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Income Security Advocacy Centre

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Media & Policy News: 27 April 2015

April 27, 2015

Ontario Budget 2015

Star editorial: Only modest help for the poor in Ontario’s budget:
http://www.thestar.com/opinion/editorials/2015/04/27/modest-help-for-the-poor-in-ontarios-budget-editorial.html

ISAC analysis: Not much assistance for social assistance in Budget 2015:
http://us4.campaign-archive2.com/?u=095b12c98935ecaadd327bf90&id=d429ec0d17

Campaign 2000: Budget lacks the investments required to reduce child and family poverty in Ontario:
http://www.campaign2000.ca/Ontario/releases/OntC2000ReleaseonBudget2015.pdf

25in5 Network for Poverty Reduction: Budget holds the line, but immediate action required:https://www.facebook.com/25in5/photos/a.10151357898173860.1073741825.46082133859/10152931921193860/?type=1&theater

Ontario Federation of Labour: Budget sells false choices;
http://ofl.ca/index.php/ontariobudget2015/

CP story claims social assistance recipients among the “winners” from Budget 2015:
http://www.ctvnews.ca/politics/winners-and-losers-in-the-2015-ontario-budget-1.2341938

Other Top Stories

Two International Monetary Fund studies say labour market deregulation doesn’t actually work:
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/labour-market-deregulations-not-working-international-monetary-fund-1.3039560

A tale of two budgets – federal and provincial – is “the worst of times” for people living in poverty:
http://www.thespec.com/opinion-story/5567299-budgets-must-grapple-with-poverty-issues/

Reports, Events, Campaigns

Report shows Toronto has the largest and fastest growing concentration of working poor – whose jobs have them serving high paid knowledge workers:
http://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2015/04/20/toronto-the-downton-abbey-of-canada.html

  • Press release: http://metcalffoundation.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/2015-working-poor-press-release.pdf
  • Report: http://metcalffoundation.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/WorkingPoorToronto2015Final.pdf

Toronto Public Health report shows poorest Torontonians continue to get sicker and die younger:
http://www.thestar.com/news/city_hall/2015/04/20/poor-torontonians-get-sicker-die-younger-despite-a-decade-of-efforts.html

  • Press release: http://www1.toronto.ca/wps/portal/contentonly?vgnextoid=af71df79b2df6410VgnVCM10000071d60f89RCRD&nrkey=70F280A59ADB740485257E2D0055300A
  • Report: http://www.toronto.ca/legdocs/mmis/2015/hl/bgrd/backgroundfile-79094.pdf

New report shows Toronto transit planning has created inequality, and points the way to “transit justice”:
http://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2015/04/25/waiting-for-a-bus-that-takes-forever-welcome-to-torontos-transit-desert.html

  • More info and a link to the report: http://suburbs.apps01.yorku.ca/2015/03/27/3936/

Dignity for All Campaign hits the road to promote a National Anti-Poverty Plan for Canada:
http://www.dignityforall.ca/en/dignity-all-hits-road

Ontario

Joe Fiorito, on the realities of ODSP:
http://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2015/04/23/hard-times-on-odsp-in-toronto-fiorito.html

The wage gap means elderly Ontario women face poverty:
http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/yen-to/elderly-women-wage-gap_b_7096388.html

  • Province appoints panel to address gender wage gap:http://www.thestar.com/news/queenspark/2014/10/01/ontario_to_tackle_gender_wage_gap.html
  • Press release: http://news.ontario.ca/mol/en/2015/04/ontario-takes-another-step-to-close-the-gender-wage-gap.html?utm_source=ondemand&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=p

OPSEU’s court challenge to the SAMS program dismissed; results “disappointing”:
http://nupge.ca/content/12218/opseu-says-court-decision-disappointing

Around the Province

Windsor plagued by SAMS computer problems; don’t even know how many people on the system:
http://blogs.windsorstar.com/news/carolyn-ont-works-problems-with-computer-system

Toronto has a two-tiered education system:
http://metcalffoundation.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/WorkingPoorToronto2015Final.pdf

Reviewing dental programs for low income children Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph:
http://www.guelphmercury.com/opinion-story/5565117-reviewing-the-dental-assistance-programs-for-low-income-children/

Trends in Sarnia-Lambton show people having harder time getting off Ontario Works:
http://www.theobserver.ca/2015/04/19/ontario-works-recipients-in-sarnia-lambton-spending-longer-on-assistance

New application round for Ontario Renovates program in Cornwall, Stormont, Dundas and Glengarry:
http://www.cornwallseawaynews.com/News/2015-04-17/article-4115104/ONTARIO-RENOVATES%3A-Low-income-families-can-access-funds-for-improvements-at-home/1

Toronto Community Housing tenants are overwhelmed by hydro bills:
http://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2015/04/21/tchc-tenants-overwhelmed-by-hydro-bills.html

Across the Country

Saskatchewan government creates advisory group on poverty reduction:
http://www.620ckrm.com/ckrm-on-air/ckrm-local-news/9248-saskatchewan-government-creates-advisory-group-on-povery

