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Income Security Advocacy Centre

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Media & Policy News: 11 January 2016

January 11, 2016

Top Stories

Canada is Back? Not until taxation is truly fair:
http://www.taxfairness.ca/en/blog/canada-back-not-until-taxation-truly-fair

Cole: Clawing child support back from social assistance is a disgrace:
http://www.thestar.com/opinion/commentary/2015/12/24/child-support-clawback-is-a-disgrace-cole.html

  • Ending the child support clawback one part of lifting parents out of poverty: http://rabble.ca/blogs/bloggers/doreen-nicoll/2016/01/lift-parents-on-social-assistance-out-poverty-so-they-can-provi

How non-Indigenous allies can help make the Truth and Reconciliation Commission recommendations a reality:
http://www.cbc.ca/radio/thecurrent/the-current-for-january-4-2016-1.3388195/how-non-indigenous-allies-can-help-make-trc-recommendations-a-reality-1.3388230

Quebec tables workfare legislation, as “the time is ripe for measures that are more coercive”:
http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/canada/proposed-quebec-welfare-rules-carry-unfair-penalties-advocates-warn-363979491.html

Spec editorial: 2016 should be the year when Ontario fixes social assistance:
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/manitoba-premier-greg-selinger-eyes-higher-taxes-for-the-rich-1.3374294

A race lens for the labour market? Welcome to 2015, Ms Wynne:
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/rob-commentary/a-race-lens-for-the-labour-market-welcome-to-2015-ms-wynne/article27896569/

2015 may be the year that homelessness saw a breakthrough:
http://www.thestar.com/news/world/2015/12/28/2015-moments-the-end-of-homelessness-becomes-possible.html

Groceries to become even more expensive in 2016:
http://www.thestar.com/business/2015/12/29/think-groceries-have-become-expensive-expect-more-sticker-shock-in-2016.html

  • Five things to know about food insecurity – and how to resolve it – in Canada: http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/carolyn-shimmin/food-insecurity-in-canada_b_8913414.html?ncid=tweetlnkcahpmg00000002
  • Editorial: Families who need food shouldn’t have to depend on charity: http://thechronicleherald.ca/editorials/1329897-editorial-families-who-need-food-depend-on-charity

CCPA’s annual look at CEO compensation shows top execs paid 184 times the average worker’s salary:
http://www.cbc.ca/news/business/ceo-pay-2015-1.3388235?__vfz=tc%3DbKz88F-JaIt

  • Some think that kind of gap is “fair”, but Mackenzie thinks “the market is actually dysfunctional”: http://www.cbc.ca/news/business/top-ceo-salary-average-worker-1.3390630

Kingston City Council first in Canada to endorse the concept of a Guaranteed Income:
http://www.thewhig.com/2015/12/18/kingston-council-first-to-endorse-guaranteed-income

Trudeau’s promise to reinstate the Court Challenges program must take specific design issues into account:
http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/opinion/analysis/reviving-remaking-the-court-challenges-program-363340141.html

Maytree’s Elizabeth McIsaac talks with CBC’s Matt Galloway about human rights and poverty reduction:
http://maytree.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/metromorning_20151217_edited.mp3

Idle No more tackles First \nation housing crisis with tiny homes:
http://www.cbc.ca/radio/unreserved/tiny-houses-many-gifts-and-paying-it-forward-1.3369642/idle-no-more-tackles-big-first-nation-housing-crisis-with-tiny-homes-1.3371680?cmp=rss

 

Ontario

Ontario human rights chief calls for race-based stats for kids in care:
http://www.thestar.com/news/insight/2016/01/11/ontario-human-rights-chief-calls-for-race-based-stats-for-kids-in-care.html

New protections introduced for people using payday loan outlets and “alternative financial services”:
http://ottawacitizen.com/news/local-news/province-proposes-safeguards-for-payday-loan-borrowers

Star editorial: Ontario should set up long-promised anti-racism secretariat:
http://www.thestar.com/opinion/editorials/2015/12/27/ontario-should-set-up-long-promised-anti-racism-secretariat-editorial.html

Ontario pension plan will launch in 2017 regardless of CPP changes:
http://www.thestar.com/news/queenspark/2016/01/04/ontario-pension-plan-will-launch-in-2017-regardless-of-cpp-changes-kathleen-wynne-says.html

A sensible approach to ending poverty – because it’s not rocket science:
http://www.northumberlandnews.com/news-story/3779771-a-sensible-approach-to-ending-poverty/

Charity alone won’t solve hunger:
http://www.stcatharinesstandard.ca/2015/12/22/charity-alone-wont-solve-hunger-crisis

 

Reports, Events, Campaigns

A new way to petition Parliament – ePetitions are being accepted by the federal government:
http://www.hilltimes.com/news/hill-life-people/2016/01/04/new-year-new-way-to-petition-parliament/44657

