Income Security Advocacy Centre

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

Media & Policy News: 21 January 2013

Top Stories

Star editorial: Hudak’s position on welfare “reflects a profound ignorance about the depth of poverty in this rich province”:
http://www.thestar.com/opinion/editorials/article/1317261–ontario-conservative-leader-tim-hudak-on-wrong-track-with-welfare-editorial

More thoughts on the PC’s white paper:
http://www.thesudburystar.com/2013/01/21/out-of-poverty

Community Start-Up and Maintenance Benefit

ISAC and ACTO have prepared an update on CSUMB, along with a one-stop info centre and impact tracking tool:
http://us4.campaign-archive2.com/?u=095b12c98935ecaadd327bf90&id=7f498339e3&e=f67f28a7b9

Fallout in Northumberland:
http://www.northumberlandnews.com/news/article/1564070–northumberland-cuts-funding-to-the-help-centre

More from Northumberland:
http://consider-this.ca/?p=2849

And in Kenora:
http://www.kenoradailyminerandnews.com/2013/01/15/kenora-district-services-board-program-changes-to-impact-city-levy

Recent Reports and Other Goodies

Federal government releases report on “removing barriers and helping Canadians with disabilities find jobs”:
http://www.marketwire.com/press-release/report-released-on-helping-canadians-with-disabilities-find-jobs-1746453.htm#.UPbvyEp1oRY.facebook

Recent Mowat Centre report – Homelessness: Closing the Gap Between Capacity and Performance
http://www.mowatcentre.ca/research-topic-mowat.php?mowatResearchID=73

CUPE’s submission to HRSDC on the use of social impact bonds for social program financing:
http://cupe.ca/political-action/social-impact-bonds-wrong-model-address?utm_source=twitter

Wanna know what “quantitative easing” means? Armine Yalnizyan will tell you:
http://www.cbc.ca/thesundayedition/sunday-school/2013/01/13/just-what-is-quantitative-easing/

An Op Ed on why tax breaks for corporations aren’t the way to resolve hunger:
http://www.thestar.com/opinion/editorialopinion/article/1304824–corporate-tax-breaks-are-not-the-answer-to-hunger-in-canada

A great Op Ed from Hugh Mackenzie on inequality in Canada:
http://www.thestar.com/opinion/editorialopinion/article/1308352–why-the-99-per-cent-still-matter-in-canadian-politics

A great Op Ed on why resolving inequality is good for everyone:
http://www.thestar.com/opinion/editorialopinion/article/1307700–creating-shared-prosperity-will-benefit-everyone

A Star editorial on the problem of high household debt:
http://www.thestar.com/opinion/editorials/article/1310824–our-dangerous-addiction-to-borrowing-editorial#.UOrL2O_FFGQ.facebook

Look here for John Stapleton’s lecture on inequality at the University of Toronto’s School of Public Policy and Governance:
http://ppgreview.ca/2012/11/25/seen-and-heard-john-stapleton-the-janeiro-donelson-perez-lecture-on-inequality/

EconomicInequality.ca establishes its Action Plan to eliminate inequality in Ontario:
http://us4.campaign-archive1.com/?u=ced7c82524a6dbd8342df6609&id=f83dd289d2&e=3dc7c0782c

Ontario News

Provincial government announces new microloan program for women starting businesses:
http://www.women.gov.on.ca/english/keyprograms/microlending_program.shtml

Health for All’s campaign targeting the Liberal leadership convention on the cuts to refugee health care:
http://www.health4all.ca/

Hamilton Community Legal Clinic on the importance of evidence-based social assistance rate setting:
http://www.hamiltonjustice.ca/blog/?post=Evidence%20Based%20Rates%20and%20the%20Liberal%20Leadership%20Race&id=211

Ontario’s injured workers are falling deeper into poverty:
http://rabble.ca/blogs/bloggers/johnbon/2012/12/injured-workers-falling-deeper-poverty

What precarious employment on Bay Street looks like:
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/life/facts-and-arguments/just-because-i-work-on-bay-street-doesnt-mean-im-rich/article7326751/

