DEPARTMENTS,
DOCUMENTS
Social
Development
- (name changed Dec 19/07, formerly Family and Community Services)
Social
Assistance
Scroll up on the page you're now reading to the grey box for links to the
key welfare resources for NB
---
Changes
to Household Income policy introduced
February 17, 2010
FREDERICTON (CNB) - The provincial government is improving the Household
Income Policy for Department of Social Development clients. Kelly Lamrock,
minister of social development, made the announcement today. (...) The new
policy, which only applies to clients who were in receipt of assistance
as of Jan. 1, represents a $5-million investment this fiscal year. It is
an interim measure that will help current clients economically until Social
Assistance Reform, including an important and significant overhaul of the
Household Income Policy, is complete in mid-2011.
Related links:
Social
assistance clients can have roommates: Minister Lamrock
February 17, 2010
The New Brunswick government has stopped penalizing social assistance recipients
who have roommates. It has eliminated a decades-old policy that clawed back
the benefits of low-income clients who live with someone else to pool their
financial resources, Social Development Minister Kelly Lamrock announced
Wednesday.
Source:
CBC New Brunswick
The Household Income Policy
FAPO
warns Government to keep its hands off Human Rights Act
(PDF file - 150K, 1 page)
[ text
version ]
December 13, 2004
"The Fredericton Anti-Poverty Organization is warning the Lord
government to keeps its hands off an amendment to the NB Human Rights
Act (see below for the link to a summary of these amendments) that
will allow welfare recipients to live together after January 1st.
Dan Weston of the Fredericton Anti-Poverty Organization says the
Lord government will have a fight on its hands if it tries to weaken
the Human Rights Act by exempting the controversial Economic Unit
Policy. He calls the Economic Unit Policy 'the single biggest creator
of homelessness in New Brunswick.'"
More
on the Economic Unit Policy from FAPO (PDF file - 1.3MB,
2 pages)
October 2002
Source:
Fredericton Anti-Poverty
Organization (FAPO)
Related info:
An
Act to Amend the Human Rights Act
First Reading : December 9, 2004
Second Reading : December 10, 2004
Source:
New Brunswick Legislative
Assembly
To place this into context:
The maximum social assistance payable to a single
unemployed man or woman in New Brunswick is $264 per month.
Source:
Social
Assistance Rate Schedules
[ Department
of Family and Community Services ]
Household Income Policy
"An Economic Household is defined as two or more persons residing
together who share the responsibilities of the household, and benefit
economically from the sharing of food, shelter and/or facilities.
When an Economic Household is determined to exist, FCS will consider
it one household, and therefore determine eligibility for only one
assistance cheque. FCS determines economic households to exist even
though there is no marital, familial, or conjugal relationship among
the members of the household. This policy was developed in order
to ensure we do not discriminate against people on the basis of
gender, marital status, or sexual orientation. The determination
of an economic household will often result in assistance being refused,
cancelled, or decreased, depending on the particular circumstances."
Source:
Excerpt from the
New
Brunswick Social Assistance Policy Manual
[ Department
of Family and Community Services ]
Amendments
to the Human Rights Act
July 7, 2004
"FREDERICTON (CNB) - The following statement was issued by
Alanna Palmer, Chair of the New Brunswick Human Rights Commission.
The Human Rights Commission welcomes the
addition of the two new grounds of prohibited discrimination to
the New Brunswick Human Rights Act: social condition and political
belief or activity. This amendment was passed by the legislature
last week and is expected to come into effect on December 31, 2004.
Source:
N.B. Human Rights
Commission
|
Helping
New Brunswickers manage home heating costs
The Government of New Brunswick recognizes the need to assist New Brunswickers
in need as we enter the winter months. If you are unable to afford the cost
of heating your home this winter you may be eligible for one of the programs
offered by the Department of Social Development. New Brunswick winters may
be cold, but your home doesn`t have to be.
Helping New Brunswickers in Need:
* Fuel
supplements - for eligible social assistance clients
* Emergency
Fuel Benefit - for New Brunswickers in need
--- Enhanced
emergency fuel benefit announced (October 2009)
* Home
heating allowance for those in subsidized housing
Moving
Forward: Governments of Canada and New Brunswick sign an Agreement on Early
Learning and Child Care
News Release
"November 24, 2005— Social Development Minister Ken Dryden and
Joan MacAlpine-Stiles, New Brunswick’s Minister of Family and Community
Services,announced today an historic Agreement-in-Principle that further
supports the development of quality early learning and child care (ELCC)
for young children and their families in New Brunswick. 'This Agreement-in-Principle
sets out the framework for delivering high-quality and affordable Early
Learning and Child Care throughout the province, whether in urban areas
or in rural or remote communities,' said Minister Dryden. 'It is one more
piece in the development of an ambitious system of Early Learning and Child
Care in every province and territory in the country. This Agreement-in-Principle
means more opportunities for a better future for New Brunswick children
and their parents.'”
Related
Links:
Moving
Forward on Early Learning and Child Care : Agreement in Principle Between the
Government of Canada and the Government of New Brunswick (PDF file
- 401K, 10 pages)
Google Web Search
Results : "New Brunswick, early learning
and child care agreement"
Google News search Results : "New
Brunswick, early learning and child care agreement"
Source:
Google.ca
Related
Links:
- Go to the Government Early Learning and Child Care Links page: http://www.canadiansocialresearch.net/ecd.htm
One-time measures to
help welfare recipients
Health benefits will be extended, transitional funding
provided to those who go back to work
[NOTE: this link is dead - I'm
leaving the text here for your info...]
December 2, 2004
Telegraph-Journal
"The
New Brunswick government will soon provide a one-time extension of health benefits
and transitional funding for welfare recipients who return to the workforce. The
new measures designed to make it easier for individuals to get off welfare will
be announced today in the government's throne speech. Premier Bernard Lord said
Wednesday the province will provide the extension of provincial health card benefits
to people who have been on welfare so they won't lose prescription drug coverage
after securing a job. The province will also provide welfare recipients returning
to the workforce with one-time funding to assist them with specific costs such
as transportation and work clothing."
Source:
canadaeast.com
Related
Links:
NB
Social Assistance
New
Brunswick Welfare Policy Manual
Department
of Family and Community Services
Historical
Document: BUILDING TOMORROW TOGETHER
Discussion Paper on Social Policy
(PDF file - 115K, 20 pages)
- February 1999
Province-wide consultation "about future directions and underlying values for
New Brunswick's social policy."
Covers a wide
range of issues including income assistance, persons with disabilities, human
rights. etc.
Source:
Social Policy Renewal Secretariat |
Canada
and New Brunswick sign agreement to assist people with disabilities
News
Release
May 21, 2004
"FREDERICTON - New Brunswickers with disabilities
will be able to participate more easily in the labour market because of an agreement
announced today by the Honourable Andy Scott, Minister of State (Infrastructure),
on behalf of the Honourable Liza Frulla, Minister of Social Development, and the
Honourable Tony Huntjens, New Brunswick Minister of Family and Community Services.
'Helping people with disabilities to be more fully involved as citizens is a priority
for all governments,' said Minister Scott. 'Every New Brunswicker must have the
opportunity to make a contribution to our economy and our society. I am so pleased
to work with New Brunswick on this national priority.'"
Source:
Social
Development Canada (SDC)
This agreement
was signed under the Multilateral
Framework for Labour Market Agreements for Persons with Disabilities,
which replaced the Employability Assistance for People with Disabilities initiative
in April 2004.
For more info about the national framework and the agreements
signed with other jurisdictions to date, go to the Disability Links page:
http://www.canadiansocialresearch.net/disbkmrk.htm
Financial
assistance for day care services - New Brunswick
News Release
August
25, 2004
"FREDERICTON (CNB) - Beginning on Sept. 1, more New Brunswick
parents will be eligible for funding under the Day Care Assistance Program to
access affordable and quality child care. The provincial government reminds parents
that significant enhancements have been made to the Day Care Assistance Program.
First, the family income threshold for a full day care subsidy has been raised
from $15,000 to $22,000 yearly net family income. The government also increased
the subsidy rate to $22 per day for children under the age of two, $20 per day
for children over the age of two; and $10.75 per day for after-school children.
All these changes come into effect on Sept. 1, 2004. (...)
The Day Care
Assistance Program is part of the New Brunswick's investments under the Early
Learning and Child Care agreement." (bolding added)
Source:
Department
of Family and Community Services
Related Links: see the Early Learning
and Child Care Links page: http://www.canadiansocialresearch.net/ecd.htm
Early
Childhood Development New
Brunswick Family and Community Services
Early Childhood Development Agenda
presented
January 20, 2005
"FREDERICTON
(CNB) - Increased funding in day care services in New Brunswick is one of the
highlights of the provincial government's fourth report on the Early Childhood
Development Agenda, presented today by Family and Community Services Minister
Tony Huntjens. 'I am pleased to report that in 2002-2003,
we increased funding to improve the working conditions and training of staff in
the province's day care centres,' Huntjens said. 'We increased opportunities for
children with special needs to attend full-time day care. We also provided funding
to improve the health of pregnant women and their newborns, and we supported mothers
and young children living in transition houses.'" Complete
report: Greater
Opportunities for New Brunswick Children:
An Early Childhood Development Agenda
Investments
and Outcomes(2002–03) (PDF file - 798K,
35 pages) Source:
Family
and Community Services Related
Links: go to the Government Early Learning and Child Care Links page: http://www.canadiansocialresearch.net/ecd.htm Greater
Opportunities for New Brunswick Children: An Early Childhood Development Agenda
Update - June 2002
(PDF file - 6.9MB, 10 pages) Second
phase of Early Childhood Development Agenda
June 11, 2002
"FREDERICTON
(CNB) - Family and Community Services Minister Joan MacAlpine has reconfirmed
New Brunswick's commitment to young children and their families. This year, almost
$36 million will be spent on programs and activities to support greater opportunities
for New Brunswick children. Today the minister announced Phase Two initiatives
of the province's Early Childhood Development Agenda." Greater
Opportunities for New Brunswick Children: An Early Childhood Development Agenda
Phase
1: 2001-2002
PDF file - 830K, 11 pages
April
2001 (Modified June 2002)
Launch
of Children's Support Program - Dec. 12, 2001 (...one of
seven initiatives of the Early Childhood Development Agenda (ECD)
which will invest about $50 million in New Brunswick children over
the next five years).
Budget
estimates - Family and Community Services - April 10, 2001 |
Housing
Programs and Services
- includes information about
housing and shelter assistance programs in New Brunswick
Prenatal
Benefit Program launched
Family and Community Services
Jan. 17, 2002
This program is one of the initiatives included in the Early Childhood Development
Agenda.
Launch
of Children's Support Program
Family and Community Services
Dec. 12,
2001
Women and children who are victims of family violence will be offered
new services under the Children's Support Program launched today by the Department
of Family and Community Services and the New Brunswick Coalition of Transition
Houses. (...) The Children's Support Program is one of seven initiatives of the
Early Childhood Development Agenda (ECD) which will invest about $50 million in
New Brunswick children over the next five years.
Launch
of PolicyLinkNB project
Nov. 16, 2001
FREDERICTON (CNB) -- A group
of voluntary organizations in New Brunswick will undertake a project that will
focus on building the capacity of the voluntary sector to influence the policies
that affect their organizations and the people they represent.
Budget
estimates - Family and Community Services
April
10, 2001
Minister's
statement / National Child Day
Family and Community
Services
Nov. 20, 2000
-
Includes a list of programs and services implemented over the past few years to
assist New Brunswick children and their families.
Disability
supplement for disabled
October 4/00
Office of the Premier
Family
and Community Services
FREDERICTON (CNB) - Social
assistance clients who are certified disabled will receive additional funding
in their social assistance cheques this month.
Full
Story...
2000-2001
Budget Estimates
Press Release (06/00)
Report
on child welfare released
News Release
Family and Community Services
June
29, 2000
Province
to receive $2.4 million to fight homelessness - December 23, 1999
Federal
funding to prevent homeless [sic] - December 17, 1999
Concerted
attack on child poverty needed - November 24, 1999
Social
assistance reforms must be suited to New Brunswick - Press Release (Sept.
30, 1999)
Post-Secondary
Education, Training and Labour
Minimum
wage in New Brunswick - under the Employment Standards Act
---
N.B.
to raise minimum wage to $10
January 5, 2010
New Brunswick is sticking with its plan to raise the minimum wage to $10
an hour over the next 20 months — with one of the increases coming
in the middle of the government's September re-election campaign. But Labour
Minister Donald Arseneault said the minimum wage is not about politics.
"To bring our minimum wage to the Atlantic average by September 2011
is a priority issue for our province if we are going to reduce the level
of poverty in our province," Arseneault said Tuesday. About four per
cent of New Brunswick workers earn the minimum wage.
The wage will rise in four steps:
* April 1, 2010: an increase of 25 cents to $8.50 per hour.
* Sept. 1, 2010, an increase of 50 cents to $9 per hour.
* April 1, 2011: an increase of 50 cents to $9.50 per hour.
* Sept. 1, 2011: an increase of 50 cents to $10 per hour.
Source:
CBC New Brunswick
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
How does that compare
with other Canadian jurisdictions?
Current
And Forthcoming Minimum Hourly Wage Rates For Adult Workers in Canada
(this is the BEST resource for info on
current and upcoming minimum wage levels by province/territory)
Minimum
Hourly Wages for Canadian Adult Workers since 1965
This information is broken up into five files - one for each decade.
The link above takes you to the latest decade (2005 to 2014); click the
date links at the top of the page for pages for earlier decades.
NOTE: Several other jurisdictions have
either recently increased their minimum wage level or will be doing so in
the coming months.
Highlights:
* Newfoundland and Labrador increased its minimum wage from $9.00 to
$9.50 as of January 1.
* Nova Scotia will increase its minimum wage twice this year - in April
and October. The current level is $8.60, increasing to $9.65 as of October.
* Ontario's minimum wage, currently $9.50, will increase to $10.25 at the
end of March.
* Since 2007, Yukon increases its minimum wage each April to match increase
in the Consumer Price Index for the City of Whitehorse.
For more information, see Minimum
Hourly Wages, 2005-2014 (this is the same link as above)
Source:
Minimum
Wage Database
[ Employment
Standards Legislation in Canada ]
[ Labour Program,
Human Resources and Social Development Canada ]
- Go to the Minimum Wage /Living Wage
Links page:
http://www.canadiansocialresearch.net/minwage.htm
Health
Finance
HOME PAGE
Budget Documents
New
Brunswick 2011-2012 Budget
March 22, 2011
- main budget page, includes links to:
* Budget
Speech
* News Release (see below)
* Economic Outlook
* Main Estimates
* Capital Estimates
* Fact Sheets
* Historical Budgets
Government
cuts in 2011-12 budget forecast to reduce deficit by more than half
News Release
22 March 2011
FREDERICTON (CNB) – The provincial government tabled its 2011-12
budget today at the legislative assembly, announcing significant
spending reductions and increased revenue measures expected to result
in a smaller deficit, projected at $448.8 million. Finance Minister
Blaine Higgs said the provincial government had been facing a $1-billion
deficit if the spending trends of the past four years continued.
Source:
New Brunswick Department
of Finance
----------------------------------------
TD Bank Financial Group
Analysis of the Budget:
Welcome
to life in fiscally-constrained New Brunswick (PDF -
418K, 3 pages)
By all accounts, today’s provincial budget is a defining one
for the new Alward government and austerity was certainly the theme
of the day. In an attempt to rein in the Province’s sizeable
deficits, $220 million in new spending cuts and $100 million in
new revenue-generating measures are to be in effect for FY 11-12.
Source:
2011 Federal,
Provincial and Territorial Budgets
[ Part of the
TD Bank Financial Group ]
----------------------------------------
Media:
From CBC
News:
N.B.'s
hard cuts to come: finance minister
Mar 23, 2011
New Brunswick's finance minister is cutting spending by $220 million
in the upcoming fiscal year, but says he's putting off many of the
difficult cuts for at least another year. Finance Minister Blaine
Higgs, who announced the provincial budget Tuesday, said turning
around such massive spending can't be done in one year and it has
to be properly researched and analyzed first.
----------------------------------------
Critique:
New
Brunswick Advisory Council
on the Status of Women (NB-ACSW) : Abolished April 1?
The provincial government has announced the end of our Advisory
Council on the Status of Women, effective 1 April, 2011. The role
of the Advisory Council, as stated in the law that created us, is
to bring before the government and the public matters of interest
and concern to women, and to advise the Minister. This proud mandate
was given to us by New Brunswick women.
Related links:
Save
Our Advisory Council
March 27
Women’s groups have started this blog to raise public awareness
and support for reinstating the NB Advisory Council on the Status
of Women.
About
the Issue
During his election campaign, David Alward promised that, if elected,
he would consult with the New Brunswick Advisory Council on the
Status of Women. Then he released the 2011 provincial budget, which
abolishes the New Brunswick Advisory Council on the Status of Women,
effective April 1st.
Motion
to Reinstate the NB ACSW
The Leader of the Official Opposition, Victor Boudreau, introduced
a motion in the Legislative Assembly last week calling for the reinstatement
of the Advisory Council on the Status of Women. The motion will
be debated in the Legislature this coming Thursday, March 31st.
See also:
Advisory
Council on the Status of Women - English home page
Conseil
consultatif sur la condition de la famille - Page d'accueil
en français
---
March 23, 2011
News release
Moncton-
Provincial budget puts nothing in the plates of the poor.
(PDF - 291K, 2 pages)
“All of them are already in the last notch of their belt, so
how much more can they tighten it; right now their stomach is already
touching their backbone.” stated Ms McCaustlin. “We are
very disappointed with this first budget coming from the newly elected
Alward government”, says Linda McCaustlin, co-chair of the
Common Front for Social Justice. The Social Development Department
will only have a 1.3% increase in the “Income Security”
section of next year’s budget, barely enough to keep up with
the inflation rate.
Source:
New Brunswick
Common Front for Social Justice
The Common Front for Social Justice is one of the largest democratic
and popular organizations in New Brunswick, with close to 75,000
group and individual members. The Common Front brings together individuals
as well as local, regional and provincial organizations to work
towards the eradication of poverty.
----------
Version française:
Communiqué
Le 23 mars 2011
Moncton-
Le budget provincial ne met rien dans l’assiette des pauvres
« Toutes les personnes en situation de pauvreté ne
peuvent plus serrer leur ceinture; ils sont au dernier trou et leur
estomac frotte déjà sur leur colonne vertébrale!
Nous sommes très déçus du premier budget du
nouveau gouvernement Alward » dit Madame Joanne Petitpas,
secrétaire du Front commun pour la justice sociale. Le budget
du ministère du Développement social de 2011-2012
ne contient qu’une augmentation de 1,3 % à la portion
« Sécurité du revenu », ce qui est à
peine suffisant pour compenser pour le taux d’inflation.
Source:
Front commun pour
la justice sociale du Nouveau-Brunswick
Le Front commun pour la justice sociale est un des plus importants
organismes démocratiques et populaires au NB. Il compte environ
75 000 membres individuels et collectifs. Il regroupe des individus
et des organisations locales, régionales et provinciales
travaillant ensemble à l'élimination de la pauvreté.
---
- Go to the 2011 Canadian Government
Budgets Links page:
http://www.canadiansocialresearch.net/budgets_2011.htm
|
Department
of Justice
HOME PAGE
NB
Acts and Regulations
- organized alphabetically
Social
Condition added to Human Rights Act - New Brunswick
On June 30, 2004
the New Brunswick government passed an amendment to the New Brunswick Human Rights
Act to include "social condition" as a protected ground in the Act.
Throughout the Act all relevant sections will be amended striking out "or
sex" and substituting ", sex, social condition, political belief or
activity".
See the New Brunswick government website for a
listing of the amended sections.
Source:
PovNet
See also:
Province
to restore legal aid services (NB Govt.)
Post-Secondary
Education and Training
Office
of the Auditor General
HOME
PAGE
Auditor-General's
Reports (1995 to 2002)
1996
Report - incl. chapter on Andersen Consulting
1998
Report - incl. chapter on the NB Case System (Andersen Consulting)
NOTE:
there's a section in each report entitled "Follow-up on Prior Years' Audit
Work" - you'll find references to Andersen Consulting in this section for
most years
Department
of Education
HOME
PAGE
Executive
Council Office
Women's
Issues
New Brunswick Advisory
Council on the Status of Women
- incl. links to
: What's New - Issues - Documents - Who We Are / Contacts - Talent Banks &
Groups
NOTE: the Documents section contains links to over two dozen reports
on women and health, early childhood services, history and pay equity
Sample
reports:
Employment
Insurance and Women: What You Should Know (PDF - 130K, 6 pages)
[* includes links to nearly three dozen online resources]
April 2009
Table
of contents:
1. Fewer Women Qualify
2. Accumulating Those Magic Hours
3.
When Caring Conflicts With Work
4. Women’s Benefits Are Low
5. Inadequate
Sickness Benefits
6. A Poor Plan For Parents
7. Quebec Parents Have It
8.
Inadequate Caregiving Leave
9. What Women Want
10. In Support of Effective
Policies
Life
on Social Assistance in New Brunswick, or
"If Welfare Owns You, You Can't
Do Nothing" (PDF file - 330K, 57 pages)
Ysabel Provencher
& Chantal Bourassa, Action Research Laboratory, School of Social Work, Université
de Moncton
July 2005
"The two general objectives of the study were
to gain a better understanding of (1) the reality of Francophone social assistance
recipients in New Brunswick, and (2) the successes and difficulties encountered
in implementing the new mechanisms, policies, and programs associated with the
1995 reform of the social assistance system. The findings of this study arose
from a series of five group interviews conducted with Francophone social assistance
recipients in the southeastern and northern regions of the province in the summer
and fall of 2004. (...)We describe a few aspects of the social assistance system
(income levels, programs and benefit rates, eligibility procedures) and present
a few characteristics of the provincial profile of social assistance recipients
(number of households on social assistance, distribution of recipients by type
of household and benefit rate). "
- highly recommended, excellent resource
on welfare reforms in New Brunswick!
Women's
List - Federal Election 2008
September 2008
Issues
of importance to Canadian women’s equality in the 2008 federal election:
*
Deliver on the constitutional promise of equality
* Ensure equal rights for
Aboriginal women
* Fund quality early childhood care & education
* Ensure
a livable income
* Commit to affordable housing
* Eliminate violence against
women
* Ensure access to justice
* Improve maternity & parental benefits
*
Act for women’s health
* Increase female political representation
Click
the Women's List
link for a collection of over 120 individual resources related to the above
list of issues.
[Some of this info is specific to NB]
NOTE: Never
mind the federal election --- I highly recommend this resource as a primer on
women's issues in Canada!
Poverty
is everybody's business in N.B.
October 2, 2008
By Elsie Hambrook
Nasty
prejudices still get in the way of concerted action on poverty. Some people paint
all the poor with the same brush. They think the poor are "lazy" or
"irresponsible", that if they made different choices, worked harder
or "smarter", they could pull themselves out of poverty. Denial is also
a stumbling block, as in "I'd never go on welfare, it'll never happen to
me." The reality is that many people work full-time but earn less than the
poverty line, juggle part-time or seasonal jobs, education and training along
with family responsibilities and still can't make ends meet. For some New Brunswickers,
poverty is as close as a few missed paycheques, the result of a separation or
divorce for women, or of an illness or disability that strikes before the Old
Age Pension kicks in.
Source:
Times
& Transcript
[ Author Elsie Hambrook is the
new Chairperson of the
New Brunswick Advisory Council on the Status of Women ]
Shouldn't
we have a plan to reduce poverty?
A Woman's View
(PDF - 63K, 2 pages)
We should be hard-headed about poverty in New Brunswick
– “hard-headed” as in focussed and scientific about finding and
doing what works to eliminate poverty. Some current poverty programs, here and
in other jurisdictions, may have the effect of keeping people poor, for all the
care that goes into what gets called a “poverty program”. What is worse,
effective programs may be undone by other initiatives, given the lack of coordination
and of monitoring.
From the column by Ginette Petitpas-Taylor
Former Chairperson
of the
New Brunswick Advisory Council on the Status of Women
in the Times
& Transcript, July 17, 2008.
Life
on Social Assistance in New Brunswick, or
"If Welfare Owns You, You Can't
Do Nothing" (PDF file - 330K, 57 pages)
Ysabel Provencher
& Chantal Bourassa, Action Research Laboratory, School of Social Work, Université
de Moncton
July 2005
"The two general objectives of the study were
to gain a better understanding of (1) the reality of Francophone social assistance
recipients in New Brunswick, and (2) the successes and difficulties encountered
in implementing the new mechanisms, policies, and programs associated with the
1995 reform of the social assistance system. The findings of this study arose
from a series of five group interviews conducted with Francophone social assistance
recipients in the southeastern and northern regions of the province in the summer
and fall of 2004. (...)We describe a few aspects of the social assistance system
(income levels, programs and benefit rates, eligibility procedures) and present
a few characteristics of the provincial profile of social assistance recipients
(number of households on social assistance, distribution of recipients by type
of household and benefit rate). "
- highly recommended, excellent resource
on welfare reforms in New Brunswick!
2004 Report Card on the Status of Women
in New Brunswick
March 8, 2004
"Fully 75% of New Brunswick women with preschoolers were in the labour
force in 2002, a jump from 70% the previous year. The 2004 Report Card on
the Status of Women in N.B. released today by the Advisory Council on the
Status of Women notes that N.B. has a higher rate than the Canadian average
of 70% for women with preschoolers. The majority (60%) of lone mothers with
preschoolers were also out working for pay in N.B. in 2002."
2004
Report Card (PDF file - 1.76MB, 76 pages)
Poster
(PDF file - 179K, 1 page)
[ Women's Issues
]
[ Executive Council Office
]
Minister
releases wage gap report
New Brunswick Status of Women
News
Release
December 5, 2003
"The final report of the New Brunswick wage
gap round table was released today by Training and Employment Development Minister
Margaret-Ann Blaney, Minister responsible for the Status of Women. The report
recommends that the government lead a five-year action plan consisting of voluntary
measures to address the wage gap in the public and private sectors."
Complete report:
Closing
New Brunswick’s Wage Gap:
An Economic Imperative - PDF file
(1.5MB, 101 pages)
2002
Report Card on the Status of Women in New Brunswick
March 2002
"A
statistical profile of women in New Brunswick: Population, Education and Training,
Income and Poverty, Family Responsibilities, Labour Force, Violence, Positions
of Influence, Provincial Government Employees."
Other New Brunswick Sites
(NOTE : Links are added in reverse chronological
order, with the most recent additions at the top.)
---
2011
New Brunswick Child Poverty Report Card (PDF - 472K, 15 pages)
November 2011
The latest Statistics Canada data, from 2009, shows that 14,000 New Brunswick
children (9.9%) are living in families with incomes below the poverty line—a
drop since 2008 (12.0%). In November 2009, New Brunswick joined the ranks
of provinces that have adopted comprehensive poverty reduction strategies.
Overcoming Poverty Together: The New Brunswick Economic and Social Inclusion
Plan has set a target of reducing income poverty by 25% and deep income
poverty by 50% by the year 2015. These targets and timetables are set out
in the Economic and Social Inclusion Act, which received Royal Assent in
April 2010.
[ Version française:
Rapport
sur la pauvreté des enfants en 2011 (fichier PDF - 495K,
15 pages)]
Source:
Human Development Council
The Human Development Council is a local social planning council that co-ordinates
and promotes social development in Greater Saint John.
Related link
from Campaign 2000:
Revisiting
Family Security in Insecure Times:
2011 Report Card on Child and Family Poverty in Canada
(PDF - 2.8MB, 16 pages)
[The national report]
November 2011
All we are asking is to give children a chance. Campaign 2000 is looking
for a real commitment from this Parliament to reduce poverty by at least
50% by the year 2020, creating a pathway to eventual eradication. The federal
government, in our view, must play a lead role.
Source:
Campaign 2000
Campaign 2000 is a non-partisan, cross-Canada coalition of over 120 national,
provincial and community organizations, committed to working together to
end child and family poverty in Canada.
NOTE: If you wish to see 2011 child
and family poverty reports for all participating Canadian provinces on one
page (+ links to last year's reports), go
to the Children, Families and Youth Links (NGO) page:
http://www.canadiansocialresearch.net/chnngo.htm
Mr.
Higgs [Finance
Minister],
how far should we tighten our belt in 2012? (PDF - 162K, 2 pages)
News Release
November 14, 2011
(...) Here are four demands which the Common Front for Social Justice asks
you to support:
1. An immediate increase in the minimum wage to $10.00 an hour.
2. The rejection of a two-tier minimum wage system for NB workers.
3. An increase in the basic rates of welfare recipients to bring them to
the Atlantic average and an indexation of
these rates thereafter.
4. The establishment of a solidarity program of $50 per month that would
help 25,105 households to buy food;
this is the number of individuals who depend on social assistance in November
2011.
[ Version française:
Monsieur Higgs, à quel trou voulez-vous que nous nous serrions
la ceinture en 2012 ? (fichier PDF - 161K, 2 pages) ]
Source:
New Brunswick Common Front for Social Justice
The Common Front for Social Justice is one of the largest democratic and
popular organizations in New Brunswick, with close to 75,000 group and individual
members. The Common Front brings together individuals as well as local,
regional and provincial organizations to work towards the eradication of
poverty.
Front
commun pour la justice sociale
Le Front commun pour la justice sociale est un des plus importants organismes
démocratiques et populaires au NB. Il compte environ 75 000 membres
individuels et collectifs. Il regroupe des individus et des organisations
locales, régionales et provinciales travaillant ensemble à
l'élimination de la pauvreté.
Young
parents squeezed for time and money, report finds
A University of British Columbia study found that it's much more expensive
to raise a family than it was a generation ago.
October 18, 2011
By Andrea Gordon
Canadian parents are raising children with far less money and time than
their baby boomer predecessors, despite the doubling of the Canadian economy
since 1976, says a report from the University of British Columbia. At the
same time, Canadians approaching retirement are wealthier than ever before,
setting up an intergenerational tension that threatens young families, according
to the study, released Tuesday.
Source:
Toronto Star
The report:
Does
Canada work for all generations?
By Paul Kershaw and Lynell Anderson
October 18, 2011
National
Summary (PDF - 814K, 4 pages) / (Version
française - format PDF)
Fact
Sheet
Excerpt from
the national summary report:
Canada is not currently working for all generations. There is a silent
generational crisis occurring in homes across the country, one we neglect
because Canadians are stuck in stale debates. My colleagues and I hope the
2011 Family Policy Reports for all provinces will refocus public dialogue
on one of the most pressing social and economic issues of our time: Canada
has become a far more difficult place to raise a family.
---
Provincial Family Policy Reports:
NOTE: The provincial files below are in
PDF format; each file is just under 2MB and 22 pages in length.
* Alberta
* British
Columbia
* Manitoba
* Newfoundland
and Labrador
* New
Brunswick
* Nova
Scotia
* Ontario
* Prince
Edward Island
* Quebec
* Saskatchewan
Related resources:
* New
Deal for Families blog
* YouTube
video "New Deal for Families"
Source:
Human Early Learning Partnership
The Human Early Learning Partnership (HELP) is a collaborative, interdisciplinary
research network, based at the University of British Columbia. HELP’s
unique partnership brings together many scientific viewpoints to address
complex early child development (ECD) issues. HELP connects researchers
and practitioners from communities and institutions across B.C., Canada,
and internationally.
