Income Security Advocacy Centre

ISAC works to address issues of income security and poverty in Ontario

Media & Policy News: 17 June 2013

Top Stories

New research shows tying social assistance income eligibility to a requirement to find a job increases the risk of death:

Canada’s new Jobs Grant program called “deeply flawed” by new Mowat / Caledon joint report:

Op-Ed by legal clinic students calls for a better Employment Insurance system:
http://www.windsorstar.com/Save+system/8518538/story.html

Op-Ed touts the benefits of a Guaranteed Annual Income:
http://www.thestar.com/opinion/commentary/2013/06/14/antipoverty_tax_credit_would_lead_to_health_savings.html

Events, Reports, and Other Goodies

Here’s the link to the Mowat / Caledon report (see above):
http://www.mowatcentre.ca/research-topic-mowat.php?mowatResearchID=84

“Migrant Workers Are Parents Too” Campaign kicks off on Father’s Day:
http://online.wsj.com/article/PR-CO-20130614-905448.html

June 20 Teach-In in Toronto: Employment Insurance and Low Wage Work:
http://goodjobsforall.ca/join-us-for-a-special-ei-teach-in/

“The Human Rights Approach to Social Development” – seminar and report:
http://www.unrisd.org/unrisd/website/events.nsf/%28httpEvents%29/CB6BD3C8531F7087C1257B5F003151D2?OpenDocument&utm_campaign=ebulletin_12_6_2013&utm_medium=email_html&utm_source=en&utm_content=content_link

Across the Province

Chrysler to freeze defined benefit pension plans:
http://www.windsorstar.com/Chrysler+freeze+benefit+pension+plans/8530089/story.html

Napanee settles human rights complaint with people with disabilities:

Toronto City Council moves to open up the electoral process:
http://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2013/06/11/toronto_city_council_backs_radical_change_to_ranked_ballots_and_letting_noncitizens_participate.html

Witnesses to Poverty Project in Toronto seeks youth volunteers:
http://www.campaign2000.ca/Ontario/WitnessOfPoverty2013.pdf

National

What are we free from on “tax freedom day”?
http://www.broadbentinstitute.ca/en/blog/tax-freedom-day-freedom-what-exactly

On Canada’s contribution to work against tax evasion at the G8:

More Canadians are using offshore tax havens:
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/story/2013/06/10/offshore-leak-canadians.html

Why “visible minorities” is not a helpful term:
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/commentary/visible-minority-a-misleading-concept-that-ought-to-be-retired/article12445364/#dashboard/follows/

And, beyond terminology, how racial discrimination in the workplace needs a systemic response:
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/commentary/whatever-you-call-it-discrimination-is-alive-and-well-in-the-work-place/article12513864/#dashboard/follows/

Federal funding cuts to Aboriginal and First Nations groups:
http://www.leaderpost.com/life/Aboriginal+groups+shocked+federal+fund+cuts/8485640/story.html

The case for a national pharmacare plan:
http://fullcomment.nationalpost.com/2013/06/10/marc-andre-gagnon-the-case-for-national-pharmacare/

“Canada’s failure to enact a national housing strategy — we’re the only G8 country without one — is costing us, a lot”
http://www.vancouversun.com/business/bc2035/Housing+handshakes+hollow+promises/8511856/story.html

New Canadian Observatory on Homelessness launched:
http://www.wellesleyinstitute.com/news/canadian-observatory-on-homelessness-is-launched/

CUPE urges the Senate to block Bill C-377:
http://cupe.ca/unions/urges-senate-block-anti-union-bill

Random inspections for temporary foreign workers:
http://www.ottawacitizen.com/news/national/Employers+that+hire+foreign+workers+could+soon+face+random/8511545/story.html

Overcoming mental illness means overcoming stigma:
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/commentary/overcoming-mental-illness-means-overcoming-stigma/article12480148/

Library and Archives Canada is getting into a deal that would hand over exclusive rights to public documents to a private company:
http://www.ottawacitizen.com/news/ottawa/Library+Archives+Canada+entered+hush+hush+deal+with+private/8511544/story.html

International

The impacts of austerity – on children:
http://www.project-syndicate.org/commentary/the-unfair-burden-of-fiscal-adjustment-by-simon-johnson

The UK’s “Bedroom Tax” makes huge problems worse:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2013/jun/09/bedroom-tax-huge-problems-worse

“Experience has shown us that there is no automatic ‘trickle down’ from economic development”:
http://www.unog.ch/80256EDD006B9C2E/%28httpNewsByYear_en%29/13192D99C340EBAFC1257B86003E0B3D?OpenDocument

Banishing rogue landlords in London, UK:
http://www.24dash.com/news/housing/2013-06-10-Report-calls-for-action-to-banish-rogue-landlords-from-London

The IMF says that they “underestimated” the damage that their austerity prescriptions would do to Greece:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2013/jun/05/imf-underestimated-damage-austerity-would-do-to-greece

The UK’s Liberal Democrat leader Nick Clegg says there should be no more welfare cuts for the poor until benefits for the rich are clawed back: