Behind The Numbers

The year as we saw it: Ten charts that defined Ontario in 2016

Behind The Numbers — Thu, 22 Dec 2016 14:05:10 +0000

The experts at the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives' Ontario office have been tracking economic developments in Ontario throughout the year. Some problems persist: the gender pay gap, social assistance poverty, the use of expensive payday loans as a last resort because traditional banks fail to serve low-income customers as well as they should.

Some things are shifting. For instance, in some pockets of Ontario, the employment rate has been on the rise. Oshawa, Windsor and Sudbury are the beneficiaries in that department. More attention needs to be paid, however, to job growth in London, Barrie, Guelph, St. Catharines, Kingston, Peterborough and Toronto.

Here are 10 charts that helped define the state of income, work, and the role of government in 2016.

Growth spurt: What skyrocketing child-care fees mean for families

Behind The Numbers — Thu, 15 Dec 2016 13:50:28 +0000

It's no surprise -- to anyone with even a modest awareness of the subject -- that child care is expensive.

But when we released our recent report (A Growing Concern: 2016 child care fees in Canada's big cities), what did raise some eyebrows was the speed and intensity with which fees have increased over the past two years: on the whole, far more than we (and probably most others) expected.

Canada's most vulnerable people are being denied access to banking services

Behind The Numbers — Wed, 07 Dec 2016 14:52:03 +0000

Income inequality is mounting in Canada, making an already inexcusable wealth gulf worse.

And with wealth comes privilege -- especially in Canadian banking.

Low-income residents of Canada face a significant double standard when it comes to accessing banking services despite urgently wanting them, according to a survey of 268 ACORN Canada members, whose findings were published today by the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives' Ontario office.

The survey results show many have been denied access to very basic banking services -- such as cheque cashing or overdraft protection -- from traditional banks.

When will we address Canada's sexual assault problem?

Behind The Numbers — Tue, 06 Dec 2016 14:30:57 +0000

It is more dangerous to be a woman than a man in Canada today.

The most recent survey of violent victimization in the country found that women are now more likely to be victims of violent crime than are men. And the reason is this: while most violent crime has declined over the past decade in Canada, one violent crime has not: sexual assault. Because women make up the majority of victims of sexual assault (87 per cent), they are not sharing in the benefits of declining crime rates.

Every December 6, we remember the women who lost their lives in the brutal and targeted attack at École Polytechnique. We say their names aloud. We remember, so that the violence will not be repeated.

Have we learned from the past?

Ontario housing affordability promises are symbolic, not necessarily effective

Behind The Numbers — Thu, 17 Nov 2016 15:02:33 +0000

In his fall economic update, Ontario's Minister of Finance Charles Sousa promised relief to homebuyers, but is it enough to cool rising housing costs in hot markets like Toronto?

The economic statement changed the existing land transfer tax rates listed below that were set in 1989. The changes include increasing the rebate on the land transfer tax from a maximum of $2,000 to $4,000. It also takes into account the reality of skyrocketing home prices by increasing the tax rate on homes above $2 million to 2.5 per cent.

Whither the Crown corporation? The semantics of privatization

Behind The Numbers — Thu, 03 Nov 2016 13:36:25 +0000

The Saskatchewan government's recent legislative efforts to define what is -- and what is not -- "privatization," has left us all floundering in a game of useless semantics. Does the sale of a 49 per cent stake in a provincial Crown corporation constitute "privatization?" Or is it merely "partial privatization?" Can something only be "partially privatized?"

CETA has been signed, but less likely to be ratified after Wallonian resistance

Behind The Numbers — Wed, 02 Nov 2016 13:32:18 +0000

A week of pressure from four Belgian regions opposed to CETA, led by the courageous Walloons, produced a revised "joint interpretive instrument" and, importantly, a new list of conditions that must be met before Belgium can ratify the deal.

Ten things to know about the federal pension debate

Behind The Numbers — Tue, 01 Nov 2016 16:41:57 +0000

This fall, Canada's Parliament will debate a recent proposal to expand the Canada Pension Plan (CPP). Indeed, since the 2008-2009 world financial crisis, Canada has witnessed a renewed public debate on the CPP. Two factors have prompted this. First, as a result of the crisis, employer-sponsored pension plans lost substantial value. Second, partly in response to this loss in value, many employers either reduced their pension coverage or stopped offering them to workers altogether.

