Do women really make less than men? Women make less than men. In Canada. In the United States. In every country in the world. Belgium (yes, chocolate lovers, Belgium) has the smallest wage gap in the world. Women earn just 6% less than men in Belgium. Canada comes in 25th…
Read more
Month: February 2015
As instruments for advancing democratic values, Canada’s public schools have an ambiguous legacy. Over the years, many exclusionary and colonialist policies have been challenged, and this shift in cultural values has inspired policies to help make public schools in Canada more diverse and accessible. It is less apparent, however, that…
Read more
The February 18, 2015 edition of the Globe and Mail featured an article by the paper’s B.C. correspondent Gary Mason, which in part drew favourable attention to BC’s debt-to-GDP ratio in comparison with that of Ontario. On face value, B.C.’s reported debt-to-GDP ratio calculated from its most recent audited statements…
Read more
Is 50% of Quebec spending is directed towards healthcare? It’s true, if you turn a blind eye to just how that number was calculated. Were we to be a bit more nuanced and honest regarding “healthcare costs”, we would come to a figure between 33% and 34%. We would realize that…
Read more
On Tuesday of this week, I presented at the Utility and Review Board hearing on payday loans. The UARB is reviewing the payday regulations and will issue a decision on these loans in a few weeks. This post details what I presented to the Board: at best payday lenders are…
Read more
How much money do you currently have in your bank account? Enough to hold out for a week? a month? six months? How would you like to have $111 billion set aside? To give you a better sense of just how much that is, it’s almost a third of Quebec’s…
Read more
Ontario started the New Year with very little change in its jobs numbers: the employment rate is holding steady but there is a shift in part-time job growth. Despite the bad news on the job front in January – massive Target Canada layoffs and the closing of Wrigley’s chewing gum…
Read more