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1. Economic Inequality.ca - new site, launched January 2012 --- Public meeting (in Toronto) on Jan. 24

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.

Economic Inequality: What Do We Do?
Public Meeting: Tuesday January 24th
http://www.economicinequality.ca/2012/01/09/bulletin-january-2012/
Public Meeting
Tuesday, January 24 (7 pm – 9 pm)
Trinity St. Paul’s Centre
427 Bloor St. West (one block west of Spadina)
Toronto
This summer the Occupy movement rekindled widespread interest in the growing income gap in our society.
You are invited to the first in a series of public forums on the subject of economic inequality.

Speakers:

Linda McQuaig, Toronto Star columnist and co-author of The Trouble with Billionaires
Ed Waitzer, partner of law firm Stikeman Elliott, former chair of Ontario Securities Commission, and professor at Osgoode Hall Law School and Schulich School of Business.

Speakers will be followed by an audience discussion moderated by John Sewell.
Be part of this important discussion to plan ways to achieve a more equal society.
This event is wheelchair accessible
Free – donations welcome

---

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

- Go to the Ontario Municipal and Non-Governmental Sites (D-W) page:
http://www.canadiansocialresearch.net/onbkmrk3.htm

2. Media scan by Jennefer Laidley of the Income Security Advocacy Centre: --- ‘Austerity’ shouldn’t crush the poor --- The power of the tax credit --- An excellent blog on responses to austerity --- Andrew Jackson blogs on the Mowat Employment Insurance report

Excerpts from the latest media scan by Jennefer Laidley of the
Income Security Advocacy Centre:
[ http://www.incomesecurity.org/ ]

Merci, Jennefer!

‘Austerity’ shouldn’t crush the poor
http://www.thespec.com/opinion/columns/article/652949--austerity-shouldn-t-crush-the-poor

The power of the tax credit:
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/british-columbia/tax-returns-used-as-unlikely-weapon-in-fighting-homelessness/article2293317/

An excellent blog on responses to austerity:
http://framedincanada.com/2012/01/07/austeritys-targets/

Andrew Jackson blogs on the Mowat Employment Insurance report:
http://www.progressive-economics.ca/2011/11/16/the-mowat-centre-and-employment-insurance/

The Mowat report:

Making it Work : Final Recommendations of the
Mowat Centre Employment Insurance Task Force (PDF - 859K, 122 pages)
November 16, 2011
Source:
Mowat Centre Employment Insurance Task Force
The Mowat Centre EI Task Force is examining Canada's support system for the unemployed and will propose a blueprint for a strengthened national system.
The EI Task Force is part of:
The Mowat Centre
The Mowat Centre for Policy Innovation is an independent, non-partisan public policy research centre located at the School of Public Policy and Governance at the University of Toronto. The Mowat Centre undertakes collaborative applied policy research and engages in public dialogue on Canada’s most important national issues, and proposes innovative, research-driven public policy recommendations, informed by Ontario’s reality.

3. New from the Caledon Institute of Social Policy: --- Counsel for the Council [of the Federation] --- Disability papers --- Provincial/Territorial Policy Monitor - December 2011

New from the
Caledon Institute of Social Policy:

Counsel for the Council (PDF - 32K, 3 pages)
http://www.caledoninst.org/Publications/PDF/973ENG.pdf
By Sherri Torjman
January 2012
The Council of the Federation was created in 2003 to help promote cooperation and closer ties among provinces and territories. While the Council tackles a range of issues, it has focused considerable attention in recent years on health care. Subsequent to its meeting in July 2011, the Council issued a statement on Health Sustainability. Nearly a decade ago, Premiers published an accord that preceded the 10-year Canada Health Transfer agreement with the federal government. Like the current Council of the Federation communiqué, the 2003 First Ministers’ Accord on Health Care Renewal identified primary care reform and catastrophic drug coverage as major concerns. But another area that figured prominently at the time – home care – has not appeared (at least explicitly) on the Council of the Federation’s statements.
There can be no fundamental reform of health care in the absence of improved supports for long-term care, home care and informal caregivers. Community care should figure prominently when the Premiers resume their conversations at their upcoming meeting in Victoria on January 16 and 17, 2012.

Disability Papers
Sherri Torjman, January 2012
These three articles are contributions to a book published by the Council of Canadians with Disabilities. It sets out 30 years of achievements since 1981, the International Year of Disabled Persons, which have contributed to increased inclusion and participation by people with disabilities. The celebration was held on November 2, 2011, with special honours for the political champions responsible for the major milestones.

