---

[Ontario] Social Assistance Review Progress Report and feedback on first discussion paper - February 3 (Commission for the Review of Social Assistance in Ontario)

Small fixes to Ontario’s welfare system not enough, says progress report
http://www.thestar.com/news/ontario/article/1125640
February 2, 2012
By Laurie Monsebraaten
Small fixes will not be enough to bring about the transformational change Ontario’s social assistance needs, says a progress report by the province’s social assistance review commission. More employment support for those on welfare, including those with disabilities; streamlined delivery and new benefits available to all low-income people outside the welfare system are some of the ideas the commission is exploring. “Across the province, people asked us to be bold in thinking about how to reform the social assistance system,” says the report being released Friday [Feb. 3) by commissioners Frances Lankin and Munir Sheikh. (...)
The commission, established in November 2010, is aimed at removing barriers and increasing opportunities for people to work. It is expected to release its recommendations in June. The progress is the result of 11 community meetings across the province with more than 2,000 participants, numerous informal meetings and 700 written submissions. Rather than a comprehensive report on options for reform, the update discusses different approaches and highlights areas for more discussion.
Source:
Toronto Star
http://www.thestar.com/

--------------------------------
NOTA : Pour la version française du Document de discussion et des liens connexes ci-dessous, voir
http://www.socialassistancereview.ca/publications-de-la-commission
--------------------------------

New from the
Commission for the Review of Social Assistance in Ontario:

Message from the Commissioners
http://www.socialassistancereview.ca/a-message-from-the-commissioners
February 2012
With the release of Discussion Paper 2: Approaches for Reform we are entering the second phase of our engagement process. Our purpose with this paper is to seek your perspective on the different approaches to improving social assistance that we are considering based on what we heard and learned through our research. We hope you will take the time to send us your thoughts, which you can do through this website.
(...)
We have summarized the feedback we received [to the first discussion paper] in What We Heard: A Summary of Discussions on Social Assistance, also available on the Commission's website. We encourage you to read the summary as a companion to the second discussion paper.

The Commission's progress report:

Approaches for Reform
Discussion Paper 2
February 2012

PDF version (1.2MB, 77 pages)
http://goo.gl/RyvnX

Word version (445K, 77 pages)
http://goo.gl/iMydq

(...) This paper advances the dialogue with Ontarians that we began in our first discussion paper Issues and Ideas [ http://goo.gl/wa1qx - 478K, 50 pages] in June 2011, and continued over the summer and fall through community visits and other opportunities to engage with people and organizations with diverse perspectives on social assistance.
(...)
Our purpose in this paper is to discuss different approaches to improving some of the key areas of the social assistance system. This paper provides
opportunities for further discussion, as opposed to final recommendations. (...) We would like to receive your input by Friday, March 16, 2012.
---
NOTE : See the References section of the report (p. 67) for links to eight related studies from various sources.
---

Also just released by the Commission:

Feedback in response to the first discussion paper
The Commission has summarized the feedback received in response to the first (June 2011) discussion paper in What We Heard: A Summary of Discussions on Social Assistance. We encourage you to read the summary below as a companion to the second discussion paper.

What We Heard: A Summary of Discussions on Social Assistance
February 2012

PDF version (696K, 44 pages)
http://goo.gl/uwKUU

Word version (1.1MB, 44 pages)
http://goo.gl/p5XaZ

Source:
Commission for the Review of Social Assistance in Ontario
http://www.socialassistancereview.ca/

Commission d'examen du système d'aide sociale de l'Ontario
http://www.socialassistancereview.ca/accueil

---

- Go to the Ontario Social Assistance Review Links page:
http://www.canadiansocialresearch.net/on_sa_review.htm

Research shows Old Age Security system keeps seniors out of poverty- February 1 (Canadian Business Magazine)

Research shows Old Age Security system keeps seniors out of poverty
http://goo.gl/1kgho
February 1, 2012
By Heather Scoffield
OTTAWA - Research prepared for the federal government shows that the old-age benefits cited by Stephen Harper as perhaps unsustainable are a key factor keeping seniors out of poverty. The technical, 80-page paper shows that without Old Age Security or the Guaranteed Income Supplement, more than a third of women and more than a quarter of men in their 60s would fall below the poverty line. "The OAS programs have a significant influence on the incidence of low income," the report's author, Richard Shillington, wrote.
(...)
The paper, titled Evaluation of the Old Age Security Program*, was written by social policy researcher Shillington in 2009, on a contract with the Ottawa-based econometrics firm Informetrica Ltd. It was prepared for the Human Resources Department.
---
* NOTE : I couldn't find this report online on Feb. 2 (2012)
Click the shortcut link below to see a Google Search Result page which will include the report if it's is eventually posted online.
http://goo.gl/BXyKP
---
Source:
Canadian Business Magazine
http://www.canadianbusiness.com/

Related links:

Canadian Labour Congress
http://www.canadianlabour.ca/

Informetrica
http://www.informetrica.com/

Human Resources and Skills Development Canada
http://www.hrsdc.gc.ca/

Related link:

No changes to Old Age Security benefits in upcoming budget, Flaherty says
http://goo.gl/4IQrV
February 1, 2012
OTTAWA - The upcoming federal budget will not include changes to the Old Age Security program for seniors but changes are coming, Finance Minister Jim Flaherty said Wednesday. The minister said in a CBC interview from Israel that nothing in the coming budget will affect Canadians receiving benefits this year.
Source:
Winnipeg Free Press
http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/

