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Media & Policy News: 11 May 2018

May 11, 2018

Ontario Election 2018

The writ’s dropped!

Every Friday until Election Day June 7 we’ll send out election-related highlights from the previous week, as well as a short collection of other stories and resources.

 

Top Stories

Election 101: Here’s what you need to know:
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/sudbury/ontario-election-101-1.4653863

CBC Vote Compass: Compare your views to party platforms:
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/vote-compass-ontario-2018-1.4654141

Ontario must ensure public supports and services for everyone:
https://www.thestar.com/opinion/contributors/2018/05/08/no-we-need-public-supports-and-services-for-everyone.html

Video: Rural poverty summit in Muskoka:
https://barrie.ctvnews.ca/video?clipId=1385018

Social assistance policy can be a deciding factor in Ontario’s next election:
https://www.huffingtonpost.ca/elizabeth-mcisaac/social-assistance-policy-can-be-a-deciding-factor-in-ontarios-next-election_a_23395568/

Ontario’s basic income experiment would continue under Doug Ford:
https://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2018/04/24/ontarios-basic-income-experiment-would-continue-under-doug-ford.html

Ontario passes gender pay transparency law:
https://www.thestar.com/news/queenspark/2018/05/01/ontario-passes-gender-pay-transparency-law.html

  • Column: How Ontario is trying to tackle the wage gap – and how it could do more:
    https://tvo.org/article/current-affairs/how-ontario-is-trying-to-tackle-the-wage-gap–and-how-it-could-do-more

Ontario government backs down on controversial holiday pay changes:
https://www.theglobeandmail.com/business/small-business/managing/article-ontario-government-backs-down-on-controversial-holiday-pay-changes/

  • Province to review holiday pay rules after business backlash: https://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2018/05/08/province-to-review-holiday-pay-rules-after-business-backlash.html
  • Chamber of Commerce welcomes review of stat holiday pay rules: https://www.tbnewswatch.com/local-news/chamber-of-commerce-welcomes-review-of-stat-holiday-pay-rules-918497

Doug Ford promises 12% cut to Ontario hydro rates but doesn’t say how Tories would replace lost revenue:
https://www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/article-doug-ford-promises-12-per-cent-cut-to-ontario-hydro-rates-but-doesnt/

Green Party leader Mike Shreiner says it’s time to upset political status quo in Ontario:
https://www.hamiltonnews.com/news-story/8598698-green-party-leader-mike-shreiner-says-it-s-time-to-upset-political-status-quo-in-ontario/

Campaign kickoff: Several tight election races to watch in Hamilton:
https://www.thespec.com/news-story/8596971-campaign-kickoff-several-tight-election-races-to-watch-in-hamilton/

Beset by bad polls, Wynne calls in a fixer from Ottawa:
http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/wynne-polls-astravas-election-1.4657674

Adding up the cost of the PC platform:
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottawa/ford-pc-not-release-costed-platform-1.4656985

 

Polls

Maclean’s-Pollara poll: Welcome to third place, Liberals – but NDP has room to grow:
http://www.macleans.ca/politics/the-macleans-pollara-ontario-election-poll-welcome-to-third-place-liberals/

  • Pollara website here: https://www.pollara.com/ontario-election-2018-at-the-starting-gate/

Ipsos poll: Doug Ford’s Ontario PC Party enjoys commanding lead over NDP, Liberals:
https://globalnews.ca/news/4192820/doug-ford-ontario-pc-lead-polls-ipsos/amp/

  • Ipsos website here: https://www.ipsos.com/en-ca/news-and-polls/overview

Forum poll: Poll predicts NDP opposition to a PC majority government:
http://torontosun.com/news/provincial/poll-favours-ontario-ndp-as-opposition-to-a-pc-majority-goverment

  • Forum’s website here: http://poll.forumresearch.com/category/2/ontario/

Andrea Horwath’s NDP making gains as Ontario election begins:
http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/grenier-ontario-polltracker-may10-1.4656808

  • CBC’s Ontario Poll Tracker: An aggregation of all publicly available polling data: https://newsinteractives.cbc.ca/onvotes/poll-tracker/

Horwath top challenger to Ford in Ontario election: Poll:
https://www.cp24.com/news/horwath-top-challenger-to-ford-in-ontario-election-poll-1.3905690

Ipsos poll: In top 10 election issues, Ontario voters don’t trust the Liberals:
https://globalnews.ca/news/4199176/ontario-election-issues-liberals-ipsos-poll/