The first article discusses the work of the House of Commons Committee on the Disabled and the Handicapped, which produced the Obstacles report. The second entry summarizes the conclusions of In Unison, a vision paper published in 1998 by the Federal-Provincial/Territorial Ministers Responsible for Social Services. The third article summarizes the work of the Technical Advisory Committee on Tax Measures for Persons with Disabilities that reported to the Minister of Finance and the Minister of National Revenue.

Obstacles : 1981 House of Commons Committee on the Disabled (PDF - 32K, 2 pages)
http://www.caledoninst.org/Publications/PDF/970ENG.pdf
November 201

In Unison: A Canadian Approach to Disability Issues (PDF - 32K, 2 pages)
http://www.caledoninst.org/Publications/PDF/971ENG.pdf

Technical Advisory Committee
http://www.caledoninst.org/Publications/PDF/972ENG.pdf
November 2011

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Provincial/Territorial Policy Monitor - December 2011* (PDF - 108K, 7 pages)
http://www.caledoninst.org/Publications/PDF/974ENG.pdf
The Caledon Institute of Social Policy regularly scans provincial and territorial government websites in order to follow policy developments related to our core work and interests. These include: Disabilities, Education, Health, Housing, Income Security, Poverty Reduction, Recreation, Seniors and Youth. This tracking is intended to inform our analysis of policy trends.
**RECOMMENDED READING!

Source:
Caledon Institute of Social Policy
http://www.caledoninst.org/

---

- Go to the Council of the Federation Links page:
http://www.canadiansocialresearch.net/council_fed.htm

- Go to the Disability Links page:
http://www.canadiansocialresearch.net/disbkmrk.htm

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

4. The Federal Role in the Future of Health and Health in Canada - January 12 (By Bill Tholl and Guy Bujold for the Health Action Lobby)

New from
the Health Action Lobby (HEAL):

News Release:
The Federal Role in the
Future of Health and Health in Canada (PDF - 52K, 4 pages)
http://goo.gl/mdssj
January 12, 2012
For Canada to rank among countries with the healthiest populations, we need a broadly shared vision of health and health care, sustained leadership by the federal government, as well as action and accountability on the parts of provincial and territorial governments, health care providers and the public. This is the main conclusion of the report on the role of the federal government in health and health care that was commissioned by the Health Action Lobby (HEAL) – a coalition representing 34 national health organizations. HEAL is releasing the report in advance of this month’s meeting of the Council of the Federation at which Canada’s premiers will discuss the future of health and health care.
[ Version française du Communiqué (format PDF):
http://goo.gl/mCRqz ]

The report:

Functional Federalism and the Future of Medicare in Canada 
-  A Report to the Health Action Lobby (HEAL)  (PDF - 1.5MB, 138 pages)
By Bill Tholl and Guy Bujold
January 2012
http://goo.gl/KFfXY
This project is a response to concerns about quality, access and the sustainability of Canada’s health and health care systems, an attempt to spark the public discussions needed as the 2003 First Ministers’ Accord on Health Care Renewal, and 2004 First Ministers’ 10­year Plan to Strengthen Health Care (which we refer to here as “the health accords”) come to an end in the Spring 2014. There are critical discussions to be had and decisions to be made if we are going to make the right choices — especially since how engaged the federal government will be in leading those discussions is uncertain.
[ NOTA : L'étude complète n'est pas disponible en français.]

Executive summary (PDF - 236K, 8 pages)
http://goo.gl/lbWce

[ Version française du Sommaire (format PDF):
http://goo.gl/AqnaC ]

Source:
Health Action Lobby (HEAL)
http://www.healthactionlobby.ca/
The members of the Health Action Lobby are committed to sustaining and enhancing the health of Canadians, and in the continuous improvement of fair, equitable, efficient and effective health services and system(s).

HEAL Publications
http://www.healthactionlobby.ca/en/publications.html

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

Related link from the
Council of the Federation:

Final Details of Council of the Federation Meeting in Victoria on January 16-17, 2012 (2-page PDF file)
http://www.councilofthefederation.ca/pdfs/Media_Advisory-COF_Victoria-Jan9.pdf
January 9, 2012 – British Columbia Premier Christy Clark will host a meeting of the Council of the Federation on January 16 and 17 in Victoria at the Inn at Laurel Point. Premiers’ discussions will focus on health care and fiscal arrangements.
Source:
Council of the Federation
http://www.councilofthefederation.ca/
Version française du site:
Conseil de la Fédération
http://www.conseildelafederation.ca/

On December 5, 2003, Canada’s Premiers proudly announced in Charlottetown the creation of the Council of the Federation. It is a new institution for a new era in collaborative intergovernmental relations*. The Council of the Federation was created by Premiers because they believe it is important for provinces and territories to play a leadership role in revitalizing the Canadian federation and building a more constructive and cooperative federal system.
[ About Us:
http://www.councilofthefederation.ca/aboutcouncil/aboutcouncil.html ]

------------
* NOTE: I crack up every time I read the Council's About Us statement re. "...a new era in collaborative intergovernmental relations". The Council of the Federation was set up by provincial-territorial Premiers specifically to exclude federal representation and to gang up on Stephen Harper's evidently uncollaborative federal government, notably on the subject of health care funding in Canada.
Gilles

 

- Go to the Council of the Federation Links page:
http://www.canadiansocialresearch.net/council_fed.htm

- Go to the Medicare Debate Links page:
http://www.canadiansocialresearch.net/medicare.htm

5. Standing Up for Freedom and Privacy - Symposium (Toronto, January 27, 2012)

Commissioner Cavoukian launches Symposium and www.RealPrivacy.ca to raise
awareness: Beware of "Surveillance by Design:" Standing Up for Freedom and Privacy (PDF - 48K, 2 pages)
http://www.ipc.on.ca/images/Resources/2012-01-12-Surveillance_by_Design_Symposium.pdf
Media Advisory
January 12, 2012
(...) The new website, www.RealPrivacy.ca [ http://www.realprivacy.ca/ ], includes:
• background information on proposed lawful access legislation such as relevant media articles, key letters, and editorials;
• proposed solutions on how the federal government can improve the legislation to respect privacy while also enhancing security; and
• a new Write My MP tool by which individuals can easily share their concerns with their Member of Parliament and urge the government to reconsider the proposed laws. We are inviting members of the public to write to the MPs, raising their concerns and asking them to question the proposed legislation.

Beware of “Surveillance by Design:”
Standing Up for Freedom and Privacy Symposium
http://www.realprivacy.ca/beware-of-surveillance-by-design
Friday, January 27, 2012 (9:00am – 11:00am)
MaRS Centre South tower, Suite 100 (Auditorium – Lower Level)
101 College Street, Toronto, ON
Join Ontario’s Information & Privacy Commissioner, Dr. Ann Cavoukian, and highly respected privacy, legal, and academic experts as we discuss the implications of “lawful access” legislation in Canada.(...) Media coverage has greatly increased, with this issue becoming a hot topic of discussion by all stakeholders, from the legal community to telecom providers. The Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario has been instrumental in bringing attention to this upcoming legislation — which in our view, would represent a system of “Surveillance by Design.” The anticipated re-introduction of a trio of federal bills (Bills C-50, C-51, C-52) will provide police with much greater ability to access and track information, via the communications technologies that we use every day, such as the Internet, smart phones, and other mobile devices, including without a warrant or oversight. Taken together, the three pieces of legislation will diminish the privacy rights of Ontarians and indeed of all Canadians. (...)
Speakers include:
* Dr. Ann Cavoukian, Ontarios Information & Privacy Commissioner
* Professor John Villasenor, The Brookings Institution and University of California, Los Angeles
* Dr. Ron Deibert, Professor, Political Science, University of Toronto
* Nathalie Des Rosiers, General Counsel, Canadian Civil Liberties Association
* David Fraser, Lead, McInnes Cooper Privacy Practice Group
* John Ibbitson, Ottawa Bureau Chief, Globe and Mail

If you are unable to attend in person, we will be webcasting live and archiving the webcast online.
Click here to register for the webcast.
[ http://www.snwebcastcenter.com/custom_events/mars-20120127/site/ ]

Related link:

Ontario Information and Privacy Commissioner
http://www.ipc.on.ca/english/Home-Page/

Source:
RealPrivacy.ca
http://www.realprivacy.ca/

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- Go to the Ontario Government Links page:
http://www.canadiansocialresearch.net/onbkmrk.htm

6. The 11th North American Basic Income Guarantee Congress - Call for Proposals Deadline extended to January 31 (Basic Income Canada Network)

The 11th North American Basic Income Guarantee* Congress - Call for Proposals Deadline extended to January 31
http://biencanada.ca/content/11th-north-american-basic-income-guarantee-congress-call-proposals
January 15, 2012

The 11th North American Basic Income Guarantee Congress will take place May 3-5, 2012 at the University of Toronto

Theme : Putting Equality Back on the Agenda: Basic Income and Other Approaches to Economic Security for All.

