The Latest

Ten things to know about the CPP debate

This article originally appeared on Behind the Numbers on October 27, 2016 by Allan Moscovitch, Richard Lochead and Nick Falvo, and is re-published here with permission.

This fall, Canada’s Parliament will debate a recent proposal to expand the Canada Pension Plan (CPP).[1] 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:

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Living Wage Week in Canada, 2016: Engaging Businesses

October 31st - November 6th marks the annual Living Wage Week in Canada for 2016.

This is a week where living wage organizers celebrate employers in their role of providing staff with liveable wages, and support them to raise awareness about what a living wage is, as well as the benefits of paying one.

There are now living wage rates calculated in 53 communities across Canada. Of which, 26 are linked to Cities Reducing Poverty comprehensive poverty reduction initiatives, an increase of five in the past year, with even more communities in the process of researching or developing a living wage campaign.

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A Neighbourhood-Based Effort in Parkdale, Toronto

On Oct 27, Deepening Community and Vibrant Communties Canada co-hosted our first session of the webinar cross-over series: Neighbourhood-Based Strategies that Reduce Poverty. This session featured The Parkdale People's Economy Project with special guests: Victor Willis and Nancy Henderson.

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Parkdale and the People’s Economy Project: Highlights of a CCI Study Tour

On Wednesday, September 29th, Approximately 30 individuals attending the Tamarack Community Change Conference filed onto a bus to travel to Toronto’s vibrant Parkdale neighbourhood for an innovations in poverty reduction workshop and walking tour. 

Our first stop on the tour was the Parkdale Activity Recreation Centre (PARC), where we were greeted by Executive Director, Victor Ellis. PARC was the ultimate host and starting place for the tour, considering the pivotal support it has given over the last 30+ to the neighbourhood’s high proportion of low-income and marginalized residents.

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Sharing Stories of Success: From The Winnipeg Poverty Reduction Council - A Focus on Youth Employment

About the Council

The Winnipeg Poverty Reduction Council (WPRC) is a multi-sectoral table comprised of 35-40 local leaders representing all sectors of our community including business, government, health, education, labour, faith, the Indigenous community and non-profit community organizations. 

The Council, which meets regularly throughout the year, was established by United Way of Winnipeg in 2007 based on a collective desire to address the underlying causes of poverty and the thinking that no one sector alone can successfully address the complexities of poverty reduction. Council members came together committed to working collectively to engage the community, deepen their understanding of the issues, and pursue opportunities for innovative solutions and systems change.  

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Exploring Poverty Reduction Game Changers with VC Canada Members

We Are Looking for Your Ideas 

Help make this innovative approach work! Ideas and suggestions from Cities Reducing Poverty members and broader learners of the Vibrant Communities Canada network are critical to developing a solid foundation in which to identify key levers that have large impacts on poverty reduction. 

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