DOCSLIB.ORG

Medical Reform

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Medical Reform MEDICAL REFORM Newsletter of the Medical Reform Group Issue 132 Volume 24, Number 3 Winter, 2005 BLOCK FEES UNDERMINE ACCESSIBILITY TO HEALTH CARE: DOCTORS’ GROUP CALLS ON GOVERNMENT TO BAN PATIENT CHARGES Irfan Dhalla and Gordon Guyatt he Government of Ontario longer make appointments if they re- But what is surprising, and dis- claims commitment to the Cana fused the annual fee. Everyone agrees turbing, is that the College of Physicians Tda Health Act, and ensuring that that these practices are unacceptable— and Surgeons of Ontario, a regulatory ability to pay doesn’t influence access to the important question is how to pre- body whose duty is to protect patients, care. But doctors have found a way vent them. has also endorsed block fees. Last month, around this principle and, so far, Premier It’s no surprise that the Ontario despite clear evidence that doctors con- Dalton McGuinty and Health Minister Medical Association wants to keep block tinue to violate the College’s existing block George Smitherman are letting them get fees regulated as loosely as possible. An fees policy, the College voted to contin- away with it. OMA representative has said that “Of- ue to allow doctors to charge these fees. If you are lucky enough to have fering block fees can actually improve The College’s decision comes despite its a family doctor, you may have recently the pay-as-you-go system…[They force] admission that it has neither the resourc- received an unwelcome request. The doctors to be more business-oriented.” es nor the intent to actively monitor and doctor, or more likely the doctor’s re- In fact, block fees have become so pop- enforce the administration of block fees. ceptionist, might have asked you to pay ular that a small industry has sprung up The Medical Reform Group, an a block fee—an annual payment, levied to make sure doctors are maximizing association of doctors and medical stu- in advance, for services not covered by their block fee revenue. dents who believe that all Canadians your provincial health insurance plan. should have equitable access to high-qual- Block fees are supposed to cover serv- ity health care, has been trying to persuade ices such as telephone prescription re- the College to put a stop to block fees. newals and the completion of summer INSIDE With last month’s vote, however, the camp forms. College regrettably put doctors’ interests In theory, patients can opt to pay above patients. for uninsured services on an a la carte basis Fortunately for Ontarians, under rather than en bloc. In practice, however, Releases............................3,4,8,14 the recently passed Commitment to the Fu- most patients find it very hard to say ‘no’ Primary Care Reform.........................5 ture of Medicare Act, the provincial gov- when their doctor asks them to pay for Working Group call.............................5 ernment has the power to regulate block services in advance—even if they know fees—or ban them entirely. The MRG Steering Committee..........................6-7 they will never need those services. prefers an outright ban—with over 20 Even worse, many patients face Pharmacare.........................8-14, 19, 20 000 doctors in Ontario, monitoring the the threat of losing access to their family Guyatt Columns...........................15, 16 use of block fees would be a significant doctor if they don’t pay a block fee. One International Health--Nigeria....17-18 administrative challenge, and a waste of doctor’s patients were told that their tel- resources. Moreover, no realistic over- ephone calls would go unanswered un- sight could prevent physicians from con- less they paid up. Another doctor’s Please visit ourweb-site: tinuing to stretch the rules, and the patients http://www.hwcn.org/link/mrg patients were informed they could no (continued on page 2) Medical Reform Group, Box 40074, RPO Marlee Toronto, Ontario M6B 4K4 MedicalReform BLOCK FEES UNDERMINE ACCESSIBILITY TO HEALTH Medical Reform is the newsletter of the Medical Reform Group of Ontario. CARE (continued) Subscriptions are included with member- ship, or may be purchased separately at $50 per year. Arrangements to purchase most likely to be harmed—the poor and practice of charging large annual fees multiple copies of individual newsletters the elderly—are unlikely to complain. for extra services and preferential or of annual subscriptions at reduced There are useful actions the gov- access. Only a small number of doc- rates can be made. ernment could take short of prohibiting tors in Ontario are using the block Articles and letters on health-re- block fees. First, the government should fees policy in this way now, but little lated issues are welcomed and can be sent to <[email protected]>. insist that doctors who charge a block stands in the way of many more fam- Contact us at: Medical Reform, fee inform OHIP of both the amount ily doctors opening up boutique prac- Box 40074, RPO Marlee, Toronto M6B of the fee and the name of each patient tices. 