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  Together for Vanier: Crime Prevention Ottawa Sparks Change
Ensemble pour Vanier : Prévention du crime Ottawa provoque du changement

In 2006, Crime Prevention Ottawa began a community development project in Ottawa’s downtown Vanier neighbourhood.  Rich in history, community organizations and concerned residents, Vanier has exp...

Anne Makhoul, Jun 2009    

Ontario Poverty Conference

The release of Ontario’s first comprehensive anti-poverty strategy makes now the ideal time for community leaders from across Ontario to come together and be inspired by the stories and experiences fr...

, Jun 2009     $ 0.00

VCSJ Framework for Change: Taking the Work to the Next Level

Vibrant Communities convener organizations prepare a ‘framework for change’ upon which they can build their poverty reduction efforts.  Vibrant Communities Saint John (VCSJ) completed its first f...

Eric Leviten-Reid and Anne Makhoul, May 2009    

Saint John Neighbourhood Assistants Inspire Hope

Community engagement begins when people respond to a well-delivered invitation.  Vibrant Communities Saint John Neighbourhood Assistants now act as personal ambassadors of programs, events and ne...

Anne Makhoul, May 2009    

Economic, Social, and Civic Opportunities for All: Vibrant Abbotsford

Rapid population growth, lower than average high school graduation rates and more diversity made it imperative for organizers in Abbotsford, BC, to find a way to address issues of concern.  This ...

Anne Makhoul, Deirdre Goudriaan, Bill Beatty and Mabel Jean Rawlins, May 2009    

Winnipeg: Becoming a City Where Everyone Belongs

Formed in the summer of 2007, the Winnipeg Poverty Reduction Council is capitalizing on the experience and reputation of its members to address serious poverty issues in that city.  This paper pr...

Anne Makhoul, Harry Finnigan, Jason Granger and Garry Loewen, May 2009    

Makin' it Work: Skills Development, a Job and Follow-Up

Having proven its effectiveness during two pilot projects, “Makin’ it Work” continues to provide job seekers with hands-on experience, new skills and mentoring from local employers.  The project ...

Anne Makhoul, May 2009    

TIES 2 Work: Employer-Specific Training in New Brunswick

This story describes an initiative that creates a match between employers and potential employees by providing essential skills training.  Successful job candidates receive 12 weeks of classroom ...

Cathy Wright and Anne Makhoul, May 2009    

Canada's Shrunken Safety Net: Employment Insurance in the Great Recession

Belt-tightening changes made to Employment Insurance in the 1990s have decimated the program’s coverage over the years and substantially reduced the value of payments.  Today only three in ten un...

Michael Mendelson, Ken Battle and Sherri Torjman, Apr 2009     $ 0.00

Collaboration on Policy: A Manual developed by the Community-Government Collaboration on Policy
Collaboration sur les politiques : Un manuel produit par les partenaires de la Collaboration communauté-gouvernement sur les politiques

Developed by a group of ten partners, this manual provides practical lessons for the establishment and operation of effective government-community collaborations on policy.  Though poverty reduct...

Sherri Torjman, Anne Makhoul et al., Apr 2009     $ 0.00

Newfoundland and Labrador: Innovative Strategies in Government-Community Collaboration

An ambitious experiment, Newfoundland and Labrador’s Strategic Social Plan (SSP) – unveiled in 1998 – called for involvement of the voluntary, community-based sector and citizens in policy formulation...

Fran Locke, Penelope Rowe and Anne Makhoul, Apr 2009    

Comprehensive Strategies for Deep and Durable Outcomes

This paper is part of Vibrant Communities’ continuing effort to strengthen the knowledge and practice of comprehensive, multisectoral approaches to poverty reduction.  It explores the idea of ‘co...

Eric Leviten-Reid, Apr 2009     $ 0.00

Paved with Good Intentions: The Failure of Passive Disability Policy in Canada

One-size-fits-all benefits, passive income strategies and over-simplified disability concepts have failed, in Canada and across the developed world, to achieve real economic integration of adult citiz...

Rick August, Apr 2009     $ 0.00

Budgets for Bad Times

Michael Mendelson was Ontario’s Assistant Deputy Minister of Finance from 1989 to 1990 and Deputy Secretary of the Cabinet from 1990 to 1995.  He is now Senior Scholar at the Caledon Institute of...

Michael Mendelson, Apr 2009     $ 0.00

Gender aspects of Employment Insurance

Ken Battle appeared before the Commons Standing Committee on the Status of Women.  His presentation discusses gender aspects of the Employment Insurance program. ...

Ken Battle, Mar 2009     $ 0.00

“Around the Block”: A Citizen-Generated Community Newspaper in Saint John

Recent layoffs and closures in mainstream broadcast and newspaper outlets make it more difficult for people to get local news.  Community newspapers – particularly when written by residents – can...

Anne Makhoul, Mar 2009    

Hamilton Roundtable for Poverty Reduction: Setting the Table for Change

The Hamilton Roundtable for Poverty Reduction’s work to make a serious dent in poverty began in 2006.  Its record of success is now inspiring communities across Ontario to consider similar action...

Liz Weaver and Anne Makhoul, Mar 2009    

The Station 20 West Project Keeps on Chugging

A Saskatoon community project 10 years in the making was nearly derailed by the removal of provincial funding in March 2008.  Station 20 West was designed to provide access to healthy food, affor...

Anne Makhoul, Mar 2009    

Alberta’s Seven Cities Partnership

Since forming in 2001, Alberta’s Seven Cities partnership has created a solid base of relationships, produced evidence for change, identified causes and solutions to the problem of homelessness, and i...

Scott Cameron and Anne Makhoul, Mar 2009    

The federal role in poverty reduction

Ken Battle and Sherri Torjman, Caledon’s President and Vice-President, respectively, were invited to appear before the Commons Standing Committee on Human Resources, Skills and Social Development and ...

Ken Battle and Sherri Torjman, Mar 2009     $ 0.00

Success for Fair Fares

Calgary City Council’s November 2008 decision to make Low-Income Transit Passes a permanent project was the successful conclusion of a decade-long push to help low-income residents and people with dis...

Anne Makhoul, Feb 2009    

Put Your Money Where Your Wealth Is

This commentary makes the case for investment in social infrastructure as a key element of Ottawa’s economic stimulus package.  Social infrastructure includes such items as affordable housing, sc...

Sherri Torjman, Feb 2009     $ 0.00

Beneath the Budget of 2009: taxes and benefits

This paper provides a detailed analysis and explanation of the Budget’s changes to the Working Income Tax Benefit, the Canada Child Tax Benefit and the personal income tax system.  The discussion...

Ken Battle, Feb 2009     $ 0.00

The Red-Ink Budget

The 2009 federal Budget stated that it has four main goals:   Support the economy when it is most needed. Support Canadian families and sectors most affected. Ensure maximum impact for Canadian j...

Ken Battle, Sherri Torjman and Michael Mendelson, Feb 2009     $ 0.00

When a Collaboration Stumbles: The Opportunities Niagara Story

Vibrant Communities convener organizations across the country were saddened by the termination of the Opportunities Niagara initiative in late 2008.  This story introduces five elements of the ‘p...

Garry Loewen and Anne Makhoul, Jan 2009    

Community Roles in Policy

There has been growing interest in recent years in place-based interventions and their unique contribution to tackling complex issues, such as poverty.  While communities are pursuing a range of ...

Sherri Torjman, Jan 2009     $ 0.00

2008 Publication Overview

2008 PUBLICATION OVERVIEW   In case you missed us, below is an overview of the Caledon Institute 2008 publications.  If you would like to review any of these publications, please see our web...

, Jan 2009    

Caring for the Caregivers

This commentary was prepared in recognition of January as Alzheimer Awareness Month.  It is drawn from the research in a report entitled Caregivers and Dementia published by the Caledon Institute...

