Posts Tagged ‘pensions’
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OCUFA’s Adamson responds to Globe and Mail columnist Wente
Wednesday, December 7th, 2011
Dec. 7, 2011
Ms. Wente is dead wrong when she claims that the rising cost of tuition is due to unfunded pension liabilities. Tuition has gone up because governments are no longer funding higher education adequately, and students have been asked to pick up the slack. Per-student government funding in Ontario is now 25 per cent less than it was in 1990. Over the same period, enrolment has increased by nearly 60 per cent. It doesn’t take a math major to figure out why students are paying more.
Tags: budget, participation, pensions, standard of living, youth
Posted in Education Debates | No Comments »
Pension ponzi is a raw deal for students
Wednesday, December 7th, 2011
Dec. 06, 2011
Across the country, universities are cutting back on programs to pay for soaring operating costs. The fastest-growing cost is frequently the pension fund. Cumulatively, university pension funds are billions in the hole. And in order to bail them out, or at least get them back above water, universities are being forced to divert substantial chunks of money from their operating funds. In effect, the students and taxpayers are on the hook for the generous pension promises made to faculty, staff and retirees. And they have pension deals the younger generation can only dream of.
Tags: budget, pensions, standard of living, youth
Posted in Education Debates | No Comments »
Trends in Canada’s Payroll Taxes
Wednesday, November 30th, 2011
Nov. 29, 2011
Over the years, EI premiums have declined considerably overall, while CPP contributions have risen. However, the combined amount of payroll taxes has risen only modestly, mainly in the first half of the 1990s. And since 2002, maximum combined payroll taxes have remained roughly level at around $2,900 in gross terms and $2,500 in net (after federal tax credit) terms. Canada’s payroll taxes are low by international standards.
Tags: economy, ideology, pensions, standard of living, tax
Posted in Policy Context | No Comments »
Greed didn’t accomplish medicare, better pensions
Tuesday, November 29th, 2011
Nov. 28, 2011
… “Our free-enterprise system is the engine that drives our economy…if we didn’t have greed, then there would be little if any progress.”… Many philosophies teach that the love of money (greed) is the root of all evil… Those of us who have good-paying jobs with hard fought-for benefits are able to make their way into our ever abundant, consumer-driven society. Some people, the “one-per centers,” have been known to accomplish this and much more by crawling over the backs of others. Real progress in our society comes from the selfless acts of those who extend themselves to help others without any expectation of return.
Tags: Health, ideology, pensions, standard of living
Posted in Debates | No Comments »
How Ottawa’s pension reform short-changes the young
Saturday, November 19th, 2011
Nov 18 2011
… an expansion of the CPP is the best way to deal with the 60 per cent of workers – particularly younger workers in non-union shops – who have no other pension plan. It doesn’t rely on the good intentions of employers… And by taking the strain from programs like Old Age Security, it saves taxpayers money… But many employers don’t like the idea because it would require premiums to rise. Financial institutions fear an expanded public pension plan would eat into their profits. And politicians are nervous about anything that might resemble a tax increase.
Tags: economy, pensions, standard of living, youth
Posted in Social Security Policy Context | No Comments »
Tom Kent: A life of purpose
Saturday, November 19th, 2011
Nov 17 2011
… intellectuals think conceptually, debate vociferously the arcane implications of theory, and are happiest in the library. Activists, on the other hand, while motivated by ideas, battle for their values in the public policy arena, by mobilizing supporters, outmanoeuvring opponents, creating organizations and winning elections. Tom Kent dedicated his life to both strands of activity; he thought superbly and acted vigorously. The result is programs like medicare and the Canada Pension Plan, which help millions of Canadians every day.
Tags: Health, ideology, pensions, rights, standard of living
Posted in Governance History | No Comments »
Raising a disabled child takes a village (and an RDSP)
Wednesday, November 16th, 2011
Nov. 16, 2011
In practical terms, the RDSP allows parents of special needs children to save for that day when they’ll no longer be able to care for their disabled offspring…. Canada may do well in the employment integration of the disabled, but for children such as ours, who are likely to never live an autonomous life, let alone work, disability-related public spending measures are dismal.
Tags: budget, disabilities, pensions, poverty, standard of living
Posted in Child & Family Delivery System | 2 Comments »
Middle class is key to economic recovery, Rae says
Wednesday, November 9th, 2011
Nov 09 2011
“The Occupy movement is a powerful reflection of what happens when trust breaks down. But it’s more,” Rae says in his speech. “While it’s often seen as just a protest movement of the marginalized, it’s also speaking to a clear sense among the middle-class people around the world that the government is not in their corner; that it has stopped fighting for them.”
Tags: economy, housing, ideology, participation, pensions, standard of living
Posted in Governance Debates | No Comments »
Disability tax credit plan a too well-kept secret
Friday, October 28th, 2011
Oct. 26, 2011
It’s hard to criticize Ottawa, along with the major banks, when it comes to the generosity and promotion of the Registered Disability-Savings Plan… Yet, in the three years since the program was announced, just 48,000 accounts have been opened, serving only a fraction of those eligible. So last week the Conservative government, to its credit again because it was the Tories that started this ball rolling, announced a review of the plan. The public has until Dec. 16 to comment… only 5% cent of Canadians with disabilities hold RDSP accounts. Another 44% of those with disabilities had never heard about the plan.
Tags: disabilities, pensions, rights, standard of living, tax
Posted in Social Security Delivery System | 2 Comments »
Canada urged to end ‘pension apartheid’
Friday, October 28th, 2011
Oct 28, 2011
… a new book published by Wiley Canada – Pension Ponzi… depicts a system of “pension apartheid” that favours 20% of workers with unionnegotiated public-sector DB plans at the expense of the rest who guarantee those pensions through their future taxes. Most penalized are new Canadians, the self-employed, the chronically unemployed and those who have suffered market losses in RRSPs or prematurely withdrawn funds from them.
Tags: ideology, pensions, rights, standard of living, tax
Posted in Debates | No Comments »
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