4K4. Phone: (416) 787-5246; Fax (416) 352- that is paying the fee. In an ideal world, where pa- 1454; or <[email protected]>. Second, doctors who charge tients and doctors were on an equal Opinions expressed in Medical block fees should provide each patient footing, block fees for uninsured serv- Reform are those of the writers, and not necessarily those of the Medical Reform with government-authorized material ices might be acceptable. Until and Group. outlining the patient’s rights. This docu- unless we get there, doctors should ment should specify that physicians can- recognize that block fees often un- Editorial committee this issue: PJ not charge patients for the more dermine accessibility. The Govern- Devereaux, Bradley MacIntosh, Janet conscientious provision of an insured ment of Ontario must not permit Maher. service, that physicians cannot charge pa- this stealthy erosion of the Canada ♦ The Medical Reform Group is an tients for being more available, and should Health Act. organization of physicians, medical stu- inform patients how they can complain First published December 11, 2004 in Straight dents, and others concerned with the if they believe their doctor is violating Goods. health care system. The Medical Reform these guidelines. Group was founded in 1979 on the basis Third, the government should of the following principles: explicitly ban “boutique medicine”—the 1. Health Care is a Right. The universal access of every per- son to high quality, appropriate health SUBSCRIBE to STRAIGHT GOODS: care must be guaranteed. The health care system must be administered in a manner ince 2000, Straight Goods has been an independent Canadians on-line which precludes any monetary or other news and information source on a range of issues that matter: politics, deterrent to equal care. Sworld events, health and health care, the environment, workplaces, consumer and social issues, education and much more. 2. Health is political and social in na- Publisher Ish Theilheimer of Golden Lake, Ontario and Editor Penney ture. Health care workers, including phy- Kome of Calgary head up a virtual national team of writers and editors who sicians, should seek out and recognize work to put out a national weekly at www.straightgoods.com, that is fresh, the social, economic, occupational, and pertinent and useful to its readers. environmental causes of disease, and be Straight Goods publishes a free weekly email bulletin which offers links directly involved in their eradication. to approximately two dozen new articles by authors such as Linda McQuaig, Gordon Guyatt, Mel Watkins, Marc Zwelling, Gwynne Dyer. 3. The institutions of the health system must be changed. Annual subscription fee of $30 ensures access to full archive of articles. The health care system should be To subscribe, please send a message to [email protected]♦ structured in a manner in which the equally valuable contribution of all health care workers is recognized. Both the pub- lic and health care workers should have a direct say in resource allocation and in determining the setting in which health care is provided. 2 Medical Reform Volume 24, Number 3 - Winter, 2005 COLLEGE OF PHYSICIANS AND SURGEONS SHOULD VOTE DOWN POLICY PERMITTING PATIENT CHARGES On November 25, the College of Under both the current and pro- According to the College, recent Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario posed policies, physicians are allowed to violations of the block fees policy include: will make a crucial policy decision charge patients for uninsured services ♦ Doctors charging block fees as a concerning “block fees”—flat fees (e.g., telephone prescription renewals, condition of being accepted into a charged in advance by doctors for completing forms for summer camp, practice services not covered by the Ontario etc.) either individually or with an annual ♦ Making patients pay for services Health Insurance Plan. The Medical flat fee. Under the flat fee policy, patients that are covered by OHIP (for ex- Reform Group is now publicly urg- often pay for