[ University of British Columbia ]
From the
National Council of Welfare:
Welfare
Incomes 2010
September 2011
The Welfare Incomes report reflects the estimated incomes (in constant and
current dollars) for 2010 of four typical welfare households in each province
and territory:
- a single employable person
- a single person with a disability
- a lone parent with a 2-year-old child
- a two-parent family with two children aged 10 and 15
Click the link above, then move your cursor over each province or territory
to view welfare incomes by household type for 2010 .
Click on a province or territory to see a chart of welfare incomes over
time for that jurisdiction. This feature requires Macromedia Flash; if you
don't have Flash or if you've disabled it, click the link below the map
of Canada to access the same information in HTML.
Adequacy
of Welfare Incomes
Compare welfare benefit levels for all jurisdictions and all household categories
for all years from 1986 (1989 for a person with a disability) to 2010 using
any one of five measures of adequacy: After-tax average income - After-tax
LICO - After-tax median income - Before-tax LICO - Market basket measure
(MBM).
Earlier
editions of Welfare Incomes (annual)
Source:
National Council
of Welfare
[ Conseil national du
bien-être social ]
Since the Government Organization Act of 1969, the National Council of Welfare
serves as advisory group to the federal Minister responsible for the welfare
of Canadians - in 2010, that's the Hon. Diane Finley, Minister of Human
Resources and Skills Development Canada - regarding "any matter relating
to social development that the Minister may refer to the Council for its
consideration or that the Council considers appropriate."
Poverty
costs New Brunswickers $2 billion dollars per year
News Release
September 27, 2011
Halifax/Moncton
A new study released today, entitled Cost of Poverty in New Brunswick, co-authored
by economist Angella MacEwen and Christine Saulnier, reveals that:
* Poverty costs the New Brunswick government a half a billion dollars per
year.
* These costs accounted for 6.5% of the 2009/10 New Brunswick government
budget.
* Health care spending on poverty alone costs the government $196 million
per year.
* When the costs to government are added to the broader costs to the economy,
the total cost of poverty for the province is $2 billion dollars.
* Investing in a comprehensive plan to alleviate poverty could cost as little
as half as much as the quantifiable costs of poverty.
The report:
The
Cost of Poverty in New Brunswick (PDF - 421K, 12 pages)
(...) For the New Brunswick government, we estimate that the direct cost
of poverty is approximately a half a billion dollars per year—and that
these costs account for 6.5% of the 2009/10 New Brunswick government budget.
Source:
Nova Scotia
Office of the
Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives
Open
letter to The Honourable Sue Stultz (Word
file, 35K)
Minister of Social Development
Fredericton, NB
September 13, 2011
[ Version française
de la lettre - fichier format Word, 35Ko. ]
Hon. Stultz:
There are approximately 100,000 New Brunswickers living below the poverty
line. A certain percentage of them will, as they did in years past, need
help to offset the cost of heating their homes this coming winter. Market
prices indicate that N.B. citizens will pay more in 2011-2012 than they
did last winter to keep themselves and their family warm.
Source:
NB Common Front for Social
Justice
[ Front commun pour la justice
sociale ]
More on the minimum wage debate in New Brunswick:
Minimum
wage reversal splits opinion
N.B. may have lowest minimum wage in Atlantic Canada on Oct. 1
July 21, 2011
The Progressive Conservative government's decision to postpone the
minimum wage increase planned is creating a rift in opinion between
business owners and those who were banking on the upcoming raise.
New Brunswick's minimum wage was set to increase to $10 from $9.50
per hour on Sept. 1, but Labour Minister Martine Coulombe announced
that hike is being shelved until April 1, 2012.
Source:
CBC News New Brunswick
Related links from the
New Brunswick Common Front for Social Justice :
Increases
in Minimum Wage are not the culprit!
Small and Medium size business analysis is wrong (PDF
- 28K, 2 pages)
New Release
August 17, 2011
[ Version
française ]
(...)The main argument put forth by small and medium size business
owners are that a higher minimum wage will trigger job losses. The
numbers presented in our brief seriously question their affirmation.
The Brief:
The
Need for Sustained Increases in the Minimum Wage:
A Brief prepared for Members of the Minimum Wage Board
By The New Brunswick Common Front for Social Justice Inc.
(PDF - 355K, 123 pages)
August 2011
[ Version
française ]
(...) The Common Front for Social Justice is worried about the possible
delay in bringing the minimum wage up to $10, as was recently announced
by the N.B. government. This would have an extremely negative impact
on the working poor. With the cost of basic necessities such as
shelter, food, electricity and home heat heating, one wonders how
these people will survive the hardships of winter.
Source:
New Brunswick
Common Front for Social Justice (NBCFSJ)
[ Version française
du site ]
The Common Front for Social Justice is one of the largest democratic
and popular organizations in New Brunswick, with close to 75,000
group and individual members. The Common Front brings together individuals
as well as local, regional and provincial organizations to work
towards the eradication of poverty.
Reaction from the
NB Media Co-Op:
Minimum
wage earners subsidizing employers
August 22, 2011
By Jody Dallaire
I know it’s a tough economic year but you would think this
would be when we protect the working poor--put them last on the
list of those who will be asked to make a sacrifice. You would think
we would not target them first. Those at minimum wage in New Brunswick
have been asked to subsidize their employers for a few months more.
Meanwhile, the corporate tax rate as well as the tax rate of New
Brunswickers earning between $74,000 and $121,000, for example,
is decreasing by another 1%, and the small business tax rate is
set to drop by 0.5%. Instead of the expected wage increase in September,
minimum wage workers will not get the promised additional 50 cents
per hour until, we are told at this point, next April when, hopefully,
it will finally reach $10 per hour, which was the goal awhile back
because it was the average in the Atlantic provinces.
Source:
NB Media Co-Op
Independent media by and for New Brunswickers
More now than ever, we need media to be a tool of accountability
and democracy. This is impossible when the province's media is almost
entirely controlled by one company, which has its own corporate
interests at heart, rather than those of the public. We wish to
fill that void by making independent media widely accessible to
all.
[ About NB Media Co-Op ]
Related links:
Hourly
Minimum Wages in CANADA for Adult Workers, 2005 to 2014
- includes links to comparable information for all Canadian jurisdictions
back to 1965.
Source:
Minimum
Wage Database <=== Click for more minimum wage resources
[ Employment
Standards Legislation in Canada ]
[ Labour
Program, Human Resources and Skills Development Canada ].
Press conference following World Day of Social Justice:
Minimum wage in New Brunswick is keeping thousands of workers in
poverty (PDF - 191K, 6 pages)
February 21, 2011
February 20th was proclaimed by the General Assembly of the United
Nations as World Day of Social Justice in 2007. By unanimously adopting
this day of reflection about “opening up our tents”, the
192 members of the UN recognize that the objective of social development
is social justice, solidarity, harmony and equality within and among
countries. (...) On this day following World Day of Social Justice,
we at the Common Front for Social Justice wish to publicly state
that in New Brunswick (N.B.), thousands of workers are living in
poverty. Indeed, poor people are getting poorer and rich people
are getting richer. The Common Front for Social Justice is concerned
about three proposals [concerning the minimum wage] coming mainly
from employers in the business sector:
1. Proposal for a different minimum wage for workers in training.
2. Proposal for a lower minimum wage for the food service sector.
3. Proposal for a lower minimum wage for workers under the age of
18.
Source:
Common Front for
Social Justice:
[ Front commun pour
la justice sociale ]
The Common Front for Social Justice is fighting to build a more
humane society based on the respect and dignity of all. We want
a New Brunswick without poverty. We want a society which gives each
and everyone a decent living, in particular by having a minimum
wage and social income on which citizens can live on and not just
exist.
-------------------------------------------------
Related links:
Minimum
wage hike in
New Brunswick will hurt more than help
Moncton, February 16, 2011
In spite of government's promise to re-examine planned minimum wage
hikes, it just confirmed small businesses' worst fear - the minimum
wage will increase on April 1st by 50 cents and then on September
1st by another 50 cents to finally reach $10 per hour. This total
jump of 10 per cent in one year alone will put New Brunswick in
second place tied with the oil-rich Newfoundland and Labrador among
all provinces.
Source:
Canadian Federation of Independent
Business (CFIB)
-------------------------------------------------
From the CBC:
The
Other Side of the Minimum Wage Coin (audio podcast interview)
February 15, 2011
"Kevin Steen, president of Damascus Coffee in Riverview, and
Real Robichaud, Executive Director of Tourism Industry Association
of New Brunswick, talk about the increase of minimum wages and how
it will affect the province."
[ Also included in this clip, but curiously omitted from the CBC's
description in the above blurb, is a brief exchange with Jean-Claude
Basque, Co-chair of the Common Front for Social justice. ]
-------------------------------------------------
Related links:
Minimum
Wage : Reframing the Debate (PDF - 4.5MB, 36 pages)
February 2011
Source:
Canadian Federation
of Independent Business
---
Flogging
a Dead Horse:
The Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB) on Minimum
Wage
By Andrew Jackson
February 10, 2011
Source:
The Progressive Economics
Forum
---
Current
and Forthcoming Minimum
Hourly Wage Rates for Adult Workers in Canada
Source:
Labour Program,
Human Resources and Skills Development Canada
---
- Go to the Minimum Wage /Living Wage Links
page:
http://www.canadiansocialresearch.net/minwage.htm
|
---
- Go to the Minimum Wage /Living Wage
Links page:
http://www.canadiansocialresearch.net/minwage.htm
Sharp
Increase in the Food Prices
Results of a study done July 2011 in New Brunswick (PDF - 271K,
3 pages)
News Release
August 10, 2011
[ Version
française ]
We are experiencing a sharp increase in food prices. In July 2010, the Common
Front for Social Justice had surveyed 12 grocery stores. The same ones were
revisited in July 2011 and the 2011 prices were compared with those of 2010.
The results show that the cost of a nutritious food basket rose by 5.74%
in one year, an increase which is highly significant.
Recommendations:
1. Implement a food solidarity program of $50 per month for all households
on social assistance.
2. Raise the basic social assistance rates to match the average of those
in place in Atlantic Canada.
3. Implement the recommendation contained in the New Brunswick Economic
and Social Inclusion Plan to “Raise the minimum wage to the Atlantic
average by September 1st, 2011 and adjust for inflation thereafter.”
The complete report:
Sharp
Hike in the Cost of Food:
Results of a 2011 N.B. Survey (PDF - 823K, 11 pages)
August 2011
[ Version
française ]
Source:
New
Brunswick Common Front for Social Justice (NBCFSJ)
[ Version française
du site ]
The Common Front for Social Justice is one of the largest democratic and
popular organizations in New Brunswick, with close to 75,000 group and individual
members. The Common Front brings together individuals as well as local,
regional and provincial organizations to work towards the eradication of
poverty.
Also from the NBCFSJ:
EXPERIENCE HUNGER PROJECT
Summer 2011
The Common Front is fighting against the prejudice that it's possible to
survive with the social assistance rates currently in effect. We have developed
the project called Experience Hunger as a way to help put a stop to myths
surrounding social assistance recipients.
Background
(PDF - 87K, 2 pages) - [
Version française ]
News Release
(PDF - 108K, 2 pages) - [
Version française ]
Participants
(PDF - 69K, 2 pages) - [ Version
française ]
September
Poverty Forum* Flyer (PDF - 668K,1 page)
- [ Version
française ]
*In order to further promote public awareness, the Common Front has scheduled
a Provincial Forum on September 28, 2011, named Poverty, Hunger and
Poor Health – Let’s put a stop to it. Click the PDF "Flyer"
link above for more information.
At
Home/Chez Soi
[ Version
française du site ]
The At Home/Chez Soi research demonstration project is investigating mental
health and homelessness in five Canadian cities: Moncton, Montreal, Toronto,
Winnipeg and Vancouver. A total of 2285 homeless people living with a mental
illness will participate. 1,325 people from that group will be given a place
to live, and will be offered services to assist them over the course of
the initiative. The remaining participants will receive the regular services
that are currently available in their cities. As of February, 2011 - over
1,600 people have become project participants, and over 700 now have homes.
The overall goal is to provide evidence about what services and systems
could best help people who are living with a mental illness and are homeless.
At the same time, the project will provide meaningful and practical support
for hundreds of vulnerable people.
What's happening in each of the five participating
cities?
Moncton:
one of Canada’s fastest growing cities, with a shortage of services
for Anglophones and Francophones.
Montreal:
different mental health services provided to homeless people in Quebec.
Toronto:
ethno-cultural diversity including new immigrants who are non-English speaking.
Winnipeg:
urban Aboriginal population.
Vancouver:
people who struggle with substance abuse and addictions.
Source:
Mental Health Commission
of Canada
The
Good, the Bad and the Ugly Reality of Poverty in 2010 (PDF - 60K,
2 pages)
News Release
December 28, 2010
"This year had its good, bad and ugly side for people living in poverty"
stated Linda McCaustlin, co--chair of the Common Front for Social Justice.
The Common Front for Social Justice did an analysis of the actions taken
by the Shawn Graham and David Alward governments over the past year that
had a direct impact on the financial situation of more than 100,000 individuals
and families living in poverty in this province.
The
Good, the Bad and the Ugly Reality of Poverty in 2010
(PDF - 134K, 6 pages)
With 2010 coming to an end, the Common Front for Social Justice (CFSJ) seizes
the opportunity to take a close look at the actions and/or inactions of
the government of NB with regard to the reduction of poverty during the
past year. The following outlines some areas which had a direct impact on
the financial situation of citizens during the past year and where the CFSJ
has noted some progress but also, unfortunately, some drawbacks.
Source:
Common Front for Social Justice (CFSJ)
As a non-profit community organization composed of social, unions and religious
groups, the CFSJ scrutinizes the various social policies in order to see
how they affect low income people. It also aims at promoting more solidarity
within our society.
***
Liens vers la version française
du communiqué et de l'analyse:
Communiqué
de presse (fichier PDF - 60Ko., 2 pages)
Le 28 décembre 2010
Analyse:
La bonne,
la méchante et l'affreuse réalité de la pauvreté
au Nouveau-Brunswick en 2010 (fichier PDF - 123Ko., 7 pages)
Source:
Front commun pour la justice
social
À titre d'organisme à but non lucratif formé de groupes
sociaux, syndicaux et religieux, le Front commun pour la justice sociale
s’est donné comme mission de scruter les diverses politiques
sociales pour voir comment elles affectent les gens à faible revenu.
Sa vision est celle de voir un jour une société plus solidaire.
Welfare
Incomes 2009 (PDF - 6.2MB, 117 pages)
December 2010
As the National Council of Welfare has done since 1986, in Welfare Incomes
2009 we look at the situation of four family types in each province and
territory: a lone parent with a 2-year-old child, a couple with two children
aged 10 and 15, a single person considered employable and a single person
with a disability.
[ News
Release - December 13, 2010 ]
Source:
National Council
of Welfare
The National Council of Welfare is an advisory group to the Minister of
Human Resources and Skills Development Canada (HRSDC). Its mandate is to
advise the Minister regarding any matter relating to social development
that the Minister may refer to the Council for its consideration or that
the Council considers appropriate.
For links to more Welfare Incomes 2009
resources (media coverage, interactive Welfare Incomes 2009 map, customized
charts, earlier editions, etc.),
jump directly to the Welfare rates section
of the Key Welfare Links page of this website:
http://www.canadiansocialresearch.net/welfare.htm#rates
Child
Poverty Report Card : New Brunswick (PDF - 980K, 16 pages)
November 2010
Prepared by Kathryn Asher, Researcher with the Human Development Council,
a local social planning council that co-ordinates and promotes social development
in Greater Saint John.
Related link
Human Development Council - Saint John
The Human Development Council provides information about community services
throughout New Brunswick. (...) The Council works collaboratively with community
agencies, individuals, government departments, businesses, churches, and
labour to initiate, develop and implement creative strategies to meet the
needs of the community.