Sherri Torjman, Jan 2009     $ 0.00

La Démarche: Revitalizing Neighbourhoods in Trois-Rivières
La Démarche: Revitaliser des quartiers à Trois-Rivières

La Démarche is neighbourhood revitalization initiative and now a member of the Vibrant Communities network.  It was established in 2001 by a community economic development corporation to improve ...

Anne Makhoul, Jean-François Aubin, Caroline Lachance and Dal Brodhead, Dec 2008    

The Forgotten Fundamentals

Strong social programs can play a vital part in an economic stimulus package. Ottawa has at its disposal several effective social programs that can play an important part in an economic stimulus packa...

Ken Battle, Sherri Torjman and Michael Mendelson, Dec 2008     $ 0.00

Bold Solutions for Tackling Poverty in Waterloo Region

Building on the foundation established by Opportunities 2000 to establish a comprehensive community initiative to reduce poverty, Opportunities Waterloo Region continues to forge new relationships and...

Anne Makhoul, Nov 2008    

Poverty Policy

This paper discusses ten major policy areas that comprise the core of a comprehensive poverty reduction strategy:   ·       affordable housing which involves the cre...

Sherri Torjman, Oct 2008     $ 0.00

Federal Election – Politicians refuse to admit that deficits are inevitable

This article, which first appeared in the Toronto Star, argues that Canada will be caught in a prolonged recession in the US.  If so, most governments in Canada will end up with deficits in the n...

Michael Mendelson, Oct 2008     $ 0.00

Hamilton's McQuesten Neighbourhood: What a Difference 90 Days Can Make

This story describes a community-based initiative designed by members and groups affiliated with the Hamilton Roundtable for Poverty Reduction, a Vibrant Communities convener organization.   Resi...

Anne Makhoul, Oct 2008    

Hamilton Youth Arts Network: Voice, Space, Issues

This story describes a community-based initiative designed by members and groups affiliated with the Hamilton Roundtable for Poverty Reduction, a Vibrant Communities convener organization.   A co...

Anne Makhoul, Oct 2008    

Hamilton's Media Camp: Quick, Fun and Powerful

This story describes a community-based initiative designed by members and groups affiliated with the Hamilton Roundtable for Poverty Reduction (HRPR), a Vibrant Communities convener organization. &nbs...

Anne Makhoul, Oct 2008    

North Hamilton Community Health Centre Reaches Out

This story describes a community-based initiative designed by members and groups affiliated with the Hamilton Roundtable for Poverty Reduction, a Vibrant Communities convener organization.   A se...

Anne Makhoul and Kathy Allan-Fleet, Oct 2008    

Social Profits

This essay discusses the various dimensions of the social economy − a unique and burgeoning sector of the economy in which business enterprises and economic activity seek not only to generate re...

Sherri Torjman, Sep 2008     $ 0.00

Make Work Pay

This Labour Day commentary explores various actions that governments and employers can take to improve the earnings of the working poor.  One in four Canadian workers makes just $10 an hour or le...

Ken Battle and Sherri Torjman, Sep 2008     $ 0.00

Improving Education on Reserves: A First Nations Education Authority Act

A decade ago, the 1996 Census found that approximately 60 percent of First Nation on-reserve residents aged 20 to 24 had not completed high school.  The 2006 Census results are unchanged: approxi...

Michael Mendelson, Jul 2008     $ 0.00

Caregivers and Dementia: Report Appendices

This publication contains the appendices which accompany the Caledon Institute report Caregivers and Dementia....

Sherri Torjman and Anne Makhoul, Jun 2008     $ 0.00

Caregivers and Dementia

This report presents the results of a study carried out on behalf of the Alzheimer Society of Ottawa and Renfrew County in collaboration with the Champlain Dementia Network.  The purpose of the s...

Sherri Torjman and Anne Makhoul, Jun 2008     $ 0.00

Federal Fiscal Abundance and Interregional Redistribution

This paper measures the degree of interregional redistribution in 1998 and 2004 generated by federal fiscal activity. Our results show indicate that the changes in the federal fiscal structure associa...

Joe Ruggeri and Barry Watson, Jun 2008     $ 0.00

From Psychology to Policy

This paper was presented as a policy keynote address at the Annual Meeting of the Canadian Psychological Association held in Halifax in June 2008.  It considers three major links between psycholo...

Sherri Torjman, Jun 2008     $ 0.00

Estimates for Ontario's Investment in Health Care

This paper presents a new methodology for determining which portion of health care spending may be treated as investment.  Applying this methodology to Ontario shows that over 60 percent of healt...

Joe Ruggeri and Barry Watson, May 2008     $ 0.00

Vibrant Communities St. John’s: Engaging Citizens and Changing Systems

Newfoundland and Labrador is in the midst of an economic boom, yet several St. John’s neighbourhoods are among the poorest in the province.   This paradox presents both a challenge and rally...

Anne Makhoul, Eric Leviten-Reid and Peggy Matchim, May 2008    

Voluntary Sector Roles in Public Health

The purpose of this paper is to identify the unique and significant contributions that voluntary sector organizations can make in the field of public health.  Many voluntary sector organizations ...

Sherri Torjman, Apr 2008    

Project Comeback: A Lifeline for Surrey’s Homeless Day Labourers

The first of its kind in Canada, Project Comeback combines employment readiness and placement with housing assistance and ongoing support for homeless day labourers in Surrey, BC.  The initiative...

Anne Makhoul, Mar 2008    

Canadians Need a Medium-Term Sickness/Disability Income Benefit

This paper focuses upon a serious weakness in Canada’s income security system.  There is a major gap in social insurance coverage for millions of Canadians whose work and earnings are interrupted...

Michael J. Prince, Jan 2008    

A Tale of Two Pension Plans: The Differing Fortunes of the Canada and Quebec Pension Plans

The Canada Pension Plan (CPP) and the Quebec Pension Plan (QPP) are headed towards an historical crossroads.  The most recent actuarial valuation of the CPP shows that the federal scheme is sound...

Ed Tamagno, Jan 2008    

A Bigger and Better Child Benefit: A $5,000 Canada Child Tax Benefit

The federal child benefits system has undergone far-reaching changes over the past two years, with the addition of the Universal Child Care Benefit and non-refundable child tax credit to the existing ...

Ken Battle, Jan 2008    

A $5,000 Canada Child Tax Benefit: Questions and Answers

This short paper answers key questions about the Caledon Institute’s proposal for a $5,000 Canada Child Tax Benefit, contained in the longer paper A Bigger and Better Child Benefit: A $5,000 Canada Ch...

Ken Battle, Jan 2008    

Update: Vibrant Communities Calgary’s Living Wage Campaign

In 2003, members of Vibrant Communities Calgary began meeting with representatives from business, nonprofit organizations and the public sector to build support for a Living Wage campaign.  They ...

Anne Makhoul, Jan 2008    

Fair Fares 2008: Roadblocks and Opportunities

Since 2006, low-income Calgary residents have been able to apply for Universal Low Income Transit passes.  Ongoing effort by the Fair Fares action team was responsible for the creation of the pas...

Anne Makhoul, Jan 2008    

Community Snapshot: Defining and Increasing Civic Engagement in Calgary

Concerned with low voter turnout, members of Vibrant Communities Calgary used the fall 2007 municipal election as an opportunity to find ways of involving citizens in the electoral process.  This...

Anne Makhoul, Jan 2008    

The Tale of the Core Neighbourhood Development Council in Saskatoon

Between 2001 and 2003, organizers in Saskatoon developed a comprehensive plan for revitalizing eight downtown neighbourhoods.  But the initiative ground to a halt at the moment of action.  F...

