Newfoundland and Labrador - Terre-Neuve et Labrador

Newfoundland and Labrador Advanced Education and Skills
[new name of the Department responsible for welfare in the province]
http://www.hrle.gov.nl.ca/hrle/
NOTE : As at January 21, 2012, this department's URL (the link in the previous line) still points to the old Dept. of Human Resources, Labour and Employment ("...hrle.gov..."), so you can expect more changes as the new NL Government's websites are tweaked to reflect the new ministries.

The new Department of Advanced Education and Skills incorporates most of the former Human Resources, Labour and Employment and the Advanced Studies component of the Department of Education. The new department will also house the new Workforce Development Secretariat. The Department of Advanced Education and Skills has a new mandate to ensure the province has highly educated graduates and skilled workers for a fast-growing economy. This will be achieved through a spectrum of services, supports and strategies in the following areas:
(...)
Delivering income support and other financial supports...
(...)

Newfoundland and Labrador Advanced Education and Skills
[new name of the Department responsible for welfare in the province]

NOTE : As at January 21, 2012, this department's URL (the link in the previous line) still points to the old Dept. of Human Resources, Labour and Employment ("...hrle.gov..."), so you can expect more changes as the new NL Government's websites are tweaked to reflect the new ministries.

Department of Human Resources, Labour and Employment
On the home page, you'll find the following links :
* Finding a Job * Planning Your Career * Training * For Employers * Poverty Reduction * Income Support * Immigration * For Students and Graduates * For Persons with Disabilities * Support During Disasters * NL Benefits and Measures * Frequently Asked Questions * Publications * Forms and Applications * News Releases * About the Department * Quick Links

HRLE is the department reponsible for welfare in NL.
See the grey box above for key welfare links.

Department of Health and Community Services
The Department of Health and Community Services provides a leadership role in health and community services programs and policy development for the province. This involves working in partnership with a number of key stakeholders including regional boards, community organizations, professional associations, post-secondary educational institutions, unions, consumers and other government departments.

Publications - links to departmental reports, discussion papers, health plans, etc.

News Releases - 1996 to date, by year

Newfoundland and Labrador Statistics Agency

Income Support Assistance (PDF- 13K, 1 page)
- monthly number of cases (households) and recipients, 1992 to latest month, updated monthly

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Historical Health and Welfare Statistics
of Newfoundland and Labrador
HTML table of contents with links to the individual chapters in PDF format
PDF (18.7MB, 318 pages)
Table of Contents:
Foreword and Preface - Population and Vital Statistics - Health and Welfare* - Labour Force - Wages and Working Conditions - Education - Gross Provincial Product and Personal Income - Provincial Government Finance - Banking and Finance - Price Indexes - Agriculture - Fisheries - Forestry - Mining - Manufacturing - Investment - Construction and Housing - Transportation - Communications - Electric Power - Trade and Services - Politics and Government - Justice
*Health and Welfare (PDF file - 504K, 11 pages) - includes (among other stats) social assistance statistics from 1951 to 1969

Newfoundland and Labrador
Market Basket Measure (NLMBM)
December 2009

Thanks to an anonymous newsletter subscriber for pointing out that Newfoundland and Labrador's new customized Market Basket Measure doesn't appear on the Antipoverty Links page of this website. In my haste to share the link to the First Progress Report on the NL Poverty Reduction Strategy (PDF - 4MB, 76 pages, December 2009) last week, I skimmed past the section on the NLMBM in that report. According to my subscriber's email, "... NL has developed their own variation on the market basket measure, the NLMBM, which uses tax data rather than surveys, and therefore purports to capture the entire population. They've also developed a NLMBM of Housing Affordability. Part of what's interesting is that they've got gender analysis embedded in the NLMBM data that's being developed - not a claim that can be made about any of the other poverty measures."
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I can't find any technical information on the NLMBM online at this point in time (Dec. 22/09),
but I've pulled together a few tidbits of information from NL reports that might pique your curiosity if you're interested in poverty measurement.

