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Media & Policy News: 6 January 2017

January 6, 2017

Happy New Year!

Top Stories

CCPA report: Canada’s CEOs earn in half a day what the average worker makes all year:
https://www.thestar.com/business/2017/01/03/ceo-salaries-soar-to-new-heights.html

  • Here’s the report: Throwing Money at the Problem: 10 Years of Executive Compensation: https://www.policyalternatives.ca/ceo2017

Column: Ontario should have a guaranteed income for those with disabilities:
http://ottawacitizen.com/opinion/columnists/denley-ontario-should-have-a-guaranteed-income-for-those-with-disabilities

  • Basic Income consultation upcoming in Kitchener-Waterloo: http://www.kitchenerpost.ca/news-story/7046438-public-invited-to-have-say-on-basic-guaranteed-income/
  • Muskoka commissioner says simplifying social assistance with basic income could reduce social inclusion and community engagement: http://www.muskokaregion.com/news-story/7047503-muskoka-could-teach-province-a-thing-or-two-about-community-engagement/

United Way of Bruce Grey head has “incredible concerns” about cap-and-trade impacts on low income people, including those on OW and ODSP:
http://www.owensoundsuntimes.com/2016/12/30/cap-and-trade-will-impact-low-income-families-most-dobbyn-says

CRTC declares broadband internet a basic service, creates fund to invest in infrastructure:
https://www.thestar.com/news/canada/2016/12/21/crtc-declares-broadband-internet-a-basic-service-like-telephone.html

  • CRTC broadband Internet ruling addresses access, but still leaves room for high prices: https://www.thestar.com/business/2016/12/22/crtc-broadband-internet-ruling-still-leaves-room-for-high-prices.html
  • Star editorial: Basic Internet service should include low-priced package for the poor: https://www.thestar.com/opinion/editorials/2016/12/28/basic-internet-service-should-include-low-priced-package-for-the-poor-editorial.html

Change to EI waiting period – from two weeks to one week – begins January 1 2017:
http://news.gc.ca/web/article-en.do?nid=1171519

Temporary foreign workers need same rights as citizens:
http://www.metronews.ca/views/metro-views/2017/01/03/temporary-foreign-workers-need-same-rights-as-citizens.html

Canadians to face some tax changes in 2017:
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/globe-investor/personal-finance/taxes/canadians-to-face-some-tax-changes-in-2017/article33450120/

Toronto and District School Board serves 136,000 meals to students each day as child poverty rises:
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/toronto-child-poverty-school-1.3907879

Province tasks McMeekin with studying rural poverty:
http://www.thespec.com/news-story/7044078-province-tasks-mcmeekin-with-studying-rural-poverty/

  • “Kitchen cabinet” aims to lift lid on rural poor: http://www.lfpress.com/2017/01/03/kitchen-cabinet-aims-to-lift-lid-on-rural-poor
  • Mandate letter here: https://www.ontario.ca/page/2016-mandate-letter-parliamentary-assistant-premier

Legal system not doing enough for racialized members:
https://www.thestar.com/opinion/commentary/2017/01/03/legal-system-not-doing-enough-for-racialized-members.html

Only three employers have been sanctioned after overhaul of foreign worker program:
http://www.thespec.com/news-story/7046640-just-3-employers-sanctioned-after-overhaul-of-foreign-worker-program/

Angus Reid lookahead: Canadians expect a mixed year at home, a bad one abroad:
http://us8.campaign-archive2.com/?u=f7dda22184bee7fac707500ef&id=8f606618a0&e=9e305f90ee

 

Ontario

Ontario Job Watch: 2016 ends with a whimper:
http://behindthenumbers.ca/2017/01/06/ontario-job-watch-2016-ends-whimper/#.WG_DvNjjb4I.facebook

Ministry of Labour cracks down on law-breaking bosses:
https://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2016/12/27/ministry-of-labour-cracks-down-on-law-breaking-bosses.html

Many Ontarians with mental health issues must choose between food and meds:
https://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2016/12/30/many-ontarians-with-mental-health-issues-must-choose-between-food-and-meds.html

  • Star editorial: It’s past time to invest in mental health: https://www.thestar.com/opinion/editorials/2017/01/01/its-past-time-to-invest-in-mental-health-editorial.html

Deficit forcing Legal Aid Ontario to scale back dramatically:
https://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2016/12/16/deficit-forcing-legal-aid-ontario-to-scale-back-dramatically.html