Anne Makhoul, Nov 2007    

Opportunities 2000’s Year of Change

Opportunities 2000 faced an important year of change in 2001 when its members decided to shift from a focused poverty reduction campaign to an ongoing community revitalization initiative.  This s...

Anne Makhoul, Nov 2007    

Hamilton Roundtable for Poverty Reduction: A Theory of Change

In 2005, the City of Hamilton and the Hamilton Community Foundation established a high profile roundtable in response to deep concerns over poverty levels in that city.  This story describes the ...

Anne Makhoul, Nov 2007    

Strengthening the Foundations of Canada’s Pension System: A Review of the Old Age Security Program

The Old Age Security (OAS) program, which is the cornerstone of Canada’s pension system, is fundamentally sound.  However, some changes need to be made to the program to improve its fairness and ...

Ed Tamagno, Nov 2007    

Caledon Response to Liberal Poverty Strategy

The Caledon Institute of Social Policy applauds Liberal leader Stéphane Dion’s November 9, 2007 speech laying out his party’s poverty reduction strategy.  It recognizes poverty as a serious natio...

Ken Battle, Sherri Torjman, Michael Mendelson, Ed Tamagno, Nov 2007     $ 0.00

Shared Space: The Communities Agenda

Shared Space: The Communities Agenda seeks to capture the essence of the profound changes taking place in communities across the country and around the world. Community interventions to promote econom...

Sherri Torjman, Oct 2007     $ 24.95

Investing in Community Capacity Building
Investir dans le renforcement des capacités communautaires

This paper discusses the role of community capacity building in neighbourhood revitalization and the implications for the way in which such work is funded.  It reviews recent trends in funding pr...

Eric Leviten-Reid, Oct 2007     $ 0.00

Five-Point Plan for Reforming Disability Supports

This paper sets out a five-point checklist to guide the reform of provincial and territorial systems of disability supports – the goods and services that persons with disabilities require to live inde...

Sherri Torjman, Oct 2007     $ 0.00

Shoring Up Our Public Anchors

This commentary focuses upon the value of public space.  A society marked by cultural, racial and religious difference needs to find the common anchors that hold it together.  It is our publ...

Sherri Torjman, Oct 2007     $ 0.00

Waist Reduction

Recent figures released by Statistics Canada found that 36 percent of Canadians are overweight and 23 percent are obese.  The proportion of obese children has nearly tripled over the past 25 year...

Sherri Torjman, Oct 2007     $ 0.00

Them That Has, Gets: The 2007 Federal Budget and Major Intergovernmental Transfers

The 2006 federal Budget acknowledged the need to address a number of provincial-  territorial concerns that had been placed under the label of “fiscal imbalance.”  This paper argues that the...

Joe Ruggeri, Oct 2007     $ 0.00

Community Snapshot: Hamilton's Mohawk College Builds its Community Partnership

Beginning in mid-2006, staff and students at Mohawk College harnessed existing learning opportunities – cooperative placements, and class and special projects – to the learning, leadership and citizen...

Anne Makhoul, Oct 2007    

Community Snapshot: The Hamilton Spectator's Focus on Poverty

Imagine a newspaper that devotes three years of coverage to creating a broader understanding of poverty in its city, makes a corporate commitment to poverty alleviation projects at an elementary schoo...

Anne Makhoul, Oct 2007     $ 0.00

Community Snapshot: Hamilton's Best Start Network

Hamilton’s Best Start Network provides an arena for high-level discussions about early learning and for sharing resources and decision-making among its 50 members.  Since its formation in 2005, t...

Anne Makhoul, Oct 2007     $ 0.00

A Throne Speech for All Parties

The upcoming Throne Speech affords a prime opportunity to make progress on the social policy front, especially with another massive surplus being banked in Ottawa.  The growing gap between rich a...

Ken Battle, Sherri Torjman and Michael Mendelson, Oct 2007     $ 0.00

Sound-Bite Policy

The search for new ideas is on in Ottawa as federal parties gear up for the next election.  Proposed initiatives typically take the form of individual disparate measures – or policy ‘sound bites....

Sherri Torjman, Sep 2007     $ 0.00

Hamilton's “One Book, One City: Tackling Poverty Through the Arts” Project

Capitalizing on the interest of an earlier city-wide book club, Hamilton Public Library joined forces with Arts Hamilton to encourage residents to read a book about poverty and respond to the issue th...

Anne Makhoul, Sep 2007    

Community Snapshot: Edmonton’s Job Bus Preparations

Vibrant Communities Edmonton is taking a leaf from Opportunities Niagara and initiating discussions between Edmonton Transit and large local employers to establish specialized bus routes for underserv...

Anne Makhoul, Sep 2007    

Trail Builder Update: Make Tax Time Pay 2007

Make Tax Time Pay (MTTP) is an education and tax preparation assistance program that was originally launched in 2006 by Vibrant Communities Edmonton.  It alerts residents to ten benefits, subsidi...

Anne Makhoul, Jun 2007     $ 0.00

Final Reflections from the Action for Neighbourhood Change Research Project
La transition : dernières réflexions entourant la recherche-action Quartiers en essor

Action for Neighbourhood Change began as an action research project in February 2005 to explore resident-led neighbourhood revitalization.  This paper presents the highlights of the project’s ach...

Cheryl Gorman, Jun 2007     $ 0.00

Housing and Homelessness

...

, Jun 2007    

Leading to Enable: Government Engagement in Vibrant Communities Saint John

  ...

Mike Bulthuis, May 2007     $ 0.00

BC Capital Region’s Quality of Life CHALLENGE: Leadership

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Mike Bulthuis, May 2007     $ 0.00

Vibrant Communities Calgary: Community-Driven Policy Change

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Mike Bulthuis, May 2007     $ 0.00

The Enabling Environment for Community Work
Un environnement favorable au travail communautaire

Communities play a vital role in promoting resilience, described in a related paper entitled Organizing for Neighbourhood Renewal.  But the wide-ranging interventions that communities can underta...

Sherri Torjman, May 2007     $ 0.00

Organizing for Neighbourhood Renewal
S’organiser pour la revitalisation de quartier

This paper explores upon neighbourhood revitalization within the context of complexity theory.  It was written in association with a related document The Enabling Environment for Community Work.&...

Sherri Torjman, May 2007     $ 0.00

Repairing Canada's Social Safety Net

The Department of Human Resources and Social Development Canada invited departmental representatives and four outside panelists to a roundtable to consider options for repairing Canada’s social safety...

Sherri Torjman, May 2007     $ 0.00

Shared Leadership – Collaborative Governance: Hamilton Roundtable for Poverty Reduction

This series of Vibrant Communities (VC) stories explores the role which government – federal, provincial, regional and municipal – can play in developing, delivering and collaborating on strategies th...

Mike Bulthuis, May 2007     $ 0.00

Asset-Based Social Programs: A Critical Analysis of Current Initiatives

This paper was prepared for an Organization of Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) conference on asset-based strategies and has also been published by the OECD.  The paper reviews the cur...

Michael Mendelson, May 2007     $ 0.00

ANC in Spryfield, Halifax Celebrates Two Years of Action and Renewal
Quartiers en essor Spryfield, Halifax fête deux anneés d’action et de renouveau

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Anne Makhoul, May 2007     $ 0.00

ANC in Surrey: Bridgeview is Still in Motion
Quartiers en essor dans Surrey : Bridgeview est encore en mouvement

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Anne Makhoul, May 2007     $ 0.00

ANC’s Second Year in Regina: The Core Neighbourhood
L’an deux de Quartiers en essor Regina se déroule dans le quartier Core

Action for Neighbourhood Change was a two-year action research project which ran from February 2005 to March 2007.  It operated in five cities – Surrey, Regina, Thunder Bay, Toronto and Halifax.&...