The Newfoundland and Labrador
Market Basket Measure (NLMBM):

In the 2006 Action Plan:
[ Reducing Poverty: An Action Plan for Newfoundland and Labrador (PDF file - 1.6MB, 60 pages), 2006]
...a commitment was made to improve capacity to measure and track progress in poverty reduction.
[Excerpts] A major innovation has been the development of the Newfoundland and Labrador Market Basket Measure (NLMBM). This new measure uses a similar approach to the federal government's Market Basket Measure (MBM). Like the MBM, it compares the incomes of families to the cost of a basket of goods and services necessary to live a productive and socially inclusive life. Unlike the MBM and all other available measures of low-income that use surveys to estimate low-income levels, the NLMBM uses tax-filer data and other sources to provide more accurate income and expense information for all tax-filers. This allows for the reporting of low-income levels in communities and neighbourhoods, as well as results for other subgroups such as different age groups or family types. This is important because it allows for the tracking of progress for different parts of the province as well as for different vulnerable groups so that it can be ensured that PRS is working for all. The NLMBM is available on Community Accounts [ www.communityaccounts.ca]

The NLMBM is developed and maintained by the Newfoundland and Labrador Statistics Agency.
In future years, NLMBM depth, persistence and other indicators of low income will be reported as they become available.

NOTE: For more info on the NLMBM, see Appendix II of the first progress report (PDF - 4MB, 76 pages, December 2009) or
request information from povertyreduction@gov.nl.ca

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MAY 20 (2010) UPDATE:

The N&L Market Basket Measure was released in January 2010 into the Community Accounts [ www.communityaccounts.ca] data. On the Community Accounts page, the NL MBM shows as the “Incidence of Low Income” under the “Income, Consumption & Leisure” accounts. For most geographies it can be broken down by family type. Currently available for 2005.

Newfoundland and Labrador Market Basket Measure Maps are presented by Rural Secretariat Region. These maps show incidence of low income for communities by Rural Secretariat Region. They also display a Remoteness Index which is a spacial measurement of access to essential government and community services.

Related link:

Newfoundland and Labrador
Poverty Reduction Strategy
The Poverty Reduction Strategy is a Government-wide approach to transform Newfoundland and Labrador from a province with the most poverty to one with the least over a ten year period. The strategy includes initiatives and programs which target the groups most vulnerable to poverty.
- includes * Poverty Reduction Initiatives * Guiding Principles * Documents and News Releases * Partner Departments and Agencies
Source:
Human Resources, Labour and Employment

Department of Finance

- incl. links to : Minister - Branches/Divisions - Budget 2003 - Fuel Tank Replacement Program - Home Heating Fuel Rebate - Economy - Statistics - News Releases - Publications - Taxes - Tax Credits, Incentives & Benefits - Statutes & Regulations - Pensions Administration Division

News Releases - 1996 to date, by year

Publications On-Line - links to all budgets, throne speeches, special reports, etc.

Budget 2011 - Standing Strong: For Prosperity.
For Our Future. For Newfoundland and Labrador
April 19, 2011
- main budget page, includes links to all budget papers and supporting documents

* Budget Speech
* Budget Highlights
Excerpt:
Standing Strong on Poverty Reduction
* Total investment on poverty reduction approaching $140 million this year, cumulative investment of more than $620 million since 2006.
* $1.5 million ($6.1 million annually) to develop an Adult Dental Health Care Program.
* Additional $2.4 million in funding for the Supportive Living Community Partnership Program, for a total of $4.8 million, double the amount that was available in 2010-11.
* Expansion of the Housing Corporation’s Rent Supplement Program from $6 million in 2010-11 to $7 million in 2011-12 and $8 million the following year.
* Eliminating the clawback of income tax refunds for income support clients.
* more...
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Standing Strong on Child Care
* Two-year pilot project focused on the development of child care spaces in family homes.
Highlights include:
--- Increased start-up grants from $2,500 to $5,000 to become a regulated family child care provider, and infant start-up grants of $7,500 for homes that care exclusively for children up to the age of two; and,
--- Ongoing stimulus grant to infant care homes of $200 a month per infant space.
Commencing with the 2011 taxation year, a new non-refundable child care tax credit, based on child care expenses currently deductible from income.

News Releases (dated April 19, 2011)
* Budget 2011 Supports Families and Young Children
* Standing Strong: For Prosperity. For Our Future. For Newfoundland and Labrador
* A Clear Path to Opportunity, Self-Reliance and a Prosperous Future – Budget 2011 Stands Strong Against Poverty
[ All 13 news releases ]

Source:
Newfoundland and Labrador
Department of Finance

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TD Bank Financial Group
Analysis of the Budget:

NOTE: At the time of this update, the TD Bank Financial Group had not yet been uploaded to their website.
Go to http://www.td.com/economics/gov_finances.jsp and look for an "NL" link under "2011 Federal, Provincial and Territorial Budgets", near the top of the page.
I'll recheck the link in a day or two and add it here if it's posted...

