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Income Inequality and the Pursuit of Prosperity

03.13.09 | No Comments

Walter Gordon Massey Symposium Lecture

The story of how we got into this global economic mess, and how we will get out, is inextricably bound up with the story of rising income inequality. After all, it was triggered by the interlocking fates of subprime mortgage holders – people who didn’t have enough money to get a regular mortgage – and their lenders. Every part of the ensuing cascade of calamity was linked to the pursuit of ever greater returns, a promise of prosperity fuelled by easy money and reckless bets.

Tagged: Armine Yalnizyan, CCPA, Economics

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Charity may help Jean, but not our broken welfare system: Fiorito
February 15, 2013

Jean has cancer and can’t afford to eat properly. Many people want to help. But does individual charity mask the poverty of our welfare policy?

Jean has cancer. She is my age. She knows what the future holds. She shrugs.

It’s coming to us all.

You remember that her disability cheques cover her rent, her phone, her television, and not much else; for all her other needs, including food, she has maybe a hundred bucks a month.

In addition to her disability cheque, she gets a few crumbs of money as part of the special diet allowance, because she has hypertension and high cholesterol.

But she has not been getting a particular portion of the special diet allowance — the portion meant for those who have cancer — because of this cruel qualifier: she has the illness, but she is not losing weight.

Oh, well, then.

Read more here
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Health Minister Deb Matthews will announce Friday that the “healthy smiles” program — costing taxpayers $45 million annually — is designed to help 130,000 kids aged 17 and under.
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Ontario is missing out on a significant economic payoff by offering a scaled-down version of full-day learning this fall, says a report being released Monday. A new economic analysis of the initiative outlined by the premier’s early learning adviser last spring shows an immediate return of $2.02 for every dollar invested in operations and $1.47 for every dollar spent on new classrooms, says the report, obtained by the Star.
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ARCH Disability Law Centre, dedicated to advancing the rights of people with disabilities, says its campaign was prompted by “an alarming and growing trend of adults with intellectual disabilities being unable to afford vital supports that would facilitate their development, independence and participation in the community. “This crisis is growing and we need your help,” ARCH says.
Radical change for Ont. mental health urged
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A new report says a “radical transformation” of mental health and addiction care is needed in Ontario if people are to receive the help they need.

Poverty reduction key to economic recovery
In this, the second annual report of the 25 in 5 Network for Poverty Reduction, we continue to track the progress of the Ontario government in meeting its poverty reduction commitments.

Poverty reduction is a commitment we make to each other, to ensuring that individuals and families across Ontario are able to recover from economic and social misfortunes. It is also a commitment that all parties in the legislature made to all Ontarians.

Find more research and resources here

25 in 5 Network for Poverty Reduction
c/o CSPC-T
2 Carlton St., Suite 1001 | Toronto, ON M5B 1J3
ph. 416-351-0095 x.214 | fx. 416-351-0107
info@25in5.ca