[ * Basic income is an income guaranteed by government for all, without condition, means test or work requirement; it's also known as guaranteed annual income. ]

Featured speakers at the Congress will include:

* Richard Wilkinson, Professor Emeritus of Social Epidemiology at the University of Nottingham Medical School and co-author of The Spirit Level: Why More Equal Societies Almost Always Do Better;
* Charles Karelis, Research Professor of Philosophy at The George
Washington University and Author of The Persistence of Poverty: Why the
Economics of the Well-Off Can't Help the Poor
* Armine Yalnizyan, Senior Economist with the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives;
* John Rook, Chair of the National Council of Welfare and Senior Associate with Housing Strategies, Inc.;
* Evelyn Forget, Professor, University of Manitoba Faculty of Medicine;
* Trish Hennessey, Director of Strategic Issues for the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives;
* Erik Olin Wright, Professor, University of Wisconson, Madison and
Author of Envisioning Possible Utopias

The North American Basic Income Guarantee Congress is a joint Conference of the U.S. and Canadian Basic Income Guarantee Networks.

Revised Deadline for Proposals : January 31, 2012
Scholars, activists, and others are invited to propose papers or presentations, organize panel discussions, or submit posters. All points of view are welcome.

Anyone interested in presenting, organizing a panel, or displaying a poster should submit an abstract of their proposal to the chair of the organizing committee at: basicincome2012@gmail.com

For more information on how to submit a proposal and for a list of topics, see the conference website:
http://biencanada.ca/content/11th-north-american-basic-income-guarantee-congress-call-proposals

For further information contact:

Jim Mulvale
james.mulvale@uregina.ca
Faculty of Social Work
University of Regina

Source:
Basic Income Canada Network
BIEN Canada is the Canadian affiliate of the Basic Income Earth Network. BIEN Canada was founded at the 2008 international BIEN Congress to promote dialogue, public education and networking about basic income in Canada. BIEN Canada is composed of individuals and organizations interested in promoting dialogue around basic income.

---

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

7. Are We Doing Enough? A status report on Canadian public policy and child and youth health - January 10 (Canadian Paediatric Society)

Child-friendly public policies good for economy, says study
http://goo.gl/tt37c
By Derek Abma
January 10, 2012
If governments want to put the economy at the top of their agendas, actions that focus on improving the well-being of children and youth should be prioritized, according to a report released Tuesday. The Canadian Paediatric Society said in this report that child care, mental health and poverty are some of the key areas related to kids for which there are clear economic benefits to be had by taking action.
Source:
Montreal Gazette
http://www.montrealgazette.com/

From the
Canadian Paediatric Society (CPS):

Are governments doing enough to protect kids?
No. Canada can do better, say paediatricans
http://www.cps.ca/english/Media/NewsReleases/2012/DoBetter.htm
News Release
January 10, 2012
OTTAWA—Canada’s provincial and territorial governments could be doing more to protect and promote the health and well-being of Canada’s children and youth, according to a report released today by the Canadian Paediatric Society (CPS). The fourth edition of Are We Doing Enough? A status report on Canadian public policy and child and youth health examines how effectively governments use legislation and programming in areas such as injury prevention, disease prevention and health promotion. It also assesses the federal government in key areas.

The CPS report:

Are We Doing Enough? A status report on
Canadian public policy and child and youth health (PDF - 432K, 40 pages)
2012 (Fourth Edition)
http://www.cps.ca/english/Advocacy/StatusReport2012.pdf
January 2012
Are We Doing Enough? assesses public policy in four major areas:
• Disease prevention • Health promotion • Injury prevention • Best interests of children and youth
Children’s opportunities for health, emotional well-being and life success are determined in large part by their early development. A deprived environment can leave a child with life-long deficits, while high-quality early learning and care help to stimulate cognitive and social development. [report, p. 3]
(...)
The CPS calls upon ...the federal government to show leadership with a national strategy [to alleviate poverty]. A number of evidence-based solutions are available, including income support measures, education and job training, and quality child care programs. The CPS believes that ending child and youth poverty should receive
the same focus as stimulating economic growth. Public accountability is imperative for tracking progress on this critical health issue. [report, p. 26]
NOTE : See pages 26-27 for the CPS perspective on provincial and territorial governments' poverty alleviation plans and a quick chart showing how well each jurisdiction is doing compared with the CPS recommended actions in the area of child poverty reduction.