Also from the Human Development Council:
Saint John Poverty Reduction
Strategy
Related link:
N.B.
child poverty on decline: report
Province's rate lowest in national average, third lowest in country
November 25, 2010
By Alexandra Davis
FREDERICTON - A child-poverty report card released yesterday indicates that
New Brunswick is making progress in reducing poverty levels compared with
other provinces. The report on child and family poverty shows that the province's
child poverty rate for 2008 was 12 per cent, which is lower than the national
average of 14.2 per cent. It's the third lowest rate in the country, with
only Alberta and Prince Edward Island showing lower percentages.
Source:
http://timestranscript.canadaeast.com/
NOTE:
This is one of a series of provincial reports all released under
the Campaign 2000 banner
on November 24 (2010), the anniversary of the 1989 unanimous House
of Commons resolution to end child poverty by the year 2000. For
links to the complete collection of federal and provincial reports
and (selected) related media coverage, go to the
Children, Families and Youth Links (NGO) page:
http://www.canadiansocialresearch.net/chnngo.htm
|
Recent releases from the
New Brunswick Common Front
for Social Justice (CFSJ):
[ Site en français:
Front commun pour la justice
sociale du Nouveau-Brunswick ]
---
The
new government of David Alward should immediately
increase revenues for people who are living on social assistance
(PDF - 69K, 2 pages)
November 17, 2010
News release
“The last two Hunger Count Reports have revealed that during the last
two years, there was an 18% increase in food bank usage in N.B. Just this
year, the number of people using food banks has also increased. Thirty-four
percent of food bank clients are children; thirteen percent are wage earners
but the majority of them (61%) are social assistance recipients. This is
completely unacceptable in a country as rich as Canada”, says Linda
McCaustlin, co-chair of the Common Front for Social Justice.
[ Version française:
Le nouveau
gouvernement de David Alward devrait immédiatement augmenter le revenu
des personnes qui dépendent de l'aide sociale
- Communiqué de presse, le 17
novembre 2010 ] (fichier PDF) ]
POVERTY
: A VIOLATION OF HUMAN RIGHTS
Report on the 3rd Summit on Poverty in New Brunswick (PDF -
2.2MB, 5 pages)
Moncton, NB – October 16 & 17, 2010
(...) Under the theme “Poverty, a Violation of Human Rights”,
150 participants heard the views of several speakers, who concurred in affirming
society’s responsibility for guaranteeing everyone’s right to
a standard of living sufficient to ensure their health and welfare and that
of their family.
* Panel: Why does society tolerate poverty?
* What is being done internationally to enforce the human rights of the
poor?
* Human Rights: From principles to practice
* What can be done in New Brunswick to increase respect for human rights?
(incl. recommended action to reduce poverty)
[ Version française:
Rapport
du 3e Sommet sur la pauvreté, octobre 2010 (fichier PDF)
]
---
Impact
of Food Cost on Food Security in New Brunswick:
Survey conducted by the Common Front for Social Justice during the summer
of 2010 (PDF - 2.4MB, 27 pages)
October 2010
Conclusions:
* Food cost has dramatically increased.
* There were no major differences in food cost between cities and the few
rural areas surveyed.
* Cost of the 66 items in the food basket: $254 at Coop Stores, $257 at
Superstores and $259 at Sobeys
* Seniors with guaranteed income supplement: 15% of income goes toward food
(10.4% is the Canadian average.)
* Minimum wage worker: 17% of income for food
* People on social assistance: 35 - 50% of income for food
[ Version française:
Répercussion
du coût des aliments sur la sécurité alimentaire au
N.-B. - novembre 2010 (fichier PDF) ]
October
6 (2010) Press conference document (PDF - 62K, 2 pages)
A food costing survey conducted by the CFSJ in July and August 2010 documented
what many people living on limited income already knew from
experience, namely that food is considerably more expensive now that four
to five years ago. Overall, people on social assistance, minimum wage workers
and seniors on fixed income have an incredibly small amount of money to
feed themselves adequately. Housing cost competes for a large portion of
their monthly income. Some spend as much as 60% of their income on housing
alone. With the current cost of nutritious food alone, they would need to
spend from one-third to one-half of their allocation for food, leaving them
empty-handed for all other necessities of life.
[ Version française:
Document
pour la conférence de presse du 6 octobre 2010 (fichier
PDF) ]
---
Inequality in Canada (and New Brunswick)
- A Brief History, Why it Matters, and What WE can Do
By Rob Moir, Economist at UNBSJ
October 2010
PDF version
(11.4MB, 27 pages)
Powerpoint version
(2.1MB, 27 slides)
[ Aucune version française ]
Source:
New Brunswick Common Front
for Social Justice
New
Brunswick Provincial Election 2010
New Brunswick went to the polls on Monday, September 27, 2010.
Source:
Election Almanac
Election Almanac provides complete coverage of federal, provincial and territorial
elections in Canada including election results, public opinion polls, ridings
and candidates, election news, electoral history, links, and more!
New
Brunswick Votes 2010
September 27, 2010
Source:
CBC New Brunswick
- Go to the Political Parties and Elections
Links in Canada (Provinces and Territories) page: http://www.canadiansocialresearch.net/politics_prov_terr.htm
Vital Signs reports released in 15 Canadian
cities
October 5, 2010
Vital Signs is part of a growing
nation-wide initiative by Canadian community foundations to measure quality
of life and take action to improve it.
On October 5, fifteen local Vital Signs report cards were released by community
foundations across Canada.
Local
Reports
Click the link above to access
reports for each participating city and area:
* Saint John (NB) * Lunenburg County
(NS) * Montreal * Ottawa * Toronto * Hamilton * Kingston * Kitchener &
Waterloo, Cambridge & North Dumfries * London * Calgary * Medicine Hat
* Southeastern Alberta * Red Deer & District * Victoria * Vancouver
* The
Greater Saint John Community Foundation : Vital
Signs 2010
National Report:
Canada's Vital Signs 2010 (October 2010)
Source:
Vital
Signs
Vital Signs is an annual check-up conducted
by community foundations across Canada that measures the vitality of our
communities, identifies trends, and shares opportunities for action in at
least ten areas critical to quality of life. Since Toronto's first Vital
Signs publication, the Report has been adopted by 16 communities across
Canada and is now conducted nationally by Community Foundations of Canada.
Related link:
Community
Foundations of Canada
We are the Canadian movement for community vitality, representing 174 Community
Foundations across the country. Together, we help Canadians invest in building
strong and resilient places to live, work and play.
Recent postings to the website of the
New Brunswick Common Front
for Social Justice (CFSJ):
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Recherchistes francophones:
Sur la version française du site Web du
Front commun pour la justice
sociale du Nouveau-Brunswick,
...vous trouverez les liens vers la version française de chacun
des textes mentionnés ici, ainsi qu'à d'autres textes du Front
commun.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
New
Brunswick Poverty Reduction Plan: Updates and Developments (PDF
- 1.3MB, 29 pages)
By Jean-Claude Basque and Auréa Cormier
June 2010
Excerpts:
* The Crown Corporation creates an additional layer of bureaucracy
* Decision making is further away from our elected members of the Legislative
Assembly
* The Board, the Secretariat and the group coordinating the Community Inclusion
Networks is a costly administrative structure
* Minister Lamrock said there would be no appeal process if decisons made
by the Community Inclusion Networks are contested
* For 97% of social assistance recipients, there are no changes in sight
before July 2011
* CFSJ's concerns with the Service delivery are:
--- Difficulties of access to services in rural areas
--- Uneven quality assurance in some of the networks
--- Possibility of lack of services, in some of the networks, in the language
of choice
---
New
Economic and Social Inclusion Corporation
won't have representatives in at least four areas of New Brunswick
(PDF - 126K, 2 pages)
News release
June 29, 2010
According to the New Brunswick Common Front for Social
Justice, "[A]t least four areas of New Brunswick won't have any representatives
of people living in poverty on the new Board of Directors of the Economic
and Social Inclusion Corporation.”