With all of the above in mind, here are 10 things to know about the CPP:

Wallonia's inspiring stand on CETA

Behind The Numbers — Fri, 28 Oct 2016 14:16:53 +0000

This week the regional government of Wallonia in Belgium rebuffed Canada's last-minute efforts to salvage a deeply flawed and increasingly unpopular transatlantic free trade agreement. By standing firm under incredible pressure (and a considerable amount of bullying), First Minister Paul Magnette gave a voice to millions of citizens who feel the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) fails to represent their interests.

Boosting minimum wages, boosting the economy from the bottom up

Behind The Numbers — Thu, 20 Oct 2016 18:18:09 +0000

Across the nation, talk of minimum wages and their impact is always the stuff of vigorous debate. This month it was the focus of an episode of CBC Radio's Cross Country Checkup with new host Duncan McCue from 4-6 p.m. EST. I was asked to kick off the discussion, which was both rich with experience and nuanced with different perspective. It's available here, in case you missed it.

Real health care would be maintaining wellness, not treating illness

Behind The Numbers — Tue, 11 Oct 2016 13:05:02 +0000

When people die of disease, they are said to have died from natural causes. When they recover, the doctor gets the credit of curing them.
-- George Bernard Shaw.

This may be an apocryphal tale, but a city in ancient China is purported to have had a public health-care system that was the reverse of ours. Physicians were paid a monthly fee for each of their patients as long as the patients remained in good health. When a patient became ill, the fee was suspended.

In that genuine health-care system, the doctor's main incentive was to keep patients well. So the emphasis was on scheduling frequent visits and tests; monitoring nutrition, exercise and other essential factors; and promoting the healthiest possible lifestyle.

Nova Scotia and carbon tax: Build on early actions, prepare for our green future

Behind The Numbers — Fri, 07 Oct 2016 13:06:06 +0000

The government of Nova Scotia isn't happy with the federal government's carbon pricing plan. The Nova Scotia Environment Minister walked out of a federal-provincial meeting, and the Premier is asking the feds to recognize earlier reduction efforts.

Canada-EU trade deal will result in job losses, lower wages and worse inequality

Behind The Numbers — Thu, 29 Sep 2016 14:42:37 +0000

In Europe people are protesting the proposed Canada-EU Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA). They are the latest in a series of massive, anti-free trade actions, including a 150,000-strong demonstration in Berlin last October. Earlier this month, German activists launched a constitutional challenge against CETA with 125,000 signatures.

Household debt is far too high -- and why it's going to go higher still

Behind The Numbers — Tue, 27 Sep 2016 15:36:52 +0000

When the National Balance Sheet came out this month, the media focused on how the record-high household debt-to-GDP ratio is now above 100 per cent, the implication being that households should pay down that debt... somehow. This is far from the full story. We need to look at the broader debt picture across all sectors.

Tiering up over tuition fees

Behind The Numbers — Wed, 21 Sep 2016 17:27:27 +0000

This fall, tuition fees in Canada are set to increase by 2.8 per cent to a weighted average of $6,373. That's a smaller increase than in previous years, but (as always) averages can mask some important details: in this case, the plethora of options provinces are pursuing to address the optics of rising tuition fees, and what that looks like on paper (and on balance sheets). (Note that these figures do not include additional compulsory fees which are much more deregulated and can add anywhere from $250 to $1,000 to the total annual cost, depending on the university you attend and the program in which you're enrolled.)

Ten things to know about Canada's national housing strategy consultations

Behind The Numbers — Tue, 20 Sep 2016 15:37:18 +0000

Canada's federal government has begun national consultations on the development of a "national housing strategy." The government is expected to release a report on November 22, which is also National Housing Day. The consultation website is called "Let's Talk Housing." It includes the consultation's stated vision, principles, themes, intended outcomes and key dates.

Here are 10 things to know:

1. In Canada, social expenditure by government-- measured as a percentage of GDP -- is considerably less than the OECD average.

Ontario payday loan reforms: A drop in the bucket

Behind The Numbers — Tue, 06 Sep 2016 19:13:11 +0000