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Income Security Advocacy Centre

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

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Media & Policy News: 20 June 2014

June 20, 2014

Top Stories

“It’s nuts” that social assistance programs across Canada don’t provide enough for healthy food:
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/prince-edward-island/adequate-food-not-an-option-on-social-assistance-1.2677943?cmp=fbtl

Thousands denied federal disability benefits waiting more than a year for new federal tribunal appeal hearings:
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/thousands-awaiting-appeals-before-social-security-tribunal/article19150798/

  • Saskatchewan advocate says federal tribunal appeals process a “David and Goliath battle”:http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/saskatchewan/appeal-process-for-cpp-disability-benefits-is-a-david-and-goliath-battle-sask-advocate-says-1.2679174
  • Massive appeals backlog “a disgrace”:http://www.thestarphoenix.com/business/Disability+appeals+system+irks+advocate/9953309/story.html

Changes to temporary foreign worker program announced today:
http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/temporary-foreign-worker-program-to-be-made-more-transparent-1.2681436

Manitoba announces two new social programs for people on social assistance and low income workers:
http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/local/Province-announces-two-new-social-programs–263850191.html

Ontario

Big Trout Lake residents invite other Canadians to experience life on reserve:
http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/2014/06/10/first_nations_community_invites_canadians_to_experience_life_on_a_reserve.html

The Spec: Why we need an Ontario pension plan:
http://www.ourwindsor.ca/opinion-story/4581473-the-spectator-s-view-why-we-need-an-ontario-pension-plan/

Ontario Human Rights Commission issues new policy on rights of people with mental illness and addictions:
http://globalnews.ca/news/1401272/ontario-issues-human-rights-policy-for-people-with-mental-illness-addictions/

  • Here’s the policy: http://www.ohrc.on.ca/en/policy-preventing-discrimination-based-mental-health-disabilities-and-addictions
  • And here’s the fact sheet: http://www.ohrc.on.ca/en/human-rights-and-mental-health-fact-sheet

New report to show Ontario being shortchanged $1.2 billion in equalization payments:
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/new-pbo-report-to-show-ontario-being-shortchanged-12-billion-in-equalization/article19232141/?cmpid=rss1&click=sf_globe

Profile of Dr. Danielle Martin, who says doctors “should be at the front of the parade to try to reduce poverty in Canada”
http://news.utoronto.ca/meet-danielle-martin-health-care-leader-heard-across-north-america

Steve Paikin’s roundup of “what else happened” in the Ontario election:
http://theagenda.tvo.org/blog/agenda-blogs/steve-paikin-yes-wynne-won-did-you-know-what-else-happened

Around the Province

Bruce County pilot project to train youth on social assistance through the county’s trails program:
http://blackburnnews.com/midwestern-ontario/midwestern-ontario-news/2014/06/17/bruce-social-assiste/

St. Catherines Woman on ODSP pays half her benefit cheque in rent:
http://www.stcatharinesstandard.ca/2014/06/11/poverty-rent-eats-away-at-grocery-money

  • Readers’ comments: http://www.stcatharinesstandard.ca/2014/06/17/poverty-talk-readers-respond-to-korys-story
  • Reporter on the above story asks, why do we vilify the poor?: http://www.wellandtribune.ca/2014/06/16/clock-why-do-we-vilify-the-poor
  • Video: Reporter reads readers’ comments on the story: http://www.stcatharinesstandard.ca/2014/06/18/poverty-one-story-two-sides

In Toronto, community activists speak out against TAVIS policing initiative:
http://torontoist.com/2014/06/community-activists-speak-out-about-tavis/

Inclusionary zoning one critical response to crisis of affordable housing in Toronto:
http://www.thegridto.com/city/politics/if-you-build-inclusively-they-will-still-come/

Partnerships bring skills development to people on social assistance in St. Ste. Marie:
http://www.sootoday.com/content/news/details.asp?c=74779

Across the Country

BC’s poverty reduction pilot projects “an embarrassing stance on poverty”:
http://www.vancouversun.com/business/Opinion+embarrassing+stance+poverty/9941797/story.html

Alberta scraps P3 model for building schools:
http://globalnews.ca/news/1401800/alberta-government-scraps-p3-funding-model-for-new-schools/

National

Income inequality even more pronounced when income held in private holding companies included:

  • Globe: http://m.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/canadian-controlled-private-corporations-helping-widen-inequality-gulf-study/article19174594/?service=mobile#dashboard/follows/ 
  • Press Progress: http://www.pressprogress.ca/en/post/canadas-rich-are-richer-you-think-39-richer

New PSAC video, “Employment Insurance in Canada: Hitting Rock Bottom”:
http://www.digitaljournal.com/pr/1997522

Doctors have a duty to find out if poverty plays a role in a patient’s medical issues:
http://www.therecord.com/community-story/4581511-poverty-plays-a-role-in-health/

Canadians’ views on the foreign worker program:
http://www.ctvnews.ca/politics/canadians-support-fines-for-foreign-worker-program-abuses-poll-suggests-1.1873343#ixzz350t7x8OP

International

Poverty hits twice as many British households as 30 years ago:
http://www.theguardian.com/society/2014/jun/19/poverty-hits-twice-as-many-british-households

Welfare cuts and the bedroom tax forcing families in poverty into homelessness:
http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/scottish-news/welfare-cuts-bedroom-tax-forcing-3708222

Welfare cuts one year on: Britain’s poorest on par with former Eastern bloc:
http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/welfare-cuts-one-year-on-3713263

Nick Pearce of IPPR says challenging concentrations of power must be the new terrain of social democracy:
http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/jun/18/labor-spend-equality-society-growth-redistribution-wealth

Head of Goldman Sachs says income inequality is “very destabilizing” and “has to be dealt with”:
http://thinkprogress.org/economy/2014/06/13/3448679/goldman-sachs-income-inequality/

Robert Reich: The three biggest lies about poverty:
http://www.skyvalleychronicle.com/BREAKING-NEWS/THE-THREE-BIGGEST-LIES-ABOUT-POVERTY-1763220

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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.