Top Stories
Today marks the 5th anniversary of Ontario’s first five-year Poverty Reduction Strategy.
The 25in5 Network for Poverty Reduction says poverty reduction is key to a prosperous economy; bold action needed in the next strategy:
http://www.thestar.com/opinion/commentary/2013/12/04/poverty_reduction_key_to_fairer_more_prosperous_ontario.html
Anglican Dioceses share five steps to action on poverty reduction:
http://niagaraanglican.ca/vision/docs/social-justice/Building%20a%20society_Niagara_onepage.pdf
Community Development Halton calls for strong action:
http://www.insidehalton.com/opinion-story/4238871-combatting-poverty-together/
Five ideas from Alan Broadbent, of Avana and Maytree:
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/economy/economy-lab/target-the-poor-not-the-rich-for-real-solutions-to-income-inequality/article15631870/#dashboard/follows/
Government’s announcement today on stronger rules and enforcement on precarious work:
http://news.ontario.ca/mol/en/2013/12/protecting-ontarios-vulnerable-workers.html
Info from the Workers Action Centre on the announcement:
http://www.workersactioncentre.org/updates/new-protections-for-ontario-workers-announced-today/
Star coverage:
http://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2013/12/04/new_ontario_law_would_protect_precarious_workers.html
More Top News
A reminder on International Day of Persons with Disabilities that Ottawa needs to do more to support people with disabilities:
http://www.thestar.com/opinion/commentary/2013/12/03/ottawa_needs_to_strengthen_disability_supports.html
PEI to do food cost study to help set social assistance rates:
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/prince-edward-island/p-e-i-eyes-food-cost-study-to-help-set-assistance-rates-1.2430934
Mock trial in Hamilton finds Premier Wynne guilty on social assistance:
http://www.ourwindsor.ca/news-story/4251186-cash-for-poor-mock-trial-finds-wynne-guilty/
Read the blogs from the Put Food in the Budget’s Food Bank Challenge 2013:
http://pfibcampaign.wordpress.com/2013/11/24/day-1/
Ontario’s long-term energy plan good, but affordable energy rate plan needed for the vulnerable:
http://yourlegalrights.on.ca/sites/all/files/LIEN%20media%20release_LTEP_FINAL.pdf
Justice for Children and Youth needs your support for Bill 88:
http://www.change.org/en-CA/petitions/mpp-s-vote-yes-for-bill-88-access-to-child-welfare-services-for-all-children?share_id=BToyoZAMal&utm_campaign=mailto_link&utm_medium=email&utm_source=share_petition
Ontario businesses ignoring accessibility standards for people with disabilities; Ontario government not enforcing:
http://www.thestar.com/news/queenspark/2013/11/18/ontario_businesses_ignore_provincial_accessibility_law.html
The challenges of using the law to advance social justice:
http://www.straight.com/news/540176/reasonable-doubt-using-law-social-change-presents-many-challenges
Justice Murray Sinclair says Canadians and newcomers should learn about the history of Aboriginal peoples in Canada:
http://www.therecord.com/news-story/4246426-canadians-must-know-history-of-aboriginal-peoples-says-judge/
Around the Province
Conservative Sen. Hugh Segal calls for Guaranteed Annual Income at a business breakfast in St. Catherines:
http://www.wellandtribune.ca/2013/11/21/segal-cdn-annual-income-a-solution-to-poverty
Social housing wait time is three years in Grey County:
http://www.owensoundsuntimes.com/2013/11/18/wait-time-is-three-years-minimum-in-grey-county
A home for all is still just a dream, in Niagara:
http://www.niagarathisweek.com/opinion-story/4243896-home-for-all-still-a-dream/
In Cambridge, EI, EI, OHmygoodness:
http://www.therecord.com/opinion-story/4238812-and-on-that-farm-he-had-some-unemployed-workers/
Across the Country
Legal Aid services in Nova Scotia to expand:
http://thechronicleherald.ca/novascotia/1168668-legal-aid-services-to-expand
United Way North Alberta to hold its first ever poverty simulation seminar:
http://www.dailyheraldtribune.com/2013/11/21/poverty-seminar-to-provide-insight
Poverty, housing and transportation vital issues for youth in Metro Vancouver:
http://www.vancouversun.com/news/Poverty+housing+transportation+identified+vital+issues+Metro+youth/9167888/story.html
Pan-Atlantic Panel seeks public input into EI reforms:
http://www.journalpioneer.com/News/Local/2013-12-02/article-3527251/Panel-seeks-public-input-on-EI-changes/1
Teachers in BC report a high level of poverty among their students:
http://www.vancouversun.com/business/Teachers+report+high+levels+poverty+among+their+students+survey/9232050/story.html
National
In 2014, for the first time, more than half the federal government’s revenue will come from personal income taxes:
http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2013/11/24/corporate-personal-taxes-canada_n_4333694.html?ir=Canada+Business
Carol Goar on the Canadian Taxpayers Federation’s “insidious attack” on EI:
http://www.thestar.com/opinion/editorials/2013/11/28/insidious_attack_on_jobless_insurance_goar.html
Broken promises from the feds on affordable housing: we’re still waiting for action:
http://www.thestar.com/opinion/commentary/2013/11/18/broken_promises_on_affordable_housing.html
How to deal with problems in health care? Through housing:
http://www.therecord.com/opinion-story/4223741-the-great-canadian-experiment-to-house-the-homeless/
How one Canadian company – Lee Valley – deals with wage inequality:
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/time-to-lead/how-one-company-levels-the-pay-slope-of-executives-and-workers/article15472738/#dashboard/follows/
International
100,000-strong petition demanding government assess welfare reform and benefit cut impacts on people who are ill and disabled now must be debated in the UK House of Commons:
http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/war-welfare-petition-100000-sign-2870513
Food poverty is on the rise in Ireland:
http://www.irishtimes.com/news/ireland/irish-news/food-poverty-on-the-rise-in-ireland-1.1601295
What is driving inequality in the US? It’s not technology:
http://economix.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/11/18/inequalitys-roots-beyond-technology/?_r=0
Five years after the recession, and “too big to fail” is even bigger:
http://www.thenation.com/blog/177140/elizabeth-warren-regulators-congress-end-too-big-fail
Corporations are “the real welfare queens”:
http://www.ringoffireradio.com/2013/11/corporations-real-welfare-queens/
A UK “welfare to work” conference is hit by protestors decrying workfare coercion:
http://www.politics.co.uk/news/2013/12/02/protestors-target-welfare-to-work-industry-event
Brazil’s Bolsa Familia, “the world’s biggest welfare program”:
http://www.dw.de/worlds-biggest-welfare-program/av-17241829
The UK’s list of Living Wage Employers:
http://www.livingwage.org.uk/employers
Welfare benefits don’t remove the incentive to work:
http://news.stv.tv/politics/248994-welfare-benefits-do-not-remove-incentive-to-work-academics-claim/