Global News election promise tracker:
https://globalnews.ca/news/4196074/ontario-election-promise-tracker/

 

Resources

ISAC: Tools you can use, including tools from other groups and campaigns:
http://incomesecurity.org/policy-advocacy/election-2018-tools-that-you-can-use/

  • Note: The link above includes ISAC’s election kits, questions for the parties / candidates, and facts about poverty by riding and demographics
  • We’ve also included links to materials from groups like:
    • $15 and Fairness
    • ACTO
    • ISARC
    • Legal aid clinics
    • Niagara Poverty Reduction Network
    • Ontario Mental Health and Addictions Alliance
    • Ontario Coalition for Better Childcare
    • ODSP Action Coalition
    • Ontario for All
    • Ontario Nonprofit Network
    • Real Healthcare for Injured Workers
    • Social Planning Toronto
    • Workers Comp is a Right!
    • And watch this space as we’re posting materials from more groups and campaigns as we find them.

CCPA special Ontario Election 2018 edition of the Monitor:
https://www.policyalternatives.ca/publications/monitor/monitor-mayjune-2018

  • Trish Hennessy: Two worlds collide: https://www.policyalternatives.ca/publications/monitor/two-worlds-collide
  • Jennefer Laidley (aka yours truly): Real income security in Ontario: https://www.policyalternatives.ca/publications/monitor/real-income-security-ontario
  • Pam Frache: Workers, wages and the Ontario election: https://www.policyalternatives.ca/publications/monitor/workers-wages-and-ontario-election
  • Erika Shaker: Lessons in precarity: https://www.policyalternatives.ca/publications/monitor/lessons-precarity
  • Alex Himelfarb: Reconnecting taxes and the common good: https://www.policyalternatives.ca/publications/monitor/reconnecting-taxes-and-common-good
  • Poh-Gek Forkert: Environmental rights now: https://www.policyalternatives.ca/publications/monitor/environmental-rights-now
  • Populism and racism in two Ontario elections: https://www.policyalternatives.ca/publications/monitor/populism-and-racism-two-ontario-elections
  • Matt Elliott: Next stop, a subway that works: https://www.policyalternatives.ca/publications/monitor/next-top-subway-works
  • Edgardo Sepulveda: Power to the people: https://www.policyalternatives.ca/publications/monitor/power-people
  • Emery Huszka: Canada’s national food policy needs local input: https://www.policyalternatives.ca/publications/monitor/canadas-national-food-policy-needs-local-input

 

Other Issues

 

Ontario

This temp agency worker shows up every day, but his agency says he’s not a real employee:
https://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2018/05/11/this-temp-agency-worker-shows-up-at-the-same-office-every-day-but-his-agency-says-hes-not-a-real-employee.html

Ontario’s bold basic income experiment creates high expectations:
https://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2018/05/02/ontarios-basic-income-experiment-pilot-project_a_23425399/?ncid=fcbklnkcahpmg00000001

Op-ed: Aging with poverty:
http://www.sackvilletribunepost.com/opinion/columnists/aging-with-poverty-208758/

Personal injury victims need more compensation:
http://blackburnnews.com/chatham/chatham-news/2018/05/07/personal-injury-victims-need-compensation/

Law protecting Ontarians from disclosure of police records finally gets green light:
https://www.thestar.com/news/investigations/2018/05/07/law-protecting-ontarians-from-disclosure-of-police-records-finally-gets-green-light.html

 

Resources

Maytree: Social Assistance Summaries 2017:
https://maytree.com/social-assistance-summaries/

Stats Can: Annual review of the labour market, 2017:
http://www.statcan.gc.ca/daily-quotidien/180424/dq180424a-eng.htm?CMP=mstatcan

Dignity for All: Tell your MP to set a course for Dignity for All!:
https://dignityforall.ca/set-a-course/

 

Around the Province

Hamilton land swap enables affordable housing build:
https://canada.constructconnect.com/dcn/news/projects/2018/05/hamilton-land-swap-enables-affordable-housing-build

Residents of East Hamilton buildings declare rent strike:
https://www.thespec.com/news-story/8569090-residents-of-east-hamilton-buildings-declare-rent-strike/

‘My life has changed so much’: One Thunder Bay woman’s experience with Ontario’s basic income program:
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/thunder-bay/ontario-basic-income-1.4655594

