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Income Security Advocacy Centre

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Media & Policy News: 31 July 2015

July 31, 2015

Top Stories

Globe Editorial: Fix Canada’s broken Employment Insurance system:
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/globe-debate/editorials/fix-canadas-broken-employment-insurance-program/article25654947/

Star Editorial: Ontario must do more to collect unpaid wages:
http://www.thestar.com/opinion/editorials/2015/07/26/ontarios-labour-ministry-must-collect-unpaid-wages-editorial.html

Ontario’s community legal clinics given $3.9 million, some for giving more help to vulnerable workers:
http://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2015/07/29/legal-clinics-get-boost-to-help-vulnerable-workers.html

  • Legal Aid Ontario announcement: http://www.legalaid.on.ca/en/news/newsarchive/1507-29_clinic-funding-boost.asp 

Ontario hit with hundreds of privacy breach complaints, some over SAMS and ODSP fax fiascos:
http://metronews.ca/news/canada/1436616/ontario-hit-with-hundreds-of-privacy-breach-complaints/

Tenant organizing in Parkdale pays off with compensation award, but superintendents still missed:
http://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2015/07/27/tenants-work-together-receive-compensation-after-superintendents-removed.html

Put Food in the Budget tour hits Sault Ste. Marie exploring poverty in the North:
http://www.saultthisweek.com/2015/07/28/visionary-visits–city-advocating-social-justice

  • And discovers the Kapuskasing Crown Attorney diverts court fines to the food bank instead:http://www.putfoodinthebudget.ca/dispatches2015/kapuskasing_court_fines_donated_to_food_bank.html 

Campaign for National Drug Coverage aims to make pharmacare an issue in the federal election:
http://campaign4nationaldrugcoverage.ca/

  • Wellesley Institute’s Jo Snyder says pharmacare makes everyone healthier:http://www.wellesleyinstitute.com/health/pharmacare-decreasing-disparity-between-rich-and-poor/

Ontario

Ontario slams Ottawa for refusing to help with Ontario Retirement Pension Plan:
http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/2015/07/30/charles-sousa-slams-ottawa-for-refusing-to-help-run-ontario-pension-plan.html

  • Fraser Institute says Ontario’s RPP will “reduce choice and bring little benefit”:http://www.thesudburystar.com/2015/07/28/column-ontario-pension-plan-will-reduce-choice-and-bring-little-benefit
  • CCPA-Ontario: Fraser Institute report misses the mark on retirement security:http://behindthenumbers.ca/2015/07/30/fraser-institute-report-misses-the-mark-on-retirement-security-2/

Ombudsman report highlights problems with Family Responsibility Office:
http://globalnews.ca/news/2135448/ontario-ombudsman-says-he-gets-too-many-complaints-about-family-responsibility-office/

Around the Province

Muskoka still having problems with SAMS social assistance computer system:
http://www.muskokaregion.com/news-story/5767799-provincial-reporting-system-is-still-a-cause-for-concern/

Sudbury hearing of the Changing Workplaces Review told workers need more protections:
http://www.thesudburystar.com/2015/07/24/workers-need-more-protection-sudbury-hearing

Sudbury researcher says National Household Survey stats for northern communities are unreliable:
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/sudbury/northern-ontario-stats-aren-t-reliable-enough-to-be-used-data-librarian-says-1.3169472

Ancaster’s food bank seeing dwindling supplies:
http://www.hamiltonnews.com/news-story/5749817-ancaster-community-services-food-assistance-program-struggles-to-meet-rising-demand/

Affordable housing on Toronto’s waterfront: Laudable goal, questionable implementation:
http://brianeng.ca/2014/07/12/east-bayfront-affordable-housing-laudable-public-policy-goal-questionable-public-policy-implementation/

Rethinking housing for people who are homeless in Hamilton:
http://www.thespec.com/news-story/5753449-rethinking-housing-the-homeless/

Predatory payday lenders embarrass Hamilton and point to need for more income security:
http://www.thespec.com/news-story/5764910–predatory-lenders-an-embarrassment-to-hamilton-councillor/

