Ontario Budget 2015
Star editorial: Only modest help for the poor in Ontario’s budget:
http://www.thestar.com/opinion/editorials/2015/04/27/modest-help-for-the-poor-in-ontarios-budget-editorial.html
ISAC analysis: Not much assistance for social assistance in Budget 2015:
http://us4.campaign-archive2.com/?u=095b12c98935ecaadd327bf90&id=d429ec0d17
Campaign 2000: Budget lacks the investments required to reduce child and family poverty in Ontario:
http://www.campaign2000.ca/Ontario/releases/OntC2000ReleaseonBudget2015.pdf
25in5 Network for Poverty Reduction: Budget holds the line, but immediate action required:https://www.facebook.com/25in5/photos/a.10151357898173860.1073741825.46082133859/10152931921193860/?type=1&theater
Ontario Federation of Labour: Budget sells false choices;
http://ofl.ca/index.php/ontariobudget2015/
CP story claims social assistance recipients among the “winners” from Budget 2015:
http://www.ctvnews.ca/politics/winners-and-losers-in-the-2015-ontario-budget-1.2341938
Other Top Stories
Two International Monetary Fund studies say labour market deregulation doesn’t actually work:
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/labour-market-deregulations-not-working-international-monetary-fund-1.3039560
A tale of two budgets – federal and provincial – is “the worst of times” for people living in poverty:
http://www.thespec.com/opinion-story/5567299-budgets-must-grapple-with-poverty-issues/
Reports, Events, Campaigns
Report shows Toronto has the largest and fastest growing concentration of working poor – whose jobs have them serving high paid knowledge workers:
http://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2015/04/20/toronto-the-downton-abbey-of-canada.html
- Press release: http://metcalffoundation.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/2015-working-poor-press-release.pdf
- Report: http://metcalffoundation.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/WorkingPoorToronto2015Final.pdf
Toronto Public Health report shows poorest Torontonians continue to get sicker and die younger:
http://www.thestar.com/news/city_hall/2015/04/20/poor-torontonians-get-sicker-die-younger-despite-a-decade-of-efforts.html
- Press release: http://www1.toronto.ca/wps/portal/contentonly?vgnextoid=af71df79b2df6410VgnVCM10000071d60f89RCRD&nrkey=70F280A59ADB740485257E2D0055300A
- Report: http://www.toronto.ca/legdocs/mmis/2015/hl/bgrd/backgroundfile-79094.pdf
New report shows Toronto transit planning has created inequality, and points the way to “transit justice”:
http://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2015/04/25/waiting-for-a-bus-that-takes-forever-welcome-to-torontos-transit-desert.html
- More info and a link to the report: http://suburbs.apps01.yorku.ca/2015/03/27/3936/
Dignity for All Campaign hits the road to promote a National Anti-Poverty Plan for Canada:
http://www.dignityforall.ca/en/dignity-all-hits-road
Ontario
Joe Fiorito, on the realities of ODSP:
http://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2015/04/23/hard-times-on-odsp-in-toronto-fiorito.html
The wage gap means elderly Ontario women face poverty:
http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/yen-to/elderly-women-wage-gap_b_7096388.html
- Province appoints panel to address gender wage gap:http://www.thestar.com/news/queenspark/2014/10/01/ontario_to_tackle_gender_wage_gap.html
- Press release: http://news.ontario.ca/mol/en/2015/04/ontario-takes-another-step-to-close-the-gender-wage-gap.html?utm_source=ondemand&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=p
OPSEU’s court challenge to the SAMS program dismissed; results “disappointing”:
http://nupge.ca/content/12218/opseu-says-court-decision-disappointing
Around the Province
Windsor plagued by SAMS computer problems; don’t even know how many people on the system:
http://blogs.windsorstar.com/news/carolyn-ont-works-problems-with-computer-system
Toronto has a two-tiered education system:
http://metcalffoundation.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/WorkingPoorToronto2015Final.pdf
Reviewing dental programs for low income children Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph:
http://www.guelphmercury.com/opinion-story/5565117-reviewing-the-dental-assistance-programs-for-low-income-children/
Trends in Sarnia-Lambton show people having harder time getting off Ontario Works:
http://www.theobserver.ca/2015/04/19/ontario-works-recipients-in-sarnia-lambton-spending-longer-on-assistance
New application round for Ontario Renovates program in Cornwall, Stormont, Dundas and Glengarry:
http://www.cornwallseawaynews.com/News/2015-04-17/article-4115104/ONTARIO-RENOVATES%3A-Low-income-families-can-access-funds-for-improvements-at-home/1
Toronto Community Housing tenants are overwhelmed by hydro bills:
http://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2015/04/21/tchc-tenants-overwhelmed-by-hydro-bills.html
Across the Country
Saskatchewan government creates advisory group on poverty reduction:
http://www.620ckrm.com/ckrm-on-air/ckrm-local-news/9248-saskatchewan-government-creates-advisory-group-on-povery
