standard of living « Social Policy in Ontario

Posts Tagged ‘standard of living’

A small group of Canadians are living it up. The rest of us are struggling. Welcome to the K-shaped economy

Saturday, March 28th, 2026

… Between [1999] and 2023, the top 10 per cent of wealthiest households in Canada have seen their net worth surge by 195 per cent. The bottom 10 per cent… has seen its wealth contract outright, by 43 per cent… We need to get a better grip on how wealth grows, who owns it, where it’s stored and where it’s hidden… And the potentially toxic social effects of such a disparity in possibility continue to fester.

Tags: economy, featured, ideology, participation, poverty, standard of living, tax
Posted in Equality Debates | No Comments »

How the Top One Per Cent Threaten Canada’s Future

Monday, March 23rd, 2026

A modest wealth tax that affects only Canadians with over $10 million in net wealth could raise nearly $40 billion annually. Ninety-nine per cent of Canadians would not pay it. Similar taxes are already in place in Norway, Switzerland and Spain, and California is currently considering a one-time wealth tax on billionaires. Canada is also the only country in the G7 without an inheritance or estate tax.

Tags: economy, featured, globalization, ideology, standard of living, tax
Posted in Equality Policy Context | No Comments »

What’s the future of virtual health care in Ontario? Despite funding cutback, it may have taken root

Monday, March 23rd, 2026

“Physicians aren’t able to provide the same level of care at a 50 per cent reduced rate,” Cherniak says. Still, three years after Ontario’s cutback, virtual care is catching on… even without doctors: Ontario Health’s annual report from a year ago cites as a highlight that more than 31,800 patients “connected to nurse practitioners through regional virtual urgent care clinics, with only four per cent referred to emergency departments.”

Tags: budget, Health, jurisdiction, participation, standard of living
Posted in Health Delivery System | 1 Comment »

Reduced Fees, Rising Waitlists: Early Lessons from Canada’s Childcare Plan

Thursday, March 19th, 2026

To strengthen the program’s impact, the authors recommend expanding licensed childcare spaces, particularly in underserved areas, improving wages and working conditions for early childhood educators, and introducing more flexible supports – such as an income-tested refundable tax credit – for families relying on non-subsidized care.

Tags: child care, participation, poverty, standard of living, women
Posted in Child & Family Delivery System | 29 Comments »

‘It’s chronic disease, stupid!’ The central challenge facing health care

Friday, February 20th, 2026

A well-integrated interprofessional health-care system, rooted in primary care and configured to support patients with chronic conditions and their informal caregivers, has the potential to improve health outcomes, curb health-care spending and reduce reliance on hospital care… Government policies that fail to meaningfully support public health and social safety nets ultimately drive higher chronic disease rates and greater downstream health-care costs.

Tags: economy, Health, mental Health, poverty, Seniors, standard of living
Posted in Health Delivery System | No Comments »

Why Ontario’s measles outbreak highlights our need for a vaccine registry

Thursday, February 12th, 2026

Ontario’s measles outbreak has laid bare how vulnerable we are without the essential tools needed to know who is protected and who is not…The solution is clear — and it’s not a crumpled yellow vaccine card. Ontarians need… a comprehensive immunization registry… a secure, province-wide system that’s accessible from family doctors’ offices to ERs across the province.

Tags: Health, jurisdiction, participation, pharmaceutical, standard of living, youth
Posted in Health Policy Context | No Comments »

The wrong people are being asked to pay for Canada’s crisis in health care

Friday, February 6th, 2026

Starting on May 1, 2026, beneficiaries [of the Interim Federal Health Program(IFHP)]such as asylum seekers and refugees will be required to copay 30 per cent of the cost of supplemental health benefits, in addition to a $4 for every prescription filled or renewed… This also applies to dental care, physiotherapy, and mental health treatment. For refugees, these services are not optional; they are essential, and paying 30 per cent of their cost is simply not feasible.

Tags: Health, immigration, participation, standard of living
Posted in Inclusion Policy Context | No Comments »

Why we need to talk about the root causes of food insecurity

Tuesday, January 20th, 2026

Research shows that when more people have adequate incomes, food insecurity declines, and that policy changes are essential to ensure that wages, social assistance and pension rates provide a livable income and greater income equality… most children’s fiction suggests individual choices or life circumstances are to blame for food insecurity and that charity, kind strangers and luck are the solutions.

Tags: Education, ideology, poverty, standard of living
Posted in Child & Family Debates | 4 Comments »

I don’t have dental insurance. Do I qualify for the federal government’s dental care plan?

Tuesday, January 20th, 2026

For Canadians whose annual income is between $80,000 and $89,999, the CDCP will cover 40 per cent of eligible oral health-care services; for those in the $70,000 to $79,999 range, the plan covers 60 per cent, and those whose income is less than $70,000 receive 100 per cent coverage. You can see exactly what’s covered on the government of Canada’s website. In many cases you will have a co-payment based on your adjusted family net income.

Tags: Health, jurisdiction, participation, poverty, standard of living, tax
Posted in Inclusion Delivery System | No Comments »

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