Welcome to our modified March/April 2020 edition of the Cities Reducing Poverty Policy Digest. This edition includes a section related to the initial phase of national COVID-19 news releases, policies and resources. Tune in for more updates in May as policy and responses continue to evolve and we focus on national, provincial/territorial and city updates.
Check out some top sources that are regularly updated on COVID-19 below: FCM’s resource library, the Broadbent Institute’s resource and response centre and the Canadian Urban Institute’s City Watch Canada.
Major National COVID-19 Policy Updates:
- Canada unveils $82 billion Economic Response Plan and continues to tweak it
- Statistics Canada releases Labour Force Survey for March 2020 – not ‘business as usual’
- Canadian’s petitioned for an Emergency Basic Income and leaders responded with the Canada Emergency Response Benefit
- Parliament adopts a COVID-19 Wage Subsidy Bill
- Announcement of supports for vulnerable Canadians including those experiencing homelessness, children and seniors
- Government funding for vulnerable seniors as part of New Horizons for Seniors Program
- Canadian Health Coalition joint statement on COVID-19 and Public Health Care to uphold foundational principles of equity and compassion
- Prime Minister announces support for national, regional and local organizations to help support people and communities experiencing food insecurity
- Help for charities rolling out
- An early analysis national comparison of COVID responses across Canada
Policy Resources and Perspectives related to COVID-19:
Federation for Canadian Municipalities –
- COVID-19 Resources for Municipalities includes Government of Canada, provincial and territorial responses along with announcements of income supports by province and territory
Maytree Foundation –
- Opinion: Setting a Precedent
Broadbent Institute –
- Regularly updated resources and responses related to the crisis
- Economic Costs of COVID-19
- Financing the War against COVID-19
- Emergency Benefits : Who’s included, who’s left out, and the role of provinces
Centre for Policy Alternatives –
- Early Social and Economic Analysis with further analysis here
- Report: Canadian workforce unevenly protected
- Report: Financial Security and COVID-19
- Women bearing the brunt of economic losses
- Labour Market Impacts
- Many of the most Undervalued workers have become most valuable now
Canadian Urban Institute - Building Urban Resilience
- City Watch Canada - tracking emergency response measures put in place by local governments
- City Share Canada – real time platform for resources, tools and stories on how city builders and residents are responding
Homeless Hub –
- Responding to Homelessness in the Context of the Coronavirus Pandemic
Canadian Alliance to End Homelessness –
- Women’s National Housing and Homelessness Network Call to Action
Angus Reid –
- Impact on economy and personal finances, among Coronavirus Concerns of the pandemic; most vulnerable and on low-income being affected the worst
- Survey Incidence of COVID-19 Infection reinforces need for social distancing policy
Other recent policy news:
National Policy:
- Canada's Official Poverty Dashboard shows a reduction in poverty rate for the period from 2015-2018
- Statement by Prime Minister on taking action on the UN’s Social Development Goals at home and abroad and Statement by Minister of Families, Children and Social Development on Canada's progress
- Canadian Income Survey 2018 data show official poverty rate decline and how Canada’s work is supporting global Sustainable Development Goals
- Prime Minister announces more than 1 million Canadians lifted out of poverty and credits supportive policies with these improvements; and continue to be responsive to the current crisis to ensure this progress is not eroded
- Motion passed in House of Commons for Universal Pharmacare
- Editorial: Canada’s two-tiered health system and persisting inequities
- Tax Policy Trends : The Merits of Automatic Income Tax Assessments for Low- Income Canadians
- Report on the second comprehensive review of the Market Basket Measure
- Canadian income inequality is shrinking, connected to policies for low-income earners
- The National Right to Housing Network launched in February and now has over 215 partner organizations
- Debate on transit affordability: Free Public Transit in Canada
By Province and Territory:
Alberta:
- The Edmonton Social Planning Council releases its 2020 Alberta Provincial Budget Fact Sheet
- Opinion: Ending Child Poverty is a moral obligation
- Change in Assured Income for the Severely Handicapped payment dates for low income bus passes could hurt some recipients more than others
British Columbia:
- Lieutenant Governor releases Speech from the Throne
- BC budget 2020 takes an overcautious fiscal approach and BC can do much more; missed opportunities for social and environmental investments
- BC child poverty rate is falling, according to Stats Can but BC Poverty Reduction Minister recognizes more needs to be done
Manitoba:
- Six Ideas for Manitoba’s Budget to End Poverty