Provincial regulations that came into force Jan 1, 2013:
http://news.ontario.ca/opo/en/2012/12/ontario-regulations-coming-into-force-on-january-1-2013.html

Around the Province

The rising cost of healthy eating:
http://www.northumberlandtoday.com/2013/01/17/rising-cost-of-healthy-eating-makes-shopping-a-challenge

The Stop responds to a local Toronto meal token program:
http://www.thestar.com/opinion/letters/article/1317198–hunger-is-almost-always-due-to-poverty

Across the Country

Oh thank goodness, somebody said it – “Time for CBC Right to Food Day”:
http://thetyee.ca/Opinion/2012/12/28/Time-For-CBC-Right-to-Food-Day/

Friends mourn the passing of a Vancouver man who was homeless:
http://www.vancourier.com/news/Vancouver+friends+mourn+homeless+following+death/7771436/story.html

Poverty in BC:
http://www.vancouversun.com/health/Wednesday+Donations+highlight+need+address+poverty/7828606/story.html

Poverty reduction in Surrey, BC:
http://www.thenownewspaper.com/business/Poverty+plan+takes+first+steps/7820910/story.html

Why BC has such a high rate of child poverty:
http://www.royalcityrecord.com/business/City+talks+about+child+poverty/7719435/story.html

Life on Victoria’s streets a “vicious circle of poverty”:
http://www.timescolonist.com/news/local/life-on-the-streets-a-vicious-circle-of-poverty-1.36436

Yukon’s Social Inclusion and Poverty Reduction Strategy released mid-December:
http://www.hss.gov.yk.ca/news/12-245.php

Poverty reduction in Lethbridge, Alberta:
http://vibrantcanada.ca/blogs/donna-jean-forster-gill/poverty-reduction-lethbridge-alberta

National

The new EI rules came into effect Jan 1. Here’s some coverage:

EI cuts to migrant workers to save the feds $18 million annually:
http://www.ottawacitizen.com/news/national/cuts+migrant+workers+save+federal+government/7711792/story.html

“What Jason Kenney doesn’t want you to know about Canada’s Temporary Foreign Worker Program”:
http://www.rabble.ca/news/2013/01/truth-about-canadas-temporary-foreign-worker-program

The Spectator says Dwight Duncan is right on CPP reform:
http://www.thespec.com/opinion/editorial/article/856050–the-spectator-s-view-ontario-s-dwight-duncan-is-right-on-cpp-reform

Feds’ Bill C-45 means 70 Thunder Bay jobs are on the line:
http://www.tbnewswatch.com/news/258118/Jobs-on-the-line

Carol Goar on Caledon’s proposal to increase the Working Income Tax Benefit:
http://www.thestar.com/opinion/editorialopinion/article/1305396–goar-give-canada-s-working-poor-a-raise

Canadian Taxpayers Federation on poverty among First Nations in Canada:

Vancouver Sun columnist on Guaranteed Annual Income:
http://www.vancouversun.com/news/guaranteed+income+Canadians+would+eliminate+poverty/7769521/story.html

International

One economist’s take on benefit design and METRs:
http://economix.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/12/19/a-tale-of-two-welfare-states/

An editorial in a Florida newspaper on corporate welfare and state priorities:
http://staugustine.com/opinions/2012-12-26/perspective-florida-can-ill-afford-corporate-welfare

UK’s bizarre “bedroom tax”:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/patrick-butler-cuts-blog/2013/jan/16/welfare-reform-bedroom-tax-policy-that-has-no-logic

Oxfam says world’s 100 richest people could end global poverty:
·       http://www.digitaljournal.com/article/341755
·       http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2013/01/20/oxfam-poverty-income-inequality/
·       http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2013/jan/19/super-rich-fight-poverty-oxfam

IMF’s major mea culpa on the negative impact of austerity on economies:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wonkblog/wp/2013/01/03/an-amazing-mea-culpa-from-the-imfs-chief-economist-on-austerity/