The Dominion - Mark Parker

Report Examines Low New Brunswick Social Assistance Benefits

Fri, 21 Jan 2005 03:04:56 +0000

A recent report from the School of Social Work at the University of Moncton shows that people relying on social assistance in New Brunswick have lower incomes and spend much more of their incomes on housing compared to those on social assistance in other Canadian provinces.

The report, authored by Chantal Bourassa and Ysabel Provencher, concludes that in all categories studied – single employable, single with disability, single with one child, and a couple with two children – New Brunswickers on social assistance receive incomes substantially lower than other provinces.

For example, a single employable person in New Brunswick received a mere $3,383 in 2003. In Quebec, Ontario, and British Columbia, this figure was anywhere between $6,000 and $7,000. For this category, the "low income cutoff" (the "poverty line") is $13,558. The single employable person therefore reaches only 25 per cent of this figure. Other categories fare slightly better, as a couple with two children hits the high level at 80 per cent of their poverty line.

Perhaps the most shocking figures in the report concern the percentage of social assistance benefits that go towards housing. A single employable person simply cannot afford housing, as the average rent for a bachelor or one-room apartment in any New Brunswick city far exceeds the monthly assistance.

The report also reminds that working full-time at the New Brunswick minimum wage will still not get a person above the poverty line. For those on social assistance, the situation is much more grim. The authors call on the provincial government to raise the minimum wage and social assistance benefits in order to help people rise out of poverty.

» Mascaret Magazine: Wage and Welfare in New Brunswick

CCRC Demands Accountability from Canadian Banks

Sun, 12 Dec 2004 03:08:50 +0000

The Canadian Community Reinvestment Coalition (CCRC) has called on Finance Minister Ralph Goodale, Industry Minister David Emerson, and the entire federal Cabinet to require banks to prove that their business practices – which in a recent report earned the big six banks $13.3 billion in total profits – do not gouge the public. Some federal Liberals, such as Revenue Minister John McCallum, have raised concerns over this matter before, but the Liberals have forced very little change.

The CCRC is asking for more accountability within three main areas. First, they want the banks to disclose the profit/loss records of bank branches that have been closed in most often low-income communities in order to prove that the closures were justified. Second, it wants disclosure of the profit margin for credit card divisions so that the banks will be required to justify their high interest rates. Third, the CCRC wants to see the profit margin for each service division (in-branch, machine, telephone, and Internet banking).

In polls, 90 per cent of Canadians view banking as an essential service in Canada. However, other essential service companies such as those who deliver heating, electricity, and phone service are required by law to prove their prices are fair. The banks have no such accountability placed on them by the federal government, and the CCRC says that this must change.

» Canadian Community Reinvestment Coalition: Web Site

Millennium Development Goals Progressing Slowly

Mon, 29 Nov 2004 04:17:28 +0000

Aileen Carroll, Minister of International Cooperation, spoke to 1,400 people in Ottawa earlier this November in a speech entitled "The Millennium Development Goals – Moving From Consensus to Momentum."

In the speech, Carroll mentioned five of the eight Millennium Development Goals (MDGs): to eradicate extreme poverty and hunger; to achieve basic education all over the world; to reduce child mortality; to improve maternal health; and to form global partnerships for development.

Carroll stated that progress has been made in reaching the goals but then admitted, "At our current pace, we will not reach all of the MDGs in all regions before 2200." She then added that a major breakthrough is obviously needed, as the goals are intended to be met by 2015.

According to Carroll, the Canadian government is committed to an 8 per cent annual increase in international assistance. However, at this rate, Canada's internal goal of doubling assistance will not be achieved until 2010.

» South Asia Partnership Canada: The Millennium Development Goals - Moving from Concensus to Momentum

» United Nations: UN Millennium Development Goals

» The World Bank Group: Millennium Development Goals