Living wage

The Globe and Mail reported today that Canada is facing a jobless recovery, as businesses are not expecting to hire in 2010 and public sector positions are being eliminated.

The article quotes Sébastien Lavoie, assistant chief economist at Laurentian Bank Securities, who predicts that we will see employment restored to its pre-recession level in 2011. Read more »

On February 10, Ottawa City Council voted to adopt a municipal poverty reduction strategy. The plan, entitled Poverty affects us all: A community approach to poverty reduction, was presented to Council by the Community and Protective Services Committee which approved the plan in January.

However, the acceptance of the entire plan was a contentious issue for several councillors. Most were in agreement with about 90 percent of the plan. The controversy came from two recommendations in particular, 14 and 15. Read more »

Check out the photos from the Dish on Dignity, an event hosted by Citizens for Public Justice, Canada Without Poverty and the Dignity for All Campaign. The Dish on Dignity brought together parliamentarians, social justice advocates and low income folks for a conversation about the reality of poverty in Canada and ways to eliminate it. Read more »

Canadian TV and film star Mary Walsh is just wrapping up a feature documentary on Canada’s working poor called Poor No More. Produced and directed by award-winning team Suzanne Babin and Bert Deveaux, the film focuses on the challenges of the working poor, as well as ways to significantly reduce poverty. This is especially critical now, while Canadians are beginning the slow process of economic recovery in light of the recent crisis.

On Saturday January 16 in Ottawa, join Mary Walsh and the film crew for lunch and final discussion on these issues at St. Andrew’s Church (82 Kent Street) at noon, followed by a rally on Parliament Hill at 1:30. This will be the last instalment in the film which is scheduled to be shown in various places across Canada this spring. See the official website for more details on the film and a schedule for cross country viewing opportunities. Read more »

On Tuesday Food Banks Canada released their annual report, Hungercount 2009, on food bank usage across the country. The report revealed that almost 800,000 individuals used a food bank during March 2009. This is an increase of 18% from March 2008, the biggest year-by-year national increase (by almost 10%) ever recorded by Food Banks Canada!

For over a decade, Food Banks Canada has been keeping track of the number of people using food banks during one month out of every year. Numbers of food bank use peaked in 2004 with over 840,000 people served, but since then usage has been gradually declining- that is until this year. Read more »

Yesterday Citizenship and Immigration Minister Jason Kenney released a new study guide for prospective Canadian citizens. Entitled Discover Canada: The rights and responsibilities of Canadian citizenship, the guide is much more extensive regarding Canadian history, and the forming of our country than the old guide.

Much of the historical emphasis, especially pre-Confederation history, is on the role of Aboriginal peoples, as well as the various English and French groups. But the expanding diversity and ethnic and cultural backgrounds among many of the more recent immigrants is also mentioned as well as the role of such immigrants in shaping Canada. Read more »

On September 25, Rob Rainer of Canada Without Poverty and I went on a local radio show to talk about guaranteed livable income, poverty, and the BIEN Canada conference.

Dialogue with Diversity is created and hosted by Qais Ghanem, a physician, activist, and poet. The show plays weekly, Fridays at 12:30, on CHIN in Ottawa (97.9 FM) in addition to streaming live on the internet. Read more »

A few weeks ago, the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada (HSFC) released a study that compared food prices by region across the country.The results were troubling. Prices for basic staples were found to vary dramatically across the country, and the high cost of food in many regions is having a disturbing impact on the nutritional intake of many people. This is especially true for those living in poverty. Read more »

Last week, Rob Rainer from Canada Without Poverty and I traveled to Sault Ste. Marie. We were there at the invitation of St. Andrews United Church, to speak at a two-evening forum on poverty organized by the Rev. Phil Miller. Local Member of Parliament, Tony Martin, organized events during the day, including a visit to the Soo's food banks, soup kitchens and shelters. It was a powerful learning experience for Rob and me, and an excellent opportunity to share inspiration with others in the fight against poverty and to build excitement for our forthcoming Dignity for All campaign. Read more »