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Media & Policy News: 12 October 2012

October 12, 2012

Community Start-Up

Carol Goar on the importance of Community Start-Up and efforts to save it:
http://www.thestar.com/opinion/editorialopinion/article/1268713–anti-poverty-activists-fight-to-save-housing-benefit

NOW article says to watch for sleight-of-hand (Ed: see quote from yours truly)
http://www.nowtoronto.com/news/story.cfm?content=189065

Sault Ste. Marie’s mayor says the pain of the cuts will dwarf any savings:
http://www.sootoday.com/content/news/details.asp?c=48246

More outrage from Council in the Soo:
http://www.saultstar.com/2012/10/10/shutdown-of-start-up-program-draws-councils-ire

The cuts will hit First Nations hard:
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/sudbury/story/2012/10/11/sby-poverty-program-funding-cut.html

More people will be homeless in Hastings, Prince Edward, and Lennox & Addington
http://www.intelligencer.ca/2012/10/09/advocates-worry-about-provincial-cuts

Poverty will get worse with CSUMB cut, says CUPE – town hall in Sudbury:
http://www.marketwire.com/press-release/mcguinty-government-would-make-poverty-worse-by-cutting-community-start-up-benefit-1712092.htm

  • Picked up here: http://www.melodika.net/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=425868&Itemid=54
  • And here: http://www.northumberlandview.ca/index.php?module=news&type=user&func=display&sid=17802

The cuts – and other austerity measures – are like boiling frog syndrome:
http://www.brockpress.com/news/external-news/provincial-budget-cuts-boiling-frog-syndrome-1.2924159

Social Assistance Review

Op-Ed: It’s time to build dignity into social assistance:
http://www.thestar.com/opinion/editorialopinion/article/1268704–it-s-time-to-build-dignity-into-ontario-social-assistance

Here’s the full Five Tests for the Social Assistance Review – report expected late next week:
http://www.ywcatoronto.org/upload/FiveTestsForTheReviewOfSocialAssistanceInOntario.pdf

Martin Regg Cohn’s take on the review:
http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/politics/article/1269252–cohn-how-dalton-mcguinty-can-undo-the-welfare-legacy-of-mike-harris

No double-dipping! Even if you paid into EI! And you’re disabled! And have a new baby!
http://www.cbc.ca/m/touch/news/story/2012/10/05/bc-disabilitycut.html

New Reports and other Cool Stuff

The CCPA’s Living Wage conference is today in Toronto – and ISAC was pleased to co-sponsor. They’ve posted a toolkit and will be updating with new resources soon:
http://www.policyalternatives.ca/offices/ontario/livingwageON

An upcoming Community Forum – “Retiring on a Low Income: Presentation of New Tools that will result in better planning and advice”:
http://openpolicyontario.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/oct-25-public-meeting-noticef.pdf

Ontario Issues

Ontario 211 workers say many Ontarians can’t afford groceries:
http://blog.211ontario.ca/2012/10/share-this-story-if-you-think-it-takes-courage-to-reach-out-for-help/

Looks like the 25 in 5 Network for Poverty Reduction might be coming back:
http://povertyfreeontario.blogspot.ca/2012/09/diary-of-advocacy-associate-25-in-5.html

From the Workers’ Action Centre: Ontario needs a minimum wage people can live on!
http://www.workersactioncentre.org/updates/ontario-needs-a-minimum-wage-workers-can-live-on/

Ontario Politics

What Tim Hudak would do if he were preem:
http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/politics/article/1269396–ontario-conservatives-promise-tax-cuts-new-subways-if-elected

Some PC MPPs raise the abortion issue; the Sun calls it a “crazed political death wish”:
http://www.torontosun.com/2012/10/10/mpps-anti-abortion-message-expose-hudaks-weakness

Around the Province

Affordable homes saved in Toronto:
http://www.wellesleyinstitute.com/housing/big-win-for-tchc-tenants-and-for-all-of-toronto-affordable-homes-saved/

Government screwups dog senior in London with mental illness:
http://www.lfpress.com/2012/10/11/mentally-ill-senior-dogged-by-government-screw-ups

Across the Country

From Alberta – why we can do better than poverty reduction:
http://www.troymedia.com/2012/10/05/why-poverty-reduction-strategies-are-wrong-headed/

National

Broadbent Institute makes income inequality its first focus:

  • CBC (watch the video!) http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/story/2012/10/08/pol-broadbent-institute-first-policy-report.html
  • Globe http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/ottawa-notebook/gap-between-rich-and-poor-is-the-defining-issue-of-our-time-broadbent-institute/article4596819/
  • Star: http://www.thestar.com/opinion/editorialopinion/article/1267780–what-kind-of-canada-do-we-want
  • NOWToronto http://www.nowtoronto.com/news/story.cfm?content=189014
  • The Report: http://www.broadbentinstitute.ca/sites/default/files/documents/towards_a_more_equal_canada.pdf

Are you outraged? You ought to be:
http://www.thestar.com/opinion/editorialopinion/article/1268708–governing-in-the-dark-bargain-basement-citizenship

Five economic trends to watch – on food, gas, natural gas, housing, and interest rates:
http://www.moneyville.ca/article/1266876–five-economic-trends-consumers-should-watch#.UHLdxxGqgfs.facebook

Tips from advocates on finding a good rental apartment:
http://m.theglobeandmail.com/globe-investor/personal-finance/home-cents/renters-how-to-steer-clear-of-bad-apartments-and-lousy-landlords/article4605319/?service=mobile

Federal Issues

The Current covers temporary foreign worker laws, and their impacts:
http://www.cbc.ca/thecurrent/episode/2012/10/09/temporary-foreign-worker-laws-in-canada/

New federal program promises $30 million to spur 1600 jobs for people with disabilities:
http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/story/2012/10/10/pol-cp-finley-disabled-jobs.html

But, disability advocate says there’s a better way:
http://beaconnews.ca/blog/2012/10/1600-jobs-for-disabled-canadians-under-new-federal-program/

Feds spend on ads while cutting programs:
http://m.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/tories-commit-millions-to-action-plan-ads-while-cutting-programs/article4602326/?service=mobile

Feds outline new access-to-information system:
http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/article/1268040–federal-government-plans-online-pilot-project-for-access-to-information-requests

Kevin Page wins major concessions in fight to get budget information:
http://www.ottawacitizen.com/news/Budget+officer+wins+concessions+fight+information+Tories+cuts/7371402/story.html#ixzz295Hc1Pu2

International

People in Europe are increasingly abandoning their babies as economic prospects dim:
http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2012/07/11/europe-s-growing-crisis-of-abandoned-babies.html

Creating living-wage jobs in the USA:
http://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2012/10/yes-we-can-fight-inequality-3-ways-washington-can-create-living-wage-jobs/263367/

Protests at Walmart:
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/10/10/business/organizers-say-wal-mart-labor-protests-spread.html?_r=1

Inequality in American cities – how does it compare to other countries?
http://www.theatlanticcities.com/jobs-and-economy/2012/10/high-inequality-us-metro-areas-compared-countries/3079/

Norway to double carbon tax on oil industry:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2012/oct/11/norway-carbon-tax-oil

UK’s Work and Pension Secretary thinks welfare needs a “cultural shift” to “end reliance on benefits” – meaning a 10 billion BP cut to welfare budget:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-19874361

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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.