Top Stories
IMF paper says trickle down economics doesn’t work; bolster those with low incomes to spur growth:
http://www.cbc.ca/news/business/income-inequality-hurts-economy-study-suggests-1.3115232
- Guardian coverage: http://www.theguardian.com/business/2015/jun/15/focus-on-low-income-families-to-boost-economic-growth-says-imf-study?CMP=share_btn_tw
- Statement from Christine Lagarde: http://www.imf.org/external/pubs/ft/survey/so/2015/NEW061715A.htm
- Here’s the report: http://www.imf.org/external/pubs/ft/sdn/2015/sdn1513.pdf
CCPA Ontario report shows low-wage jobs in Ontario grew more than three times as fast as overall jobs since 1997:
http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2015/06/15/ontario-wages-earnings-ccpa_n_7587844.html
- CCPA Ontario Press Release: Low-wage work skyrocketing: https://www.policyalternatives.ca/newsroom/news-releases/low-wage-work-skyrocketing-ontario-study
- Here’s the report: https://www.policyalternatives.ca/higher-standard
CAMH President urges Minister Jaczek to keep the ODSP Work Related Benefit:
http://www.camh.ca/en/hospital/about_camh/influencing_public_policy/Documents/Jaczek%20re%20WRB%20June%202015.pdf
- And social justice advocate says the province should end the clawback of child support from social assistance:http://rabble.ca/blogs/bloggers/doreen-nicoll/2015/06/to-help-impoverished-children-ontario-needs-to-follow-bcs-lead
Public consultations have begun to improve Ontario’s Employment Standards and Labour Relations laws:
http://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2015/06/16/from-all-corners-of-the-city-lessons-on-precarious-work.html
- Meanwhile, temp worker who spoke out about the poor quality of work in Ontario gets fired:http://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2015/06/17/temp-worker-loses-job-after-telling-his-story.html
- Rise in temp jobs linked to poverty: http://www.cambridgetimes.ca/news-story/5684568-working-poor-prevalence-of-temp-jobs-linked-to-poverty-increase/
- Working poor stuck between getting ahead and losing it all: http://www.cambridgetimes.ca/news-story/5673990-working-poor-stuck-between-getting-ahead-and-losing-it-all/
Canada’s housing crisis is a failure of all of us:
http://thetyee.ca/News/2015/05/05/Canada-Housing-Crisis/
June 15 was the fourth annual National Day of Action Against Refugee Health Care Cuts:
http://nupge.ca/content/12314/june-15national-day-action-against-cuts-refugee-health-care
Reports, Campaigns, and Other Good Stuff
Join the Campaign for National Drug Coverage:
http://campaign4nationaldrugcoverage.ca/take-action/
Pro-Bono Law Ontario offers will preparation service for low-income people in Ottawa and Toronto:
https://www.lawhelpontario.org/willsproject/
Spotlight on Poverty: Canada Without Poverty VP Laura Cattari:
http://www.cwp-csp.ca/2015/06/spotlight-on-poverty-laura-cattari/
New resource from the Homeless Hub: Best Practice Guideline for Ending Women’s and Girls’ Homelessness:
http://homelesshub.ca/resource/best-practice-guideline-ending-women%E2%80%99s-and-girl%E2%80%99s-homelessness
Global Alliance for Tax Justice’s Global Week of Action for Tax Justice:
http://www.globaltaxjustice.org/global-week-of-action/
Online tool: How long does it take Canada’s top CEOs to earn your entire annual salary?:
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/careers/management/executive-compensation/how-long-does-it-take-canadas-top-earning-ceos-to-make-your-entire-salary/article24777198/?click=sf_globefb
Around the Province
Increases in Legal Aid Ontario funding expected to help vulnerable people in Sarnia-Lambton:
http://www.theobserver.ca/2015/06/16/vulnerable-populations-expected-to-benefit-from-increased-legal-aid-ontario-funding
Ottawa charity facing closure for lack of funds:
http://ottawacitizen.com/news/local-news/wanted-a-few-good-neighbours-for-threatened-ottawa-charity