services they never use. The ample, requiring payment for a spe- ing the College to ban the practice of College has proposed a new draft poli- cialist referral) charging block fees. cy that allows patients to refuse to pay ♦ Terminating patients from a prac- “The College knows that many the fee, and bans physicians from penal- tice for not paying a block fee doctors violate the existing block fees izing patients who refuse to pay the block ♦ Not responding to telephone mes- policy,” said Dr. Irfan Dhalla, spokes- fee. sages from patients who refuse to person for the MRG. “For example, “The College’s regulations might pay the block fee doctors have asked patients to pay a work in a dream world, but we live in a “Block fees benefit doctors but fee before allowing them to join their province with a severe physician short- not patients,” said Dr.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Creating Decent Work Post-Pandemic
    ABOUT PPF Good Policy. Better Canada. The Public Policy Forum builds bridges among diverse participants in the policy-making process and gives them a platform to examine issues, offer new perspectives and feed fresh ideas into critical policy discussions. We believe good policy is critical to making a better Canada—a country that’s cohesive, prosperous and secure. We contribute by: . Conducting research on critical issues . Convening candid dialogues on research subjects . Recognizing exceptional leaders Our approach—called Inclusion to Conclusion—brings emerging and established voices to policy conversations, which informs conclusions that identify obstacles to success and pathways forward. PPF is an independent, non-partisan charity whose members are a diverse group of private, public and non-profit organizations. ppforum.ca @ppforumca © 2019, Public Policy Forum 1400 - 130 Albert Street Ottawa, ON, Canada, K1P 5G4 613.238.7858 ISBN: 978-1-77452-009-3 PUBLIC POLICY FORUM 2 FORUM DES POLITIQUES PUBLIQUES WITH THANKS TO OUR LEAD SPONSOR WITH THANKS TO OUR SUPPORTING SPONSORS PUBLIC POLICY FORUM 3 FORUM DES POLITIQUES PUBLIQUES TABLE OF CONTENTS Executive Summary......................................................................................................................................................................... 6 The Future of Work is Now ........................................................................................................................................................... 7 State of Play: Canada’s
    [Show full text]
  • Uncovering the Chains the Black and Aboriginal Slaves Who Helped Build New France
    Borduas’s revolution • Alzheimer’s dilemmas SPUR FESTIVAL Ottawa and Vancouver preview! $6.50 Vol. 22, No. 4 May 2014 Lawrence Hill Uncovering the chains The black and aboriginal slaves who helped build New France. ALSO IN THIS ISSUE Jocelyn Maclure Why democracy needs protests Candace Savage A prairie pilgrimage Jonathan Kay Reviving the Enlightenment PLUS: NON-FICTION David Milligan on debunking our “historical illiteracy” + Christopher Dummitt on a West Coast riot + Molly Worthen on coexistence through religious limits + David MacDonald on a made-in-Canada church + Jennifer Jeffs on regulating the markets since 2008 + Denise Donlon on the Tales of Bachman Publications Mail Agreement #40032362 FICTION Claire Holden Rothman reviews Wonder by Dominique Fortier + Roger Seamon Return undeliverable Canadian addresses to LRC, Circulation Dept. reviews Life Class by Ann Charney PO Box 8, Station K Toronto, ON M4P 2G1 POETRY Shane Neilson + Elizabeth Ross + Crystal Hurdle + Kayla Czaga Literary Review of Canada 170 Bloor St West, Suite 710 Toronto ON M5S 1T9 email: [email protected] reviewcanada.ca T: 416-531-1483 • F: 416-531-1612 Charitable number: 848431490RR0001 To donate, visit reviewcanada.ca/support Vol. 22, No. 4 • May 2014 EDITOR Bronwyn Drainie [email protected] CONTRIBUTING EDITORS 2 Outthinking Ourselves 15 May Contain Traces Mark Lovewell, Molly Peacock, Robin A review of Enlightenment 2.0, by Joseph Heath A poem Roger, Anthony Westell Jonathan Kay Kayla Czaga ASSOCIATE EDITOR Judy Stoffman 4 Market Rules 18 Under the Volcano POETRY EDITOR A review of Transnational Financial Regulation A review of Wonder, by Dominique Fortier, Moira MacDougall after the Crisis, edited by Tony Porter translated by Sheila Fischman COPY EDITOR Jennifer Jeffs Claire Holden Rothman Madeline Koch 7 The Memory Thief 19 Making It ONLINE EDITORS Diana Kuprel, Jack Mitchell, A review of The Alzheimer Conundrum: A review of Life Class, by Ann Charney Donald Rickerd, C.M.