---

- Go to the Pension Reforms Links page:
http://www.canadiansocialresearch.net/pensions.htm

Why raising OAS to 67 doesn't make sense - February 1 (Ellen Roseman in Moneyville.ca )

Why raising OAS to 67 doesn't make sense
http://www.moneyville.ca/article/1124518
By Ellen Roseman
February 1, 2012
Prime Minister Stephen Harper raised eyebrows with a speech last week that fueled speculation he plans to lift the eligibility for Old Age Security to 67 (from 65). Harper’s argument that deep cuts are required to keep the program afloat deserves closer attention, even though he’s been backpedalling ever since. I have two points to make:
— There is nothing new in the numbers he quotes about OAS costs rising as baby boomers retire.
— There are ways to reduce costs that won’t incense Opposition parties and organized seniors’ groups.

Comments (68):
http://www.moneyville.ca/article/1124518#comments

Source:
Moneyville (Toronto Star)
http://www.moneyville.ca/

---

- Go to the Pension Reforms Links page:
http://www.canadiansocialresearch.net/pensions.htm

[Ontario] SPAR Monitor - Monitoring Toronto's Social Change - February 1 (City of Toronto)

From the
City of Toronto:

SPAR Monitor - Monitoring Toronto's Social Change
[SPAR = Social Policy Analysis & Research, City of Toronto]
This bi-weekly bulletin is a quick inventory of recent social research information. Its purpose is to promptly
disseminate the most current external and internal research relevant to social policy.

SPARmonitor : February 1, 2012 (PDF - 164K, 6 pages)
http://www.canadiansocialresearch.net/SPAR_Research_Bulletin_73.pdf
Table of contents of this issue:
(Click the link above to access all content below)
* Global MetroMonitor Volatility, Growth, and Recovery
* Canadian Trends in Cancer Prevalence
* Quality of Personal Networks: Does Living Alone Make a Difference?
* Personal Networks and the Economic Adjustment of Immigrants
* Recent Evolution of Immigrant-Language Transmission in Canada
* The Eight Annual Demographia International Housing Affordability Survey
* Housing Subsidies and Homelessness: A Simple Idea
* Quantity and Quality of Jobs Falling in Tandem
* Emerging Stronger: Transformative Agenda for Ontario
* Focus Canada 2011 - Highlights Report on Crime and Justice
* Ontario’s Action Plan for Health Care
Source:
SPARmonitor - Monitoring Toronto's Social Change
- includes links to bulletins from January to March 2011 (more to come) and to all 33 issues of SPARmonitor for 2010.
[ Social Development, Finance & Administration ]
[ City of Toronto ]

Related links:

Social Policy, Analysis and
Research Information Resources:

* Wellbeing Toronto:
www.toronto.ca/wellbeing

* Neighbourhood Profiles:
http://www.toronto.ca/demographics/neighbourhoods.htm

---

- Go to the Ontario Municipal and Non-Governmental Sites (A-C) page:
http://www.canadiansocialresearch.net/onbkmrk2.htm

British Columbia MLA Welfare Challenge Update and Fact Sheet - January 2012 (Raise the Rates)

[British Columbia]

From Raise the Rates:

British Columbia MLA Welfare Challenge Update
http://mlaonwelfare.com/
Tuesday, February 1, after a last night ‘couch surfing’ in Surrey, BC MLA Jagrup Brar ended his month of living on the welfare rate of $610. He lost 26 pounds in weight, ended up $7 in debt and had to sell his backpack to have enough money to take the Skytrain back to his home in Surrey.

Jagrup’s latest blog posts
http://mlaonwelfare.com/jagrups-blog-2/

Jean Swanson of Raise the Rates interviews Jagrup Brar (PDF - 52K, 4 pages)
http://mlaonwelfare.files.wordpress.com/2012/01/interview.pdf

British ColumbiaWelfare Fact Sheet (140K, 12 pages)
http://mlaonwelfare.files.wordpress.com/2012/01/welfarefactsheet1.pdf
PDF file date: January 16, 2012
At the end of May 2011 Raise the Rates launched the ‘MLA Welfare Challenge’. This challenged one or more of BC's MLAs to live on welfare for a month to gain real life experience of living on welfare. For the month of January, 2012, Jagrup Brar (MLA Surrey Fleetwood) will live on the single person’s welfare rate of $610 for everything. Raise the Rates’ experience is that people cannot live a healthy life on welfare. A key part of any poverty reduction strategy, a policy aim that all BC MLAs say they support, is raising welfare. This fact sheet provides information on the position of people on welfare in BC in November 2011.
- twelve pages of BC welfare information including :
* Who Gets Welfare ("In November 2011 a total of 178,128 people in BC live on welfare")
* Recession Hits (impacts of the 2008-2009 recession)
* Welfare Rates and Poverty (average wages, poverty lines and welfare incomes)
* The Maze and Obstacle Course of Welfare (Who can qualify? - Barriers to Welfare and Getting Back to Work)
* Welfare and Housing
* Support Payments and Other Necessities
* Single Parent Families cannot afford to Live or raise Healthy Children
* Welfare Doesn’t cover cost of Living and Housing
* Cost of Food and Living
* Punishing Children (Welfare lone parents not allowed child support from former partners
* Historic Welfare rates since 1980 (BC's welfare rate for a single person in 2012 is $610 monthly; if this amount were adjusted for inflation, the same person would receive $930 monthly)

Five Myths About Welfare
http://mlaonwelfare.com/5-myths-about-welfare/
1. It is easy to get on welfare
2. Life on welfare is easy
3. People on welfare don’t want to work
4. Lots of people are defrauding the system
5. It costs too much to fix poverty

Related links from
Raise the Rates:

Inequality Facts
http://raisetherates.org/inequality.html
Last updated on December 6, 2008, also contains Canadian and BC Tax Facts.