  • Legal clinics concerned about funding cuts, as LAO president says he’s not worried about an audit: https://www.thestar.com/news/queenspark/2016/12/20/legal-aid-ontario-president-says-hes-not-worried-if-agency-audited.html
  • LAO facing $26 million deficit: http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/legal-aid-ontario-certificates-1.3902058
  • LAO’s critical role in family law: https://nowtoronto.com/news/legal-aid-ontario-26-million-deficit-critical-role-family-law/

Ontario hydro rebates start in January, but so do carbon taxes:
https://www.thestar.com/news/queenspark/2017/01/01/ontario-hydro-rebates-start-in-january-but-so-do-carbon-taxes.html

Lethal legacy: GE’s Peterborough plant was a symbol of opportunity, but did it also make workers sick?
http://projects.thestar.com/lethal-legacy/

  • Star reporter reflects on Peterborough’s resilient GE worker community: https://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2016/12/27/star-reporter-reflects-peterboroughs-resilient-ge-worker-community.html
  • Letters to the editor: Workplace safety issue decades old: https://www.thestar.com/opinion/letters_to_the_editors/2016/12/27/workplace-safety-issue-decades-old.html

Paikin: Just why is Kathleen Wynne so unpopular?
http://tvo.org/blog/current-affairs/just-why-is-kathleen-wynne-so-unpopular

Premier reflects on hydro, road tolls, and cap-and-trade ahead of 2018 election:
http://globalnews.ca/news/3135810/ontario-premier-reflects-on-hydro-road-tolls-and-cap-and-trade-ahead-of-2018-election/

Government release: New 2017 regulations to lower household costs and increase consumer protection:
https://news.ontario.ca/opo/en/2016/12/new-2017-regulations-to-lower-household-costs-and-increase-consumer-protection.html

Government release: Growth that creates shared benefits the hallmark of Ontario in 2016:
https://news.ontario.ca/opo/en/2016/12/growth-that-creates-shared-benefits-the-hallmark-of-ontario-in-2016.html

Government release: Province releases mandate letters for Parliamentary Assistants’ priorities:
https://news.ontario.ca/opo/en/2016/12/ontarios-parliamentary-assistants-working-to-help-people-in-their-everyday-lives.html

 

Reports, Events, Campaigns and Other Good Things

Stats Can: Employment Insurance, October 2016:
http://www.statcan.gc.ca/daily-quotidien/161220/dq161220a-eng.htm

Stats Can: Consumer Price Index, November 2016:
http://www.statcan.gc.ca/daily-quotidien/161222/dq161222a-eng.htm

Stats can: Payroll employment, earnings and hours, October 2016:
http://www.statcan.gc.ca/daily-quotidien/161221/dq161221a-eng.htm

New Mowat Centre report: Mind the Gap: Ontario’s persistent net contribution to the federation:
http://us1.campaign-archive2.com/?u=1bb1469277169753440444d73&id=99759b74c1&e=21403e3832

CIBC Economics: On the quality of employment in Canada (hint, it’s not good):
https://economics.cibccm.com/economicsweb/cds?ID=1974&TYPE=EC_PDF

 

Around the Province

Perth vies to be basic income guarantee pilot location:
http://insideottawavalley.com/news-story/7032012-perth-vies-to-be-basic-income-guarantee-pilot-location

  • Why Smiths Falls said no to being a basic income pilot test site: http://motherboard.vice.com/read/why-a-struggling-town-voted-against-a-basic-income-smiths-falls-ontario

Guelph & Wellington cold weather response for people who are homeless:
https://www.guelphtoday.com/local-news/community-cold-weather-response-for-homeless-494748

No more free Monday bus rides for seniors in Sudbury:
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/sudbury/senior-free-public-transportation-monday-ends-1.3916976

New opportunities for the North, but also new costs, under cap-and-trade:
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/thunder-bay/emissions-standards-northern-opportunities-1.3920492

Parents urge Toronto not to cut daycare funding:
https://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2017/01/04/parents-urge-toronto-not-to-cut-daycare-funding.html

  • Parents to pay more for daycare if Toronto goes ahead with funding cuts, TDSB says: http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/daycare-tdsb-funding-city-toronto-children-1.3921369

Average price of one bedroom apartment in Toronto reaches $1500:
http://www.blogto.com/city/2016/12/average-price-one-bedroom-toronto-apartment-reaches-1500/