Woman with cerebral palsy cut off Quebec’s disability support due to trust fund for future care:
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/montreal/woman-with-cerebral-palsy-loses-quebec-s-help-because-mom-saved-for-her-future-1.3048058
Maritime seafood processors fear worker shortages due to changes to temporary foreign worker program rules:
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/nova-scotia/maritime-seafood-processors-fear-worker-shortage-will-hurt-market-1.3037875
Appointee to help Newfoundland and Labrador recoup pension amounts sent in error:
http://metronews.ca/news/canada/1343260/newfoundland-enlists-help-for-pension-error/
Youth Summit on child poverty in Cape Breton:
http://www.capebretonpost.com/News/Local/2015-04-26/article-4125102/Summit-looks-at-child-poverty/1
Halifax town hall explores Canada’s poor job of acting on child poverty:
http://thechronicleherald.ca/opinion/1282093-a-poor-job-of-acting-on-child-poverty
PEI United Church wants politicians aware of poverty in that province’s election:
http://www.theguardian.pe.ca/Decision-15/2015-04-26/article-4124215/United-Church-on-P.E.I.-wants-political-leaders-aware-of-poverty-issue/1
EI claims up in Nova Scotia:
http://thechronicleherald.ca/business/1282590-ei-claims-go-up-in-nova-scotia
Alberta’s EI claims up nearly 30%:
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/alberta-employment-insurance-claims-rise-almost-30-1.3045850
National
No anti-poverty measures in federal budget:
http://rabble.ca/blogs/bloggers/dennis-gruending/2015/04/no-anti-poverty-measures-2015-budget-minister-joe-oliver-avo
Broadbent Institute recounts 10 ways the federal government has increased inequality:
http://www.broadbentinstitute.ca/en/blog/budget-2015-16-preview-top-10-ways-harper-government-has-boosted-inequality-11-actually
Use of EI surplus to balance federal budget draws criticism:
http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2015/04/21/ei-fund-budget-surplus-canada-2015_n_7113322.html
Budget balanced on the backs of the unemployed:
http://rabble.ca/blogs/bloggers/progressive-economics-forum/2015/04/conservative-budget-balanced-on-backs-unemployed
A pre-budget call for tax fairness in the federal budget, by closing tax loopholes for the super-wealthy:
http://thechronicleherald.ca/opinion/1281849-hey-joe-oliver-how-about-closing-tax-loopholes-for-super-wealthy
Ottawa says budget numbers will hold up despite surge in EI claims:
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/ottawa-says-budget-adjustments-will-accomodate-surge-in-ei-claims/article24095048/
Majority of Canadians say post-secondary education should be free:
http://www.lfpress.com/2015/04/20/majority-of-canadians-say-students-shouldnt-have-to-pay-to-go-to-college-and-university-new-poll-suggests
Ontario Teachers Pension Plan Board to oppose CIBC pay structure, after massive retirement package for execs:
http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/04/17/cibc-agm-compensation-idUSL2N0XE1M120150417
- CIBC loses that vote, and more shareholder blowback to come: http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/04/23/cibc-agm-idUSL1N0XK2J020150423
Star editorial: Harper government now fixing problems with supports to veterans that they first created:
http://www.thestar.com/opinion/editorials/2015/04/19/ottawa-created-unfairness-to-vets-that-its-now-trying-to-fix-editorial.html
International
When work isn’t enough to keep you off welfare and food stamps:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wonkblog/wp/2015/04/14/when-work-isnt-enough-to-keep-you-off-welfare-and-food-stamps/
Studies show government benefits encourage entrepreneurialism, not dependency:
http://mic.com/articles/114480/the-biggest-conservative-lie-we-need-to-stop-telling-about-welfare
Justice for all, not just those who can afford it:
http://www.seattletimes.com/opinion/protecting-the-legal-rights-of-the-poor/
Striking Driscoll’s berry pickers paid $7-$8 a day:
http://inthesetimes.com/working/entry/17865/alleging_labor_abuses_u.s._and_mexican_workers_call_for_boycott_of_driscoll
UK report captures the experience of poverty and calls for radical change:
https://www.opendemocracy.net/5050/fran-bennett/our-lives-poverty-then-and-now-in-uk
World Bank plan aims at ending poverty and hunger by 2030:
http://www.dawn.com/news/1176717/world-bank-plan-aims-at-ending-poverty-hunger-by-2030
NYC Mayor DiBlasio aims to lift 800,000 New Yorkers out of poverty in ten years:
http://newsok.com/applause-skepticism-greet-nyc-mayors-anti-poverty-plan/article/feed/830546
US taxpayers subsidize companies’ low wages:
https://newscenter.berkeley.edu/2015/04/17/opinion-poverty-wages-come-at-high-cost-to-taxpayers/
New Kansas welfare rules limiting ATM withdrawals amount to a tax on the poor:
http://america.aljazeera.com/articles/2015/4/16/new-kansas-rules-would-limit-spending-of-welfare-benefits.html
America’s “flexible economy” is making workers’ lives hell:
http://www.salon.com/2015/04/21/robert_reich_americas_flexible_economy_is_making_workers_lives_hell_partner/
