Posts Tagged ‘featured’

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National child-care system must support child-care workers

Thursday, May 20th, 2021

ECEs are the heart of the child-care system; without them, there is no system. Women’s economic empowerment can only be realized through policy that aligns the interests of working parents with those of child-care workers. The well-being of children, the quality of the care they receive, and the ability of parents to work all depend on the essential child-care workforce.

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Posted in Child & Family Delivery System | 1 Comment »


Broadcast Act changes are not about freedom of speech

Wednesday, May 12th, 2021

Free speech is not the same as freedom to broadcast or freedom from accountability. Advocates for an absolutist definition of free speech that includes the freedom to exploit modern technology without consequence ignore the deleterious effects of this world view on broader society… It could be used for the benefit of humanity, but not without some dramatic changes to current terms of acceptable use. Unrestricted access to the most powerful broadcasting platform in history is nobody’s right.

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Posted in Governance Policy Context | No Comments »


Making the Case for Universal Basic Income

Monday, May 10th, 2021

The idea of providing a fixed income for all members of society to meet their basic needs and, in doing so, escape cycles of poverty, instability and ill health, is… a well-studied and financially viable option that would benefit Canada’s economy and social fabric immensely… Basic income programs are not tied to employment, and, unlike welfare and disability assistance, they do not require constant monitoring to determine eligibility and deservedness… basic income is about freedom. Not the freedom of unregulated capitalism… that prioritizes corporations above people — but a more expansive, human one.

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Posted in Inclusion Policy Context | No Comments »


Trudeau should join Biden in rejecting suffocating ‘trickle-down’ economics

Thursday, May 6th, 2021

Trudeau has shown some spine against the deficit hawks, but he has been timid about joining Biden’s campaign to tax the wealthy… Too bad. We could sure use the money to pay for needed programs. Besides, when nations co-operate, corporations have a hard time playing us off against each other in pushing for ever-lower taxes… if other countries follow the U.S. in policing their corporations this way “it’s the end of tax havens.”

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Posted in Governance Debates | No Comments »


Spending big money is responsible – when it protects our human rights

Friday, April 30th, 2021

In extraordinary times such as these, it is important to put the dignity of people first, even if the government has to shoulder the fiscal burden on our behalf… our primary concern should not be about how much will be spent, but rather about how that spending will support a dignified life for each person and community it serves. Not, how much does it cost? But rather, what will we get for it?… It is the government’s duty to spend – and spend big – to support our economic and social rights.

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Posted in Governance Debates | No Comments »


Universities are dying while businesses are being bailed out by government

Tuesday, April 27th, 2021

We need to demand decent levels of government funding for all Ontario universities, especially underfunded Northern Ontario universities, which collectively receive only 4.2 per cent of all Ontario university students. Even a one-percent boost, encouraged by subsidized residences and meal plans would have meant a guaranteed future for Laurentian, and would have avoided this current crisis.

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Posted in Education Debates | No Comments »


Laurentian University crisis a story of political interference and defunding of education

Friday, April 23rd, 2021

After Romano’s hatchet job, what’s left standing is a business plan barely disguised as an educational mandate…. The grim reality is that Laurentian isn’t an isolated case. When you squeeze public funding from universities, administrators turn to revenue sources that are unstable, and threaten equitable access, academic freedom and quality. Increasingly, universities have had to rely on tuition, the labour of underpaid contract instructors, international students and private donors to replace government funding.

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Posted in Education Debates | No Comments »


How to create a paid sick leave plan for Ontario

Thursday, April 22nd, 2021

The goal of any sick leave program is, above all, to allow people who have COVID-19, have been exposed to it, or think they may have it, to stay home and not spread the disease to their co-workers. Nothing else matters… any program must be just as simple and straightforward as the existing sick leave plans 40% of us enjoy… paid sick leave legislation need not be complicated: it has existed before in Ontario, and very recently

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Budget 2021 analysis: Does it deliver?

Wednesday, April 21st, 2021

About two-thirds of the spending is short-term, related to COVID-19 and the final third carries over to the third year. The programs that extend to the long-term are child care (for which this budget is transformative), long-term care, some business supports and some environmental measures (around clean fuel and climate adaptation)… a historically large budget, but it’s within Canada’s ability to both deal with the impact of a global pandemic and to plant the seeds for a public-led recovery.

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Posted in Governance Policy Context | No Comments »


Laurentian’s senior leadership and Minister of Colleges and Universities should step down in wake of financial crisis

Wednesday, April 14th, 2021

The devastating cuts at Laurentian are the direct result of negligence on the part of Minister Romano, who was well aware of the financial challenges Laurentian was facing at least six months before they became public. Faculty no longer believe that Romano is listening to their concerns, or those of staff or students. As a result of the Minister’s inaction, Ontario’s university faculty and academic librarians have lost confidence and trust in Romano’s commitment to the university sector.

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Posted in Education Delivery System | No Comments »


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