- Advocating for a provincial Universal Child Care system
- Calls for a Universal Breakfast program get rejected, raising tension between parental and state responsibility
New Brunswick:
- New Brunswick’s Economic and Social Inclusion Corporation releases the new 5-year Poverty Reduction strategy with a target of reducing poverty by 50% in 10 years
- Premier issues call to action with State of Province speech
- Social Assistance rates going up for the first time in six years, but advocates say they don’t go far enough
Newfoundland and Labrador:
- Newfoundland and Labrador health spending on target but it’s not all good news
Nova Scotia:
- Province’s minimum wage rising to $12.55 in April
- Nova Scotia encouraging more doctors to practice in rural areas by providing educational opportunities in rural communities
- Amendments proposed to Labour Standards Code to address the gender wage gap
- Largest single investment in homelessness prevention as part of the Action Plan to Address Homelessness and amends Housing Act to gain authority to portable housing benefit to families directly, as part of the National Poverty Reduction Strategy
- Investments in several programs and supports for seniors to age positively in the community
Northwest Territories:
- Market Basket Measure reveals the cost to meet basic needs can vary widely across communities
Nunavut:
- Northern Ministers join forces to tackle housing crisis
- Nunavut children experience highest poverty rate: Report
- Education authority looks at feasibility of lunch program for all students
Ontario:
- Consultations still open for Ontario’s poverty reduction strategy until April 30, 2020
- Mental Health Centre for Excellence Act is created – a provincial agency to oversee the mental health and addictions strategy, mental health services, and monitor how the system is working
- Provincial Policy Statement to provide more decision-making authority to municipalities to address affordable housing challenges
- Ontario pilots outsource Employment Service administration to private companies
- Changes to social assistance could be detrimental
Prince Edward Island:
- Housing shortage continues on P.E.I. despite another record construction year
- E.I. looking for Islanders to champion sustainable energy projects
Québec:
- The province’s minimum wage minimum wage is set to increase to $13.10/hour as of May 1st
- Quebec reporting success in moving more under-represented people into jobs under the Employment Integration Contract as well as a reduction in social assistance recipients and increase in the employment program
- Quebec supporting innovative solutions to help local entrepreneurs to succeed amidst changing labour market conditions
- Grant funding announced for several projects combatting poverty across Quebec, as part of the province’s Social Initiatives Fund
Saskatchewan:
- Investments in Enhanced Career Bridging programs support job seekers in transitioning to the workforce
- Province funds three new energy innovators as part of Innovation Saskatchewan
- New distracted driver fines disproportionately affect people in poverty
Yukon Territory:
- Yukon’s non-profit sector is booming, but for the better?
- What would happen if transit was free?
Policy Resources and Perspectives:
Federation for Canadian Municipalities
- Federal budget an opportunity to build better lives for Canadians with investments in clean public transit, housing affordability and infrastructure for communities
- Climate adaptation estimated to cost municipalities $5.3 annually
Maytree
- What poverty advocates should know about the updated Market Basket Measure
- A plan for Retirement for social sector workers solution: the Common Good Retirement Plan
Centre for Policy Alternatives
- High Childcare Fees persist across the country with great variation
- Study: Access to Subsidized Assisted Living dropping as for-profit companies focus on more lucrative private pay market in BC
Homeless Hub
- 3 most promising policy approaches to prevent homelessness
- New: Women's National Housing and Homelessness Network
- Guide: Jntegrating Affordable Housing Options into services traditionally focused on Emergency Shelter
United Way Canada
- Why more and more businesses are becoming social purpose companies
- How 211’s data-sharing is transforming social services in Canada
Upstream
- Inequality and its impact on mental wellbeing
In the News for Cities:
- Powell River council has authorized city to complete a regional poverty reduction plan
- Saskatoon opens housing project for families with disabilities
- Ottawa funding overhaul for non-profits
- Toronto mayor acknowledges the complexity of homelessness issue in the city
- Niagara and Hamilton poverty reduction organizations concerned over reforms to employment services in the regions
- Oxford council adopts a 100% Housed commitment and pursues strategy to address the full continuum of housing
- Moncton gets funding from province for affordable housing units for adults with physical disabilities
- St John's pilot program to provide bus passes for income support recipients
