Top Stories
New York City’s welfare chief defends high welfare rolls “because we care about people”:
http://nypost.com/2015/12/09/welfare-chief-we-have-high-numbers-because-we-care-about-people/
There’s a food security crisis in Canada and it’s worse than you think:
http://www.vice.com/en_ca/read/theres-a-food-security-crisis-in-canada-and-its-worse-than-you-think
Charity is essential when there’s no justice, but there’s no justice when people have to rely on charity:
http://salsa3.salsalabs.com/o/51055/t/0/blastContent.jsp?email_blast_KEY=1337691
- After 30 years, we need viable alternatives to food banks: http://rabble.ca/blogs/bloggers/doreen-nicoll/2015/12/after-30-years-we-need-viable-alternatives-to-food-banks
- PFIB: They think their power is in our silence: Report on survey about the role of food banks in Ontario: http://salsa3.salsalabs.com/o/51055/t/0/blastContent.jsp?email_blast_KEY=1337362
The federal government is negotiating with the provinces over the new Canada Child Benefit:
http://www.citynews.ca/2015/12/08/provincial-negotiations-spur-six-month-wait-for-new-federal-child-benefit/
- Finance ministers start negotiations December 20: http://news.gc.ca/web/article-en.do?nid=1024039&tp=1&_ga=1.193820717.1876671333.1448476399
Federal Labour Minister set to overhaul Employment Insurance and the Labour Code:
http://www.theepochtimes.com/n3/1916057-canadas-labour-minister-set-to-overhaul-ei-labour-code/
Do corporate income tax cuts fuel growth, or just cash hoarding?
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/rob-commentary/do-corporate-income-tax-rate-cuts-fuel-growth-or-just-cash-hoarding/article27626965/
Ontario Federation of Labour statement on International Human Rights Day:
http://ofl.ca/index.php/humanrights2015/
Nearly half of murdered indigenous women did not know or barely knew their killers:
http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/2015/12/04/nearly-half-of-murdered-indigenous-women-did-not-know-killers-star-analysis-shows.html
Ontario
465,000 people may miss the start of Ontario’s low income energy rebate:
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/energy-rebate-ontario-low-income-1.3356486
- Rebate process confusing, unfair: http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/sudbury/ontario-hydro-rebate-program-1.3358752
- Opposition blasts rebate as “inaccessible”: http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/sudbury/ontario-hydro-rebate-program-1.3358752
Ontario’s landlord and tenant board penalizes the poor:
https://nowtoronto.com/news/reasonable-doubt-ontario-landlord-and-tenant-board/
Liberals under pressure to fix Ontario’s child protection system:
http://www.thestar.com/news/queenspark/2015/12/03/liberals-under-pressure-to-fix-ontarios-child-protection-system.html
Ontario government and IBM “smacked for bungled software project”:
http://www.itworldcanada.com/article/ontario-government-ibm-smacked-for-bungled-software-project/379060
Ontario NDP statement on Auditor General’s report:
http://www.northumberlandview.ca/index.php?module=news&type=user&func=display&sid=38902
Reports, Events, Campaigns
CCPA: Real change for the middle class: Four reforms that do more than the Liberals’ tax cut proposal:
https://www.policyalternatives.ca/publications/reports/real-change-middle-class
Fight for $15 and Fairness: Celebrating retail and service-sector workers:
http://us5.campaign-archive2.com/?u=8e3951a35d48e64f736884ea9&id=c4cdb1c31b&e=f3bab51a7a
Study identifies jobs barriers for graduates with disabilities:
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/kitchener-waterloo/students-with-disability-face-employment-barriers-wage-gap-1.3347840
Around the Province
Op-Ed: Guelph father of two says sheltered workshops provide secure employment:
http://www.guelphmercury.com/opinion-story/6161785-sheltered-workshops-do-help-employ-special-needs-adults/
- Letter to the Editor: Closing ARC Industries in Guelph an insult to people with disabilities: http://www.guelphmercury.com/opinion-story/6161801-closing-arc-industries-an-insult-to-disabled/#.Vmc9PJ0nS1o.facebook
Hot housing market puts Hamilton’s homeless shelters in a crisis:
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/hamilton/news/hot-housing-market-putting-hamilton-s-homeless-shelters-in-a-crisis-1.3351650
Two new Habitat for Humanity projects break ground in Sarnia:
http://thesarniajournal.ca/housing-initiatives-break-new-ground/
Belleville social workers say a national poverty reduction strategy could help with housing crunch:
http://www.insidebelleville.com/news-story/6162481-poverty-strategy-a-good-start-to-address-housing-issues-social-workers-say/
Temporary OW staff positions in Niagara made permanent:
http://www.stcatharinesstandard.ca/2015/12/04/social-assistance-staffing-changes-okd
More seniors and singles in North Bay turning to food banks for help:
http://www.nugget.ca/2015/12/04/more-seniors-individuals-turning-to-food-banks
Beyond Toronto’s borders, homelessness means living in the woods:
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/programs/metromorning/beyond-toronto-s-borders-homeless-means-living-in-the-woods-1.3343955
Across the Country
Nova Scotia program helps older workers get back into the labour force:
http://www.trurodaily.com/News/Local/2015-12-07/article-4367896/Age-advantage-program-helps-mature-workers-get-back-into-labour-force/1
Report shows high levels of child poverty in PEI:
http://www.theguardian.pe.ca/News/Local/2015-12-07/article-4367362/Report-shows-high-level-of-child-poverty-in-P.E.I./1
Thousands of kids in Burnaby, BC live in poverty:
http://www.burnabynow.com/news/thousands-of-burnaby-kids-live-in-poverty-1.2126590
Food bank use at “crisis level” in Canada’s west:
https://ca.news.yahoo.com/blogs/dailybrew/food-banks-adapt-as-hunger-grows-in-canada-164854145.html
National
Mi’kmaw chiefs optimistic proposed changes to on-reserve welfare will be dropped:
http://aptn.ca/news/2015/12/05/mikmaw-chiefs-optimistic-proposed-changes-to-on-reserve-welfare-will-be-dropped/
The absence of good disability policy in Canada:
http://www.samaracanada.com/samarablog/blog-post/samara-main-blog/2015/12/08/missing-in-action-disability-policy-and-persons-with-disabilities
Should Canada replace social programs with cheques for everyone?
http://www.citynews.ca/2015/12/08/trending-should-canada-replace-social-programs-with-cheques-for-everyone/
International
Finland to fight unemployment by scrapping all social welfare benefits and pay a basic income of $1100 / month to all adult citizens:
http://news.nationalpost.com/news/finland-to-pay-every-citizen-1100-per-month-and-scrap-all-other-benefits-in-effort-to-reduce-unemployment-rate
- Some may be worse off as a result of basic income: http://qz.com/566702/finland-plans-to-give-every-citizen-a-basic-income-of-800-euros-a-month/
- The scheme is intended as a pilot: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/finland-universal-base-income_56660600e4b08e945ff09ea8
Welfare reforms have left British vulnerable to hunger:
http://www.theguardian.com/society/2015/dec/10/justin-welby-hunger-tragedy-welfare-reform-blame-poverty
- Cameron has made food banks a way of life for hungry children: http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/david-camerons-poverty-stricken-britain-6990540
One in three people on benefits in Scotland can’t get by on the money they receive:
http://www.heraldscotland.com/news/14135126.One_in_three_welfare_claimants__often_run_out_of_money_/