Tag: basic income

Poverty in the Legislature

October 15, 2015 Member Statement by David Forbes  in the Legislature re the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty.
http://www.davidforbesmla.ca/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/MS-Forbes-International-Day-for-the-Eradication-of-Poverty-Oct-15-2015.pdf

David Forbes MLA and Donna Harpauer, Minister of Social Services, discuss a Poverty Reduction Strategy and Children Living in Poverty, November 26, 2015.
http://www.davidforbesmla.ca/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/Forbes-Poverty-Reduction-Strategy-and-Children-Living-in-Poverty-Nov-26-2014.pdf

The discussion about basic income continues

An article by Nathan Raine in the latest issue of Planet S Magazine discusses the potential for basic income pilot projects in Canada. After the Mincome experiment in Dauphin, MB was abandoned decades ago, the idea has resurfaced because of its potential to improve health, educational attainment, and reduce crime.

Simon Enoch (who has been involved with Poverty Free Saskatchewan’s steering committee) is quoted in the article. “One of the reasons why the guaranteed minimum income is coming back into vogue is that we increasingly see that people who work 40 hours a week aren’t making it,” says Enoch. “We’ve gotten to this low-wage economy, where some people are paid by the task instead of hour. So this would be a way to give a baseline floor to which no one would fall.”

Link to the Planet S article: http://www.planetsmag.com/story.php?id=1961

How Canada tried to eradicate poverty with guaranteed income

This article by Audrey Adam on the WLRN Public Radio website revisits some of the successes found with basic income experiments in Canada and the United States as Utrecht in the Netherlands makes news for starting a basic income program. The article mentions the famous “MINCOME” experiment, which took place in Dauphin, MB in the 1970’s. During the four years of Mincome, many positive effects were found, including an increase in high school graduation rates and a decrease in hospital utilization.

Link to article: http://wlrn.org/post/how-canada-tried-eradicate-poverty-guaranteed-income

CWP subsidies for Congress

Please note that the following is from the Canada Without Poverty list-serve – subscribe for useful information about poverty initiatives in Canada.

“Canada Without Poverty has funds to support the registration of up to 30 Congress attendees in low income, for whom the registration fee would be a barrier.  For those who wish to request the registration subsidy, please send a message to info (at) cwp-csp.ca with the subject line: Request for Subsidy for Registration to the North American Basic Income Congress.  In the body of your message please also provide a brief statement of your interest in the Congress.

Please note that we ask all persons receiving the subsidy to participate in a pre-Congress conference call on April 27th and a post-Congress conference call on May 11th.  In you statement of interest please identify your availability for both conference calls, to take place at 2:00pm Eastern for 90 minutes.

Please apply for the subsidy for the early registration fee by April 12th.  Thank you.

Rob Rainer

Executive Director / Directeur executif

CANADA WITHOUT POVERTY / CANADA SANS PAUVRETÉ

Honorary Directors / Directeurs honoraires

Right (Très) Hon. Joe Clark, Hon. Louise Arbour, Hon. Monique Bégin, Hon. Ed Broadbent, Ovide Mercredi

Ottawa office / Bureau d’Ottawa: @UnderOneRoof, 251 Bank Street, 2nd Floor, Ottawa, ON K2P 1X3; (613) 789-0096 (1-800-810-1076)

Vancouver office / Bureau de Vancouver: (604) 628-0525

Basic Income Canada Canada Congress

11th North American Basic Income Guarantee Congress

Thursday May 3, 2012

Ontario Institute for Studies in Education (OISE)
University of Toronto
252 Bloor Street West
Toronto, Ontario

More information from: Basic Income Canada Network

http://biencanada.ca/content/11th-north-american-basic-income-guarantee-congress-schedule

Concurrent session leaders include a number of speakers from Saskatchewan.

The 11th North American Basic Income Guarantee Congress will take place May 3-5, 2012 at the University of Toronto, on the theme of Putting Equality Back on the Agenda: Basic Income and Other Approaches to Economic Security for All.

While Canada, the United States, and many other OECD countries have grown increasingly unequal in recent years, equality has not been on the political agenda. Yet evidence shows that income inequality is accompanied by a range of significant negative consequences. Putting Equality Back on the Agenda will examine this growing trend of inequality and consider the option of a basic income to reduce economic disparity.

Featured speakers will include:

Richard Wilkinson, Professor Emeritus of Social Epidemiology at the University of Nottingham Medical School and co-author of The Spirit Level: Why More Equal Societies Almost Always Do Better;

Charles Karelis, Research Professor of Philosophy at The George Washington University and Author of The Persistence of Poverty: Why the Economics of the Well-Off Can’t Help the Poor;

Erik Olin Wright, Department of Sociology, University of Wisconsin – Madison, author of Envisioning Real Utopias, and American Society: How it Actually Works;

Armine Yalnizyan, Senior Economist with the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives;

John Rook, Chair of the National Council of Welfare and CEO of Potential Place Society;

Evelyn Forget, Professor, University of Manitoba Faculty of Medicine;

Trish Hennessey, Director of Strategic Issues for the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives; and

Dan Meades, Director, Vibrant Communities Calgary.

The North American Basic Income Guarantee Congress is a joint Conference of the U.S. and Canadian Basic Income Guarantee Networks. It takes place in Canada and the United States on alternating years.  Scholars, service providers, policy makers, and others are invited to register. Presentations will address the following topics:

What are the costs of economic disparity (economic, social and political)?

What are the implications for pursuing (or not pursuing) basic income options?

What are possible models for generating revenue to sustain a basic income and what are their implications for economic disparity?

What are the practical issues for implementing a basic income policy and what are their implications for economic disparity?

What communication and engagement strategies are necessary to raise awareness about economic disparity and basic income in the public sphere?

You may register for the event at: http://www.regonline.com/Register/Checkin.aspx?EventID=1037653

Please note that we would like you to try to preregister for each session. Preregistration is simply to give the organizers an idea of the numbers we can roughly expect for each session.

If you do not have a credit card, then you can mail your registration contact information along with a check, payable to “Canada Without Poverty.” Please mail your payment before April 15th, 2012 to:

Attention: Kizzy Paris

Canada Without Poverty (CWP)

@UnderOneRoof

251 Bank Street, 2nd Floor

Ottawa, Ontario K2P 1X3

Tel: 613-789-0096 or 1-800-810-1076

DEADLINE FOR EARLY REGISTRATION FEE: APRIL 15th, 2012 Costs for per person registration are as follows, a registration fee ($3.95) and taxes will be added to your final amount:

$150 for Private, Corporate, University, and Government Registration $ 90 for Not-for-Profit Registration $ 40 for Low income, students, and seniors (No fee places available for persons living in poverty – contact CWP for details)

Registration after April 15th is $200 (Private/Corporate); $150 (Non-for-Profit); and $50 (Low Income, students, and seniors). Registration must occur prior to the event.