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Income Security Advocacy Centre

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Media & Policy News: 22 May 2015

May 22, 2015

Top Stories

Government rethinking poor ODSP medical review process after legal clinics and health care advocates raise alarm:
http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/2015/05/16/ontario-to-rethink-disability-welfare-reviews.html

  • ISAC’s communiqué on this issue: http://us4.campaign-archive1.com/?u=095b12c98935ecaadd327bf90&id=b1d437f192

OECD report finds record levels of inequality between rich and poor in most advanced economies:
http://www.ctvnews.ca/business/record-gap-between-rich-and-poor-oecd-report-concludes-1.2383617

  • Report finds inequality levels “at a tipping point”: http://www.commondreams.org/news/2015/05/21/growing-global-inequality-gap-has-reached-tipping-point
  • Andrew Jackson: Inequality and intergenerational unfairness: http://www.northumberlandview.ca/index.php?module=news&type=user&func=display&sid=34520
  • Seven things you need to know about inequality (a great perspective from BC): http://thetyee.ca/Opinion/2015/05/19/BC-Inequality-Key-Facts/

Ontario’s poor employment standards laws give advantage to employers:
http://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2015/05/17/ontario-allowing-employers-to-fire-workers-without-cause.html

  • Government doing precarious employment inspection blitzes May through July:http://news.ontario.ca/mol/en/2015/05/inspection-blitzes-target-precarious-employment-violations-in-ontario.html

Debunking the “pull yourself up by your bootstraps” myth:
http://everydayfeminism.com/2015/05/debunking-bootstraps-myth/

Reports, Events, and Other Good Things

United Way and McMaster report shows precarious work is now the norm in the GTHA:
http://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2015/05/21/precarious-work-is-now-the-new-norm-united-way-report-says.html

  • Here’s the report: http://pepso.ca/2012/12/15/precarity-penalty/
  • Globe coverage: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/toronto/precarious-employment-still-rising-in-toronto-and-hamilton/article24531959/

Fully 20% of Canadians spend half their income on housing, report says:
http://www.thestar.com/business/2015/05/19/renters-across-canada-struggling-report-says.html

  • Here’s the report: http://www.fcm.ca/home/media/news-releases/2015/canada-needs-a-housing-system-that-is-built-to-last.htm

Banting and Myles on framing inequality and the federal politics of inequality, for IRPP:
http://irpp.org/research-studies/aots5-banting-myles/?mc_cid=cbdd9fcabb&mc_eid=93c40f0305

Ontario

Small business person’s letter to the editor: Wynne should raise minimum wage to $15:
http://www.thestar.com/opinion/letters_to_the_editors/2015/05/19/raise-minimum-wage-to-15.html

In Ontario, 2-week payday loan costs up to $21 per $100 borrowed – that’s an annual rate of 546%:
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/payday-loans-predatory-loan-sharks-or-crucial-fix-in-a-pinch/article24463029/

Around the Province

Living paycheque to paycheque in Toronto:
http://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2015/05/19/living-paycheque-to-paycheque-a-reality-for-thousands-in-toronto.html

Barrie’s mayor takes Live Below the Line poverty challenge:
http://www.simcoe.com/news-story/5616588-challenge-teaches-barrie-mayor-more-about-living-in-poverty/

Campbellford public meeting on poverty raises concerns:
http://www.insidebelleville.com/news-story/5632493-public-meeting-in-campbellford-about-poverty-reduction-raises-many-concerns/

Opinion: Peterborough must tread carefully to avoid two-tier transit system:
http://www.thepeterboroughexaminer.com/2015/05/21/goyette-city-is-en-route-to-two-tier-transit

London needs to “get off the pot” and take action on unsafe housing for vulnerable residents:
http://www.lfpress.com/2015/05/20/mother-critical-of-slow-reform

Across the Country

On-reserve social assistance programs lose funding in BC:
http://vancouver.24hrs.ca/2015/05/20/bc-first-nations-lose-social-funding

BC couple facing clawback of EI maternity benefits from disability social assistance payments:
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/maternity-ei-disability-assistance-clawback-hurting-b-c-family-1.3075038 

Winnipeg’s poor neighbourhoods are getting poorer despite anti-poverty efforts:
http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/local/Winnipegs-poor-neighbourhoods-are-getting-poorer-data-shows-despite-anti-poverty-efforts-304345031.html

