jurisdiction, poverty, standard of living
Posted in Social Security Policy Context | No Comments »
Paramedics treating patients’ palliative needs at home benefits everyone
Monday, August 12th, 2024
… paramedics, with some extra training, can provide patient-centred care in the homes of people living with cancer and other life-limiting conditions. It is intended to make patients as comfortable as possible as they spend their last days at home, which is where most Canadians say they’d prefer to die… evidence clearly shows that enabling paramedics to provide home-based palliative care when appropriate creates a substantial benefit for everyone involved — classic win-win-win for patients, health-care providers and health-care systems.
Tags: disabilities, Health, jurisdiction, Seniors
Posted in Child & Family Policy Context | No Comments »
Nearly half of dementia cases can be prevented or delayed, a major new study suggests. Here’s how
Friday, August 2nd, 2024
We need policymakers to take a “population health approach” to preventing dementia… That includes ensuring equitable access to community services, such as group exercise programs, and medical devices… hearing aids, for example… Livingston’s team outlined 13 population-level recommendations for policymakers, addressing each of dementia’s 14 modifiable risk factors.
Tags: disabilities, economy, Health, mental Health, Seniors, standard of living
Posted in Health Policy Context | No Comments »
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