Canadian Paediatric Society (CPS)
http://www.cps.ca/english/index.htm
The Canadian Paediatric Society is the national association of paediatricians, committed to working together to advance the health of children and youth by nurturing excellence in health care, advocacy, education, research and support of its membership.

---

- Go to the National/Federal and International Anti-poverty Strategies and Campaigns page:
http://www.canadiansocialresearch.net/antipoverty2.htm

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

8. A comparison of Canadian and American welfare reforms in the 1990s--- and a word of caution...

A Comparison of Canadian and American Welfare Reforms and
their Effects on Poverty After 1990 (PDF - 10.7MB, 9 pages)
http://economics.uwo.ca/undergraduate/undergraduatereview/undergraduatereview03/4_Karsh.pdf
March 2009
By Fern Karsh
Department of Economics, University of Western Ontario
---
By Gilles:
This undergrad paper that I found in a Google search result is a large download, but welfare historians will find it an interesting read. It offers a brief history of the funding mechanism for federal contributions to provincial-territorial welfare programs from the (1966) Canada Assistance Plan to the 1990 "cap on CAP" to the 2006 Canada Health and Social Transfer (CHST). It also contains a section on welfare reforms in Ontario starting in the mid-1990s with the Mike Harris Tories. There's a section on welfare reform in the U.S during the same period, and a conclusion that the U.S. had "greater success (than Canada) in reducing welfare rolls, unemployment and poverty."

Not so fast.
You can't compare American and Canadian welfare systems, nor the relative success of welfare reforms in both countries, without the necessary context. Tempting as it may be to assume that Temporary Assistance to Needy Families in the U.S. and the Canada Social Transfer are pretty much the same thing - a mechanism to stream federal funding to the lower order of government - it would be incorrect to do so, for as host of reasons. Below, I'll address only the caseload composition of both TANF and Canadian welfare programs.

---

Unlike the Canadian welfare system, state welfare programs under the federal Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF)* initiative normally grant welfare ONLY to households with children, often headed by single mothers. They exclude all non-disabled single people and childless couples, who must apply instead to the national Food Stamp program and to residual aid programs where they live (if there are any such programs, which is not always the case). In Canada, singles and childless couples make up close to 60% of the total welfare caseload.

Moreover, state welfare programs receiving TANF funding exclude households headed by someone with a disability. In the U.S., people with disabilities must apply for assistance from the federal Social Security Disability program [ http://www.ssa.gov/disability/ ]. In Canada, we have the contribution-based Canada Pension Plan Disability Benefit [ http://www.hrsdc.gc.ca/eng/oas-cpp/cpp_disability/index.shtml ], but provincial-territorial welfare programs also provide needs-tested assistance to people with disabilities - who currently make up about 35-40% of the national welfare caseload.
---
* TANF is the federal transfer for state welfare programs, the U.S. equivalent to the Canada Social Transfer, which replaced the CHST in 2004. However, there are important differences between the two funding mechanisms in addition to the target population as noted above. For one thing, the federal government in the U.S. imposes a number of conditions on state welfare programs under TANF (e.g., targets for work participation and child poverty), while the Harper Government™ imposes only a non-residency rule on provincial welfare programs (i.e., eligibility for provincial welfare cannot be based on residency in a particular province). Also, welfare programs under TANF are only *one* of several programs in the U.S. that must be taken into account when comparing U.S. "welfare" with the Canadian system.