Tenants in Hamilton push back against gentrification:
http://www.900chml.com/2015/07/28/tenants-in-hamiltons-downtown-core-pushing-back-against-gentrification/

And hold a rally this week to protect low-income housing:

  • Spec: http://www.thespec.com/news-story/5766988-tenants-say-low-income-housing-under-threat/
  • Hamilton News: http://www.hamiltonnews.com/news-story/5767754-hamilton-s-prosperity-displacing-tenants-in-downtown/ 

Ideas for solutions in Thunder Bay:
http://www.netnewsledger.com/2015/07/27/moving-to-solutions-on-social-issues-in-thunder-bay/

Poverty impacting Durham kids before the reach school:
http://www.durhamregion.com/news-story/5744337-poverty-leaves-durham-kids-lagging-before-they-even-start-school/

Community outreach helps ease isolation of migrant workers in Durham:
http://www.durhamregion.com/opinion-story/5765730-community-outreach-helps-ease-isolation-of-durham-region-s-seasonal-migrant-workers/

National

Ontario Regional Chief calls for a national energy policy to alleviate high energy costs in the North:
http://www.netnewsledger.com/2015/07/28/ontario-needs-a-national-energy-policy-with-first-nations-as-a-partner-ontario-regional-chief-isadore-day/

Federal Court rules federal government’s “safe countries” list for refugee claims is unconstitutional:

  • CBC: http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/conservatives-refugee-system-overhaul-dealt-another-blow-by-federal-court-1.3165544
  • Star: http://www.thestar.com/news/immigration/2015/07/23/court-strikes-down-ottawas-safe-country-list-for-refugees.html 

Did Canada break its promise to people with disabilities?
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/globe-debate/did-canada-break-a-promise-to-its-disabled-citizens/article25734170/

  • Caledon Commentary: We are all disabled: http://www.caledoninst.org/Publications/PDF/1075ENG.pdf 

Jamaican farm workers succeed in getting Jamaican government to drop its “wage clawback” practice:
http://www.simcoereformer.ca/2015/07/28/jamaicans-workers-take-control-of-wages

International

“The last mile” in ending extreme poverty worldwide:
http://www.brookings.edu/blogs/future-development/posts/2015/07/27-extreme-poverty-kharas

Welsh government urged to oppose UK welfare cuts:
http://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2015/jul/28/welsh-government-urged-take-lead-opposing-welfare-changes

France passing legislation to prohibit discrimination against people living in poverty:
http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2015/jul/27/france-discrimination-poor-poverty-illegal?CMP=fb_cif

“Cashless” welfare cards, only useful for “necessities”, being trialed in three Australia towns ignore Aboriginal culture and technological problems:
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-07-24/concerns-healthy-welfare-card-ignores-aboriginal-culture/6645922

Why disability and poverty still go hand in hand, 25 years after landmark US law:
http://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2015/07/23/424990474/why-disability-and-poverty-still-go-hand-in-hand-25-years-after-landmark-law

These San Francisco café owners are just fine with a $15 minimum wage:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/san-francisco-minimum-wage_55b62f53e4b0224d8832b207

Four out of five Americans will experience economic hardship before age 60:
http://national.deseretnews.com/article/5308/if-you-aren8217t-living-in-poverty-odds-are-you-will-before-your-60th-birthday.html

US census says one in five American children are living on food stamps – double that of 2007:
http://www.theguardian.com/money/2015/jan/28/one-in-five-us-children-food-stamps-census-bureau-report

Columnist: Does a higher minimum wage in Washington result in more welfare fraud?:
http://www.yourhoustonnews.com/dayton/opinion/potts-does-minimum-wage-increase-cause-welfare-fraud/article_6e80cacf-6827-5d41-af52-267c9d8e81d7.html

US states rethinking restrictions on benefits for people with drug convictions:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/welfare-for-drug-felons_55ba38bfe4b0b8499b187591

Arizona’s drug testing finds only 1 of 87,000 welfare recipients positive:
http://www.mintpressnews.com/results-of-az-welfare-recipient-drug-testing-1-out-of-the-87000-tested-were-positive/208061/

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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.