Calgary Mayor Nenshi pledges to take leadership on Guaranteed Annual Income:
http://leadersandlegacies.com/2015/05/09/calgary-mayor-naheed-nenshi-vows-to-take-leadership-on-basic-income-guarantee-issue/

Vulnerable people in NWT still waiting for promised home visits:
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/north/n-w-t-income-support-home-visits-available-by-request-only-1.3081286

Number of people on Employment Insurance soars in Calgary and Alberta:
http://calgaryherald.com/business/local-business/employment-insurance-beneficiaries-soar-in-calgary-and-alberta

Subsidized housing wait list in Edmonton more than doubles since September:
http://www.edmontonjournal.com/Subsidized+housing+wait+Edmonton+more+than+doubled+since+fall/11065247/story.html

Kootenay area MLA and School Board pushing for a provincial poverty reduction strategy in BC:

  • http://www.nelsonstar.com/news/304491681.html
  • http://www.nelsonstar.com/news/304487651.html

Survival street vending in Vancouver:
http://www.straight.com/news/452416/doug-king-vancouvers-street-vending-solution

National

Goar: Canada needs 21st century social programs:
http://www.thestar.com/opinion/commentary/2015/05/19/canada-needs-21st-century-social-programs-goar.html

Guaranteed Annual Income (“free money for all”) could save money and jump-start the economy:
http://www.cbc.ca/news/business/free-money-for-all-could-jumpstart-the-economy-don-pittis-1.2775647

Temporary foreign worker program must protect the rights of migrant workers:
http://thechronicleherald.ca/letters/1287022-temporary-foreign-workers-program-must-protect-migrants%E2%80%99-rights

Power Corp. CEO says there’s no looming retirement crisis; private sector hurt “at the margins” by new public retirement programs:
http://www.thestar.com/business/personal_finance/retirement/2015/05/14/retirement-crisis-what-retirement-crisis-power-financial-ceo-says.html

Canadian consumer confidence remains volatile:
http://www.thestar.com/business/economy/2015/05/19/canadian-consumer-confidence-dips-but-continues-to-climb-in-us-report.html

International

Research shows “investments in education, income, housing, health care and nutrition for working families have substantial long-term benefits for children”:
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/05/11/opinion/smart-social-programs.html?_r=1

Barcelona anti-poverty crusader leads the race to be that city’s new mayor:
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/may/15/barcelona-ada-colau-mayor-anti-poverty

Arizona legislators vote to limit access to welfare benefits to 12 months – in a lifetime:
http://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2015/may/18/arizona-legislature-votes-cut-off-welfare-benefits-12-months?CMP=fb_us

“Housing First” results in reduction of homelessness in Utah by 91%:
http://www.goodnewsnetwork.org/utah-homelessness-cut-91-percent/

Obama pressed to appoint anti-poverty czar in wake of President’s comments on income inequality:
http://thehill.com/homenews/news/242457-obama-pressed-to-appoint-poverty-czar

New Zealand child poverty campaigners warn against government tax cuts:
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11452970

How New Zealand can cut child poverty: http://www.stuff.co.nz/dominion-post/comment/68628563/how-new-zealand-can-cut-child-poverty

Australia plans to strip people with serious mental health disabilities of welfare benefits if they commit serious crimes:
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-05-21/proposed-stripping-of-welfare-payments-for-psychiatric-patients/6488184

Expert contends UK welfare reforms will take money from women and give it to their abusers:
http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/politics/tory-welfare-reforms-set-take-5726935

Christian activist says UK welfare reforms mean people with disabilities are “collectively bleeding”:
http://www.christiantoday.com/article/disabled.people.are.collectively.bleeding.under.welfare.cuts.says.christian.activist/54171.htm

EU investigating claims that McDonald’s used loophole to avoid $1 Billion in taxes:
http://www.theguardian.com/business/2015/may/05/mcdonalds-tax-avoidance-investigation-europe

Meanwhile, thousands of McDonald’s workers protest for higher wages at company headquarters:
http://www.theguardian.com/business/2015/may/21/mcdonalds-workers-protest-poverty-wages-headquarters

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This site contains general legal information for people in Ontario, Canada. It is not intended to be used as legal advice for a specific legal problem. ISAC is a not-for-profit, non-partisan organization. ISAC is funded by Legal Aid Ontario (LAO). The funding for this website is also provided by LAO. The views expressed in any of ISAC’s publications (including written, oral, or visual) are the views of the clinic and do not necessarily reflect those of LAO.