Woman with cerebral palsy cut off Quebec’s disability support due to trust fund for future care:
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/montreal/woman-with-cerebral-palsy-loses-quebec-s-help-because-mom-saved-for-her-future-1.3048058

Maritime seafood processors fear worker shortages due to changes to temporary foreign worker program rules:
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/nova-scotia/maritime-seafood-processors-fear-worker-shortage-will-hurt-market-1.3037875

Appointee to help Newfoundland and Labrador recoup pension amounts sent in error:
http://metronews.ca/news/canada/1343260/newfoundland-enlists-help-for-pension-error/

Youth Summit on child poverty in Cape Breton:
http://www.capebretonpost.com/News/Local/2015-04-26/article-4125102/Summit-looks-at-child-poverty/1

Halifax town hall explores Canada’s poor job of acting on child poverty:
http://thechronicleherald.ca/opinion/1282093-a-poor-job-of-acting-on-child-poverty

PEI United Church wants politicians aware of poverty in that province’s election:
http://www.theguardian.pe.ca/Decision-15/2015-04-26/article-4124215/United-Church-on-P.E.I.-wants-political-leaders-aware-of-poverty-issue/1

EI claims up in Nova Scotia:
http://thechronicleherald.ca/business/1282590-ei-claims-go-up-in-nova-scotia

Alberta’s EI claims up nearly 30%:
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/alberta-employment-insurance-claims-rise-almost-30-1.3045850

National

No anti-poverty measures in federal budget:
http://rabble.ca/blogs/bloggers/dennis-gruending/2015/04/no-anti-poverty-measures-2015-budget-minister-joe-oliver-avo

Broadbent Institute recounts 10 ways the federal government has increased inequality:
http://www.broadbentinstitute.ca/en/blog/budget-2015-16-preview-top-10-ways-harper-government-has-boosted-inequality-11-actually

Use of EI surplus to balance federal budget draws criticism:
http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2015/04/21/ei-fund-budget-surplus-canada-2015_n_7113322.html

Budget balanced on the backs of the unemployed:
http://rabble.ca/blogs/bloggers/progressive-economics-forum/2015/04/conservative-budget-balanced-on-backs-unemployed

A pre-budget call for tax fairness in the federal budget, by closing tax loopholes for the super-wealthy:
http://thechronicleherald.ca/opinion/1281849-hey-joe-oliver-how-about-closing-tax-loopholes-for-super-wealthy

Ottawa says budget numbers will hold up despite surge in EI claims:
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/ottawa-says-budget-adjustments-will-accomodate-surge-in-ei-claims/article24095048/

Majority of Canadians say post-secondary education should be free:
http://www.lfpress.com/2015/04/20/majority-of-canadians-say-students-shouldnt-have-to-pay-to-go-to-college-and-university-new-poll-suggests

Ontario Teachers Pension Plan Board to oppose CIBC pay structure, after massive retirement package for execs:
http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/04/17/cibc-agm-compensation-idUSL2N0XE1M120150417

  • CIBC loses that vote, and more shareholder blowback to come: http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/04/23/cibc-agm-idUSL1N0XK2J020150423 

Star editorial: Harper government now fixing problems with supports to veterans that they first created:
http://www.thestar.com/opinion/editorials/2015/04/19/ottawa-created-unfairness-to-vets-that-its-now-trying-to-fix-editorial.html

International

When work isn’t enough to keep you off welfare and food stamps:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wonkblog/wp/2015/04/14/when-work-isnt-enough-to-keep-you-off-welfare-and-food-stamps/

Studies show government benefits encourage entrepreneurialism, not dependency:
http://mic.com/articles/114480/the-biggest-conservative-lie-we-need-to-stop-telling-about-welfare

Justice for all, not just those who can afford it:
http://www.seattletimes.com/opinion/protecting-the-legal-rights-of-the-poor/

Striking Driscoll’s berry pickers paid $7-$8 a day:
http://inthesetimes.com/working/entry/17865/alleging_labor_abuses_u.s._and_mexican_workers_call_for_boycott_of_driscoll

UK report captures the experience of poverty and calls for radical change:
https://www.opendemocracy.net/5050/fran-bennett/our-lives-poverty-then-and-now-in-uk

World Bank plan aims at ending poverty and hunger by 2030:
http://www.dawn.com/news/1176717/world-bank-plan-aims-at-ending-poverty-hunger-by-2030

NYC Mayor DiBlasio aims to lift 800,000 New Yorkers out of poverty in ten years:
http://newsok.com/applause-skepticism-greet-nyc-mayors-anti-poverty-plan/article/feed/830546

US taxpayers subsidize companies’ low wages:
https://newscenter.berkeley.edu/2015/04/17/opinion-poverty-wages-come-at-high-cost-to-taxpayers/

New Kansas welfare rules limiting ATM withdrawals amount to a tax on the poor:
http://america.aljazeera.com/articles/2015/4/16/new-kansas-rules-would-limit-spending-of-welfare-benefits.html

America’s “flexible economy” is making workers’ lives hell:
http://www.salon.com/2015/04/21/robert_reich_americas_flexible_economy_is_making_workers_lives_hell_partner/

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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.