Raise the Rates
Raise the Rates is a coalition of community groups and organisations concerned with the level of poverty and homelessness in British Columbia.
MLA Welfare Challenge was a project of Raise the Rates.

---

- Go to the Non-Governmental Sites in British Columbia (D-W) page:
http://www.canadiansocialresearch.net/bcbkmrk3.htm

B.C. poverty reduction plan could reduce costs, advocates argue - January 30 (The Straight.com)

B.C. poverty reduction plan could reduce costs, advocates argue
http://goo.gl/NA6ZL
January 30, 2012
By Yolande Cole
As Surrey-Fleetwood MLA Jagrup Brar completes his 31 days of living on the monthly welfare rate of $610 [ http://goo.gl/2CVpb ], advocates are calling for a plan that they argue would cost less than half of what is currently spent on poverty. “Poverty’s costing our province between $8 and $9 billion a year— that’s a conservative estimate,” said Seth Klein, B.C. director of the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives (CCPA), at a press conference in the Downtown Eastside today (January 30). “The cost of actually fully implementing a bold, comprehensive poverty reduction plan is less than half of that.” (...) According to the CCPA’s calculation, annual costs of poverty in B.C. include $1.2 billion in health care, $745 million in crime costs, and an estimated $6.2 billion in lost productivity.
Source:
The Straight.com - Vancouver's Online Source
http://www.straight.com/

Related links:

Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives (CCPA)

* British Columbia Office:
http://www.policyalternatives.ca/offices/bc
The CCPA BC Office works with a team of over 60 staff and volunteer researchers to investigate major problems in our province—the high rate of poverty, the extreme concentration of wealth, the serious environmental challenges. But we don’t stop there: we propose real, workable solutions to these problems. Our goal: social, economic and environmental justice.

[ In December 2008, the CCPA-BC Office published a comprehensive poverty reduction plan. Read the news release, watch a slideshow or download the study at www.policyalternatives.ca/reports/2008/12/poverty_reduction ]

* National Office:
http://www.policyalternatives.ca/
The Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives is an independent, non-partisan research institute concerned with issues of social, economic and environmental justice. Founded in 1980, the CCPA is one of Canada’s leading progressive voices in public policy debates.

---

BC Poverty Reduction Coalition
http://bcpovertyreduction.ca
We are a coalition that includes community and non-profit groups, faith groups, health organizations, First Nations and Aboriginal organizations, businesses, labour organizations, and social policy groups. We have come together around a campaign aimed at seeing the introduction of a bold and comprehensive poverty reduction plan from the government of British Columbia that would include legislated targets and timelines to significantly reduce poverty and homelessness. We have 25 Coalition Members and over 350 supporting organizations with a collective membership of over 300,000 that have joined the call for a poverty reduction plan.

Provincial Poverty Reduction Plans
http://bcpovertyreduction.ca/learn-more/poverty-reduction-plans/
Recommended reading!
---- includes information and many links to related documents for all provinces and territories with a poverty reduction plan
---- breakdown of poverty plans across Canada, and highlights the fact that BC is one of the last provinces without one and BC still has the highest rate of poverty in Canada.

Reports and studies about poverty in BC (from various sources)
http://bcpovertyreduction.ca/learn-more/resources/
- links to key reports about the effects of poverty in BC

---

- Go to the Provincial and Territorial Anti-poverty Strategies and Campaigns page:
http://www.canadiansocialresearch.net/antipoverty.htm

B.C. welfare payments are adequate, says the Fraser Institute - January 26 (Vancouver Sun)

B.C. welfare payments are adequate
For the most part, they line up with basic needs; where they don't, for employable singles, there is a reason
http://www.vancouversun.com/news/welfare+payments+adequate/6054331/story.html
January 26, 2012
By Niels Veldhuis, Amela Karabegovic, and Milagros Palacios
The authors are economists with the Fraser Institute - http://www.fraserinstitute.org/ ].

Source:
Vancouver Sun
http://www.vancouversun.com/

---

Rebuttal by the
BC Association of Social workers (small PDF file, 1 page)
http://goo.gl/Pkh7H
Dear Editor,
The position taken by the Fraser Institute in the January 26 Vancouver Sun article (B.C. Welfare payments are adequate) does not reflect the realities of today’s world.
BC social assistance rates do not meet a “basic needs level”. As social workers, we encounter individuals who cannot meet their basic needs, particularly shelter needs. (...) Our society can do better than to condemn unemployed individuals to a life on the street or in sub-standard housing.
Source:
BC Association of Social workers
http://www.bcasw.org/

---

Gilles' two cents' worth:

I loved The Nova Scotia Finance Minister's candid assessment, last September, of the work of the Fraser Institute.
http://www.metronews.ca/halifax/blog/post/967950
And I concur.

