When we talk about housing affordability the focus is usually on home ownership and high housing costs. Less discussed is the affordability crisis faced by the third of Canadian households (4.7 million families) who rent their homes. This paper looks at the extent of the problem by determining the hourly…
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“I used to have unfettered access to public spaces, something most people would take for granted, but when I began visibly violating gender norms, I became subject to verbal and physical abuse while in public on a fairly regular basis and have little recourse except to avoid public spaces.” –…
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Not-too-late-to-save-the-world edition View the story Federal election primer: Not-too-late-to-save-the-world edition By Hadrian Mertins-Kirkwood The global climate crisis—often framed as an abstract and future problem—is increasingly obvious outside our windows. Summer hasn’t officially started yet, but out-of-control wildfires are already raging across Alberta and British Columbia. Following the record-breaking burns of…
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The urgency of the global climate crisis could not be more obvious than in India right now, where a 50ºC heatwave is causing “heavy casualties” both directly through heat-related deaths and indirectly through water and food shortages. Canadians have been spared that kind of heat so far, but it’s little…
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Yesterday’s announcement from the The Advisory Council on the Implementation of National Pharmacare, led by Dr. Eric Hoskins, was applauded by organizations and researchers across Canada who have long advocated for the introduction of a universal, single-payer pharmacare system. Journalists at the event, however, seemed to be focused on…
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Life is better thanks to taxes View the story Say it out loud: Life is better thanks to taxes By Randy Robinson Long-time CCPA economist Hugh Mackenzie once said that right-wing politicians have succeeded at cutting public services by severing the link, in the public mind, between those services and…
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Two reports came out in early May that should have received a lot more attention than they did. The Standing Committee on the Status of Women released its latest study, Surviving Abuse and Building Resilience, on Canada’s systems of shelters and transition houses serving women and children fleeing violence. And…
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Regulation. It’s not something many of us have time to think about. Most people are busy working, keeping the household running smoothly and generally living their lives. When we do think about how things are regulated, it’s usually after something terrible has happened: planes drop out of the sky, killing…
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Today, rideshare drivers from companies like Uber and Lyft are taking part in a global strike to protest for livable wages, job security and regulated fairs, among other demands—all taking place on the eve of Uber’s initial public offering on the stock market this week. Back in Canada, bike couriers…
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On March 19, Canada’s federal finance minister tabled the Trudeau government’s 2019 budget titled Investing in the Middle Class. Key social policy announcements include a new Canada Training Credit, increased funding for municipalities, some increased funding for women’s organizations and increased earnings’ exemptions for low-income seniors. Budget 2019 also has…
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