The world is drowning in plastic. The sheer volume and variety of plastics on the market, and their persistence in nature, create significant risks for human and animal health and the survival of sensitive ecosystems, particularly in marine environments. To its credit, the Canadian government is trying to do something…
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I’ve recently co-authored a journal article¹ with Ali Jadidzadeh that asks the question: Do higher social assistance benefit levels lead to greater take-up? The short answer is yes, but that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t increase benefit levels. Here are 11 things to know about the study. 1. The study looks only at employable adult…
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Parents, children and the child care sector are facing an extraordinary crisis brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic. So you might reasonably hope that the Ontario government would use a scheduled five-year review of the Child Care and Early Years Act to directly address these challenges: beef up health, safety…
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People with disabilities last in line October 30th is the day that people with disabilities will begin to receive a one-time payment of $600 in recognition of the significant increase in expenses due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The payout comes a full 14 weeks after authorizing legislation was finally passed…
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I started writing this column on September 18 as my social media feed filled with posts about National Black Voter Day, marking 50 days until the U.S. presidential election on November 3. Launched this year by the National Urban League, Black Entertainment Television (BET), and more than 50 other partner…
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In the first moments of last week’s speech from the throne, which outlined the priorities of the federal government for the next session of Parliament, Governor General Julie Payette laid out in stark terms the challenge before us. “Rarely … has all of humanity faced a single common insidious enemy,”…
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Contrary to what the pandemic would have us believe, public health is about much more than COVID-19. Public health is about keeping people healthy in the first place, so that they are less likely to need health care — “sick care.” Public health is about the social determinants of health,…
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As it should, the coronavirus pandemic took centre stage in the Liberal government’s speech from the throne. Getting through this global crisis, which affects us all, must take precedence. With some notable gaps and a last-minute push from the NDP to ensure workers affected by COVID do not see their incomes reduced…
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Fast Facts: Roughly 4 million Canadians were receiving Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB) in August and early September. The move from a $400 to $500 weekly amount in Employment Insurance (EI) and Canada Recovery Benefit (CRB) will improve benefits for 1.8 million CERB recipients. 776,000 CERB recipients will receive no…
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“We must not let the legacy of the pandemic be one of rolling back the clock on women’s participation in the workforce, nor one of backtracking on the social and political gains women and allies have fought so hard to secure.” (Speech from the Throne, September 23, 2020) This call…
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