    [Show full text]
  • COVID-19 RESOURCE TOOLKIT a Guide for Canadian Planners and Urbanists
    COVID-19 RESOURCE TOOLKIT A Guide for Canadian Planners and Urbanists November, 2020 Updated April, 2021 © Lorenzo TABLE OF CONTENTS FOREWORD 3 HOW TO USE THIS GUIDE 4 ADDITIONAL RESOURCES 5 AGE-FRIENDLY PLANNING 12 COMMERCIAL REAL ESTATE 22 COMMUNITY DESIGN 29 DENSITY 40 ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT 44 ENVIRONMENT & CLIMATE CHANGE 60 EQUITY & SOCIAL JUSTICE 68 FOOD SYSTEMS 90 HOUSING & HOUSELESSNESS 94 INDIGENOUS ISSUES 109 MAIN STREETS 117 PUBLIC SPACES 123 RESILIENCY 134 RESPONSES & ACTIONS 141 RURAL & NORTHERN ISSUES 147 SMART CITIES & TECHNOLOGY 155 TRANSPORTATION 159 URBAN ISSUES 180 WORK SPACES 201 2 FOREWORD In 2019 no one could foresee that a year later entire countries would be shut down to curb the spread of a highly contagious virus. When the gravity of the COVID-19 pandemic became clear in March 2020, Canada, like many other nations, imposed strict “lockdown” measures on almost all sectors of society. Overnight, most Canadians became confined to their homes. Office buildings, malls, streets, public spaces and airports emptied. Only essential services, such as grocery stores, pharmacies, and gas stations, were allowed to operate under strict “physical distancing” conditions. As our understanding of SARS-CoV-2 (the virus that causes COVID-19) grew and lockdown measures persisted for several weeks and months, glaring inefficiencies in community design started to become unignorable. Our response to challenges that had previously been inadequately addressed - multimodal transportation, a high-quality public realm, age-friendly and accessible planning, for example - have now become essential precursors for the creation of a resilient post-pandemic world. Conversations on the future of cities have become commonplace in mainstream society, and some of the best and brightest minds in the planning profession have made valuable contributions to this discourse.
    [Show full text]
  • Medical Reform
    MEDICAL REFORM Newsletter of the Medical Reform Group Issue 131 Volume 24, Number 2 Fall, 2004 YOUR MONEY AND YOUR LIFE: THE CONSEQUENCES OF INVESTOR OWNED PRIVATE FOR-PROFIT HEALTH CARE DELIVERY P.J. Devereaux hen discussing our health care Colombia, and the University at Buffalo care at private not-for-profit hospitals.1 system it is important to have come together to undertake research Our findings suggested if we were to Wdistinguish between funding to directly inform this debate. Our goal convert our Canadian hospitals to (who pays for our health care) and is to move the debate away from investor-owned private for-profit delivery (who owns and runs our health ideology and make it evidence-based. institutions, we would incur more than care facilities). Currently, hospital services In a previous edition of the Newsletter 2100 additional deaths a year in Canada. in Canada are publicly funded– we pay of the Medical Reform Group (Issue This number of deaths is in the range of through our taxes. In terms of delivery, 124, volume 22, Number 3, Winter, how many Canadians die each year from although commonly referred to as public 2003) I reported the results of our first colorectal cancer, motor vehicle accidents, institutions, Canadian hospitals are almost two studies that were published in the or suicide. all private not-for-profit institutions Canadian Medical Association Journal Our second study included data on owned and operated by communities, (CMAJ) and the Journal of the American more that 500,000 patients followed for religious organizations, and regional Medical Association (JAMA).