---
Tired
of being manipulated? (PDF - 6.6MB, 32 pages)
By Claude Snow
June 2010
Caring for people is a MUST.
Public social services are essential.
Less taxes = Less services.
---
Annual
Report 2009-2010 (PDF - 77K, 2 pages)
June 2010
- Our actions in 2009-2010, notably on the Poverty Reduction Plan
---
Third
Summit on Poverty - October 15-16, 2010 (PDF - 1.3MB, 1 page)
"Poverty: A Violation of Human Rights"
Moncton, NB
June 2010
- flyer, including conference program and some speakers
---
Revealing
Statistics on the Socioeconomic Status (PDF - 21K, 1 page)
June 2010
---
Two
Different Worlds (PDF - 1.3MB, 34 pages)
- Catalogue for the art exhibit held at Moncton City Hall May 31st to June
4th, 2010.
"In the same province, citizens are living side by side, day in and
day out, but in two completely different worlds."
Source:
New Brunswick Common Front
for Social Justice
The CFSJ promotes alternative policies in order to create a society
concerned mainly about human beings.
* fairer distribution of power, thus a more dynamic democracy
with greater participation;
* fairer distribution of wealth, thus a more equitable tax system;
* to improve the Canadian social security net, such as public health, public
welfare and unemployement insurance;
* to challenge the corporate agenda by attempting to counter policies of
privatization, deregulation and the withdrawal of the state;
* to increase the value and the dignity of human work.
- incl. links to : Documents | Press Releases | Action Alerts | Links |
Home | Site Map | Contact us | Français
New from the
Caledon Institute of Social Policy:
Reconstructing
Social Assistance in New Brunswick: Vision and Action (PDF -
77K, 19 pages)
By Ken Battle, Michael Mendelson, Sherri Torjman
July 2010
The Government of New Brunswick has launched a comprehensive
reform of its social assistance system as a key element of its poverty reduction
strategy. This report contains two papers. The first is a vision paper written
for New Brunswick by the Caledon Institute that sets out a philosophy and
key elements of reform. The second is an account of New Brunswick's plans
and actions to implement the vision for reform.
Breaking
down the welfare wall in New Brunswick (PDF - 34K, 2 pages)
March 2010
By Ken Battle, Sherri Torjman and Michael Mendelson
[ Version française : Briser
le mur de l'aide sociale (PDF)]
This op ed was published as a Globe and Mail online commentary. It points
out that one of the most promising developments in Canadian social policy
is the rise of provincial poverty reduction plans. New Brunswick recently
announced a comprehensive poverty reduction strategy, which includes fundamental
reform of its social assistance system. The province is taking some important
steps in this ambitious reform including the creation of a provincial working
income supplement. New Brunswick will also extend the length of coverage
under its health card for up to three years to recipients who leave welfare
for work or training. It will launch a prescription drug program, plus vision
and dental care for all low-income children. The op ed highlights other
needed reforms, such as a boost to the New Brunswick Child Tax Benefit.
Catastrophic
drug costs can affect the poor and affluent alike
June 1st, 2010
[Minister of Social Development ] Kelly Lamrock's recent response to a request
that New Brunswick implement a catastrophic drug cost insurance plan shows
that either he doesn't understand why such a plan is required or he is purposefully
misleading the public. This insurance plan isn't required for the poor;
it's something everyone needs. (...) The strong endorsement made in the
report of the Romanow Commission in 2002 that such a plan be developed in
Canada was followed in 2003 by a commitment from the federal and provincial
governments that a national program would be established. All provinces
except New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island have implemented such a plan.
(...) Minister Lamrock wants to consult with the stakeholders. He wants
to engage businesspeople and health officials. It
will be part of the poverty-reduction strategy*.
Source:
The Daily Gleaner (New
Brunswick)
New resource from the
Canadian Council on Social Development:
(May 25, 2009)
Restoring
Hope or Treading Water? (PDF - 263K, 19 pages)
By Kurt Peacock
University of New Brunswick (Saint John)
[ version
française - PDF ]
Source:
Poverty
Reduction Policies and Programs
Social Development Report Series, 2009
[
Canadian Council on Social Development ]
Also
from CCSD :
Poverty
Reduction Policies and Programs in Canada (PDF - 341K, 29 pages)
By
David I. Hay, Information Partnership
Related links ===> Go to the Anti-poverty
Strategies and Campaigns page:
http://www.canadiansocialresearch.net/antipoverty.htm
Homeless
in Moncton: New report card
March 24, 2009
By Michael Shapcott
A
total of 725 people were homeless in Moncton, New Brunswick, according to the
2008 homelessness report card from the Greater Moncton Homelessness Steering Committee.
Among other items, the report notes that 30 people sleep on mats on the floor
at one hostel every night, including pregnant women.
Source:
Wellesley
Institute Blog
[ Wellesley Institute
]
Related links:
Experiencing
Homelessness
The First Report Card on Homelessness in Greater Moncton, 2008
(PDF - 723K, 6 pages)
Greater
Moncton Homelessness Steering Committee
The Greater Moncton Homelessness Steering Committee (GMHSC) is an inter-agency
committee representing all agencies in Greater Moncton that work with the
homeless population and those at risk of becoming homeless.
11,000
Atlantic millionaires and 77,000 households
mired in debt: Rich-poor gap grows
as region loses wealth
September 2008
Press
Release
A new report entitled Financial Security and Debt in Atlantic Canada
examines trends in household wealth since the 1980s—in Canada as a whole
and in the Atlantic region. In particular, it looks at trends in wealth distribution,
including Atlantic Canada’s share of national wealth and in the portion of
wealth owned by the top, middle and lower wealth groups.
Financial
Security and Debt in Atlantic Canada
September 2008
By Kimberley
Tran and Ronald Colman
Complete
report (PDF - 7.1MB, 136 pages)
Source:
GPI
Atlantic
GPIAtlantic is an independent, non-profit research and education
organization committed to the development of the Genuine Progress Index (GPI)
– a new measure of sustainability, wellbeing and quality of life.
Related
link:
Poverty
issue still percolating
Editorial
September 8, 2008
The latest report from GPI Atlantic on poverty in the region reaches back
21?2 millennia to quote Aristotle’s observation that “revolutions
arise from inequalities.” That’s followed with a more contemporary
reference to 2005 riots in France, “a poignant reminder of the potential
consequences of marginalizing the poorest households.”
Source:
The Cape Breton Post
New Brunswick
Common Front for Social Justice (CFSJ)
"The CFSJ promotes alternative policies
in order to create a society concerned mainly about human beings.
* fairer distribution of power, thus a more dynamic democracy
with greater participation;
* fairer distribution of wealth, thus a more equitable tax system;
* to improve the Canadian social security net, such as public health, public
welfare and unemployement insurance;
* to challenge the corporate agenda by attempting to counter policies of
privatization, deregulation and the withdrawal of the state;
* to increase the value and the dignity of human work."
- incl. links to : Documents | Press Releases | Action Alerts | Links |
Home | Site Map | Contact us | Français
- includes links to Word and PDF files on
the following topics:
* Assistance Annual Revenue: New Brunswick Lags Behind
* Social Assistance Rates in New Brunswick
* The Geography of Poverty in New Brunswick
* Comparison: Annual income of a person working full time at minimum wage
versus the low-income cutoff
* Evolution of minimum wage in New Brunswick
* Annual income of single-parent families receiving social assistance versus
the poverty line
* The Sad Side of Victor Boudreau's Budget, Open letter from Auréa
Cormier, Provincial Council Member, Common Front for Social Justice, published
in the Telegraph Journal March 27, 2009
* People living in poverty are ounce again left out by this Liberal government,
CFSJ Press Release, March 18, 2009
* Open Letter to Shawn Graham: Heating Costs, March 9, 2009
* What should the priorities be in the upcoming budget? February 20, 2009
NOTE: many of the links to CFSJ site content are on the
Provincial Antipoverty Links page:
http://www.canadiansocialresearch.net/antipoverty.htm
From CBC New Brunswick:
New Brunswick