Is it time to end discounted TTC fares for seniors?:
https://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2016/12/22/is-it-time-to-end-discounted-ttc-fares-for-seniors.html

Legal service offers support to vulnerable Toronto youth:
https://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2016/12/26/legal-service-offers-support-to-vulnerable-youth.html

Toronto will track all deaths among people who are homeless starting January 1:
https://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2016/12/23/starting-jan-1-toronto-will-track-all-homeless-deaths.html

Windsor doctors refer patients to legal services to help solve medical problems:
http://windsorstar.com/news/local-news/pro-bono-lawyers-helping-local-patients-get-well

 

Across the Country

Iqaluit family homeless after winter eviction from public housing:
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/north/iqaluit-winter-eviction-public-housing-1.3907283

Manitoba Premier Pallister says minimum wage hikes don’t reduce poverty:
http://www.ctvnews.ca/politics/minimum-wage-hikes-not-effective-in-reducing-poverty-manitoba-premier-1.3220843

At this Nova Scotia grocery store, a third of employees have disabilities:
http://www.ctvnews.ca/canada/at-this-nova-scotia-grocery-store-a-third-of-employees-have-disabilities-1.3220143?hootPostID=b9d778c3491ca4c9035b2bde066b33f7

Nova Scotians need $19 / hour to keep heads above water, report says:
http://www.cbc.ca/beta/news/canada/nova-scotia/living-wage-low-income-report-canadian-centre-for-policy-1.3908702

Corner Brook man funding men’s shelter mostly out of pocket:
http://www.thewesternstar.com/news/local/2017/1/3/corner-brook-man-funding-mens-shelter-mostly-out-of-pocket.html

Growing wage gap between rich and poor in Nova Scotia called a “moral crisis”:
http://www.metronews.ca/news/halifax/2017/01/03/millionaire-ceo-emera-higher-minimum-wage-nova-scotia-ndp.html

Women say eating healthy impossible on Nova Scotia diet allowance:
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/nova-scotia/department-community-services-social-assistance-special-diet-allowance-1.3898959

Close to half of New Brunswick families can’t afford to eat well, group says:
http://www.cbc.ca/beta/news/canada/new-brunswick/2016-survey-cost-of-food-1.3899863

New Brunswick anti-poverty group says planned minimum wage increase is not enough:
http://globalnews.ca/news/3158161/n-b-anti-poverty-group-says-planned-minimum-wage-increase-not-enough/

  • NB minimum wage increase to come in April: http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/new-brunswick/minimum-wage-delay-2017-1.3916440

Montreal food banks see demand surge through December:
http://montrealgazette.com/news/local-news/montreal-food-banks-see-demand-surge-through-december

Number of British Columbians on EI and welfare jumps:
https://thetyee.ca/News/2016/12/22/BC-EI-Welfare-Jumps/

I want to die: Isolated a cold, senior seeking help in Prince George, BC:
http://www.cbc.ca/beta/news/canada/british-columbia/i-want-to-die-isolated-and-cold-senior-seeking-help-in-prince-george-1.3908152

Man who is homeless in Vernon, BC, living in heated, custom-built “coffin-like” crate:
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/vernon-homeless-crate-coffin-1.3920035

Vancouver man dies on December night blocks from new homeless shelter:
http://www.cbc.ca/beta/news/canada/british-columbia/homeless-death-vancouver-shelter-1.3911781

Tenants in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside rally against massive rent hikes:
http://vancouversun.com/news/local-news/downtown-eastside-tenants-rally-against-rent-hikes

Pitt Meadows, BC, adopts living wage policy:
http://www.mapleridgenews.com/news/406917386.html

BC advocates fear for homeless and seniors during cold stretch:
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/fraser-valley-cold-weather-homeless-seniors-1.3918837

 

National

Huge gap between mental health needs and funding, expert says after health deal fails:
http://www.cbc.ca/news/health/mental-health-1.3904295

Nortel’s disabled workers still fighting for better deal after bankruptcy:
https://www.thestar.com/news/canada/2016/12/30/nortels-disabled-workers-still-fighting-for-better-deal-after-bankruptcy.html

Mothers denied sickness benefits urge Liberal government to end legal battle:
https://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2017/01/03/mothers-denied-sickness-benefits-urge-liberal-government-to-end-legal-battle.html

What are “Canadian values” and who helped to shape them?:
http://globalnews.ca/news/3143799/canadian-values-history-sam-steele-bertha-wilson/