However, just as the broken old mantle clock in our living room is correct twice a day, the folks at the Fraser were bang on when they suggest in their Sun article that the B.C. government "should allow those on welfare to work and keep a certain amount of what they earn without a reduction in their welfare benefits."
Hear, hear!

To that I would add:
SHAME ON YOU, BC GOVERNMENT --- yours is the only jurisdiction in Canada that claws back 100% of any earnings declared by a welfare recipient.

See how earnings exemption policies in other provinces and
territories provide incentives for welfare clients to reintegrate into the labour force:
http://goo.gl/5x4ng
This link takes you to "Welfare and earnings", chapter 7 of Welfare Incomes 2009, from the National Council of Welfare.

So There's Income Inequality. Now What? - January 31 (Rob Rainer in Huffington Post Canada)

So There's Income Inequality. Now What?
http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/rob-rainer/income-inequality_b_1242439.html
By Rob Rainer
January 31, 2012
Spiked by public attention to the Occupy phenomenon, 2011 was the year in which the issue of income and wealth inequality mainstreamed in Canada. Witness: Bank of Canada Governor Mark Carney called the Occupy demonstrations "entirely constructive." Jeffrey Simpson, perhaps the land's top newspaper columnist, wrote about inequality. The Conference Board of Canada released a significant report. On January 6, Jeffrey Simpson wrote further to say that, "it's imperative that political actors put the issue front and centre on the national agenda." The NDP leadership race, at least, is embracing the challenge, for example Brian Topp's plan for federal tax reform.
So let's herald a little good news: Inequality is on the public and political radar.
Source:
Huffington Post Canada
http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/

---

- Go to the Inequality Links page:
http://www.canadiansocialresearch.net/inequality.htm

Can microcredit work in Canada? - January 30 (Globe and Mail )

Can microcredit work in Canada?
http://goo.gl/KeaFH
January 30, 2012
By Craig and Marc Kielburger
In December, Craig and Mark travelled in Africa with Sir Richard Branson, the billionaire founder of the Virgin Group and avid philanthropist. They visited microcredit programs that provide small loans to people in poor communities to start businesses and become financially self-sufficient. During that journey, Branson pondered aloud whether such a model could apply to the developed world and achieve scale through commercial banking. (...) Microcredit is a simple but powerful concept: Lend small amounts to people who wouldn’t have the collateral for a regular bank loan to start a self-run business. Because the loans typically go to groups of people who vouch for and support each other, repayment rates are as high as 99 per cent. (...) Microcredit isn’t a cure-all, but its spirit of supporting entrepreneurship could be helpful for tackling some of the challenges of poverty in this country.

Craig and Marc Kielburger co-founded Free the Children:
http://www.freethechildren.com/

Source:
Globe and Mail
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/

---

- Go to the Asset-Based Social Policies Links page:
http://www.canadiansocialresearch.net/assets.htm

Crown - First Nations Gathering Outcome Statements - January 24 (Prime Minister's Office and Assembly of First Nations National Chief)

Crown - First Nations Gathering Outcome Statement
http://pm.gc.ca/eng/media.asp?id=4600
24 January 2012
Ottawa, Ontario
Today, Prime Minister Stephen Harper and Assembly of First Nations National Chief Shawn A-in-chut Atleo participated in an historic Crown – First Nations Gathering. The theme of the gathering was Strengthening Our Relationship – Unlocking Our Potential.
Source:
Prime Minister's Office
http://pm.gc.ca/

---

A Communiqué from National Chief Shawn Atleo (PDF - 52K, 5 pages)
http://www.afn.ca/uploads/files/nc-bulletin-cfng.pdf
January 2012
(...) The Crown-First Nations Gathering is an important first step in renewing the relationship between
First Nations and our historic partner, the Crown, but it is only a first step.
Source:
Assembly of First Nations
http://www.afn.ca/

---

- Go to the First Nations Links page:
http://www.canadiansocialresearch.net/1stbkmrk.htm

The Manitoba Mincome Experiment - November 2007 (M. L'Heureux in Legal Checkpoint Blog)

The Manitoba Mincome Experiment
http://legalcheckpoint.blogspot.com/2007/11/social-policy-manitoba-mincome.html
November 15, 2007
By M. L'Heureux
The Mincome Project, also called the Manitoba Basic Guaranteed Annual Income Experiment, was the “first large scale social experiment in Canada and was designed to evaluate the economic and social consequences of an alternative social welfare system based on the concept of negative income tax (NIT)”. The experiment took place between 1975 and 1979 in Winnipeg and Dauphin, Manitoba. The research project was jointly funded by the Federal Government of Canada and the Manitoba Government. Little is known about the experiment as the federal government chose to shelve the report for reasons still unknown to the public. The raw data that was accumulated during the experiment is still relevant to today’s Guaranteed Income debates and is available in some academic libraries and in all provincial legislatures.
Source:
Legal Checkpoint Blog
http://legalcheckpoint.blogspot.com/

---

- Go to the Guaranteed Annual Income Links page:
http://www.canadiansocialresearch.net/gai.htm

Source:
United Nations
http://www.un.org

---

- Go to the Social Statistics Links page:
http://www.canadiansocialresearch.net/stats.htm

[Brain Drain] Evidence from the 2000 Cohort of Canadian University Graduates - 2008 (Canadian Public Policy Journal)

