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Income Security Advocacy Centre

Income Security Advocacy Centre

ISAC works to address issues of income security and poverty in Ontario

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Media & Policy News: 7 February 2014

February 7, 2014

Top Stories

The CCPA’s 2014 Alternative Federal Budget – “Striking a Better Balance”:
https://www.policyalternatives.ca/publications/reports/alternative-federal-budget-2014

New study shows Canadians think inequality is increasing and that it’s a problem:
http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/2014/02/06/income_gap_study_shows_canadians_troubled_by_less_fair_society.html

The Broadbent Institute has launched a campaign against income splitting:

  • Announcement: http://www.broadbentinstitute.ca/en/blog/broadbent-institute-launches-campaign-against-costly-unfair-income-splitting-plan
  • Website: http://www.broadbentinstitute.ca/madmengiveaway 

Housing bomb about to go off as federal co-op subsidies expire:
http://london.ctvnews.ca/low-income-canadians-about-to-feel-affordable-housing-crunch-1.1672386

How to plan for retirement on a low income:
http://www.thestar.com/business/personal_finance/2014/02/04/how_to_plan_for_retirement_on_a_low_income_roseman.html

Ontario

Yalnizyan: Four key reasons why the minimum wage debate won’t go away:
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/economy/economy-lab/why-the-minimum-wage-debate-isnt-going-to-go-away/article16710873/

Goar: Indexing the minimum wage to the CPI keeps people stuck in poverty:
http://www.thestar.com/opinion/commentary/2014/02/04/ontarios_minimum_wage_plan_locks_many_into_poverty_goar.html

Shapcott: The new minimum wage still won’t pay for a one bedroom in Toronto:
http://www.wellesleyinstitute.com/housing/new-minimum-wage-about-half-affordable-housing-wage/

Richard Florida says the minimum wage should be determined geographically as urban workers need more than $11:
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/globe-debate/urban-workers-need-more-pay/article16745742/#dashboard/follows/

Two columns on why there’s been no position from the NDP on the minimum wage:

  • Michael Laxer in Rabble: http://rabble.ca/blogs/bloggers/michael-laxer/2014/02/where-ondp-on-14-hour-minimum-wage-ontario
  • Martin Regg Cohn in the Star:http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/2014/02/05/ndp_risks_maximum_wedge_on_minimum_wage_cohn.html 

A take on the issue from Niagara:
http://niagaraatlarge.com/2014/01/31/ontarios-minimum-wage-hike-is-better-then-nothing-but-far-from-livable/

Meanwhile, Hudak’s Right-to-Work policies causing internal discord among Tories:
http://www.thestar.com/news/queenspark/2014/02/06/unease_over_righttowork_policy_spreads_among_tories.html

Events and Other Good Things

New research centre to investigate good policy options for workplace disability supports:
http://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2014/02/04/mcmaster_centre_to_study_disability_and_work.html#

Feb 24-25: IRPP policy conference “Inequality in Canada”:
http://us7.campaign-archive2.com/?u=f538f283d07ef7057a628bed8&id=ed553395cc&e=93c40f0305

March 25: LIEN’s annual conference, “Celebrating a Decade of Low-Income Energy Advocacy”:
http://www.lowincomeenergy.ca/2014/02/register-now-for-the-2014-lien-annual-conference/

The latest newsletter from our sister clinic, the Advocacy Centre for Tenants Ontario (ACTO):
http://www.acto.ca/assets/files/ACTO-Newsletter-2013-in-review.pdf

Around the Province

Couple in northern Ontario facing severe hardship because Home Repairs Benefit was cancelled – Sudbury clinic caseworker, on CBC radio:
http://www.cbc.ca/player/AudioMobile/Morning+North/ID/2433506926/

People’s inquiry “show trial” in Perth gives Premier Wynne a rough ride:
http://www.insideottawavalley.com/news-story/4342801-premier-wynne-gets-rough-ride-at-recent-perth-show-trial-/

Across the Country

Winnipeg’s Bannock Lady marks one year anniversary of “Got Bannock” project:
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/woman-who-brings-bannock-to-hungry-marks-1-year-anniversary-1.2514633?cmp=rss

Manitoba Southern Chiefs new urban reserves plan to get First Nations out of poverty:
http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/breakingnews/grand-plan-for-prosperity-243906881.html?device=mobile

PEI man denied EI after quitting his job to move home to his 3 year old daughter:
http://www.theguardian.pe.ca/News/Local/2014-02-04/article-3601517/Island-man-says-denied-EI-claim-after-moving-to-be-with-daughter/1

National

New report shows food insecurity is getting worse in Canada:
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/prince-edward-island/food-insecurity-in-canada-growing-worse-1.2525300

What Canada can learn from Australia’s pension reforms – not much:
http://www.therecord.com/opinion-story/4348764-australia-s-pension-reforms-offer-few-lessons-for-canada/

International

Reviewing social assistance in Australia because it’s “unsustainable”:
http://neoskosmos.com/news/en/welfare-review-targets-unsustainable-system

Everything Americans having been hearing about the minimum wage is untrue:
http://www.forbes.com/sites/jeffreydorfman/2014/01/30/almost-everything-you-have-been-told-about-the-minimum-wage-is-false/

Raising the minimum wage could kill off an old way of doing business:
http://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2014/02/raising-the-minimum-wage-a-mcdonalds-killer-not-a-mcjobs-killer/283638/

Calvin and Jobs: How Calvinist thinking still permeates American social policy:
http://truth-out.org/opinion/item/21526-calvin-and-jobs-why-the-right-hates-but-still-needs-social-welfare

January 30 was Earned Income Tax Credit Awareness Day in the US:
http://www.clasp.org/issues/work-supports/in-focus/earned-income-tax-credit-awareness-day-strategies-to-promote-work-and-reduce-inequality

Ireland’s Social Protection Minister rules out UK-style benefit restrictions on economic migrants:
http://www.thejournal.ie/joan-burton-welfare-immigrants-1291957-Feb2014/

UK welfare reform a “staggering” waste of money:
http://www.theguardian.com/society/2014/feb/05/welfare-reform-waste-duncan-smith-universal-credit

Scotland sees child poverty rate decline by 10 points, but progress is stalled:
http://www.expressandstar.com/news/uk-news/2014/02/02/scotland-in-child-poverty-success/

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This site contains general legal information for people in Ontario, Canada. It is not intended to be used as legal advice for a specific legal problem. ISAC is a not-for-profit, non-partisan organization. ISAC is funded by Legal Aid Ontario (LAO). The funding for this website is also provided by LAO. The views expressed in any of ISAC’s publications (including written, oral, or visual) are the views of the clinic and do not necessarily reflect those of LAO.