Posts Tagged ‘pensions’
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Time to put Flaherty on the spot [ CPP ]
Sunday, December 16th, 2012
Dec. 15, 2012
“Canada’s current social security contributions and payroll taxes are relatively low compared to other OECD countries”… Currently, Canada allocates a mere 5.5 per cent of its economic activity (GDP) to social security and payroll taxes. If all the improvements outlined in the paper were phased in, the percentage would rise to 6.3 per cent… Canada’s contributions would still be low by OECD standards — and remain at the very bottom of the G-7 group of industrialized countries.
Tags: economy, pensions, tax
Posted in Social Security Debates | No Comments »
CPP reform back on the national agenda
Friday, December 14th, 2012
Dec. 14 2012
A calmer economy, continued concerns over lack of savings and new leadership in Alberta and Quebec appear to have changed the political dynamic that had pushed CPP reform onto the back burner of the national agenda… The resistance to CPP changes appears to be weakening.
Tags: economy, ideology, pensions, standard of living
Posted in Social Security Debates | No Comments »
Long-Term care: Let’s have an adult conversation before it’s too late
Thursday, November 22nd, 2012
November 20, 2012
One way to shorten waiting lists and improve value for money could be to give patients a choice between services provided in kind (through subsidized nursing homes or home-care agencies), or a cash grant or voucher that may be used to pay for similar services from private unsubsidized providers.
Tags: budget, disabilities, housing, pensions, standard of living
Posted in Child & Family Policy Context | No Comments »
Time for People with Disabilities to ‘Make the Rules in Our Own Lives’
Monday, November 5th, 2012
November 5, 2012
“Disabled residents… are vulnerable to a provision of community or institutional care that falls below a generally acceptable standard, a situation that does not allow them to live with confidence in safety, with freedom and dignity… The main reason for this is the excessive amount of discretion available to government and contractors respecting the services provided to disabled people.”
Tags: disabilities, ideology, participation, pensions, rights, standard of living
Posted in Equality Debates | No Comments »
Frances Lankin and Munir Sheikh give Ontario an affordable plan to modernize social assistance
Wednesday, October 31st, 2012
October 30, 2012
Not only did the two commissioners… come up with a way to transform Ontario’s social assistance system from an $8.3-billion program that perpetuates poverty into an $8.6-billion strategy that reduces it; they won endorsements from business leaders, health professionals, community activists and social analysts. That is a monumental achievement — but not enough to guarantee its success. Four daunting hurdles stand in the way:
Tags: budget, disabilities, featured, ideology, participation, pensions, poverty, standard of living
Posted in Social Security Policy Context | No Comments »
Wealth, not health care, extends life
Monday, October 15th, 2012
Oct.12, 2012
It has been estimated at least three quarters of the increases in life expectancy in the developed nations over the past 100 years has been due to increased prosperity and improved nutrition, housing, sanitation and work safety. In fact, how much a society spends on health care has not been found to be directly related to any health outcome tested… The effect of income appears to be stronger than many other variables that affect life expectancy
Tags: Health, ideology, mental Health, pensions, poverty
Posted in Equality Policy Context | No Comments »
Young Canadians facing deep declines in standard of living
Saturday, September 29th, 2012
Sep 28 2012
While policies that can create minimum wages and some social housing are important, they do little to help the typical 38-year-old today who has debt that is more than 100 per cent of household income because of housing and tuition costs. A generation ago, the norm was around 40 per cent. So we must look to other policy mechanisms that will reduce time and income pressures as younger Canadians start jobs, careers and homes.
Tags: budget, child care, economy, housing, pensions, poverty, standard of living, youth
Posted in Equality Policy Context | No Comments »
Forget Occupy, the real divide is generational
Saturday, September 22nd, 2012
Sep. 21 2012
Those under 45 are squeezed – squeezed for time at home, and squeezed for money because they’re burdened with higher student debt and paying higher housing prices with lower wages. And when they choose to have kids, they are squeezed for child-care services, which often cost the equivalent of another mortgage… Championing social policy for generations facing tough times is a big part of Canada’s legacy.
Tags: economy, ideology, participation, pensions, poverty, standard of living, youth
Posted in Equality Debates | No Comments »
Hey Occupy, what about the 20%?
Sunday, September 2nd, 2012
September 01, 2012
… public-sector workers now make nearly a third more than their private-sector colleagues when pay, perks and hours of work are factored in… But perhaps the biggest gap between public and private employees comes in their pensions… governments pump more than twice as much per employee into their workers’ pensions as private-sector employers do… yet, even with all this extra money, public-pensions plans are hundreds of billions of dollars in debt. They couldn’t even come close to paying all the pension money they’ve promised without enormous subsidies from taxpayers.
Tags: budget, pensions, privatization, rights, standard of living
Posted in Equality Debates | No Comments »
Happy Labour Day. It’s all pretty grim
Saturday, September 1st, 2012
August 31, 2012
Unions are solidly middle-class institutions. True, their rhetoric may be radical… But in reality, unions are fundamentally conservative. Most today are not trying to break new ground. Instead, they are attempting to hold on — often desperately — to what they have… As unions disappear, so do well-paying, secure jobs. When labour is strong, even non-union shops pay well — just to prevent themselves from being organized… Sadly, much of the middle-class doesn’t recognize the role that unions play in keeping everyone’s wages at livable levels.
Tags: economy, globalization, ideology, pensions, rights, standard of living
Posted in Debates | No Comments »
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