Evidence from the 2000 Cohort of Canadian University Graduates (PDF - 168K, 15 pages)
http://utpjournals.metapress.com/content/l50l077g033u7012/fulltext.pdf
By David Zarifa and David Walters
2008
Abstract:
Existing studies on Canada’s brain drain have established the importance of income gains as a critical factor that motivates individuals to move to the United States. It remains unclear, however, how sizable the earnings gap may be for recent post-secondary graduates and whether or not this gap varies by the field of study of the most common drainers. Drawing on the most recent National Graduates Survey (NGS), this study compares the early labour market earnings of the 2000 cohort of university graduates who remained in Canada to their counterparts who obtained employment in the United States. Our results indicate that only a small proportion of this cohort migrated south of the border, yet the great majority of these migrants are heavily concentrated in only a few knowledge-economy fields. Annual earnings are significantly higher for all individuals who relocated to the United States. Moreover, these differences are most salient among undergraduate engineers and computer scientists.

[David Zarifa is with the Department of Sociology, McMaster University. David Walters is with the Department of Sociology and Anthropology,
University of Guelph. ]

Source:
Canadian Public Policy
http://economics.ca/cpp/en/
Canadian Public Policy is Canada's foremost journal examining economic and social policy. The aim of the journal is to stimulate research and discussion of public policy problems in Canada.

---

- Go to the Brain Drain Links page:
http://www.canadiansocialresearch.net/hightax.htm

Harper hints Canadian pension reform at the World Economic Forum - January 27 (CBC News)

Statement by the Prime Minister of Canada at the World Economic Forum
http://pm.gc.ca/eng/media.asp?id=4604
26 January 2012
Davos, Switzerland
(...)We have already taken steps to limit the growth of our health care spending over that period ["over the next generation"]. We must do the same for our retirement income system. Fortunately, the centerpiece of that system, the Canada Pension Plan, is fully funded, actuarially sound and does not need to be changed. For those elements of the system that are not funded [i.e., Old Age Security], we will make the changes necessary to ensure sustainability for the next generation while not affecting current recipients.
Source:
Prime Minister of Canada
http://pm.gc.ca/eng/index.asp

NOTE : You'll find links to the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting 2012 lower down on the page you're now reading.

---

From the
Toronto Star:
http://www.thestar.com/

Stephen Harper vows big changes to retirement benefits and immigration policy
http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/politics/article/1122179
January 26, 2012
By Bruce Campion-Smith
OTTAWA—Prime Minister Stephen Harper is vowing “major transformations” — including changes to Canada’s immigration system and retirement benefits — to ensure the future prosperity of the country. Feeling the demographic pressures of an aging population, Harper told an international economic forum that big changes loom to safeguard Canada’s wealth.

[ Comments (86)
http://goo.gl/uhAXp ]

Source:
Toronto Star:
http://www.thestar.com/

---

From CBC News:

Harper signals pension system 'changes' loom
PM outlines changes in speech at economic forum in Davos
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/story/2012/01/27/pensions-harper.html
January 27, 2012
Ottawa will transform the country's pension system to curtail government costs, but details won't come until the budget, said Prime Minister Stephen Harper. In a major speech to global movers and shakers at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland on Thursday, Harper also signalled looming reforms in immigration as well as research and development — all in the name of ensuring Canada's economy is on a strong footing.

[ 344 Comments:
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/story/2012/01/27/pensions-harper.html#socialcomments ]

Related CBC
News Links:

P.O.V. | Would pension changes affect your retirement?
http://www.cbc.ca/news/yourcommunity/2012/01/would-pension-changes-affect-your-retirement.html

Harper tells Davos that hard choices needed now
http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/story/2012/01/26/davos-harper-thurs.html

Special report : RRSPs
http://www.cbc.ca/news/business/features/taxseason/

Retirement: Canadians get poor grades for savings
http://www.cbc.ca/news/business/taxseason/story/2011/12/20/f-rrsp-savings-rate-graph.html

MPs urged to give up 'platinum-plated' pensions
http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/story/2012/01/18/pol-mp-pensions.html

Pooled pension plans become the latest retirement planning option
http://www.cbc.ca/news/business/taxseason/story/2011/11/17/f-prpp-details.html

Harper hints pension reform (video, duration 3:15)
http://www.cbc.ca/video/#/News/Canada/ID=2190720298

Source:
CBC News
http://www.cbc.ca/news

---

Commentary by Andrew Jackson
of the Canadian Labour Congress:

Hiking the Retirement Age is the Wrong Answer to the Retirement Crisis
http://www.progressive-economics.ca/2012/01/27/hiking-the-retirement-age-is-the-wrong-answer-to-the-retirement-crisis/
January 27, 2012
Raising the age of eligibility for Old Age Security/Guaranteed Income Supplement (OAS/GIS) benefits is the worst possible way to deal with the retirement income security crisis facing Canadians. Experts such as former Assistant Chief Statistician Michael Wolfson project that one half of all middle income baby boomers face a severe cut to their living standards in old age. This is due to falling employer pension coverage (down to 25% in the private sector), rising household debt combined with low savings, and the big hit to “fend for yourself” RRSPs which comes from high fees and low investment returns.
Source:
Progressive Economics Forum Blog
http://www.progressive-economics.ca/relentless/

---

- Go to the Pension Reforms Links page:
http://www.canadiansocialresearch.net/pensions.htm