    [Show full text]
  • Bulletin 23 April 9
    PLEASE POST, COPY, DISTRIBUTE The Consumer/Survivor Information Resource Centre Distributed through generous support from Queen Street Division of CAMH (Centre for Addiction & Mental Health) BULLETIN Information for consumer/survivors of the mental health system, those who serve us, and those who care about us. March 15 th , 2005 Bulletin 296 C/S INFO CENTRE DROP-IN HOURS: 1-4 Monday-Thursday. PHONE HOURS: 9-5 Monday-Friday LOCATION: 252 College Street, 3rd Floor, Toronto, ON MAILING ADDRESS: c/o CAMH, 250 College Street, Toronto, ON M5T 1R8 TEL: 416 595-2882 FAX: 416 595-0291 E-MAIL: [email protected] Table of Contents The “Hands off!” Campaign was officially launched at a news conference at Queen's Park by the Hands OFF!! Income Security Advocacy Centre (ISAC). The campaign aims to convince the Ontario Government to Page 1 abolish the clawback of the National Child Benefit Supplement (NCBS) on families on social assistance. Newsbytes In 2003, as leader of the opposition, Dalton McGuinty stated that the Liberal party would eliminate the Page 2 & 3 clawback of the NCBS from families on social assistance by the end of its first mandate. While the federal government provides about $122 per child through the child benefit supplement to help low- Announcements income families raise their children, the government of Ontario deducts that amount ("claws it back") Pages 3 - 6 from the cheques of families on social assistance, so that family income does not increase. What would be the effect of ending the clawback? It would be huge: 49 per cent of families receiving Poem by food from Toronto's Daily Bread Food Bank reported that the extra $122 a month per child would mean Lucy Edwards they would not have to depend on food-bank handouts.
    [Show full text]
  • Breaking Boundaries: Time to Think and Act Like a Region
    CivicAction – Breaking Boundaries: Time to Think and Act Like a Region CivicAction is a multi-sectoral coalition of thousands of civic leaders committed to acting collectively to tackle tough issues and big opportunities facing the Greater Toronto region. CivicAction’s Greater Toronto Summits bring leaders from all walks of life together to assess the region’s strengths and challenges and to identify priority areas and opportunities for attention. In the periods between Summits, CivicAction takes a role in incubating innovative initiatives designed to galvanize action in these priority areas. CivicAction’s current initiatives are aimed at: making the Greater Toronto region flourish through environmental action and innovation (Greening Greater Toronto – greeninggreatertoronto.ca); creating a leadership landscape that better reflects the region’s diversity (DiverseCity: The Greater Toronto Leadership Project, in partnership with Maytree – diversecitytoronto.ca); and connecting and supporting rising city-builders (the Emerging Leaders Network – elnonline.ca). 110 Yonge Street, Suite 1900 Toronto, ON, M6C 1T6 Tel: (416) 309-4480 www.civicaction.ca Follow CivicAction online Twitter: CivicActionGTA YouTube: CivicActionGTA Published by CivicAction in July 2011 in electronic and print versions. Copyright © 2011 CivicAction. Reproduction of this document by printing, photocopying or electronic means for non-commercial purposes is permitted. Otherwise, it is not permitted to store or transmit the electronic version of this report, nor to print, scan or photocopy any paper version for dissemination or commercial use, without the prior permission of the publisher. Researchers and commentators may quote from this document without charge provided they cite the author (CivicAction), title and the publishers when they acknowledge the source of the material quoted.
    [Show full text]
  • Medicare: Facts, Myths, Problems, Promise
    Medicare: Facts, Myths, Problems, Promise Medicare: Facts, Myths, Problems, Promise Edited by Bruce Campbell and Greg Marchildon James Lorimer & Company Ltd., Publishers Toronto Copyright © 2007 by Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photo-copying, or by any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writ- ing from the publisher. James Lorimer & Company Ltd. acknowledges the support of the Ontario Arts Council.We acknowledge the support of the Government of Canada through the Book Publishing Industry Development Program (BPIDP) for our pub- lishing activities.We acknowledge the support of the Canada Council for the Arts for our publishing program.We acknowledge the support of the Govern- ment of Ontario through the Ontario Media Development Corporation’s Ontario Book Initiative. Cover design: Kate Moore National Library of Canada Cataloguing in Publication / Edited by Bruce Campbell and Greg Marchildon Includes bibliographic references and index. James Lorimer & Company Ltd., Publishers 317 Adelaide Street West, Suite #1002 Toronto, Ontario M5V 1P9 www.lorimer.ca Printed and bound in Canada. CONTENTS Preface: Bruce Campbell and Greg Marchildon 9 Part I:Tommy Douglas’Vision and the Future of Medicare 1. SOS Medicare:A (Cautionary) Tale of Two Conferences 19 Shirley Douglas 2. The Struggle — at Home and in the World — for Health Care as a Human Right 25 Stephen Lewis 3. The Douglas Legacy and the Future of Medicare 36 Greg Marchildon 4. Fulfilling the Douglas/Lloyd Vision 42 Allan E. Blakeney 5.
