poverty « Social Policy in Ontario

Posts Tagged ‘poverty’

Ontario’s cuts to legal aid will hurt the poorest

Saturday, April 20th, 2019

It’s hard to fathom the fallout from the Ford government’s short-sighted decision to slash Legal Aid Ontario’s already inadequate budget by 30 per cent. The agency, established to provide legal services to the province’s most vulnerable citizens, was struggling to meet the need even before this. Its budget was so squeezed, in fact, that it could represent only people who are making less than about $17,000 a year. That’s far below the poverty line.
Even then, coverage was limited.

Tags: budget, ideology, jurisdiction, participation, poverty, rights, standard of living
Posted in Child & Family Delivery System | No Comments »

Provincial legal aid cuts are senseless economic and social policy

Friday, April 19th, 2019

Defending the cuts, the attorney general states “there are two stakeholders that must always be front-of-mind: the clients LAO serves and the taxpayers who pay the bills.” But neither stakeholder is served by the cuts. The cuts certainly do not serve legal aid clients… The cuts also do not serve taxpayers… The court system will be further weighed down with subsequent appeals in these matters to fix the damage caused by initial subpar representation.

Tags: budget, featured, ideology, jurisdiction, participation, poverty, rights, standard of living
Posted in Equality Debates | No Comments »

Province pledges $1 billion for social housing, plans to restrict access to wait-lists

Wednesday, April 17th, 2019

Ontario has pledged to invest $1 billion to help repair social housing and reduce homelessness and plans to propose new rules restricting access to housing wait-lists, including a cap on how much potential tenants can be worth financially… Housing providers will also be empowered to “turn away tenants” who have been evicted for criminal activity… to reduce crime and gang-related violence in community housing so that all residents feel safer in their home,”

Tags: budget, housing, ideology, poverty
Posted in Inclusion Delivery System | No Comments »

Lawyers condemn Doug Ford government cuts to legal-aid funding

Saturday, April 13th, 2019

A large cut to legal-aid funding from Ontario’s Progressive Conservative government will leave some of the province’s most vulnerable and impoverished people without proper representation in court, lawyers warn, while also slashing Legal Aid Ontario’s budget for refugee and immigration cases by two-thirds… the cuts will mean more courtroom delays and a lack of legal help for people fleeing oppressive regimes, fighting for the custody of their kids or facing other court proceedings.

Tags: budget, ideology, poverty, rights, standard of living
Posted in Equality Delivery System | No Comments »

Changing disability definition a dangerous mistake that will harm thousands

Monday, April 8th, 2019

The government is holding consultations on these changes right now. We do not know who has been invited. And we have no commitment that what they are told will be made public… it should leave anyone who cares about those who suffer from arthritis, multiple sclerosis, cancer, mental illness, addictions, and many other conditions that can disable people intermittently, or from which they may recover in a few years, extremely worried.

Tags: disabilities, economy, Health, mental Health, participation, poverty
Posted in Policy Context | No Comments »

Ontario’s low-income tax credit gives fewer benefits than minimum-wage hike, watchdog says

Tuesday, April 2nd, 2019

The Ontario government’s new low-income tax credit provides fewer benefits than the cancelled minimum-wage increase, and will add $1.9-billion to the deficit, according to a new report from the province’s fiscal watchdog… On average, minimum-wage workers will receive about $400 less per year under the new plan… Under the proposed minimum-wage increase, 1.3 million people would have benefited, and received a net after-tax benefit of $810, the report said.

Tags: budget, economy, ideology, poverty, standard of living
Posted in Debates | No Comments »

Maytree’s roundup of the federal government’s 2019 budget

Thursday, March 28th, 2019

The highlights of the budget included support for first-time home buyers, retraining during working-age, retirement security, and funding for a national drugs agency to start initial work on important parts of a (potential) pharmacare program… also a significant investment in Indigenous communities and reconciliation.

Tags: budget, economy, housing, ideology, Indigenous, pharmaceutical, poverty
Posted in Governance Policy Context | No Comments »

Ontario health care reform success depends on social assistance system

Thursday, March 28th, 2019

To develop strong wrap-around supports in health care, social assistance service managers (the entities that broadly administer social assistance in municipalities) should be identified as partners for Ontario Health Teams… If the government has truly taken to putting people at the centre of reform, this is a unique opportunity where changes in social assistance and health care could be complementary, not contradictory.

Tags: Health, ideology, poverty
Posted in Health Debates | No Comments »

Death knell for basic income: How participants will spend their last cheque

Monday, March 25th, 2019

The goal was to see if regular payments with few conditions would give people living in poverty the security and opportunity to reach their full potential. The project aimed to measure the basic income’s impact on food security, health, housing, education and employment. It was also testing whether a basic income would be a simpler and more economical way to deliver social assistance, a program mired in rules and bureaucracy.

Tags: budget, Health, housing, ideology, participation, poverty, standard of living
Posted in Social Security Debates | No Comments »

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Social Policy in Ontario