United Way Windsor-Essex education program hopes to help reduce poverty:
http://blogs.windsorstar.com/news/united-way-hoping-education-program-will-reduce-local-poverty-levels
Discrimination in transit access in Kingston leads to human rights challenge:
http://www.thewhig.com/2015/06/10/tribunal-hears-transit-issues
Simcoe-Muskoka Health Unit first to call for a Basic Income Guarantee:
http://www.simcoe.com/news-story/5675030-simcoe-muskoka-health-unit-first-in-ontario-to-call-for-basic-income-guarantee/
Across the Country
The Living Wage debate in Halifax: Focus on closing the poverty gap:
http://thechronicleherald.ca/opinion/1292823-united-way-%E2%80%98living-wage%E2%80%99-debate-should-focus-on-closing-poverty-gap
Halifax businesses encouraged to hire marginalized workers:
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/nova-scotia/halifax-businesses-encouraged-to-hire-marginalized-workers-1.3112863
EI claims up by 10% in Alberta:
http://www.timescolonist.com/alberta-sees-sixth-month-of-ei-growth-as-numbers-increase-10-7-in-april-1.1971017
Alberta Interim Supply bill increases taxes on large businesses and the wealthy; reverses education, health and human services cuts:
http://www.ctvnews.ca/canada/alberta-ndp-introduces-bill-to-hike-taxes-on-corporations-and-wealthy-1.2429427
National
Canadian Alliance to End Homelessness aims to permanently house 20,000 Canadians by summer 2018:
http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2015/06/16/canadian-alliance-end-homelessness_n_7596694.html
- Video coverage: http://www.ctvnews.ca/video?clipId=636738&playlistId=1.2424494&binId=1.810401&playlistPageNum=1&binPageNum=1
PSAC release on the extent of the EI processing backlog at Service Canada:
http://www.virtualpressoffice.com/publicsiteContentFileAccess?fileContentId=2043767&fromOtherPageToDisableHistory=Y&menuName=News&sId=&sInfo=
- Memo shows backlog may have resulted from 2013 budget cuts: http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2015/06/17/government-document-says-_n_7601042.html
Another memo shows Harper government accepts targets to reduce poverty abroad, but not at home:
http://ottawacitizen.com/news/politics/tories-have-no-plans-to-match-poverty-aid-vow-inside-canada-memo
- Meanwhile, the federal government has issued an RFP for contracts “to tackle persistent social problems”:http://news.gc.ca/web/article-en.do;jsessionid=297ec887a2366d0c9ec98bbdd8d33cc2db942a88b5ea12eab8b44a4ea8aa7ddb.e38RbhaLb3qNe38Pc3f0?mthd=index&crtr.page=1&nid=985379
Goar: Banting and Myles study says the electoral stakes are high on income inequality:
http://www.thestar.com/opinion/commentary/2015/06/18/canadians-seek-leadership-on-inequality-goar.html
- New identification requirements for Election 2015: http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/2015/06/16/elections-canada-warns-voters-about-new-id-requirements-for-2015-election.html
Churches and people of faith must lead the call for justice, not just charity:
http://www.christianweek.org/dignity-for-all-the-role-of-faith-communities-in-public-justice/
International
MP wants to know how many people died after being found “fit for work” under UK disability benefit reforms:
http://linkis.com/chroniclelive.co.uk/iQtHc
Critic of UK government’s welfare reforms to take on chair of committee examining the record:
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/frank-field-fierce-critic-of-governments-record-on-tackling-poverty-elected-to-examine-12bn-welfare-cuts-10329797.html
Making pensioners poorer won’t save Greece:
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/jun/17/greece-pension-crisis-people?CMP=share_btn_fb
Pope Francis calls for radical change to deal with ecological, social and economic justice:
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/world/pope-francis-urges-bold-cultural-revolution-to-save-planet/article25013270/