Economic Inequality.ca Bulletin No. 1 - January 27

Economic Inequality.ca Bulletin No. 1
http://goo.gl/nS4CF
January 27, 2012
This Bulletin is published by the group that has created the web site Economic Inequality.ca, and has initiated a series of public meetings about what we can do about economic inequality in Canada. The Bulletin is published every few weeks to convey useful information about how we can change economic inequality.
More than 325 people attended this group's first public forum on the subject of economic inequality on January 24 at Trinity St. Paul’s Centre in Toronto.
In this Bulletin, you'll find information about the two speakers, a summary of their presentations and the audience discussion that followed and some general thoughts on the meeting.
Source:
Economic Inequality
http://www.economicinequality.ca/
Economic inequality is a big subject, and a lot of energy from a lot of people is needed to create more equality. Our organization is creating opportunities for public discussion of the kinds of policies we need and the kinds of actions (by us and by others) that are required.

---

- Go to the Inequality Links page:
http://www.canadiansocialresearch.net/inequality.htm

Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives : National Update - January 27

Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives : National Update
January 27

Recent releases from the
Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives:

* A recent CCPA study explores the distressing impact of federal cutbacks:
http://www.policyalternatives.ca/publications/reports/cuts-behind-curtain

* Our new study on Canada's economic recovery finds that—despite claims to the contrary—things aren't so rosy:
http://www.policyalternatives.ca/publications/reports/canada%E2%80%99s-incomplete-mediocre-recovery

* Our latest infographic depicts disturbing trends in income inequality:
http://www.policyalternatives.ca/publications/commentary/infographic-99-vs-1

* A round-up of the latest (and numerous!) blog posts:
http://www.behindthenumbers.ca/
--- More Than 1.4 Million Unemployed, by Erin Weir
--- When Will the Baby Boomers Retire?, by Andrew Jackson
--- It’s up to the Senate to stop the Crime Bill, by Paula Mallea
--- The “Other” Side of the Story, by Karen Foster
--- The Harper House Rules: An Intervention, by Erika Shaker
--- Deregulation: A Bad Idea Crosses the Atlantic, by Erin Weir
--- Are There Labour And Skills Shortages In Canada? by Andrew Jackson
--- The Cuts Behind the Curtain, by David Macdonald
--- The Race To The Trough: What Did Corporate Tax Cuts Deliver?, by Andrew Jackson

On her blog dedicated to progressive issue framing, Framed in Canada [ http://framedincanada.com/ ], CCPA's Trish Hennessy recently posted a great piece on economic austerity entitled The Mysterious Case of Austerity Amnesia:
http://framedincanada.com/2012/01/24/the-mysterious-case-of-austerity-amnesia/

Source:
Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives (CCPA)
http://www.policyalternatives.ca/
The CCPA is an independent, non-partisan research institute concerned with issues of social and economic justice.

---

- Go to the Social Research Organizations (I) in Canada page:
http://www.canadiansocialresearch.net/research.htm

Canada Child Benefits, July 2011 to June 2012 (Canada Revenue Agency)

From the
Canada Revenue Agency:

Canada Child Tax Benefit Guideline Table, July 2011 to June 2012
The Government of Canada’s Canada Child Tax Benefit (CCTB) system comprises the CCTB Base Benefit and the NCB (National Child Benefit) Supplement. The CCTB targets low-and middle-income families with children, and the NCB Supplement provides low-income families with child benefits in addition to the CCTB base benefit. Links to the tables for the latest benefit year appear below, followed by links to related information.

READ ME FIRST:
If you're not familiar with the Canada Child Tax Benefit, I'd recommend starting with the link immediately below to a Canada Revenue Agency pamphlet written in plain language (YAYYYY!) with links to information about each of the federal and provincial child benefit programs.

Pamphlet : Canada Child Benefits, July 2011 to June 2012
- includes related federal, provincial, and territorial programs
HTML version
http://www.cra-arc.gc.ca/E/pub/tg/t4114/t4114-e.html
PDF version (316K, 29 pages)
http://www.cra-arc.gc.ca/E/pub/tg/t4114/t4114-11e.pdf

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CCTB/NCBS Guideline Table effective July 2011 - June 2012 (based on the 2010 tax year)
http://www.cra-arc.gc.ca/bnfts/cctb/cctb_pymnt10-eng.html
These amounts are for the Federal Canada Child Tax Benefit (CCTB) program (basic benefit plus National Child Benefit Supplement) exclusive of any amount to which a recipient may be eligible under any existing provincial or territorial benefit or credit program. This table shows the combined amount of CCTB and NCBS payable from July 2011 to June 2012 to a household with one, two, three, four and five children with family income ranging from $24,183 to over $220,000.

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Monthly NCBS only entitlement effective July 2011 - June 2012 (based on the 2010 tax year)
http://www.cra-arc.gc.ca/bnfts/ncbs10-eng.html
These amounts are for the National Child Benefit Supplement only.

