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Income Security Advocacy Centre

Income Security Advocacy Centre

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Media & Policy News: 19 December 2014

December 19, 2014

Top Stories

OPSEU is taking the province to court over the new social assistance computer system:
http://www.thestar.com/news/queenspark/2014/12/17/union_takes_government_to_court_over_welfare_computer_system_problems.html

  • Press release: http://www.newswire.ca/en/story/1464873/opseu-seeks-injunction-to-halt-flawed-social-assistance-computer-system

Hamilton Council says the plug should be pulled on the new computer system until a fix is found:
http://www.900chml.com/2014/12/18/hamiltons-social-assistance-nightmare/

  • Hamilton Councillor says a human tragedy is unfolding: http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/hamilton/news/hamilton-residents-evicted-due-to-faulty-software-whitehead-1.2877155

Northumberland County says they’ve had problems but are working hard to cope:
http://www.insidebelleville.com/news-story/5207328-northumberland-county-coping-with-problematic-changes-in-providing-social-assistance/

  • More from Northumberland: http://www.northumberlandtoday.com/2014/12/14/county-council-learns-about-sams

Province pays out $5 million to municipalities to help them cope with the new system:
http://www.thestar.com/news/queenspark/2014/12/19/welfare_computer_woes_cost_ontario_millions_in_overtime.html

Premier Wynne should use the tools she has to fight hunger instead of promoting food banks: http://www.thespec.com/opinion-story/5211140-wynne-has-tools-to-take-a-bite-out-of-hunger/

  • Rethinking charitable giving – do some advocacy along with your charity: http://blogs.theprovince.com/2014/12/17/iglika-ivanova-tis-the-season-to-rethink-charitable-giving/ 
  • Deirdre Pike of Hamilton Social Planning, on the dissonance of supporting food banks while seeking the conditions that would see them closed: http://www.thespec.com/opinion-story/5204673-sounds-of-the-season-i-d-like-to-mute/
  • Charitable giving yes, but fixing systemic problems is better:http://www.thestarphoenix.com/life/Cooper+need+homeless+shelters/10469390/story.html  

New report from the Broadbent Institute shows what Canadians think about income inequality:
http://www.broadbentinstitute.ca/sites/default/files/The_Wealth_Gap.pdf

Ontario

Province launches consultations on provincial pension plan:
http://toronto.ctvnews.ca/ontario-launches-public-consultations-on-provincial-retirement-pension-plan-1.2151913

  • This article notes that the consultation hasn’t resolved the issue of impact on low income earners; the province wants to hear more from interested groups about options to help those with persistently low incomes:http://www.thestar.com/business/personal_finance/retirement/2014/12/17/whos_in_and_whos_out_of_ontarios_pension_plan_mayers.html  
  • Sheila Block and Hugh McKenzie of the CCPA respond with design ideas to ensure the new plan works for everyone:http://www.thestar.com/opinion/commentary/2014/12/18/how_ontario_can_create_an_effective_public_pension_plan.html  
  • Government’s announcement and links to consultation materials: http://news.ontario.ca/mof/en/2014/12/province-taking-next-step-in-developing-ontario-retirement-pension-plan.html?utm_source=ondemand&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=p  

OFL calls for a provincial Migrant Workers’ Bill of Rights on December 18, International Migrants Day:
http://ofl.ca/index.php/migrantsday-2014/

Bringing migrant workers and Canadian workers together in solidarity:
http://rabble.ca/podcasts/shows/talking-radical-radio/2014/12/building-solidarity-between-migrant-and-canadian-worker

Giving people tickets for panhandling under Ontario’s Safe Streets Act saddles them with a debt barrier:
http://metronews.ca/news/toronto/1240299/panhandling-tickets-saddle-torontos-homeless-with-debt-york-professor/

  • Editorial: The Safe Streets Act should be dumped:http://www.thestar.com/opinion/editorials/2014/12/18/ontarios_safe_streets_act_should_be_dumped_editorial.html

Around the Province

Academics and community team up in London to take action on poverty reduction:
http://www.lfpress.com/2014/12/12/unique-partnership-seeks-hard-data-to-produce-evidence-based-action

Niagara Region poverty discussion: The province must give people on social assistance more to live on:
http://www.niagarafallsreview.ca/2014/12/17/live-faces-of-poverty-discussion

Parry Sound Health Unit’s “Price of Eating Well” report shows the cost of healthy food is soaring:
http://www.parrysound.com/news-story/5210707-cost-of-healthy-food-soars/

Understanding poverty is exhausting. Imagine living it:
http://www.wellandtribune.ca/2014/12/15/understanding-poverty-is-tiring-imagine-living-it

In York Region, plans for a spring Stroll and Roll for Freedom – on poverty among people with disabilities:
http://poverty-awareness.blogspot.ca/2014/12/seniors-inspire-ontario-poverty.html

Across the Country

In Newfoundland, a call for a New Year’s Resolution to resolve poverty:
http://www.thetelegram.com/Opinion/Columnists/2014-12-18/article-3980416/JOAN-BUTLER%3A-Resolve-to-fight-poverty/1

Hunger in Nunavut: Seven of 10 Inuit families live in food insecurity:
https://ca.news.yahoo.com/does-hunger-look-nunavut-one-mans-struggle-feed-223517878.html

  • Only bold action will resolve the human rights crisis of food insecurity in the north: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/globe-debate/food-insecurity-in-the-north-has-become-a-human-rights-crisis/article22066925/  

Latest Stats Can poverty statistics show BC still has one of the highest child poverty rates in Canada:
http://www.straight.com/news/792411/trish-garner-stats-show-bc-still-has-one-highest-poverty-rates-canada

Cape Breton sets up a task force to investigate child poverty:
http://www.capebretonpost.com/section/2014-12-16/article-3978895/Cape-Breton-task-force-to-look-into-child-poverty/1

Charity won’t solve Manitoba’s poverty; radical solutions are required:
http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/opinion/columnists/generosity-doesnt-solve-poverty-286057501.html

Petition calls for removing homeless shelters from Vancouver’s upscale Yaletown neighbourhood:
http://www.vancitybuzz.com/2014/12/petition-calls-removal-homeless-shelters-yaletown/

National

The Social Security Tribunal isn’t the cause of disabled Canadians’ poverty – the problem lies in CPP-D:
http://lethbridgeherald.com/commentary/letters-to-the-editor/2014/12/16/system-is-failing-disabled-canadians/

Chronicle Herald Editorial: The Employment Insurance backlog is leaving Canadians in the lurch:
http://thechronicleherald.ca/editorials/1257492-editorial-ei-backlog-leaves-canadians-in-lurch

Canadians for Tax Fairness: The CRA is going after the little guy but the real tax cheats are getting a free ride:
http://thetyee.ca/Opinion/2014/12/18/Go-After-Tax-Cheats/

International

UK cuts to local welfare benefits will force people to turn to food banks and loan sharks:
http://www.theguardian.com/society/2014/dec/18/cuts-local-welfare-schemes-christmas-present-loan-sharks

And the UK’s cap on welfare benefits haven’t actually saved the government much money:
http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/ampp3d/iain-duncan-smiths-welfare-saving-4818961

The face of seniors’ poverty in the US is racialized:
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/2014/12/18/390769/women-of-color-in-us-suffer-more-poverty/

The world’s lessening of extreme poverty, in one handy chart:
http://www.vox.com/2014/12/14/7384515/extreme-poverty-decline

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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.