Source:
2011 Federal, Provincial and Territorial Budgets
[ TD Bank Financial Group ]

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Selected media coverage:

From CBC News:

'Sizzling' economy powers N.L. budget surplus
Heat rebate, child care cited in broad spending program
April 19, 2011
Soaring oil production helped Newfoundland and Labrador on Tuesday post a whopping $485-million surplus for the last fiscal year, with government expecting another surplus despite a broad pre-election spending program. "Our economy is sizzling right now," said Finance Minister Tom Marshall, whose new $7.3-billion budget includes large increases on both the revenue and spending sides. The government expects to finish the year with a surplus of $59 million. (...) Government is using some of its oil-related windfall to curb the sting of heating bills, with a new rebate that will apply not only to oil and propane but all residential electrical bills.

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- Go to the 2011 Canadian Government Budgets Links page:
http://www.canadiansocialresearch.net/budgets_2011.htm

NOTE: On this page, you'll find information about the latest provincial budget only.

To avoid unnecessary duplication of budget links on multiple pages, I've moved links to all earlier budgets over to the pages below, organized by fiscal year. The pages below include links to media analysis and selected critique from NGOs on the budgets, and the amount of coverage varies across jurisdictions and over the years.

Go to Canadian Government Budgets 2010
Go to Canadian Government Budgets 2009
Go to Canadian Government Budgets 2008
Go to Canadian Government Budgets 2007
Go to Canadian Government Budgets 2006
Go to Canadian Government Budgets 2005
Go to Canadian Government Budgets 2004

House of Assembly
Includes links to:
* Home
* Proceedings
* Members
* Legislation
* Publications
* Offices
* Management Commission
* Public Education & Outreach
* Contact Us

Department of Justice
- incl. links to : Minister - About Us - Legislation - Publications - News Releases - FAQs - Links

News Releases - 1996 to date, by year

Department of Education

News Releases - 1996 to date, by year

Labrador and Aboriginal Affairs

News Releases - 1996 to date, by year

Executive Council

Royal Commission on Renewing & Strengthening our Place in Canada
2002-2003
Government of Newfoundland and Labrador
"The Royal Commission will consult with Newfoundlanders and Labradorians to develop a broad consensus on a vision for the future which will identify ways to achieve prosperity and self-reliance."
- incl. links to : About the Commission - Research - News Releases - Consultations - Resources - Contact Us

No to Separation! No to Status Quo!
News Release
July 2, 2003
Executive Council
"The Royal Commission on 'Renewing and Strengthening Our Place in Canada' today released its report to the public. It calls for a renewed partnership between the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador and the Government of Canada as the foundation for its Pathway to Renewal."

Royal Commission Final Report and Executive Summary - incl. links to the complete final report and to individual chapters, all in PDF format.
Vous y trouverez même une version française du rapport sommaire!(format PDF - 1,7Mo., 46 pages)

Research Papers - over two dozen papers (all in PDF format) written for this Royal Commission, covering a variety of themes, all relating to Newfoundland and Labrador and its place in Canada.
Complete Final Report (PDF file - 4MB, 224 pages)

Consultation Document (PDF file - 564K, 14 pages)
September 4, 2002

Royal Commission releases Research and Consultation Plan
September 4, 2002
"The mandate of the Royal Commission is to conduct a critical assessment of Newfoundland and Labrador’s strengths and weaknesses and to bring forward recommendations as to how they can renew and strengthen their place in Canada."

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Council of Atlantic Premiers
This web site provides information on:
* the Council of Atlantic Premiers (CAP),
* the Council of Maritime Premiers (CMP), and
* the Conference of New England Governors and Eastern Canadian Premiers (NEG/ECP)
The website also provides convenient online access to Council publications, employee contact information, and to regional agencies and organizations as well as providing information on Working Together for Atlantic Canada: An Action Plan for Regional Co-operation.