In Canada, welfare covers food, shelter, clothing an personal and household needs; in addition to health care coverage, which is universal in Canada, each Canadian jurisdiction offers a range of assistance for special medical needs under its welfare program. In order to compare Canadian and American welfare, the following American programs *must* be included:
* TANF welfare
* Medicaid
* SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, formerly known as food stamps)
* Housing vouchers
* Supplemental Security Income (SSI)
* School lunch and breakfast programs
* Earned Income Tax Credit
NOTE: In the U.S. when a person or family times out of TANF welfare (between two and five years, depending on the state), they can still apply for some aid from the above programs and other state programs of last resort. If "timing out" were possible in Canada, individuals and families would have no other recourse. But there's no time limit on welfare in Canada ---- you can receive continue to receive welfare as long as you can prove financial need and you meet other eligibility requirements. The Government of British Columbia actually imposed a time limit in 2002 that was similar to what many U.S. states had adopted - two years eligibility for welfare out of five. For more info about this draconian Canadian (BC) welfare time limit policy and how it bombed, see: http://www.canadiansocialresearch.net/bc_welfare_time_limits.htm
---

For more information about TANF, see:
http://www.hhs.gov/recovery/programs/tanf/tanf-overview.html

For more information about Canadian welfare programs under the Canada Social Transfer, see:
http://www.canadiansocialresearch.net/cap.htm

For more information about welfare and welfare reforms in Canada, see:
http://www.canadiansocialresearch.net/welref.htm

The Bottom Line:
Canadian and American welfare systems are like apples and oranges.
They shouldn't be compared without situating each system in its appropriate context.

---

- Go to the Welfare and Welfare Reforms in Canada page:
http://www.canadiansocialresearch.net/welref.htm

- Go to the Links to American Non-Governmental Social Research (M-Z) Links page:
http://www.canadiansocialresearch.net/us3.htm

Related Document:

Tax Expenditures and Evaluations 2011
http://www.fin.gc.ca/taxexp-depfisc/2011/taxexp11-eng.asp
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Preface
Part 1—Tax Expenditures: Estimates and Projections
Introduction
Caveats
What's New in the 2011 Report
The Tax Expenditures
Part 2—Tax Evaluations and Research Reports
Distributional Impact of the Federal Personal Income Tax System and Refundable Credits: Analysis by Income, Sex, Age and Family Status
Evaluation of the Public Transit Tax Credit
[ PDF version of the complete report - 1MB, 67 pages:
http://www.fin.gc.ca/taxexp-depfisc/2011/taxexp11-eng.pdf ]

Source:
Department of Finance Canada
http://www.fin.gc.ca/fin-eng.asp

Related link:

Flaherty’s tax credits cost Ottawa billions
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/flahertys-tax-credits-costing-ottawa-billions/article2296695/
By Bill Curry
January 9, 2012
The myriad tax credits introduced by Jim Flaherty before the recession are now placing an added strain on Ottawa’s bottom line as the Finance Minister prepares to wrestle a $31-billion deficit. In his first few federal budgets, Mr. Flaherty created a wide range of tax breaks aimed at specific elements of the population. Groups on the receiving end of new deductions included construction workers, public transit riders, seniors and parents of sporty kids. The credits featured prominently in government advertising, allowing the Conservatives to target their message toward various segments of the population. A Finance Canada report released Monday provides an update as to how much these and other credits – which the government officially calls “tax expenditures” – now cost the federal government in terms of lost revenue.

[ 765 comments:
http://goo.gl/4dnUR ]

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

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- Go to the Federal Government Department Links (Agriculture to Finance) page:
http://www.canadiansocialresearch.net/fedbkmrk.htm

10. "Microsoft"anti-virus scam - January 8

"Microsoft"anti-virus scam - January 8

NOTE: As a rule, I don't highlight links to articles about spam, phishing, spoofing, mass marketing and telemarketing fraud and all that skullduggery. However, the article below by Ellen Roseman struck a chord with me because I've personally had three phone calls in the past two months from people introducing themselves as Microsoft employees with that exact same pitch.

Read on and heed...

Beware this anti-virus scam!
http://www.moneyville.ca/article/1111482
By Ellen Roseman
January 8, 2012
It’s a consumer scam that reached epidemic proportions in Canada last year. You get a call from someone who says your computer is at risk of crashing because of a virus or malicious software. The caller may suggest he or she works for Microsoft and is aware of issues with your Windows operating system. You may be asked to open a program called Windows Events Viewer, whose contents are worrisome. They look like a long list of errors, some labelled critical. The caller offers to guide you through the steps to fixing it. The selling of fake anti-virus programs has gone viral in Canada. It accounts for 70 to 80 per cent of the frauds reported daily, says the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre. The centre, formerly known as Phonebusters, is operated by the RCMP, the Ontario Provincial Police and the federal Competition Bureau.