Anne Makhoul, May 2007     $ 0.00

ANC in Thunder Bay: Simpson-Ogden Comes Alive
Quartiers en essor dans Thunder Bay : Simpson-Ogden déploie ses ailes

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Anne Makhoul, May 2007     $ 0.00

ANC in Scarborough Village Sets a Good Example for Toronto Neighbourhoods
QE Scarborough Village sert un bon exemple aux autres quartiers de Toronto

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Anne Makhoul, May 2007     $ 0.00

Federalism Renewed

In this paper on what he calls the “third version” of federalism, Tom Kent argues that both parliamentary democracy and federalism need modernization.  A suite of reforms is required including th...

Tom Kent, Mar 2007    

Determinants of the Evolution of Workplace Pension Plans in Canada

Workplace pension plans – often referred to in Canada as occupational, employer-sponsored or registered pension plans – play a key role in ensuring the financial security of Canadian seniors.  Th...

Bob Baldwin, Mar 2007    

The Long-Term Capacity of Workplace Pension Plans to Deliver Retirement Income: A Review of Key Issues

There is considerable data demonstrating the important contribution of workplace pension plans in ensuring the financial security of today’s seniors.  However, will workplace plans continue to pl...

Bob Baldwin, Mar 2007    

Mixed Brew for the 'Coffee Shop' Budget

In bringing down the 2007 Budget, the Finance Minister wanted all to know that he had listened to Canadians.  He had talked to ordinary people on the streets.  He sat down with folks in coff...

Ken Battle, Sherri Torjman, Michael Mendelson and Ed Tamagno, Mar 2007    

The Canadian Rural Partnership: Fostering Vibrant Rural Communities
Le partenariat rural canadien : pour favoriser le dynamisme des collectivités rurales

Rural communities must grapple with the same economic and social challenges faced by larger centres – unemployment and loss of key industries – as well as a lack of access to services, ...

Anne Makhoul, Mar 2007    

ANC Sketches: Building a Neighbourhood Renewal Process
Descriptions schématiques d’initiatives Quartiers en essor : pour bâtir un processus de revitalisation de quartier

Action for Neighbourhood Change (ANC) was an action research project which operated from February 2005 to March 2007.  The ANC Sketches document provides an overview of the ANC theory of change.&...

Anne Makhoul, Feb 2007    

Money and Meaning: Blended Value in Community Enterprise

This commentary describes the value of community enterprise in terms of both economic and social return.  It points out that, unlike the US and the UK, Canada does not have financial incentives s...

Sherri Torjman and Bill Young, Feb 2007    

Vibrant Surrey: Bridging the Gaps and Consolidating Strengths

Vibrant Surrey is committed to bridging differences and promoting inclusion in this fast-growing municipality.  The project seeks to create a legacy of exemplary practice and robust infrastructur...

Anne Makhoul, Jan 2007    

Supports – or Surgery?

The commentary looks at the recent “Ashley case” in which the parents of a young girl with a severe disability had arranged for surgical intervention to stunt her growth to ease their ability to care ...

Sherri Torjman, Jan 2007    

Reflecting on Vibrant Communities (2002-2006)

Vibrant Communities is a Pan-Canadian initiative exploring promising local solutions for poverty reduction.  Beginning in the spring 2002, three national sponsors (the J.W. McConnell Family Found...

Eric Leviten-Reid, Jan 2007    

The Management and Regulation of Occupational Pension Plans in Canada

Occupational pension plans – often referred to in Canada as employer-sponsored, workplace or registered pension plans – play a critical role in ensuring the income security of Canadian seniors.  ...

Edward Tamagno, Dec 2006    

Occupational Pension Plans in Canada: Trends in Coverage and the Incomes of Seniors

Occupational pension plans – often referred to in Canada as employer-sponsored, workplace or registered pension plans – play a critical role in ensuring the income security of Canadian seniors.  ...

Edward Tamagno, Dec 2006    

Tax Fairness According to Canada's New Government

Federal Finance Minister Jim Flaherty’s surprise announcement on October 31, 2006, shutting down income trusts was front page news across Canada.  Little media attention, however, was given to ot...

Ed Tamagno and Ken Battle, Nov 2006    

Improving Primary and Secondary Education on Reserves in Canada

In his report Aboriginal Peoples and Postsecondary Education in Canada (Caledon Institute of Social Policy, July 2006), Michael Mendelson found that a very high percentage of Aboriginal students were ...

Michael Mendelson, Oct 2006    

The Forest Communities Program

Fifteen years ago, Natural Resources Canada launched the Canadian Model Forest Program as part of the federal government’s Green Plan.  Since then, 11 Model Forests have been established, attract...

Anne Makhoul, Oct 2006    

Youth Realizing Their Unlimited Potential – Destination: UP

Imagine if youth were viewed as competent community builders.  With this idea in mind, former young people who had lived in foster or group homes in Nova Scotia supported the development of leade...

Anne Makhoul, Oct 2006    

Shared Space: The Communities Agenda

This paper is the first in a series on the “communities agenda.”  The paper defines this term and develops it within the context of theories on resilience, and innovation and its application as c...

Sherri Torjman, Sep 2006    

Financing the Canada and Quebec Pension Plans

Financing the Canada and Quebec Pension Plans describes the evolution and financing policies of the Canada Pension Plan (CPP) and the Quebec Pension Plan (QPP), focusing on the organization and experi...

Michael Mendelson, Jul 2006    

Building Assets Through Housing

In dozens of cities across Canada, the last few years have seen middle-class homeowners spellbound by the dizzying spectre of escalating prices for homes in their neighbourhoods.  Today, some hom...

Michael Mendelson, Jul 2006    

Asset-based, Resident-led Neighbourhood Development
Développement communautaire fondé sur les actifs du milieu et la prise en charge citoyenne

In February 2005, Action for Neighbourhood Change (ANC) was launched with funding from the Government of Canada.  Its purpose is to explore and assess approaches to strengthening neighbourhoods t...

Eric Leviten-Reid, Jul 2006    

Cutting CPP Contributions: Let’s pop this trial balloon

The author aims to pop the federal government’s trial balloon of reducing Canada Pension Plan contributions from employees and employers by paying some of the federal surplus directly into the CPP. ...

Michael Prince, Jul 2006    

A Proposal for Restructuring the Universal Child Care Benefit

The author proposes modifications to the design of the new Universal Child Care Benefit intended to respond to criticisms of the initiative, while achieving the federal government’s objectives and off...

Richard Zuker, Jul 2006    

Preparing for the Demographic Tsunami

This commentary responds to the Conservatives’ search for its next top priority ideas.  The paper speaks to the need for investment in technical aids and personal supports, such as attendant care...

Sherri Torjman, Jul 2006    

Aboriginal Peoples and Postsecondary Education in Canada

The success of Aboriginal people in our postsecondary education (PSE) system is of vital interest to all Canadians.  Aboriginal Peoples and Postsecondary Education in Canada reviews the empi...

Michael Mendelson, Jul 2006    

Towards a New Architecture for Canada's Adult Benefits

Since its creation in 1992, the Caledon Institute of Social Policy has worked to modernize Canada’s social security system.  We have made the case for major changes not just to individual social ...

Ken Battle, Michael Mendelson and Sherri Torjman, Jun 2006    

Orienteering Over New Ground: A Neighbourhood Theory of Change
S’orienter en terrain inexploré : Pour une théorie du changement relative aux quartiers

In February 2005, Action for Neighbourhood Change (ANC) was launched with funding from the Government of Canada.  Its purpose is to explore and assess approaches to strengthening neighbourhoods t...

Cheryl Gorman, Jun 2006    

Government and Communities: Strengthening Neighbourhoods Together
Gouvernement et collectivité : Travailler ensemble pour renforcer les quartiers

Policy dialogue is a relatively new technique for building a shared vision and operational frameworks among governments and communities.  In the spirit of action research, ANC created a policy d...

