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/