    [Show full text]
  • A State of the Art Review of Income Security Reform in Canada
    IDRC tib. 4 0 i ao Working Series Paper #4 A State of the Art Review of Income Security Reform in Canada Jane Pulkingham Simon Fraser University and Gordon Ternowetsky University of Northern British Columbia This document is disseminated as part of a Working Paper Series of IDRC's Assessment of Social Policy Reforms (ASPR) Programme Initiative. ASPR draws on the knowledge and experience of a wide variety of experts. Documents made available through the Working Paper Series are intended to contribute to the debate around ASPR's areas of research. The views expressed in this paper are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect those of the International Development Research Centre or ASPR. IDRC/CRDI Ottawa, Canada April, 1998 INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT RESEARCH CENTRE Ottawa / Cairo / Johannesburg / Montevideo / Nairobi / New Delhi / Singapore Ak.Gf r 3 t 2 "= 1 PREFACE A State of the Art Review: Income Security Reform in Canada INTRODUCTION In both the North and South today, in the context of broader social policy reform trends, increasing attention is being devoted to the revision of social security systems. Globalization, demographic shifts, employment trends and growing poverty underlie a re-examination of the capacity of these systems to protect the basic welfare of societies. Moreover, these reforms are occurring in the context of neo-liberal adjustment and conservative fiscal strategies. Whether in developing or OECD countries, social security systems-- encompassing pension programs, social assistance plans, income support programs and social transfers-- are being considered in light of growing concerns with the limited capacities of states, pre-occupations with affordability and sustainability, a preference for the allocative efficiency of the market, and ideologies which delegate greater responsibility for social welfare to communities and individuals.
    [Show full text]
  • Corporate Tax Reform Issues and Prospects for Canada by Robin Boadway & Jean-François Tremblay
    Corporate Tax Reform Issues and Prospects for Canada by RobIn boadway & Jean-FRançoIs TRemblay MOWAT RESEARCH #88 APRIL 2014 | MOWATCENTRE.CA acknowledgements The authors would like to thank Matthew Mendelsohn for the general direction he provided and Leslie Cooke for invaluable drafting advice. advisory Panel The authors would like to thank the members of the advisory panel of this paper for their thoughtful and insightful comments. Their advice strengthened the paper significantly. The authors alone are responsible for the content and their recommendations in this report. Arthur Cockfield, Professor, Faculty of Law, Queen’s University Laura Jones, CEO, Executive Vice President, Canadian Federation of Independent Business Alex Himelfarb, Director, Glendon School of Public and International Affairs, York University Winston Woo, Director of Tax, Pensions and Government Programs, AGS Automotive Systems Paul Berg-Dick, Consulting Economist (Taxation), MEKA and Associates Mike Moffatt, Assistant Professor, Business, Economics, and Public Policy, Ivey School of Business, Western University Peter Van Dijk, Senior Vice President, Tax, TD Bank Group Armine Yalnizyan, Senior Economist, Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives author Info Robin boadway Jean-François Tremblay Robin Boadway is Emeritus Professor of Economics at Queen’s University. Jean-François Tremblay is an associate Originally from Saskatchewan, he studied at Royal Military College, Oxford professor in the Department of Economics University and Queen’s University, and has spent his academic career at at the University of Ottawa. He specializes Queen’s. His research interests are in public economics and policy, and fiscal is public finance and his main areas of federalism. He is past Editor of the Journal of Public Economics and Canadian research are taxation theory and policy, Journal of Economics, and Past President of the International Institute of Public fiscal federalism, and economic growth.