Cheryl Gorman, Jun 2006    

Romanow, Romanow, where art thou?

Romanow, Romanow, where art thou?  Canadians ignore the royal commission"s findings at their peril, says health policy expert....

Charles E. Pascal, May 2006    

Opportunities Niagara: Untying the Knots, Connecting the Dots

Before the arrival of Opportunities Niagara in 2002, no mechanism existed to initiate and guide poverty reduction work across the 12 municipal jurisdictions that make up southern Ontario’s Niagara Reg...

Anne Makhoul and Eric Leviten-Reid, May 2006    

More Than a Name Change: The Universal Child Care Benefit

The federal government’s new Universal Child Care Benefit (UCCB) - formerly known as the Choice in Child Care Allowance - contains two serious flaws.  First, the UCCB will be taxable in the hands...

Ken Battle, Sherri Torjman and Michael Mendelson, May 2006    

The Incredible Shrinking $1,200 Child Care Allowance: How to Fix It

As proposed to date, the new $1,200 Child Care Allowance will be a flawed scheme creating deep inequities.  Working poor and modest-income families will end up with low net benefits, and one-earn...

Ken Battle, Apr 2006    

A Return to ANC in Spryfield: Fresh Ideas Spring into Action
Un retour sur l’initiative Quartiers en essor de Spryfield: Idées nouvelles qui se traduisent en actions concrètes

The Action for Neighbourhood Change (ANC) project has completed its first 14 months of operation.  Its main purpose was to help revitalize five neighbourhoods across the country.  ANC enable...

Anne Makhoul, Apr 2006    

ANC in Toronto: Scarborough Village Grows in a Positive Direction
Quartiers en essor – Toronto : Scarborough Village grandit en suivant une trajectoire positive

The Action for Neighbourhood Change (ANC) project has completed its first 14 months of operation.  Its main purpose was to help revitalize five neighbourhoods across the country.  ANC enable...

Anne Makhoul, Apr 2006    

Thunder Bay’s Simpson-Ogden Neighbourhood: Gifts in Unexpected Places
Le quartier Simpson-Ogden à Thunder Bay : D’agréables surprises

The Action for Neighbourhood Change (ANC) project has completed its first 14 months of operation.  Its main purpose was to help revitalize five neighbourhoods across the country.  ANC enable...

Anne Makhoul, Apr 2006    

North Central in Regina: Keeping the Focus Where It Belongs
Le Centre-Nord de Regina : Ne pas perdre l’objectif de vue

The Action for Neighbourhood Change (ANC) project has completed its first 14 months of operation.  Its main purpose was to help revitalize five neighbourhoods across the country.  ANC enable...

Anne Makhoul, Apr 2006    

A Return to ANC in Surrey: Bridgeview in Motion
Un retour sur l’initiative Quartiers en essor de Surrey: Bridgeview en mouvement

The Action for Neighbourhood Change (ANC) project has completed its first 14 months of operation.  Its main purpose was to help revitalize five neighbourhoods across the country.  ANC enable...

Anne Makhoul, Apr 2006    

Vibrant Communities Saint John: Dismantling the Poverty Traps

Vibrant Communities Saint John (VCSJ) was founded in 2004 with support from its convenor organization, the Business Community Anti-Poverty Initiative.  Saint John community organizers take pride ...

Anne Makhoul and Eric Leviten-Reid, Mar 2006    

Le Chantier in Saint-Michel - Tackling Poverty and Social Inclusion
Le Chantier dans Saint-Michel – S’attaquer à la pauvreté et à l’exclusion sociale

Vivre Saint-Michel en Santé, a community revitalization initiative in the Montreal neighbourhood of Saint-Michel, has created a new offshoot organization to work specifically on projects that will ad...

Anne Makhoul, Dal Broadhead and Eric Leviten-Reid, Mar 2006    

Finding Common Ground on Child Care

The proposed $1,200 Choice in Child Care Allowance is a stealth program that will in fact deliver smaller benefits than advertised.  Caledon proposes that the federal government instead deliver t...

Ken Battle, Sherri Torjman, Michael Mendelson, Feb 2006    

Reading, Writing and Neighbourhood Renewal
La lecture, l’écriture et la revitalisation communautaire

Renewal efforts in communities typically concern themselves with bricks and mortar.  Safe, decent and affordable housing comprises the core of a healthy community.  But there has been growin...

Sherri Torjman, Feb 2006    

Rethinking Neighbourhood Renewal: Review of the US Experience and Possible Lessons for Canada
Repenser la revitalisation des quartiers : examen de l’expérience étatsunienne et leçons à tirer pour le Canada

This is the third in a series of policy papers developed in support called Action for Neighbourhood Change (ANC).  ANC is a pan-Canadian project that involves four national and five local partner...

Steve Pomeroy, Feb 2006    

Remaking Neighbourhood Renewal: Towards Creative Neighbourhood Renewal Policies for Britain
Reconstitution de la revitalisation des quartiers : vers des politiques créatives de régénération communautaire en Grande-Bretagne

This is the fourth in a series of policy papers developed in support of Action for Neighbourhood Change (ANC).  The paper focuses upon the policies and strategies for implementing neighbourhood r...

Duncan Maclennan, Feb 2006    

Vibrant Communities Edmonton: Building Family Economic Success

Vibrant Communities Edmonton (VCE) is basing its work on a model of family economic success developed by the Annie E. Casey Foundation in the US.  Focusing its efforts on residents who work but e...

Anne Makhoul and Eric Leviten-Reid, Feb 2006    

Vibrant Communities Edmonton’s Make Tax Time Pay Campaign

As part of its goal of helping families to achieve economic success, Vibrant Communities Edmonton (VCE) has launched the Make Tax Time Pay campaign.  Working in collaboration with the Canada Reve...

Anne Makhoul, Feb 2006    

The Choice in Child Care Allowance: What you See Is Not What You Get

The Conservatives’ plan for a “Choice in Child Care Allowance” is seriously flawed.  Because the new program will trigger reductions in federal and provincial/territorial income-tested benefits a...

Ken Battle, Jan 2006    

There's Madness to this Method

The November 2003 Report of the Auditor General, released in February 2004, set in motion a chain of events that led to an obsession with accountability.  The November 2005 report of the Auditor ...

Sherri Torjman, Jan 2006    

Evaluation Framework for Federal Investment in the Social Economy: A Discussion Paper

This paper was prepared on behalf of Social Development Canada to support the department and its partners in developing an evaluation framework for potential federal investment in the social economy.&...

Eric Leviten-Reid, Sherri Torjman, Jan 2006    

Vibrant Communities Calgary: Awareness, Engagement and Policy Change

By educating Calgarians about the complex realities of poverty and influencing the development of responsive public policies, Vibrant Communities Calgary is trying to create a profound shift in thinki...

Anne Makhoul and Eric Leviten-Reid, Jan 2006    

Strategies for Achieving Equity and Prosperity in Saskatchewan

This paper focuses on the coexistence of strong labour demand in Saskatchewan, and a chronically underemployed segment of the population that is not achieving full economic citizenship.  It argue...

Rick August, Jan 2006    

A Working Income Tax Benefit That Works

The November 2005 federal mini-Budget planted the seeds of an innovative social program – a Working Income Tax Benefit to supplement the wages of the working poor.  While the initiative is a prom...

Ken Battle and Michael Mendelson, Nov 2005    

Anyone Got a Plan?

Caledon Senior Scholar Michael Mendelson challenges governments to start thinking and talking about – and planning for – an inevitable looming crisis: the next recession. ...

