Income Security Advocacy Centre

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

Media & Policy News: 24 August 2012

Top Stories

Cuts to the Community Start-up and Maintenance Benefit and the Home Repairs Benefit not sitting well with advocates in Guelph:

Why affordable housing is a human right:
http://www.yongestreetmedia.ca/features/op-edkennhalehousingisaright

Some of the legal issues involved in the provision of social housing:
http://www.lawyersweekly.ca/index.php?section=article&volume=32&number=15&article=3

Ontario Politics

With September 6 by-elections looming, polls show Libs and Cons in a tie:
http://www.globaltoronto.com/liberals+and+conservatives+virtually+tied+ahead+of+by-elections+nanos+survey/6442702004/story.html

Kitchener-Waterloo Common Front says inequality should be a by-election issue:
http://www.therecord.com/news/local/article/785546–economic-hardship-should-be-election-issue-coalition-says

Around the Province

McGuinty goes to AMO meeting and vows to continue uploading costs from municipalities:
http://www.ottawacitizen.com/news/McGuinty+vows+continue+uploading+costs+province/7118653/story.html

Ontario’s new $20 million Youth Action Plan will help get guns off the streets:
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/ontario-unveils-20-million-plan-to-get-guns-off-the-street/article4493120/?cmpid=rss1

Lack of dental coverage a serious issue:
http://www.windsorstar.com/business/Dental+coverage+care+become+expensive+some/7114808/story.html

City of Toronto working group proposing fixes to repair backlog:
http://www.thestar.com/news/gta/cityhallpolitics/article/1245705–tchc-working-group-ready-for-action-on-closing-repair-backlog

A quiet funeral for Bill Buss:
http://www.thestar.com/news/gta/article/1244543–quiet-funeral-for-homeless-man-who-died-under-a-staircase

Michael Shapcott of Wellesley remembers Bill by calling for an end to homelessness:
http://www.wellesleyinstitute.com/news/remembering-abner-william-bill-buss-lets-all-demand-an-end-to-homelessness/

Meanwhile, Toronto’s social housing wait lists grow:
http://www.thestar.com/news/gta/article/1243828–toronto-social-housing-wait-lists-growing

Across the Country

Alberta’s making strides against homelessness:
http://www.thestar.com/opinion/editorialopinion/article/1241519

Injury often means going home for migrant workers:
http://metronews.ca/news/canada/331495/for-migrant-workers-injury-often-means-a-one-way-ticket-home/

The CMA rebuffs stealth moves to recriminalize abortion:
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/doctors-call-on-ottawa-to-reject-backdoor-attempt-to-recriminalize-abortion/article4482594/

Harper says resource extraction will resolve social problems in the North:
http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/politics/article/1244641–stephen-harper-resource-development-will-relieve-social-woes-across-the-north

More protests in Montreal:
http://www.montrealgazette.com/news/Thousands+gather+Place+Canada/7129047/story.html

The conservative Parti Conservateur du Québec takes aim at UI recipients:
http://www.cjad.com/CJADLocalNews/entry.aspx?BlogEntryID=10418540

The Economy

Mark Carney tells CEOs to free up all that “dead money” they’re hoarding:

Jim Flaherty repeats the call, but Carol Goar says he needs to do more:
http://www.thestar.com/opinion/editorialopinion/article/1244718–jim-flaherty-to-business-leaders-loosen-your-fists#.UDQiHmHVlbs.facebook

Toby Sanger on corporate cash hoarding in Canada:
http://www.behindthenumbers.ca/2012/08/23/dead-money/

Target takes over Zellers – mass layoffs ensue:
http://www.thestar.com/business/article/1243430–zellers-employees-walk-away-empty-handed-in-1-825-billion-deal

And so do workers’ protests:
http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2012/08/22/target-canada-zellers-protest_n_1822223.html

How to make sure there are fewer bad jobs in Canada – despite what Flaherty says:
http://rabble.ca/blogs/bloggers/progressive-economics-forum/2012/08/right-response-no-job-bad-job

Canadians’ debt loads highest in eight years:
http://www.thestar.com/business/article/1245808–canadian-debt-loads-rise-to-highest-level-in-eight-years

Labour

CLC study shows unionized workers earn more:
http://www.canadianlabour.ca/national/news/clc-releases-study-union-advantage-unionized-workers-earn-511-more-hour-non-union

CAW and CEP merge:
http://www.thestar.com/news/gta/article/1245585–caw-approves-merger-with-cep-union

Federal Issues

Harper’s campaign to silence democracy – explained by Tom Flanagan:
http://thetyee.ca/Opinion/2012/08/18/Stephen-Harper-Silencing-Democracy/

Art Eggleton talks inequality, not poverty, to get the message across:
http://www.thestar.com/opinion/editorialopinion/article/1242999–senator-art-eggleton-tries-a-new-tack-in-his-fight-against-poverty

Alan Broadbent on federal cuts to information, and those who step into the breach:
http://maytree.com/speeches/caledon-rescues-data.html

Federal cuts to refugee health care almost cost this man his vision:
http://www.thestar.com/news/gta/article/1244577–ottawa-cuts-to-refugee-health-care-almost-costs-man-his-vision

Immigration policy changes mean more points for language, fewer for work experience:
http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/article/1244038–new-immigration-system-will-award-more-points-for-language-fewer-for-work-abroad

Flaherty meets with CEOs. Here’s what they want from him:
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/boardroom-confidential-what-ceos-are-asking-of-jim-flaherty/article4483479/

Elections Canada says there have been 1,394 specific robocall occurrences:
http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/story/2012/08/21/pol-cp-robocalls-complaints-elections-canada.html

International

How to recover from an economic crisis, Iceland-style (i.e., by penalizing those who caused the problem in the first place):
http://www.businessweek.com/news/2012-08-12/imf-says-bailouts-iceland-style-hold-lessons-for-crisis-nations

Americans throw away 40% of their food every day. Canadians are probably the same:
http://www.theatlanticwire.com/national/2012/08/americans-throw-away-40-percent-our-food-every-day/56060/

New report shows the US middle class is facing the worst decade in history:
http://www.thestar.com/news/world/article/1245516–u-s-middle-class-faces-worst-decade-in-modern-history-report

What’s the hottest US campaign ad topic? Welfare:
http://www.sacbee.com/2012/08/23/4750662/most-frequently-broadcast-presidential.html

Greece’s pensioners facing poverty:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-19298681

Junior minister in The Netherlands says “there needs to be a ‘cultural shift’ to ensure benefits are seen as a last resort not a choice”:
http://www.expatica.com/nl/news/dutch-news/Welfare-claimants-are-not-serious-enough-about-jobs-minister_240808.html

Who benefitted from Bush’s corporate tax cuts:
http://www.mcclatchydc.com/2012/08/17/162623/subsidizing-ceo-welfare-bush-tax.html

Big welfare changes affect 17,000 New Zealanders:
http://www.odt.co.nz/news/national/222477/welfare-reforms-affect-17000