  • Here’s the new ePetition site: https://petitions.parl.gc.ca/en/Home/Index

Rights factsheets for Caregivers and Temporary Foreign Workers from Migrant Workers Alliance for Change:
http://us2.campaign-archive1.com/?u=9de587703062110954e080261&id=0642035b32

MCSS fact sheet: Changes to Dental Benefits for Children and Youth on Social Assistance:
http://www.mcss.gov.on.ca/en/mcss/programs/social/healthySmiles.aspx

  • Info on new Healthy Smiles Ontario program: http://www.ontario.ca/page/get-dental-care

MCSS publication: Developmental services: Spotlight on Transformation:
http://www.mcss.gov.on.ca/documents/en/mcss/publications/spotlight/DS-Spotlight_issue51_en.pdf?platform=hootsuite

OCAP staff to teach online course “Community Resistance to the War on the Poor”:
http://www.socialistproject.ca/bullet/1199.php

 

Around the Province

Guelph woman with intellectual disability on ODSP evicted from longtime home after getting work:
http://globalnews.ca/news/2410794/guelph-woman-with-intellectual-challenges-evicted-from-longtime-home/

Photographer highlights Ottawa’s marginalized neighbourhoods – and their residents:
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottawa/rey-martin-s-photos-highlight-ottawa-s-marginalized-neighbourhoods-1.3371677

Community Living Thunder Bay working to find non-sheltered workshop job opportunities for clients:
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/thunder-bay/sheltered-workshops-closure-1.3374319?platform=hootsuite

York Region’s faith community dedicated to fight against child poverty:
http://www.yorkregion.com/news-story/6214931-road-ahead-york-region-faith-community-dedicated-to-fight-against-child-poverty/

Judge rules City of Toronto negligent towards low-income, rooming house tenants:
http://www.thestar.com/news/city_hall/2016/01/07/judge-rules-city-of-toronto-negligent-towards-tenants.html

Social justice organizations urge Toronto City Council to reinstate vehicle registration tax to pay for poverty reduction:
http://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2016/01/06/toronto-council-urged-to-reinstate-vehicle-registration-tax.html

  • But Mayor Tory says “we don’t need to do this”: http://www.640toronto.com/2016/01/07/bring-back-the-vehicle-registration-tax-tory-says-no-thanks/
  • And the budget chief says new revenue tools “aren’t even on my radar at this point”: http://www.insidetoronto.com/news-story/6221330-a-couple-of-taxes-could-solve-toronto-s-budget-woes-poverty-advocate/
  • Why the city has left some cash generating tools in its back pocket: http://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2016/01/04/torontos-revenue-problem-why-the-city-has-left-some-cash-generating-tools-in-its-back-pocket.html
  • Star editorial: Toronto should bring back vehicle registration tax, in part to pay for poverty reduction: http://www.thestar.com/opinion/editorials/2016/01/11/toronto-should-bring-back-vehicle-registration-tax-editorial.html

Teen with disabilities and his mom waiting in a cramped Ottawa hotel room for 18 months for housing:
http://ottawacitizen.com/opinion/columnists/severely-disabled-teen-mom-in-cramped-motel-room-for-18-months-awaiting-housing

 

Across the Country

Manitoba Premier Selinger eyes higher taxes for the rich:
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/manitoba-premier-greg-selinger-eyes-higher-taxes-for-the-rich-1.3374294

City of Kelowna, BC, taking on challenge to reduce and eliminate homelessness:
http://www.kelownadailycourier.ca/news/article_5f65ce1a-b2a4-11e5-bf89-1b2b21378f32.html

Group home for people with intellectual disabilities approved in Stonewall, Manitoba:
http://www.cbc.ca/beta/news/canada/manitoba/group-home-for-people-with-intellectual-disabilities-approved-in-manitoba-s-stonewall-1.3392452

Adult Dental Program in Newfoundland and Labrador doesn’t provide the coverage that’s needed:
http://www.thetelegram.com/News/Local/2016-01-03/article-4392499/A-bite-out-of-low-income/1

Eligibility for free legal aid in Quebec increases:
http://www.newswire.ca/news-releases/financial-eligibility-scale-for-free-legal-aid-is-increased-by-1775-564235881.html

Rising number of homeless families in Calgary spurs the need for new projects:
http://calgaryherald.com/news/local-news/concerns-over-homeless-families-lead-to-new-projects

 

National

At least 2,250 veterans are homeless, according to federal government analysis:
http://thechronicleherald.ca/nationaltest/1330673-at-least-2250-veterans-are-homeless-according-to-groundbreaking-analysis#.Vo16QfrkFrZ.facebook