Michael Mendelson, Nov 2005    

The Disability Savings Plan: Contribution Estimates and Policy Issues

Keith Horner’s paper presents an analysis of the proposed registered disability savings plan − an idea put forward by the Planned Lifetime Advocacy Network (PLAN).  The registered disabilit...

Keith Horner, Nov 2005    

The Disability Savings Plan: Policy Milieu and Model Development

Richard Shillington"s paper presents an analysis of the proposed registered disability savings plan − an idea put forward by the Planned Lifetime Advocacy Network (PLAN).  The paper examine...

Richard Shillington, Nov 2005    

Intergenerational Dimensions of Canada's Fiscal System

Intergenerational equity has been used as a rationale for debt repayment in Canada.  This paper addresses this issue by evaluating a set of economic and fiscal projections.  The results show...

Joe Ruggerri, Yang Zou and Shannon Garrett, Nov 2005    

Fair Fares Calgary Celebrates Reduced Fare Transit Passes

The City of Calgary recently began to issue reduced fare transit passes to citizens who receive benefits from the Assured Income for the Severely Handicapped (AISH) program.  Beginning in January...

Anne Makhoul, Nov 2005    

Victoria's Regional Housing Trust Fund: So Far, So Good

BC’s Capital Region has one of the highest average house prices in the country.  In order to build homes which are affordable to the majority of citizens, seven of the region’s thirteen municipal...

Anne Makhoul, Nov 2005    

Quality of Life CHALLENGE: Fostering Engagement, Collaboration and Inclusion

Since 1999, the Quality of Life CHALLENGE has charted a bold new way for people throughout BC’s Capital Region to improve quality of life for all, particularly those disadvantaged by poverty.  By...

Eric Leviten-Reid and Anne Makhoul, Nov 2005    

real leaders volume 15 - Senator Landon Pearson

Senator Landon Pearson – the Senator for Children and the Children’s Senator – retires from her seat in the Senate in November 2005.  This issue of ‘real leaders’ is dedicated to a woman whose li...

Anne Makhoul, Nov 2005    

Spryfield Chooses ANC Halifax
Spryfield choisit l'initiative Quartiers en essor - Halifax

The Action for Neighbourhood Change (ANC) project, based in five cities across Canada, enables community members to help one another to make their neighbourhoods better places to live.  This 14-m...

Anne Makhoul, Oct 2005    

ANC in BC Selects Bridgeview
Quartiers en essor choisit Bridgeview en C.-B.

The Action for Neighbourhood Change (ANC) project, based in five cities across Canada, enables community members to help one another to make their neighbourhoods better places to live.  This 14-m...

Anne Makhoul, Oct 2005    

Regina Inner City Community Partnership Welcomes ANC
Le partenariat en action communautaire du centre-ville de Regina souhaite la bienvenue à l'initiative Quartiers en essor

The Action for Neighbourhood Change (ANC) project, based in five cities across Canada, enables community members to help one another to make their neighbourhoods better places to live.  This 14-m...

Anne Makhoul, Oct 2005    

Action for Neighbourhood Change in Thunder Bay
L’initiative Quartiers en essor à Thunder Bay

The Action for Neighbourhood Change (ANC) project, based in five cities across Canada, enables community members to help one another to make their neighbourhoods better places to live.  This 14-m...

Anne Makhoul, Oct 2005    

ANC Begins in Scarborough Village
Quartiers en essor démarre dans Scarborough Village

The Action for Neighbourhood Change (ANC) project, based in five cities across Canada, enables community members to help one another to make their neighbourhoods better places to live.  This 14-m...

Anne Makhoul, Oct 2005    

A World Fit for Children

This commentary highlights the vision of Senator Landon Pearson, retiring this fall, who has worked tirelessly over the years to create a world fit for children.  It is a world that affords all c...

Sherri Torjman, Sep 2005    

What is Policy?

This paper was written to support the work of community initiatives interested in policy development.  A public policy is a deliberate decision that provides guidance for addressing identified ob...

Sherri Torjman, Sep 2005    

Local Heroes: CAW 199 and Community Partners

Bethlehem Projects of Niagara, a nonprofit organization which provides transitional housing and life skills programs for people living in poverty, recently announced the construction of a 40-unit apar...

Anne Makhoul, Sep 2005    

Neighbourhood Change through a Housing Lens
La revitalization des quartiers par le prisme du logement

This paper is the second of three policy papers developed in support of a new national initiative called Action for Neighbourhood Change (ANC).  The first, entitled "Policy Dialogue," was re...

Steve Pomeroy, Sep 2005    

Policy Dialogue
Dialogue sur les politiques

This paper was developed in support of a new national initiative called Action for Neighbourhood Change (ANC).  ANC is a pan-Canadian project that involves four national and five local partners i...

Sherri Torjman, Jun 2005    

The Living Wage Learning Initiative

Responding to interest in the issue of poverty reduction through the payment of a ‘living wage,’ Vibrant Communities initiated a tele-learning forum to investigate the process of designing and initiat...

Anne Makhoul, May 2005    

Action for Neighbourhood Change Begins

The Caledon Institute is proud to announce its involvement in Action for Neighbourhood Change (ANC), a 14-month community revitalization project announced by Labour and Housing Minister Joe Fontana on...

Anne Makhoul, May 2005    

Community Action in Saint John: Making a Difference in the Lives of Young People

Efforts to provide support for teenage mothers led to the creation of several youth-centred programs and services in the City of Saint John.  This story profiles the efforts of the Business Commu...

Anne Makhoul, May 2005    

Assured Income for the Severely Handicapped Public Policy Initiative

The Alberta government’s recently announced changes to the AISH program capped a four-year review of the province’s low income security programs.  A public policy Roundtable was initiated by staf...

Anne Makhoul, May 2005    

Disability Tax: The Budget's Quiet Little Secret

This commentary discusses the recommendations of the Technical Advisory Committee on Tax Measures for Persons with Disabilities and the subsequent adoption, in the 2005 federal Budget, of virtually al...

Sherri Torjman, May 2005    

The Honourable Eleni Bakopanos: Social Economy Champion

This ‘real leaders’ story describes Parliamentary Secretary Eleni Bakopanos’ work to advance the understanding and functioning of the social economy in Canada.  Highlighted in the March...

Anne Makhoul, May 2005    

The Group of Six

Vibrant Communities is the foundation for a ‘Group of Six’ trying to develop a distinctive approach to community-based poverty reduction.  The Group of Six initiatives within the overall project ...

Sherri Torjman, Apr 2005    

Quality of Life CHALLENGE in Victoria Invites Low-income Canadians to Speak for Themselves

Engaging low-income residents in community-based poverty reduction requires careful planning and the provision of ongoing support.  Victoria’s Quality of Life CHALLENGE has made this issue a prio...

Anne Makhoul, Apr 2005    

The Vote or Veto Budget: An analysis of the 2005 federal Budget

Caledon assesses the 2005 federal Budget relative to three principles that we put forward in the pre-Budget consultations on the fiscal surplus: transparency, balance and purpose.  On the basis o...

Ken Battle, Sherri Torjman, Michael Mendelson and Steve Pomeroy, Mar 2005    

Measuring child benefits: Measuring child poverty

This report addresses two critical questions in social policy: what is child poverty and how much is an adequate child benefit?  To answer these questions, the report provides an analytic basis t...

Michael Mendelson, Feb 2005    

Sustainable Development Framework for Science and Technology: Social and Cultural Dimensions
For the Prime Minister's Advisory Council on Science and Technology (PMACST)

This paper describes the core elements of a sustainable development research framework for science and technology.  While the framework is concerned generally with sustainability, it seeks to ide...

Sherri Torjman and David Minns, Feb 2005    

Waterloo Region’s Guaranteed Income Supplement Campaign

Spurred by media reports about a lack of uptake of the Guaranteed Income Supplement (GIS) by low-income seniors, Human Resources Development Canada and the OP2000 poverty reduction project in Waterloo...

