Income Security Advocacy Centre

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

Media & Policy News: 7 March 2014

Top Stories

Hennessy’s Index for March – Tax Cuts 101:
https://www.policyalternatives.ca/publications/facts-infographics/hennessys-index-march-2014

Tax splitting, sure. But what will expanding Tax Free Savings Accounts cost?:
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/globe-debate/the-forgotten-tax-break-for-the-rich-that-will-cost-ottawa-billions/article17267315/

In 2013, the combined net work of the richest 100 Canadians increased by 15%:
http://www.canadianbusiness.com/list-and-rankings/richest-people-in-canada-2014/

Manitoba budget focused in part on poverty reduction, and pledges to increases housing allowance for people on social assistance:
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/manitoba-2014-budget-tackles-jobs-education-and-poverty-1.2562858

Resources

Here’s the report mentioned last week that I couldn’t find (thanks Gwyneth). It’s Canada’s report to the UN’s Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities on how Canada and the provinces are doing with implementing the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities:
http://www.archdisabilitylaw.ca/sites/all/files/Convention%20on%20the%20Rights%20of%20Persons%20with%20Disabilities%20-%20First%20Report%20of%20%20%20%20.pdf

Ever heard of a POUR website? If you’re interested in web accessibility, you should:
http://webaim.org/articles/pour/

Ontario

Editorial: Ontario’s laws on access for people with disabilities must be enforced:
http://www.thestar.com/opinion/editorials/2014/02/24/enforce_ontarios_law_on_access_for_the_disabled_editorial.html

David Olive on why an $11 minimum wage is still not enough:
http://www.thestar.com/business/2014/02/21/ontario_minimum_wage_still_not_enough_olive.html#

Regg Cohn: On Rand, the public is unpredictable:
http://www.thestar.com/news/queenspark/2014/03/04/tim_hudak_retakes_the_antiunion_pulse_of_ontario_cohn.html

Stanford: Union bashing has run out of steam:
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/globe-debate/as-tim-hudak-learned-the-era-of-union-bashing-has-run-out-of-steam/article17209026/#dashboard/alerts

Sid Ryan on Hudak’s “wink and nudge” on workers’ rights:
http://www.thestar.com/opinion/commentary/2014/03/04/tim_hudaks_lowwage_agenda_is_hiding_in_plain_sight.html

Op-Ed: Ontario NDP have gone from a social justice roar to a populist whisper:
http://www.thestar.com/opinion/commentary/2014/03/04/ontario_ndp_losing_its_voice_on_minimum_wage.html

Around the Province

Transcript of the Star’s live chat on Toronto as a living wage city – with the CCPA’s Trish Hennessy and economist Mike Moffat:
http://www.thestar.com/bigideas/2014/02/28/should_ontario_raise_minimum_wage_to_1660_join_our_live_chat_tuesday.html

Welland Tribune’s Faces of Poverty series – the Niagara poverty numbers are shocking:
http://www.wellandtribune.ca/2014/02/27/examining-the-changing-face-of-poverty

Welland councillor angry and Niagara Region staff concerned about lack of federal and provincial support on housing:
http://www.wellandtribune.ca/2014/03/04/region-underfunded-in-battle-against-homelessness-staff

St. Catherine’s woman with a developmental disability wins pay discrimination case:

Across the Country

Unions in BC call for a $13 minimum wage:

National

A report card on how well Harper’s doing on the economy:
http://www.ottawacitizen.com/opinion/op-ed/Harper+economic+index+year+report+card/9417092/story.html

An open letter to Harper asks “May I please has a job?”:
http://rabble.ca/blogs/bloggers/krystalline-kraus/2014/03/activist-communique-dear-stephen-harper-sir-may-i-please-ha#.Uxh9euBAyI8.facebook

Temp contract work with the federal public service – low wages and instability:
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottawa/temporary-workers-frustrated-with-lower-wages-instability-1.2558242

Report says 2013 was “lacklustre” for the labour market with 95% of new jobs part-time:
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/economy/jobs/quality-of-new-jobs-on-the-decline-study-finds/article17189274/#dashboard/follows/

The growing backlash against unpaid internships:
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/unpaid-internships-focus-of-growing-backlash-1.2556977

Ottawa and the provinces reach a deal on the Canada Jobs Grant to “minimize the negative impact of the initial federal proposal”:
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/ottawa-reaches-agreement-in-principle-on-job-grant-with-provinces-except-quebec/article17160343/#dashboard/follows/

Federal budget surpluses are built on cuts to social housing:
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/globe-politics-insider/with-ottawa-spending-less-on-social-housing-provinces-will-be-forced-to-foot-the-bill/article17264474/#dashboard/follows/

“Homelessness is our national shame”:
http://www.thespec.com/opinion-story/4392670-forgotten-homeless-are-our-national-shame/

Report says Canada is failing youth who are homeless:
http://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2014/03/03/canada_failing_homeless_youth_report_charges.html

The Fair Elections Act will disenfranchise Canadians who are homeless:
http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/megan-yarema/fair-elections-voucher-voting_b_4869509.html

Op-Ed: The federal NDP needs big ideas, but don’t seem to have them:
http://thetyee.ca/Opinion/2014/02/24/NDP-Win-Needs-Big-Ideas/

Susan Eng of CARP: Top 10 dumb things people say about pensions:
http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/susan-eng/canada-pension_b_4834517.html

International

The US cities where it’s hardest for people who are poor to pay their rent:
http://www.theatlanticcities.com/jobs-and-economy/2014/03/where-its-hardest-poor-make-their-rent/8539/

Senator Bernie Sanders may run for President:
http://www.thenation.com/blog/178717/bernie-sanders-i-am-prepared-run-president-united-states#

UK woman told to look for work or lose welfare benefits – but she’s in a coma:

Why people with disabilities are fighting the UK cuts:
http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/feb/27/government-disability-vulnerable-cuts-commons-debate

UK man starves to death after being assessed employable and therefore ineligible for benefits:
http://www.theguardian.com/society/2014/feb/28/man-starved-to-death-after-benefits-cut

The company doing UK fit-for-work assessments wants out of their contract:
http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-26287199

Reducing equality in Australia by reducing disability support will just reduce growth:
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-03-05/jericho-disability-support-pension/5297540?WT.mc_id=newsmail

People’s attitude to taxes around the world:
http://www.cbc.ca/news/business/taxes/how-tax-attitudes-change-over-time-and-around-the-world-1.2510250?cmp=fbtl