Top Stories
91 percent of Canadians support a national pharmacare program:
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/national-pharmacare-has-large-support-across-canada-says-poll/article25509989/
Ontario court dismisses class action lawsuit against WSIB for “pre-existing condition” decision-making:
http://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2015/07/10/court-quashes-lawsuit-against-wsib.html
- Legal clinics gathering stories or poor treatment by WSIB to try to make change:http://www.northumberlandtoday.com/2015/07/16/northumberland-legal-centre-wants-to-hear-wsib-complaints
Poverty in the North, especially on social assistance, the subject of Food in the Budget research trip:
http://www.saultstar.com/2015/07/15/northern-poverty-is-a-provincial-problem
- Poor access to food means poor health, says Toronto researcher:http://www.northernlife.ca/news/localNews/2015/07/04-food-security-sudbury.aspx
New collective agreement for Metro workers sets precedent on wages and scheduling:
http://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2015/07/17/metro-deal-sets-new-precedent-for-fair-wages-and-schedules.html
Victim surcharge bound for Supreme Court:
http://www.ctvnews.ca/canada/federal-victim-surcharge-bound-for-supreme-court-defence-lawyers-say-1.2472971
StatsCan cuts funding to an important social policy modelling database:
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/statscan-takes-criticism-for-cutting-funding-to-lifepaths-database/article25487398/?cmpid=rss1&click=sf_globe
ACORN calls for lower internet costs for low-income Canadians:
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/sudbury/cost-of-internet-access-for-low-income-earners-needs-to-be-lowered-acorn-1.3152497
Reports, Publications, and Other Good Stuff
New report from The Dream Team: Towards a New Bill of Rights: The Voice of Tenants in Permanent Supportive Housing:
http://www.homelesshub.ca/resource/towards-new-bill-rights-voice-tenants-permanent-supportive-housing
Ontario
Government breached the privacy of people receiving ODSP, says NDP MCSS critic:
http://www.thespec.com/news-story/5735568-hamilton-mpp-taylor-accuses-ontario-of-privacy-breach/
- Government says misdialed fax number is the cause:http://www.thestar.com/news/queenspark/2015/07/16/misdialed-fax-number-led-to-privacy-breach-liberals-say.html
Research shows children in poorer Toronto neighbourhoods more likely to get asthma:
http://globalnews.ca/news/2078460/poorer-more-polluted-toronto-neighbourhoods-have-higher-childhood-asthma-rates-study
Toronto Community Housing tenants in arrears, many for protesting poor living conditions:
http://www.torontosun.com/2015/07/12/tchc-tenants-owe-millions-in-back-rent#.VaPFDhSahWw.facebook
- TCHC task force finds $371 million in funds for repairs by remortgaging properties:http://www.cp24.com/news/task-force-uncovers-hundreds-of-millions-for-tchc-repairs-1.2470330
Chatham landlord gathering signatures to make direct rent payment to landlords mandatory for people receiving OW and ODSP:
http://www.chathamdailynews.ca/2015/07/13/goal-is-to-have-100000-signatures-by-end-of-september
Success of Gravenhurst café, which serves OW and ODSP clients, has lots of spinoff benefits:
http://www.muskokaregion.com/news-story/5735204-success-of-gravenhurst-caf-impacting-many/
Hamilton looking to regulate payday lenders as province holds consultation on provincial legislation:
http://www.thespec.com/news-story/5731701-city-and-province-looking-at-tightening-rules-around-payday-loans/
- Spec editorial: City regulations are just a start: http://www.thespec.com/opinion-story/5735479-the-spectator-s-view-city-regulations-on-payday-lenders-just-a-start/
How a basic income guarantee would have changed the trajectory of one Ottawa man’s life:
http://leadersandlegacies.com/2015/06/26/ottawa-man-says-a-basic-income-guarantee-would-have-changed-the-trajectory-of-his-life/
Across the Country
Protesters in Halifax rally against Nova Scotia social assistance rate freeze:
http://globalnews.ca/news/2101130/protestors-rally-against-income-assistance-freeze/
Doing something great on affordable housing in Saskatoon:
http://www.thestarphoenix.com/business/Affordable+housing+more+than+cheap+rent/11209783/story.html
Langley BC food banks cuts off mother for skipping a re-qualifying meeting to attend school:
http://www.langleytimes.com/news/312964691.html
National
AFN says premiers must act on violence and reconciliation:
http://www.afn.ca/index.php/en/news-media/latest-news/7-15-15-assembly-of-first-nations-national-chief-urges-premiers-for-ac
“Stiff new consequences” coming for employers using temporary foreign workers, says Poilievre:
http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/temporary-foreign-worker-program-stiff-new-penalties-coming-dec-1-1.2937120
Harper government says no new stimulus is needed to deal with Canada’s economic downturn:http://www.ctvnews.ca/politics/harper-rejects-stimulus-to-deal-with-canada-s-downturn-1.2464899
- Some say Canada is on the brink of a full-blown recession: http://www.businessinsider.com/canada-on-brink-of-full-blown-recession-2015-7
- Statistics Canada says 6400 jobs were lost in June:
http://www.durhamregion.com/news-story/5717558-statistics-canada-says-6-400-jobs-lost-in-june/ - Harper says economy has “hit a rough patch”: http://www.am980.ca/2015/07/12/49645/
- Bank of Canada cuts key interest rate as economy stalls: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/economy/interest-rates/bank-of-canada-rate-announcement/article25514585/?click=sf_globefb
- Concerns grow about rising household debt after interest rate cut:http://www.cbc.ca/news/business/bank-of-canada-rate-cut-will-lure-canadians-deeper-into-debt-say-experts-1.3154931
- Industry Canada report says manufacturing jobs have disappeared despite some rebound:http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/industry-canada-report-paints-gloomy-picture-of-manufacturing-1.3151725
- Bank of Canada economic forecast means balancing the budget may now be “a challenge”:http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/bank-of-canada-forecast-threatens-conservatives-balanced-budget/article25516314/?click=sf_globefb
- How Canada’s economy went from boom to recession so fast:http://www.macleans.ca/economy/economicanalysis/how-canadas-economy-went-from-boom-to-recession-so-fast/
Man walking across Canada to raise awareness of the pain of homelessness:
http://www.saultstar.com/2015/07/12/feeling-despair-living-on-the-street
International
A great interactive website on how income inequality in America is actively created:
http://inequality.is/expensive
- New study says a third of Californians live in poverty: http://www.sacbee.com/news/politics-government/capitol-alert/article27256111.html
- The US Environmental Protection Agency’s new tool maps the intersection of poverty and pollution:http://www.smithsonianmag.com/innovation/epa-has-new-tool-mapping-where-pollution-poverty-intersect-180955663/?no-ist
- Krugman: The laziness dogma and Jeb Bush’s call for longer working hours:http://www.nytimes.com/2015/07/13/opinion/paul-krugman-the-laziness-dogma.html?_r=0
UK think tank says fewer work hours make for more employment:
http://www.theguardian.com/society/2012/jan/08/cut-working-week-urges-thinktank?CMP=share_btn_fb
Poll shows nearly 2/3 of Scots are against UK welfare cuts:
https://commonspace.scot/articles/1876/poll-shows-nearly-two-thirds-of-scots-are-against-welfare-cuts
- Labour will not oppose those cuts: http://i100.independent.co.uk/article/the-opposition-is-not-going-to-um-oppose-the-governments-welfare-bill–bJzJbYFhTGx
Poverty in Russia has reached critical levels, says deputy prime minister:
http://www.themoscowtimes.com/business/article/poverty-hits-critical-level–government/525576.html
Report shows New Zealand knows its child poverty plans aren’t getting the job done:
http://m.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11481362
Pope Francis condemns the excesses of global capitalism:
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/07/12/world/americas/in-fiery-speeches-francis-excoriates-global-capitalism.html?_r=0
The World Bank says investing in women is critical to ending poverty and boosting economic growth:
http://www.worldbank.org/en/news/feature/2015/07/14/investing-women-vital-ending-poverty-boosting-needed-growth