Op-Ed: how Ottawa can help families with disabilities:
http://www.thestar.com/opinion/commentary/2015/12/30/how-ottawa-can-help-families-with-disabilities.html

Canada may not have escaped the recession in 2015:
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/top-business-stories/a-dire-thought-canada-may-never-have-escaped-recession/article27943875/

Why some disability advocates are worried about a national disability act:
http://www.cbc.ca/radio/the180/letting-canadian-women-sell-their-eggs-passenger-trains-and-ending-elections-for-school-trustees-1.3368081/why-some-disability-advocates-are-worried-about-a-national-disability-act-1.3368380

Walkom: Trudeau government “wimps out” on Canada Pension Plan Reform:
http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/2015/12/23/trudeau-government-wimps-out-on-canada-pension-plan-reform-walkom.html

  • What true leadership on CPP reform would look like: http://leaderpost.com/opinion/columnists/cpp-reform-what-true-leadership-should-look-like

Toronto Sun Op-Ed (that quickly went missing from its own website) says Trudeau’s right that some small businesses are “just ways for wealthier Canadians to save on taxes”:
http://spon.ca/trudeaus-right-on-taxes/2016/01/03/

Government increases duration of EI compassionate care benefit:
http://www.newswire.ca/news-releases/government-of-canada-increases-duration-of-employment-insurance-compassionate-care-benefit-564178831.html

New efficient 2016 long-form census going out the door soon:
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/statscan-to-unveil-new-efficient-long-form-census-for-2016/article28047229/?cmpid=rss1

Canada’s first transgender judge is appointed:
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/canadas-first-transgender-judge-named/article27876501/

Agar: A guaranteed income would be great, but unions are standing in the way:
http://www.torontosun.com/2015/12/28/lets-give-people-a-guaranteed-income

And no, refugees don’t get more money for food than Canadians on welfare:
http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/do-government-assisted-refugees-receive-more-money-for-food-than-canadians-on-welfare-1.3230503

 

International

New York Governor Cuomo orders officials to protect people who are homeless from cold weather:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/andrew-cuomo-homeless-freezing-temperatures_5689d677e4b0b958f65c0100

  • More, from the Guardian: http://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2016/jan/03/new-york-governor-andrew-cuomo-homeless-shelters-freezing-temperatures
  • But here’s why people who are homeless avoid the New York City shelter system: http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/horror-stories-show-homeless-avoid-nyc-shelters-article-1.2485417

The IRS knows you’re more likely to pay your taxes if you’re a “cheater” than if you “cheat”:
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/01/05/business/economy/if-the-irs-is-watching-you-youll-pay-up.html?_r=0

Jeb Bush releases welfare reform program that would eliminate benefits in favour of block grants to states:
http://www.cnn.com/2016/01/08/politics/jeb-bush-welfare-reform-proposal/

  • Why welfare works: Five million Americans kept out of poverty: http://trofire.com/2016/01/06/why-welfare-works-5-million-people-kept-out-of-poverty/

Most Americans are one missed paycheque away from poverty:
http://www.mtv.com/news/2723971/majority-americans-no-savings-for-emergencies/

Lawsuit in Oregon ensures people with disabilities will get jobs that pay real wages:
https://www.disabilityscoop.com/2016/01/06/judge-shift-sheltered/21732/?platform=hootsuite

Social Impact Bonds program in London puts roofs over heads and profits into pockets:
http://www.thestar.com/news/world/2016/01/04/london-homelessness-program-puts-roofs-over-heads-and-profits-into-pockets.html

  • Here are the four Ontario short-listed ideas for pilots, mentioned in the article: http://www.ontario.ca/page/social-impact-bonds#section-2

UK woman told she no longer qualifies for disability benefits on the day she died from her illness:
http://www.clactonandfrintongazette.co.uk/news/north_essex_news/14185620.Mum_told_she_s_too_healthy_for_sick_benefits_on_the_day_she_dies/?ref=twtrec

A basic income: If it’s good enough for the Royals, it’s good enough for all:
http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2016/jan/07/basic-income-royal-family-living-wage-economy?CMP=share_btn_fb

Food banks in UK brace for surge in demand when Tories next welfare cuts kick in:
http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/food-banks-fear-surge-demand-7123640

Cameron pledges poverty “blitz” by demolishing housing estates:
http://www.theguardian.com/society/2016/jan/09/david-cameron-vows-to-blitz-poverty-by-demolishing-uks-worst-sink-estates

Scottish government cuts funding for fuel poverty:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/wires/pa/article-3392145/Fuel-poverty-funding-cut-10–says-Labour.html

An Australian news programme runs a poll asking if women on benefits should be forced to take contraception:
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/australasia/an-australian-news-programme-is-running-a-poll-asking-if-women-on-benefits-should-be-forced-to-use-a6795761.html

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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.