---

CCTB/NCBS guideline tables for earlier years
http://www.cra-arc.gc.ca/bnfts/cctb/gd_tbls-eng.html
- back to the benefit year starting in July 2005
[NOTE : Curiously, there's no link to similar guideline tables for NCBS-only entitlements for past years.
Click the next link below for detailed payment information. Gilles]

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Canada Child Tax Benefit (CCTB) payment amounts, tax years 2001 to 2010
* Tax Years 2001 to 2005
http://www.cra-arc.gc.ca/bnfts/cctb/cctb_pymnts_prv-eng.html
* Tax Years 2006 to 2010
http://www.cra-arc.gc.ca/bnfts/cctb/cctb_pymnts-eng.html
- incl. basic benefit - supplement for 3rd and following child(ren) - supplement for children under age seven - base threshold - benefit reduction rates, one child - benefit reduction rates, two or more children - NCBS amount for first child - NCBS amount for second child - NCBS amount for each additional child - NCBS threshold - NCBS phase-out rate, one child - NCBS phase-out rate, two children - NCBS phase-out rate, three or more children - Child Disability Amount (CDB) - CDB base threshold, one child - CDB phase-out rate, one child - CDB phase-out rate, two children - CDB phase-out rate, three or more children

Source:
Canada Child Tax Benefit
http://www.cra-arc.gc.ca/bnfts/cctb/menu-eng.html

Child and Family Benefits
http://www.cra-arc.gc.ca/bnfts/menu-eng.html
- includes links to : * Canada Child Tax Benefit * Universal Child Care Benefit * GST/HST credit * Working Income Tax Benefit * Provincial and territorial programs ]

Provincial and territorial child benefit and credit programs
that are related to the Canada Child Tax Benefit:
http://www.cra-arc.gc.ca/bnfts/rltd_prgrms/menu-eng.html
* Alberta Family Employment Tax Credit * BC Family Bonus + BC Earned Income Benefit) * New Brunswick Child Tax Benefit * Newfoundland and Labrador Child Benefit + Mother Baby Nutrition Supplement * Nova Scotia Child Benefit * Northwest Territories Child Benefit * Nunavut Child Benefit * Ontario Child Benefit * Saskatchewan Low-Income Tax Credit * Yukon Child Benefit
[ NOTE: residents of Québec must apply to the
Régie des rentes for the child assistance payment:
http://www.rrq.gouv.qc.ca/en/enfants/ ]

Source:
Canada Revenue Agency
http://www.cra-arc.gc.ca/menu-e.html

---

Related links from
the National Child Benefit website:

More information about the
National Child Benefit Supplement
http://www.nationalchildbenefit.ca/eng/07/page04.shtml
Source:
2007 National Child Benefit Progress Report
http://www.nationalchildbenefit.ca/eng/07/page00.shtml

[ National Child Benefit website:
http://www.nationalchildbenefit.ca/eng/home.shtml ]

---

- Go to the Children, Families and Youth Links (Government) page:
http://www.canadiansocialresearch.net/chnbkmrk.htm

Social Security Statistics, Canada and Provinces, 1978-79 to 2002-2003 (links updated) - January 27

January 27, 2012
Social Security Statistics, Canada and Provinces, 1978-79 to 2002-2003
http://www.canadiansocialresearch.net/welfare.htm#sss
This link will take you to a section of the Key Welfare Links page of this site where you'll find a collection of links to 25 years' worth of historical statistics on a wide range of social programs. Parts of the Human Resources and Skills Development (HRSDC) website were updated late in 2011, which led to the disappearance of some important content, notably this report containing this valuable collection of Canadian social security statistics. I've updated all of the links to selected important tables; the new online source for this report is the Government of Canada Web Archive.

[Smarten up, HRSDC - social researchers of every stripe need this information.
Can't you just create an archive for "older" content?]

---

- Go to the Social Statistics Links page:
http://www.canadiansocialresearch.net/stats.htm

- Go to the Key Provincial/Territorial Welfare Links page:
http://www.canadiansocialresearch.net/welfare.htm

2011 Canadian Housing Observer - January 24 ( Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation)

January 24, 2012

New from
Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation:

CMHC 2011 Canadian Housing Observer

HTML version:
http://www.cmhc.ca/en/corp/about/cahoob/cahoob_001.cfm
PDF version (8.7MB, 184 pages)
http://www.cmhc-schl.gc.ca/odpub/pdf/67508.pdf?fr=1327596686971

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Français:
L'Observateur du logement au Canada 2011 de la SCH ]
Version HTML
http://www.cmhc.ca/fr/inso/info/obloca/obloca_001.cfm ]
Version PDF (9.4MB, 200 pages)
http://www.cmhc-schl.gc.ca/odpub/pdf/67509.pdf?fr=1327597155983

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Observer is CMHC's annual flagship publication that provides comprehensive insight into Canada's housing market and is a key resource for Canada's housing experts, including housing finance and real estate professionals, policy makers, researchers, educators and builders. This year's feature article is on Housing Finance.

Table of contents:
· Overview
· Canadian Housing at a Glance — Dashboard
· Housing Finance
· Household Indebtedness
· Housing Markets
· Demographic and Socio-economic Influences on Housing Demand
· Recent Trends in Housing Affordability and Core Housing Need
· Sustainable, Housing and Communities
· Seniors' Housing
· The Evolution of Social Housing

The analysis contained in the Observer is complemented by a broad range of online detailed data tables that provide information on all of Canada's major housing markets, analytic reports, and CMHC's Housing in Canada Online (HiCO) tool.