Government’s plans aimed at preventing anti-globalization backlash, Trudeau says:
https://www.thestar.com/news/canada/2016/12/21/governments-plans-aimed-at-preventing-anti-globalization-backlash-trudeau-says.html

Massive drop in housing prices would still leave Canadian households with more equity than debt:
http://business.financialpost.com/personal-finance/mortgages-real-estate/even-a-massive-drop-in-housing-prices-would-leave-the-average-canadian-household-with-more-equity-than-debt

Charitable giving in Canada drops to a 10-year low:
http://www.therecord.com/opinion-story/7029193-charitable-giving-in-canada-drops-to-a-10-year-low/

The Bank of Canada just laid out how the economy could tank:
http://www.macleans.ca/economy/economicanalysis/the-bank-of-canada-just-laid-out-how-the-economy-could-collapse/

TD says Canada’s economy is still “not out of the woods” amid job gains in 2016:
http://www.bnn.ca/canada-s-economy-still-not-out-of-the-woods-amid-job-gains-in-2016-td-1.643867

 

International

OECD’s income inequality update for 2016:
http://www.oecd.org/social/OECD2016-Income-Inequality-Update.pdf

France gives employees the “right to disconnect” from work emails outside typical work hours:
https://www.thestar.com/news/world/2017/01/02/france-gives-employees-right-to-disconnect-from-work-emails.html

California NGO ensuring low-income families are part of the solar revolution, and not left with the bill:
http://www.cbc.ca/beta/news/world/solar-panels-low-income-california-1.3917318

  • Could Ontario learn from California’s actions?: http://saultonline.com/2017/01/is-california-doing-right-when-it-comes-to-energy-costs/

Finland to begin paying basic income to unemployed citizens to eliminate “incentive traps” to work:
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/finland-universal-basic-income-ubi-citizens-560-euros-monthly-job-poverty-unemployment-a7492911.html

  • Two-year Basic Income pilot gives $587 per month to 2,000 randomly selected people, who will have that money deducted from their existing benefits: http://fortune.com/2017/01/03/finland-universal-basic-income-experiment/?xid=soc_socialflow_facebook_FORTUNE
  • Finland’s Basic Income Experiment website: http://www.kela.fi/web/en/basic-income-experiment-2017-2018

India to endorse universal basic income:
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/india-universal-basic-income-latest-ubi-government-endorse-guy-standing-finland-pilot-earth-network-a7508786.html

Universal basic income is not a magic solution, but it could help millions:
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2017/jan/04/universal-basic-income-welfare-employment-scotland-canada-netherlands

More than 2.3 million families living in fuel poverty in England:
https://www.theguardian.com/society/2016/dec/30/millions-families-living-fuel-poverty-england-statistics

Scottish activists call for serious bid to tackle poverty in 2017:
http://www.eveningtimes.co.uk/news/14994347.Call_for_serious_bid_to_tackle_poverty_in_2017/

Nearly 700 UK firms fined for not paying minimum wage, but fines are not enough:
https://www.theguardian.com/society/2017/jan/06/firms-fined-minimum-wage-football-clubs-restaurants

  • “Named and shamed” firms have not been prosecuted: http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/not-one-firm-named-shamed-9558344

Nineteen US states raised their minimum wage this month:
http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2017/01/05/business/economy/state-minimum-wages.html

  • Minimum wage hikes help more people than they harm: http://thehill.com/blogs/pundits-blog/economy-budget/312658-new-minimum-wage-hikes-help-more-people-than-they-harm
  • Corporations are fighting to repeal voter-approved minimum wage hikes: https://trofire.com/2017/01/04/corporations-fight-repeal-voter-approved-minimum-wage-hikes/

California’s minimum wage isn’t the problem, the high cost of housing is:
http://www.latimes.com/opinion/livable-city/la-ol-minimum-wage-housing-20170105-story.html

Ford cancels Mexico plant as Trump threatens GM with “big border tax”:
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/international-business/us-business/trump-threatens-big-border-tax-on-gm-over-chevy-cruze-production-in-mexico/article33470586/

Hong Kong’s McRefugees:
http://nowiknow.com/mcrefugees/

Children in Japan struggle to break out of poverty cycle:
http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2017/01/04/national/social-issues/children-japan-struggle-break-poverty-cycle/#.WG–en1WLeQ

The world today looks ominously like it did before World War I:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2016/12/29/the-world-today-looks-ominously-like-it-did-before-world-war-i/?utm_term=.9976a3ff7d91

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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.