Posts Tagged ‘poverty’

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Inequality means we’re not all in this together

Thursday, July 30th, 2020

The pandemic showed us that challenging the status quo is essential in tackling the inequalities we see today across Canada. Certain policies and interventions implemented at different scales across North America have proven both feasible and practical… They should not disappear after the pandemic subsides. There is nothing radical about housing the homeless, preventing drug overdoses, feeding the hungry, increasing minimum wages, or reducing prison populations. These measures are urgently needed and are simply humane. They should be our “new normal” in Canada moving forward.

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Posted in Equality Policy Context | No Comments »


Ontario Should Streamline Path Off Welfare With More Carrot, Less Stick

Thursday, July 30th, 2020

… the province of Ontario has the worst dependency rate on social assistance programs in Canada… Ontario Works (OW) and the Ontario Disability Support Program (ODSP) – have been characterized by high costs and poor recipient outcomes. With about one million Ontarians receiving social assistance benefits… the average dependency duration on OW has substantially increased from 19 months in 2009 to 35 months in 2018.

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Posted in Social Security Policy Context | No Comments »


ER doctors gave cellphones to their patients and results were stunning

Wednesday, July 15th, 2020

COVID-19 has brought homelessness, social isolation, poverty, and other determinants of health into sharp focus. We think putting digital equity at the centre of care helps address urgent health imperatives, provide some human dignity, and be the first step toward improving the health and wellness of the most marginalized in our society.

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Posted in Inclusion Delivery System | No Comments »


Ontario Eliminating the Practice of Birth Alerts

Wednesday, July 15th, 2020

Birth alerts are notifications sent by children’s aid societies to hospitals when they believe a newborn may be in need of protection… It has been reported the practice of birth alerts disproportionately affects racialized and marginalized mothers and families. Expectant mothers can be deterred from seeking prenatal care or parenting supports while pregnant due to fears of having a birth alert issued.

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Posted in Child & Family Delivery System | No Comments »


Canada needs to start taking long-term care more seriously

Saturday, July 11th, 2020

There is a consensus developing among provincial politicians and advocates for senior citizens that only Ottawa can provide the funding needed to better train and better pay care workers… But if Ottawa is going to pony up, then it can and should set national standards.

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Posted in Inclusion Policy Context | No Comments »


Lasting programs needed to cure our social wounds

Thursday, July 9th, 2020

COVID-19 is laying bare the consequences of four decades of neoliberal social policy choices… The poverty, homelessness and precarious work we tolerate and try to bury under inadequate social supports. The entrenched historical structural inequities like racism and sexism we sweep under the carpet but are the driving determinants of who is most negatively impacted by COVID-19 and most other illnesses.

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Posted in Health Policy Context, Social Security Policy Context | No Comments »


COVID-19 could change the way we feed Canadians

Monday, July 6th, 2020

In responding to the challenges brought on by COVID-19, government, food producers, and the charities that support Canadians with food came together with unprecedented urgency ­–­ and now is not the time to lose the progress we’ve made… The most effective interventions during this crisis have been the boldest ones – the system-wide changes that strike at the heart of the problem, instead of efforts that tinker around the margins.

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Posted in Inclusion Delivery System | No Comments »


Ontario Provides Additional Funding to Support Municipalities and Urban Indigenous Community Partners

Friday, July 3rd, 2020

Municipalities and urban Indigenous community partners will be able to use this funding for long-term, innovative housing solutions resulting from the COVID-19 outbreak. They can renovate shelters or purchase new facilities that will help with physical distancing in the short term and support longer-term, more sustainable solutions to homelessness… to provide vulnerable people with food, shelter and supplies.

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Posted in Governance Delivery System | No Comments »


Defining disability for social assistance in Ontario: Options for moving forward

Tuesday, June 30th, 2020

A stable and well-functioning social support system for people with disabilities in financial need will be crucial during and after the crisis. This report explores the role of ODSP, the risks of narrowing the definition of disability, models of disability assessment from other jurisdictions, and alternative ways that the government could reform the program… A simplified assessment system would save time and money for applicants, medical professionals, legal clinics, adjudicators, and the Social Benefits Tribunal.

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Posted in Social Security Policy Context | No Comments »


Argue against the CERB all you want — this is why you’re wrong

Thursday, June 18th, 2020

If the government’s experts are able to repair EI’s weaknesses and blend that system with pandemic income supports to nurse a full recovery, they’ll be providing a crucial backstop for the middle class for years to come. But for now, the focus on emergency help for the pandemic’s most vulnerable victims is a necessary priority.

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Posted in Debates | No Comments »


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