Anne Makhoul, Jan 2005    

RBC Financial Group: From Accommodation to Inclusion
RBC Groupe Financier : De l'aménagement à l'intégration

This community story profiles a Canadian employer with an exemplary attitude and demonstrated ability to change its operations for the good of all employees.  By adopting the principle that every...

Anne Makhoul, Jan 2005    

Disability Tax Fairness
Une fiscalité équitable pour les personnes handicapées

The Government of Canada established the Technical Advisory Committee in April 2003 to provide advice to the federal Ministers of Finance and National Revenue on how to address issues related to tax m...

Technical Advisory Committee on Tax Measures for Persons with Disabilities
Rapport du Comité consultatif technique sur les mesures fiscale pour les personnes handicapées
, Jan 2005    

Canada's Fiscal Advantage

This book challenges a widely held view that Canada’s fiscal system is not competitive with that of the United States. Comparing the fiscal systems of the two countries with respect to the current sit...

Joe Ruggeri and Jennifer McMullin, Dec 2004    

Presentation to the Finance Committee
Pre-Budget Consultation

This paper was prepared for the pre-Budget consultations of the Finance Committee.  It discusses several key principles to help guide the spending of the federal surplus: transparency, balance an...

Sherri Torjman, Ken Battle and Michael Mendelson, Nov 2004    

Managing for Results Asks the Small Questions
Managing for Sustainability Asks the Big Questions

This commentary challenges current management practice which places sole emphasis upon the measurable outcomes of a given initiative.  The authors make the case for managing for sustainability wh...

Sherri Torjman and David Minns, Oct 2004    

Using Creativity to Enliven Urban and Rural Villages

This story examines the influence of creativity on business and community development in two ‘villages’ – one in downtown Toronto, the other north of Ottawa.  Inspired by Richard Florida’s creati...

Anne Makhoul, Oct 2004    

Engaging Disenfranchised Groups in Urban Health

This paper is the text of a presentation at the International Conference on Urban Health held in Boston, October 20-22, 2004.  Panelists were asked to address the issue of engaging disenfranchise...

Sherri Torjman, Oct 2004    

Policy Development and Implementation in Complex Files:
Lessons from "Vibrant Communities"

This case study was written as part of the Special Studies series developed by the Canada School of Public Service.  It will be used as training material for federal public servants.  The Vi...

Sherri Torjman, Oct 2004    

Population Aging and Per Capita
Cash Payments under the Canada Health Transfer

Federal-provincial discussions on health care financing have paid little attention to the equity aspects of a formula that allocates total federal contributions among provinces on an equal per capita ...

Joe Ruggeri and Yang Zou, Oct 2004    

Elder Care: The Nexus for Family, Work and Health Policy

About two million Canadians are engaged in elder care and over two-thirds of them are working.  As the baby boomers age, the potential number of carers in the cohorts following are smaller. ...

Satya Brink, Oct 2004    

Social Purchasing – Buying Locally, Helping Locally

An innovative and newly-created Internet gateway is allowing businesses in Vancouver to make purchases on the basis of price, value, quality and a new dimension – social value.  Blending corporat...

David LePage, Sep 2004    

Transitions Revisited: Implementing the Vision

Transitions, the landmark 1988 report of the Social Assistance Review in Ontario, created a new vision for social assistance and related programs that called for a radically redesigned set of child be...

John Stapleton, Sep 2004    

Community Economic Development Success
Stories from Nova Scotia

The Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency (ACOA) has helped to build the region’s economic capacity since it was established by the federal government in 1987.  This community story profiles four ...

Anne Makhoul, Sep 2004    

LASI World Skills: Making Good on Employment Promises

By forging strategic partnerships among its member immigrant services agencies, government departments and educational institutions, Ottawa-based Local Agencies Serving Immigrants (LASI) has helped to...

Anne Makhoul, Sep 2004    

Youth Action Now – From Dreams to Reality

Youth Action Now is a two-year project in Saskatchewan which will enable young people between the ages of 15 and 30 to explore the concept of multiculturalism with an eye to creating a prosperous and ...

Anne Makhoul, Sep 2004    

Federal Debt Repayment as an Instrument of Fiscal Centralization

This commentary shows that the debt-to-GDP ratio, federal and total, is on a rapidly declining path, even without debt repayment.  It also shows that the federal debt repayment plan will have lit...

Tony Myatt and Joe Ruggeri, Jun 2004    

Child Tax Deception: the Proposed Child Tax Deduction

This report argues that the federal Conservatives’ proposal for a $2,000 child tax deduction “is a retrograde and regressive idea...resurrected from the graveyard of Canadian public pol...

Ken Battle, Jun 2004    

The Canadian Community Monitoring Network

Environment Canada and the Canadian Nature Federation are promoting the widespread development of a Canadian Community Monitoring Network (CCMN) – a process which engages citizens in gathering data on...

Anne Makhoul, Jun 2004    

The Dementia Respite Bungalow

Three Ottawa organizations are proposing to construct a bungalow which will provide respite for 12 people with mild to moderate levels of dementia and their caregivers.  The Perley and Rideau Vet...

Anne Makhoul, May 2004    

R-e-s-p-i-t-e Spells Respect

This commentary discusses the need for respite for the millions of Canadians who care at home for elderly, sick or disabled relatives.  The notion of "respite as outcome" encourages a fundamental...

Sherri Torjman, May 2004    

Culture and Recreation: Links to Well-Being
Culture et loisirs : Liens au mieux-être

This paper explores the importance of culture and recreation for the health and well-being of individuals and communities.  It is the eighth in a series of papers written in support of the Vibran...

Sherri Torjman, Apr 2004    

Aboriginal People in Canada's Labour Market:
Work and Unemployment, Today and Tomorrow
Les Autochtones sur le marché du travail canadien :
travail et chômage, aujourd'hui et demain

Has the labour market situation of Aboriginal people in Canada been improving over the last several years?  This paper uses data from the 1996 and 2001 censuses to present comprehensive, factual ...

Michael Mendelson, Apr 2004    

Three Choices for the Future of Medicare

This paper argues that Canadians are at a crossroads in terms of the future of medicare.  Critical directional decisions will be made at the First Ministers Meeting in a few months.  Ottawa ...

Gregory P. Marchildon, Apr 2004    

Learning and Evaluation for Poverty Reduction
L'Apprentissage et l'évaluation dans le cadre d'initiatives de réduction de pauvreté

This is the sixth in a series of papers written in support of the Vibrant Communities project, a four-year national effort to explore promising local solutions to reduce poverty.  The paper discu...

Sherri Torjman and Eric Leviten-Reid, Mar 2004    

Reflections on Vibrant Communities
Réflexion sur le projet collectivité dynamiques

This is the seventh in series of papers written in support of the Vibrant Communities project.  This paper reflects on the first 18 months of the Vibrant Communities experience and the Face-to-Fa...

Eric Leviten-Reid, Mar 2004    

COEP: Brazilian organizations

COEP – the Comitê de Entidades no Combate à Fome e Pela Vida (“Committee of entities Against Hunger and For Life”) – is a Brazilian network that mobilizes organizations to combat hunger and poverty.&n...

Ann Simpson, Mar 2004    

The Key to Tackling Child Poverty: Income Supports to Meet Their
Needs and Assets to Support Their Future

This paper discusses child poverty in Canada in terms of access to savings and assets, as well as income and public services.  Middle-  and upper-income families have incentives to set aside...

Jennifer Robson-Haddow, Mar 2004    

EnviroCentre: Sense and Sustainability in the National Capital

The City of Ottawa recently reopened the EnviroCentre, a non-profit, self-sustaining enviro-business which offers programs and information aimed at improving energy efficiency and reducing greenhouse ...