Guelph parents protest plan to end sheltered workshops:
https://globalnews.ca/news/4194608/guelph-sheltered-workshops/

Legal Assistance Windsor offers help to those arrested for possible immigration violations:
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/windsor/legal-assistance-windsor-immigration-refugee-1.4650976

 

Across the Country

BC government sidesteps call for disability rate hike, index to inflation:
http://vancouversun.com/news/local-news/b-c-government-sidesteps-call-for-disability-rate-hike-index-to-inflation

These Vancouver neighbourhoods have the highest proportion of people who can’t afford their homes:
https://www.thestar.com/vancouver/2018/05/08/these-vancouver-neighbourhoods-have-the-highest-proportion-of-people-who-cant-afford-their-homes.html

Mobile grocery market launches summer program into Calgary’s food deserts:
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/below-market-mobile-grocery-truck-launches-in-calgary-1.4654532

Ten things to know about the 2018 Saskatchewan budget:
http://behindthenumbers.ca/2018/04/20/ten-things-to-know-about-the-2018-saskatchewan-budget/

Manitoba NDP bill aims to prevent child apprehensions due to poverty:
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/child-apprehension-bill-poverty-1.4655402

Child poverty down in Manitoba – or is it?:
https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/local/child-poverty-down-in-province-482140603.html

Ottawa fills the EI black hole for PEI’s seasonal workers:
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/prince-edward-island/pei-ei-black-hole-seasonal-workers-1.4655333

Nova Scotia municipalities urged to reduce rural poverty:
http://thechronicleherald.ca/valleyharvester/1569316-municipalities-urged-to-reduce-rural-poverty

 

National

Canadians want pot tax revenue to fund health care, not anti-drug campaigns: survey:
https://globalnews.ca/news/4199723/marijuana-tax-revenue-survey-deficit/

Is the TFSA program serving all Canadians equally?:
http://policyoptions.irpp.org/magazines/may-2018/is-the-tfsa-program-serving-all-canadians-equally/

Federal government release: Government takes action to ensure Canada Child Benefit helps children who need it most:
https://www.canada.ca/en/department-finance/news/2018/04/government-takes-action-to-ensure-canada-child-benefit-helps-children-who-need-it-most.html

 

International

New Zealand to house country’s entire homeless population before winter hits next month:
http://www.cbc.ca/radio/asithappens/as-it-happens-friday-edition-1.4648602/new-zealand-to-house-country-s-entire-homeless-population-before-winter-hits-next-month-1.4649023

New Zealand’s child poverty bill will leave children poor, experts warn:
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/103729537/governments-child-poverty-bill-will-leave-children-poor-experts-warn

Money for nothing? Tracking global basic income initiatives:
https://www.wikitribune.com/story/2018/05/10/economics/money-for-nothing-tracking-global-basic-income-initiatives/69452/

PBS: Does a basic guaranteed income decrease the need for social services?:
https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/does-a-basic-guaranteed-income-decrease-poverty

Should the workers who deliver Amazon packages make the minimum wage? Seattle is looking into it:
https://www.thestranger.com/slog/2018/05/09/26158013/seattle-is-looking-into-whether-amazon-flex-drivers-are-protected-by-labor-laws

A million more UK children in poverty than in 2010: Study:
https://www.theguardian.com/society/2018/may/07/million-more-uk-children-in-poverty-than-in-2010

Finland has slashed unemployment benefits for 80,000 as a result of “activation model” adoption: http://www.helsinkitimes.fi/finland/finland-news/domestic/15514-activation-model-has-cut-benefits-for-80-000-people-confirms-kela.html

Iceland no longer following Nordic welfare model:
https://grapevine.is/news/2018/05/09/iceland-no-longer-following-nordic-welfare-model/

Australia’s “brutal” plan to dock welfare for fines savaged by advocates:
https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2018/may/09/advocates-savage-coalitions-brutal-plan-to-dock-welfare-for-fines

Union rally for minimum wage increase disrupts Melbourne’s CBD as tens of thousands march:
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-05-09/union-protest-minimum-wage-in-melbournes-cbd/9742280

New evidence shows that US anti-poverty programs, especially Social Security, work well:
http://www.latimes.com/business/hiltzik/la-fi-hiltzik-antipoverty-20180507-story.html

 

 

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Tel: (416) 597-5820 • Toll Free: 1-866-245-4072 • Fax: (416) 597-5821

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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.