[ Comments (35):
http://www.moneyville.ca/article/1111482#comments ]

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

Related link:

Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre
http://www.phonebusters.com/english/home-eng.html
The CAFC is jointly managed by the RCMP, OPP and the Competition Bureau Canada and its mandate has expanded to include many versions of Mass Marketing Fraud (MMF) – these frauds are essentially schemes that target many victims at the same time whether by telephone, facsimile, postal mail or the internet.
[ About the CAFC :
http://www.phonebusters.com/english/cafc_aboutus.html ]

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- Go to the Virus and Virus Hoax Links page:
http://www.canadiansocialresearch.net/virus.htm

11. Ontario’s Poverty Reduction Strategy- January 8 (Nick Falvo in Progressive Economic Forum)

Ontario’s Poverty Reduction Strategy
http://www.progressive-economics.ca/2012/01/08/ontarios-poverty-reduction-strategy/
By Nick Falvo
January 8, 2012
December marked the three-year anniversary of Ontario’s Poverty Reduction Strategy. While I believe there is much to celebrate, much remains to be done. The Strategy surprised a lot of observers, especially in light of the fact that it was announced in December 2008, just as Ontario was entering a recession. Its focus was almost exclusively child poverty, and at full implementation (i.e. 2013), it will result in $300 million in new annual spending. This is equivalent to 0.3 percent of total provincial spending in Ontario, which is roughly $100 billion. (...) Let’s not kid ourselves though (pun intended): the Strategy has its shortcomings. First, 0.3 percent of total spending is a relatively modest spending boost when it comes to poverty. Because of the modest new spending made available for the Strategy by the McGuinty government, the Strategy didn’t even attempt to make inroads with respect to Ontario’s lack of affordable housing; that was left to a separate Strategy [ http://www.mah.gov.on.ca/Page9181.aspx ]
(...)
Nor did the Poverty Reduction Strategy attempt to increase social assistance benefit levels, even though single adults without dependents on welfare in Ontario currently receive less than $8,000 a year; rather, it announced the creation of the Commission for the Review of Social Assistance in Ontario [ http://www.socialassistancereview.ca/ ]

Source:
Relentlessly Progressive Economics Blog
http://www.progressive-economics.ca/relentless/

[ Progressive Economics Forum (PEF)
http://www.progressive-economics.ca/ ]
The Progressive Economics Forum aims to promote the development of a progressive economics community in Canada. The PEF brings together over 125 progressive economists, working in universities, the labour movement, and activist research organizations.

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

12. Nunavut Poverty Summit Produces Broad Agreement on Plan of Action - December 1, 2011 (Nunavut Roundtable for Poverty Reduction)

Nunavut poverty summit produces “a shared approach to poverty reduction:”
But Makimaniq action plan isn't public yet
http://goo.gl/VEA3D
December 1, 2011
Nunavut’s first territory-wide poverty summit [ http://goo.gl/XEfac ] wrapped up in Iqaluit Nov. 30, delivering a vision to cut poverty with the help of all Nunavummiut. The Poverty Reduction Action Plan produced by the summit is still a few weeks away from release, although the plan has a name – Makimaniq, Inuktitut for "empowerment.” (...) The 45 participants at the three-day summit finalized a draft of the plan Nov. 30, which summit hosts says must first be approved before it goes public. But Aariak’s government has already committed to meet certain objectives by the end of its mandate in 2013...
Source:
Nunatsiaq Online
http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/

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From the
Nunavut Roundtable for Poverty Reduction:
http://www.makiliqta.ca/

Nunavut Poverty Summit Produces
Broad Agreement on Plan of Action (PDF - 160K, 2 pages)
http://www.makiliqta.ca/uploads/newsrelease/2011-60-C-Communique-Poverty-Summit_Eng.pdf
November 30, 2011
Communiqué
IQALUIT, Nunavut — Nunavut Premier Eva Aariak and Nunavut Tunngavik Inc. Vice-President Jack Anawak today announced The Makimaniq Plan: A Shared Approach to Poverty Reduction. The plan outlines a common agenda for poverty reduction in Nunavut, developed by the 45 participants in the territory’s first poverty summit.

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According to Rob Rainer,
Executive Director of
Canada Without Poverty:
http://www.cwp-csp.ca/

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