· Data tables
https://www.cmhc-schl.gc.ca/en/corp/about/cahoob/data/index.cfm

· Housing in Canada Online
https://www.cmhc-schl.gc.ca/en/corp/about/cahoob/cahoob_002.cfm

· Housing market information
https://www.cmhc-schl.gc.ca/en/hoficlincl/homain/index.cfm

Previous issues (2003 to 2010)
https://www03.cmhc-schl.gc.ca/catalog/productList.cfm?cat=122&lang=en&fr=1327599387500

Source:
Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation
http://www.cmhc-schl.gc.ca/en/

Société canadienne d’hypothèques et de logement
https://www.cmhc-schl.gc.ca/fr/index.cfm

Manitoba Department responsible for welfare --- name change [Correction]

In the most recent Canadian Social Research Newsletter (Jan.22, 2012)
http://www.canadiansocialresearch.net/personal/news220112.htm
... I passed along the new name of Department responsible for welfare in Alberta, Manitoba, Prince Edward Island and Newfoundland and Labrador.
I incorrectly identified the Manitoba Department responsible for welfare as Family Services and Labour [ http://www.gov.mb.ca/fs/ ].
I meant Entrepreneurship, Training and Trade (ET&T)
January 24 (2012 Update:
A Manitoba Government official notified me to correct an error in the name of their welfare department. In the Manitoba government departmental reshuffling, welfare (income assistance) was moved out of the Department of Family Services and Labour (formerly Family Services and Consumer Affairs) to the Department of Entrepreneurship, Training and Trade (ET&T):
http://www.gov.mb.ca/ctt/index.html
...but as at January 24, the Manitoba ET&T website had zero content on income assistance, welfare or Employment and Income Assistance (the provincial welfare program). The Manitoba Cabinet was announced just recently, though, so the Web updating team is still in the process of changing the Manitoba govt. websites to reflect the new ministrial responsibilities and the new mandates in existing departments.
The Bottom line:
Manitoba govt. websites are being updated to reflect new govt. mandates; this may take a few more weeks...
The Dept responsible for welfare in Manitoba is Entrepreneurship, Training and Trade.

---

- Go to the Provincial/Territorial Welfare Departments page:
http://www.canadiansocialresearch.net/welfdepts.htm

- Go to the Key Provincial/Territorial Welfare Links page:
http://www.canadiansocialresearch.net/welfare.htm

The Employment Insurance Program in Canada: How it Works - October 2010 (Library of Parliament Research Publications)

The Employment Insurance Program in Canada: How it Works
By André Léonard
18 October 2010
HTML version
http://parl.gc.ca/Content/LOP/ResearchPublications/2010-52-e.htm

PDF version (254 Kb, 23 pages)
http://parl.gc.ca/Content/LOP/ResearchPublications/2010-52-e.pdf

Contents: 1 Introduction 2 Unemployment and Employment Benefits 2.1 Insurable Employment, Insurable Earnings and Benefit Rates 2.1.1 Insurable Employment 2.1.2 Maximum Yearly Insurable Earnings 2.1.3 Benefit Rates 2.2 Regular Benefits 2.2.1 Qualifying Conditions 2.2.1.1 Persons Who Are New Entrants or Re-entrants to the Labour Force 2.2.1.2 All Other Persons 2.2.1.3 Penalties for Violations 2.2.2 Benefit Period 2.2.3 Deductions 2.2.4 Statistics on Regular Benefits

2.3 Special Benefits 2.3.1 Maternity Benefits 2.3.2 Parental Benefits 2.3.3 Sickness Benefits 2.3.4 Compassionate Care Benefits 2.3.5 Statistics on Special Benefits 2.4 Fishing Benefits 2.5 Work-sharing 2.6 More Details on Unemployment Benefits 2.6.1 Combined Benefits 2.6.2 Provisions for Teachers 2.6.3 Pilot Projects 2.6.4 Appealing Employment Insurance Decisions 2.7 Employment Benefits 3 Employment Insurance Program Financing 3.1 Premiums 3.2 Setting the Premium Rate

Source:
Parliamentary Information and Research Service:
http://www.parl.gc.ca/About/Library/VirtualLibrary/ResearchPublications-E.asp

[ Library of Parliament Research Publications:
http://www.parl.gc.ca/About/Library/VirtualLibrary/ResearchPublicationsCurrent-e.asp ]

---

- Go to the Employment Insurance Links page:
http://www.canadiansocialresearch.net/ei.htm

From Mothers' Allowance to Mothers Need Not Apply: Canadian Welfare Laws as Liberal and Neo-Liberal Reforms - April 2008 (Osgoode Law Journal)

From Mothers' Allowance to Mothers Need Not Apply:
Canadian Welfare Laws as Liberal and Neo-Liberal Reforms (PDF - 240K, 39 pages)
http://ohlj.ca/english/documents/02GaviganChunnafterSS.pdf
April 2008
By Shelley Gavigan and Dorothy Chunn
In this paper we examine changes in the form and content of Canadian welfare law through a historical, feminist lens using the exemplar of mother-headed families. Our analysis of how the state dealt with sole support mothers in several provinces throughout the twentieth century reveals important continuities, as well as discontinuities, between the past and the present that have shaped and reshaped the lives and experiences of poor women and their children.
Source:
Osgoode Hall Law Journal (Vol. 45 No. 4)
http://www.ohlj.ca/

Journal Current Issue + Archives
http://www.ohlj.ca/english/current.htm <====links to dozens of articles of interest!

- Go to the History of Welfare in Canada : selected readings page:
http://www.canadiansocialresearch.net/welfare_history.htm