Posts Tagged ‘economy’

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Profit and affordable housing don’t mix. Period

Sunday, May 22nd, 2022

Canada has a long tradition of governments at all levels providing affordable housing. Absent a profit motive, they can, as they once did, provide decent homes at reasonable prices and rents… The profit motive has its place in our mixed economy. But it has failed us in the provision of affordable housing. Housing will not be a human right until we accompany that noble sentiment with an abundance of affordable shelter.

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If I were a car, I’d vote Conservative. But I’m not a car

Sunday, May 22nd, 2022

Do we want a car society, or a caring society? … Yes, we need more hospitals and facilities to care for one another, but a bed without nursing staff is just a mattress.  Yes, we need more child-care facilities and smaller class sizes, but more spaces without trained caregivers is just a warehouse. We can deliver a strong recovery, for everyone. 

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Energy companies profits are through the roof. They should share the wealth

Wednesday, May 18th, 2022

… the government backstopped the financial sector through the pandemic with billions of tax dollars that kept incomes up and the banks’ customers solvent. They benefited from government support, and now it’s time to pay some back… The energy companies are in a similar situation… The government ought to tax away some of the enormous profits pouring into the energy companies and use that money to support those being hit hardest.

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Ontario election: 4 ways Doug Ford has changed the province’s politics

Wednesday, May 18th, 2022

The Ford government’s agenda seems driven by instinct more than ideology… fundamentally reactive, and grounded in relatively short-term perspectives… [Its] most recent legislative moves have sought to further marginalize the roles of local governments in planning matters and to eliminate public consultation requirements as red tape… The overall decision-making model… is based on access, connections and political whim… The focus… on short-term savings for consumers.

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A guaranteed basic income could end poverty, so why isn’t it happening?

Friday, May 13th, 2022

Ontario’s basic income trial illustrated that people with diverse needs reported better personal relationships with friends and family with basic income. In turn, their sense of social inclusion and citizenship improved… Recent cost-benefit analyses have demonstrated that carefully designed cash-based interventions can be cost effective and generate net savings for society. Recipients rely less on social services over time, meaning governments pay less to fund these programs.

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It’s election time and Ontario still chooses not to eliminate poverty

Tuesday, May 10th, 2022

During the campaign, Ontarians will hear a lot of about affordability, except those conversations will not focus on those who can afford the least… no matter who wins this election, people who need social assistance will find themselves in the same place they were in before the election, and the election before that. They will still be in deep, deep poverty. 

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We can’t wait for a national pharmacare plan

Saturday, May 7th, 2022

… five separate commissions have called for a national pharmacare program…  nine in 10 Canadians support implementation of universal, public pharmacare now… Canadians and the health-care workers who serve them desire — and deserve — a health-care system that does not abandon patients the moment they receive a prescription. The time for commissions, studies and reports must be behind us.

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Raising the incomes of the poorest Ontarians

Friday, May 6th, 2022

While the cost of living is going up dramatically, Ontario Works and ODSP rates have been frozen since 2018… more than 843,000 Ontarians are living in deep poverty. / Ontario is in the midst of an affordable housing crisis. / … precarious working conditions… the minimum wage well below the living wage. / Long-term care residents have suffered more than almost any other group in our province during the pandemic.

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CERB is done, and it’s not coming back. Staring down the barrel of a recession gun, how are we going to fix this?

Wednesday, May 4th, 2022

… why not just bring back CERB when recession hits next time? Because it was too generous to be fiscally sustainable over the long run and not politically sustainable due to sectoral labour shortages. But today’s EI is not fit for purpose either. With less than four in 10 jobless workers able to access it, it’s too stingy. However, there is a lot of consensus on how to fix EI…

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7 principles to guide a national dental care program in Canada

Wednesday, May 4th, 2022

There are myriad details here, but at minimum, there appears to be increasing policy, public and political consensus that access to dental care should be made consistent, reliable and equitable for all Canadians across all jurisdictions. As a result, like it is for health care, federal policy leadership is key… we offer these principles to move forward in a healthy way: in the service of Canadians who, for far too long, have been unable to meet their oral health-care needs because of a lack of access to care.

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