What would it feel like to cut 2.6 percent from your budget? I suppose it would be different depending on who you are. For a family with an average income in Toronto, this would be a cut of almost $2000 a year. That could lead to some difficult decisions. For more wealthy families the cuts […]
Economic inequality
Where you get hurt matters in Ontario, but should it?
A recent change to Ontario’s motor vehicle insurance has left one man and his family on the verge of bankruptcy after a tragic motorcycle accident in Hamilton, Ontario. These changes, brought about this past summer, significantly decrease the amount of financial support one can receive from a catastrophic vehicle injury. The Hamilton incident raises questions […]
Continue ReadingWhere you get hurt matters in Ontario, but should it?
Moving Towards a “We” Society
The world was more equal 200 years ago than it is now. Data from the World Bank and the United Nations shows that the world GINI coefficient was just over 0.4 in 1820 and is nearer 0.7 now. The GINI coefficient measures income inequality. In an area that was perfectly equal the score would be […]
Learning the lessons of Brexit
In many ways the UK Brexit vote does not make sense. It would seem foolhardy for a service economy to alienate itself from its main market; the EU. Public blood-letting leading to the resignation of a sitting Prime Minister is an unusual course for the Conservative party to take. Labour’s decision to run an anemic […]
Toronto’s Food Insecurity Can’t be Fixed by Charity
We need to rethink the way we deal with food insecurity in Toronto. There are a great many people and organizations working on this issue, many of whom offer immediate and much-needed access to food for the one in eight Toronto households that are food insecure. Immediate relief is the right humanitarian response, however it […]
Continue ReadingToronto’s Food Insecurity Can’t be Fixed by Charity
What does the federal budget do for affordable housing in Ontario?
People who provide and advocate for affordable housing have been positive about the 2016 federal budget because it moves Canada in the right direction for the next two years. The budget boosts federal funding for new affordable housing to about $1.1 billion a year nationwide. If we bracket the large and much-needed amounts for First […]
Continue ReadingWhat does the federal budget do for affordable housing in Ontario?
A Good Budget is a Blueprint for Health
In the buzz that follows the release of a provincial budget it can be near impossible to understand what it means for the things that really matter to us, like our health. The budget’s official title was Jobs for Today and Tomorrow – a nod to one of the day’s most pressing political priorities – […]
Turning Trudeau’s housing promises into a funded strategy
The Canadian housing landscape has shifted with the election of a new federal government. This is the first government in many years elected with a platform of significant spending on affordable housing. The Liberal platform promised new funds for social infrastructure, averaging $1.45 billion a year from 2016 to 2019. It’s unclear yet how much […]
Continue ReadingTurning Trudeau’s housing promises into a funded strategy
The Trans-Pacific Partnership Prioritizes Trade Over Health
By Scott Leon, Kwame McKenzie, and Steve Barnes The discussion about the economic impact of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) on dairy farmers and auto workers has begun. But in Canada, an important discussion about the TPP is still waiting in the wings. Across the world, specialists have raised concerns about the negative health impacts of […]
Continue ReadingThe Trans-Pacific Partnership Prioritizes Trade Over Health
Jobs and Income – HEIA in the Federal Election
The federal government plays an important role in creating the right economic conditions that lead to job creation. However, not all jobs are created equal and many Canadians work in precarious and insecure jobs. Precarious jobs are characterized by a lack of stability and predictability and usually do not pay well enough to allow workers […]
Continue ReadingJobs and Income – HEIA in the Federal Election