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Intergovernmental Affairs Secretariat

Women's Policy Office

- incl. links to:
* * Home
* Gender Based Analysis
* Violence Prevention Initiative
* Aboriginal Women
* Provincial Advisory Council on the Status of Women (PACSW)
* Regional Status of Women Councils
* Organizations Promoting the Status of Women
* Women in Municipal Government
* Statistics

* Publications
* News Releases
* About the Office
* Links
* Respect Women Campaign
* Violence Prevention Initiative
* Provincial Advisory Council on the Status of Women
* Multicultural Women’s Organization of Newfoundland and Labrador

Newfoundland and Labrador Housing Corporation (NLHC)

Media Releases

Office of the Auditor-General

Reports of the Auditor General to the House of Assembly

Other Newfoundland and Labrador Sites - Autres sites de Terre-Neuve et Labrador

(The links below are more or less in reverse chronological order, except where they're not.)

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.

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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."

Post-Secondary Education in Newfoundland and Labrador
By Nick Falvo
September 16, 2011
Last March, Keith Dunne and I wrote an opinion piece on Danny Williams’ post-secondary education (PSE) legacy in Newfoundland and Labrador. Among other things, we pointed out that average undergraduate tuition fees (for domestic students) in Newfoundland and Labrador are $2,624/yr., compared with $5,138 for Canada as a whole and $6,307 in Ontario. With a provincial election slated to take place in Newfoundland and Labrador on October 11, Newfoundland and Labrador’s NDP is proposing to take the province even further down the path of PSE affordability.

Source:
Progressive Economics Forum

Poverty Reduction Strategy 2010 Consultations Completed
December 16, 2010
The following statement was given today in the House of Assembly by the Honourable Joan Burke, Acting Minister of Human Resources, Labour and Employment:
I rise today in this Honourable House to provide an update on the Poverty Reduction Strategy.
In keeping with the Provincial Government’s commitment to consult the public every two years about poverty, an extensive set of consultations was conducted this past fall. In fact, this is the third set of consultations we have held since 2005, demonstrating the significance of public input in the initial development and continuation of our anti-poverty efforts. These latest consultations are especially significant, as they will help inform the development of the next four-year action plan to fight poverty in Newfoundland and Labrador.
Source:
Human Resources, Labour and Employment

For more poverty reduction links for Newfoundland and Labrador,
see the Anti-poverty Strategies and Campaigns page of this site:
http://www.canadiansocialresearch.net/antipoverty.htm

Community Sector Council Newfoundland and Labrador
Established in 1976 as an independent non-profit organization, the Community Sector Council Newfoundland and Labrador (formerly known as the Community Services Council is committed to strengthening and promoting the essential role that voluntary and nonprofit, community organizations play in building healthy and prosperous communities. Our vision is a prosperous and inclusive society that supports individuals, families and communities. Our mission is to encourage citizen engagement, to promote the integration of social and economic development and to provide leadership in shaping public policies.
- excellent collection of resources for the voluntary sector!

May 2009
Tracing a Path from the Past to the Future Newfoundland and Labrador (PDF - 652K, 49 pages)
By Fran Locke with Penelope Rowe, Community Sector Council Newfoundland and Labrador

Source:
Poverty Reduction Policies and Programs
Social Development Report Series, 2009

Source:
Canadian Council on Social Development

NOTE: To avoid duplication as much as possible, I've moved poverty reduction links
for Newfoundland and Labrador to the Anti-poverty Strategies and Campaigns page of this site:
http://www.canadiansocialresearch.net/antipoverty.htm

Newfoundland and Labrador
Provincial Election Resources
Source:
Election Almanac
- 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

- Go to the Political Parties and Elections Links in Canada (Provinces and Territories) page: http://www.canadiansocialresearch.net/politics_prov_terr.htm

What's new from the
Caledon Institute of Social Policy:

Newfoundland and Labrador:
Innovative Strategies in Government-Community Collaboration (PDF - 85K, 9 pages)
By Fran Locke, Penelope Rowe and Anne Makhoul
April 2009
An ambitious experiment, Newfoundland and Labrador’s Strategic Social Plan (SSP) – unveiled in 1998 – called for involvement of the voluntary, community-based sector and citizens in policy formulation. Dismantled in 2004, it also provided the foundation for Newfoundland and Labrador’s current Rural Secretariat and its celebrated Community Accounts database.

New from
GPI Atlantic:

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.

Newfoundland and Labrador (NL)

Terre-Neuve et Labrador