    [Show full text]
  • Speakers Biographies
    Speakers Biographies Note: publications or organizations that are underlined are hyper-linked. Sarah Anderson Sarah Anderson is Director of Global Economy with the Institute for Policy Studies in Washington DC. Her current work includes research, writing, and networking on issues related to the impact of international trade, finance, and investment policies on inequality, sustainability, and human rights. Sarah is a well-known expert on executive compensation, and has co-authored several books. Sarah has also been a consultant to the U.S. Agency for International Development (1989-1992) and an editor for the Deutsche Presse-Agentur (1988). She holds a Masters in International Affairs from The American University and a BA in Journalism from Northwestern University. Sheila Block Sheila Block is Director of Economic Analysis at the Wellesley Institute. Her experience and background include work as Research Director at the Ontario Federation of Labour, and a decade in the Steelworkers’ research department. She has also worked as a political advisor and public servant in the Ontario government. Sheila is a research associate with the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives. She recently wrote the CCPA Report on Countdown to Zero: Balancing Toronto's Budget. She has an Honours B.A. in Economics from the University of British Columbia, and a Master’s degree in Economics from the University of Toronto. Michael Bradfield Michael Bradfield is with Nova Scotians for Tax Fairness. He is a retired Economics Professor from Dalhousie University, Halifax, and one of the authors of the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives Nova Scotia Alternative Budget. Neil Brooks Professor Neil Brooks has taught tax law and policy at Osgoode Hall Law School for over 35 years and is the Director of the Graduate Program in Taxation.
    [Show full text]
  • Document Title
    Alternative Federal Budget RECOVERY PLAN July 2020 ISBN 978-1-77125-513-4 This report is available free of charge at www.policyalternatives.ca. PleaSe make a doNatIoN... Help us to continue to offer our publications free online. With your support we can continue to produce high quality research — and make sure it gets into the hands of citizens, journalists, policy makers and progressive organizations. Visit www.policyalternatives.ca or call 613-563-1341 for more information. The CCPA is an independent policy research organization. This report has been subjected to peer review and meets the research standards of the Centre. The opinions and recommendations in this report, and any errors, are those of the authors, and do not necessarily reflect the views of the funders of this report. 4 Acknowledgments 7 Introduction 10 Macroeconomic recovery 16 Tax fairness 23 Affordable housing and homelessness 29 Agriculture 35 Arts and culture 39 Child care 45 Cities and infrastructure 50 Climate change, just transition, and industrial strategy 55 Disability 66 Employment insurance 72 First Nations 77 Food security 81 Gender equality 90 Health care 96 Immigration 101 International assistance 107 Nonprofits and charities 113 Post-secondary education 118 Poverty 125 Public services 130 Racial equality 135 Recognition, justice, and development for Black Canadians 142 Seniors’ care 147 Trade and industrial strategy 153 Water 158 Youth Acknowledgments The Alternative Federal Budget Recovery Plan is an offshoot of the Alternative Federal Budget project, now in its 25th year. The project is a unique Canadian collaboration rooted in social justice values—like human dignity and freedom, fairness, equality, solidarity, environmental sustainability, and the public good—and a strong belief in the power of participatory democracy.
    [Show full text]
  • Invitation to Attend the CSLS Seminar Series on Living Standards
    Invitation to Attend the CSLS Seminar Series on Living Standards The Changing Nature of Work and Paths to the Future Armine Yalnizyan 4:00-5:30 PM Tuesday, February 19, 2019 Karsh Room, Rideau Club 99 Bank Street, 15th floor Ottawa, Ontario (please note that the Rideau Club dress code requires men to wear a jacket) To attend, please RSVP by February 15, 2019 to [email protected]. Talk about the future of work, and one’s imagination quickly drifts to robots and high tech. But labour markets are also deeply etched by long-term socio-economic trends. The interplay of these forces creates both familiar and new tensions as they reshape workers’ lives, and a nation’s future with them. Recent calls for “inclusive growth” by the IMF, World Bank and OECD hint at the challenges ahead. Can we improve the status quo despite slowing growth, aging populations, climate change, geopolitical flux and automation? What happens if we don’t? The year 2019 – the centenary of the International Labour Organization and an election year in Canada – is poised to trigger debate and hard choices about what future we are preparing for. Armine Yalnizyan will explore how historic momentum and digital disruptions could define the workplace in Canada in the early 21st century and discuss implications for public policy. Armine Yalnizyan is Senior Economic Policy Advisor to the Deputy Minister of Employment and Social Development Canada, and President of the Canadian Association for Business Economics. She became a leading voice on the Canadian economic scene through her weekly business commentaries on CBC radio and CBC TV from 2011 to 2018.
    [Show full text]