Anne Makhoul, Mar 2004    

The Disability Supports Deduction: A Big Small Step

This commentary analyzes the impact of the new disability supports deduction announced in the 2004 federal Budget.  Persons with disabilities who are attending school or working will benefit thro...

Sherri Torjman, Mar 2004    

Ottawa's Annual Fiscal Follies

Ottawa’s practice of underestimating the annual surplus has prevented Canadians from making informed choices about government spending.  Letting surpluses lapse into debt repayment has, in fact, ...

Michael Mendelson, Mar 2004    

Asset-Based Social Policies – A "New Idea" Whose Time Has Come?

Asset-building programs invite low-income citizens to participate in forced savings plans by matching their contributions with funds from financial institutions. These programs have enjoyed wide popul...

Andrew Jackson, Mar 2004    

Celebrating Access at the Toronto Public Library

This community story focuses upon the Toronto Public Library (TPL), the second busiest library in the world with the second largest collection of materials in North America.  TPL"s commitment to ...

Anne Makhoul, Mar 2004    

Who Does What in Comprehensive Community Initiatives?
Initiatives communautaires intégrées: qui fait quoi?

Who Does What in Comprehensive Community Initiatives? is the fifth in a series of Caledon papers to support the Vibrant Communities initiative, a four-year national effort to explore promising local s...

Sherri Torjman, Eric Leviten-Reid and Mark Cabaj, Feb 2004    

REFLECT: The Power of Communication

REFLECT is an innovative process that was developed originally by the British nongovernmental organization ActionAid and its partners for use in adult literacy work in developing countries.  It h...

Ann Simpson, Jan 2004    

Whistler-Mount Currie Learning Communities Project

Human Resources Development Canada (HRDC) created the Office of Learning Technologies (OLT) in 1996, in order to encourage innovative, technology-based learning.  HRDC staff and representatives f...

Anne Makhoul, Jan 2004    

Learning Communities in the Monashee

Human Resources Development Canada (HRDC) created the Office of Learning Technologies (OLT) in 1996, in order to encourage innovative, technology-based learning.  HRDC staff and representatives f...

Anne Makhoul, Jan 2004    

Lillooet is Learning

Human Resources Development Canada (HRDC) created the Office of Learning Technologies (OLT) in 1996, in order to encourage innovative, technology-based learning.  HRDC staff and representatives f...

Anne Makhoul, Jan 2004    

Community Development in the Upper Skeena: Death Feasts and Transformative Change

Human Resources Development Canada (HRDC) created the Office of Learning Technologies (OLT) in 1996, in order to encourage innovative, technology-based learning.  HRDC staff and representatives f...

Doug Donaldson and Anne Docherty, Jan 2004    

Bamfield, BC: Wonderful Things Can Happen at the End of the Road

Human Resources Development Canada (HRDC) created the Office of Learning Technologies (OLT) in 1996, in order to encourage innovative, technology-based learning.  HRDC staff and representatives f...

Anne Makhoul, Jan 2004    

Community Renewal
Renouveau communautaire

This paper explores the renewal of communities through rethinking the use of community resources and building relationships among these resources for mutually beneficial problem-solving.  The ‘en...

Sherri Torjman, Jan 2004    

New Ingredients for the Fiscal Pie

This commentary argues the need for exploring possible methods of expanding the ‘fiscal pie.’  It explores one possible model put forward by PLAN (Planned Lifetime Advocacy Network), a group...

Sherri Torjman, Dec 2003    

The Repair of Taxation

This new paper from Tom Kent argues that federal taxation has become so unfair and so slack, so undermined by avoidance and evasion, that its repair is now the urgent social reform on which others dep...

Tom Kent, Dec 2003    

Values of the Canada-US Safe Third Country Agreement

The Canadian government has used 9/11 and the consequential focus on security as a cover for negotiating an agreement with the United States which would deflect Canada-bound asylum seekers who pass th...

Audrey Macklin, Dec 2003    

Why Canada Needs a Federal-Provincial Social Security Review Now

This statement calls upon the federal and provincial/territorial governments to build on the success of the National Child Benefit and undertake a comprehensive review of income supports and employmen...

Ken Battle and Michael Mendelson, Dec 2003    

Accountability Versus Conditionality

Presented originally to the Social Policy Committee of the National Liberal Caucus, this commentary argues that the Canada Social Transfer should function temporarily as an equal per capita block fund...

Michael Mendelson, Dec 2003    

Student Loans for Refugees: A Success Story in Policy Change

How does policy change happen?  This paper documents the achievement of one reform, access to student loans for refugees, which took five years and was championed by many.  The authors lay o...

Louise Slobodian and Harry J. Kits, Dec 2003    

Innovation and Poverty Reduction
Innovation et la réduction de la pauvreté

This paper discusses the concept of innovation and explores how it can be applied to local solutions to reduce poverty. Interventions include the creation of clusters outside of the high-tech sector, ...

Sherri Torjman, Eric Leviten-Reid, Nov 2003    

Centraide of Greater Montréal: A Case Study
Centraide du Grand Montréal : étude du cas

This set of papers on community-based poverty reduction in Quebec was prepared by William Ninacs and his colleagues at the Coopérative de consultation en développement La Clé. These papers link to the...

William Ninacs, with the collaboration of Francine Gareau, Sep 2003    

Renaissance Montréal: A Case Study
Renaissance Montréal : étude du cas

This set of papers on community-based poverty reduction in Quebec was prepared by William Ninacs and his colleagues at the Coopérative de consultation en développement La Clé.These papers link to the ...

William Ninacs, with the collaboration of Francine Gareau, Sep 2003    

The Lanaudière Table of Partners for Social Development: A Case Study
La Table des partenaires du développement social de Lanaudière : étude du cas

This set of papers on community-based poverty reduction in Quebec was prepared by William Ninacs and his colleagues at the Coopérative de consultation en développement La Clé. These papers link to the...

William Ninacs, with the collaboration of Francine Gareau, Sep 2003    

The Collective for a Poverty-Free Québec: A Case Study
Le collectif pour un Québec sans pauvreté : étude du cas

This set of papers on community-based poverty reduction in Quebec was prepared by William Ninacs and his colleagues at the Coopérative de consultation en développement La Clé. These papers link to the...

William Ninacs, with the collaboration of Anne-Marie Béliveau and Francine Gareau, Sep 2003    

Community-Based Poverty Reduction: The Québec Experience

This set of papers on community-based poverty reduction in Quebec was prepared by William Ninacs and his colleagues at the Coopérative de consultation en développement La Clé.These papers link to the ...

William Ninacs, Sep 2003    

ECOF-CDEC de Trois-Rivières: A Case Study
ÉCOF-CDÉC de Trois-Rivières : étude du cas

This set of papers on community-based poverty reduction in Quebec was prepared by William Ninacs and his colleagues at the Coopérative de consultation en développement La Clé. These papers link to the...

William Ninacs, with the collaboration of Francine Gareau, Sep 2003    

Sustaining Public Pensions in Canada: A Tale of Two Reforms

This paper, written for a Japanese-edited volume on pension reform in developed countries, analyzes and explains two recent public pension reform projects in Canada. The Seniors Benefit would have ra...

Ken Battle, Jul 2003    

‘Good Jobs in Good Workplaces’: Reflections on Medium-Term Labour Market Challenges

The emerging focus of Canadian labour market and social policy on 'social inclusion' through paid employment is broadly appropriate (with significant caveats). However, positive outcomes for workers ...

Andrew Jackson, Jul 2003    

Think Piece: Policy Conversation on Community Learning
Document de réflexion : Dialogue stratégique sur l'apprentissage communautaire

This think piece was commissioned as a background paper for a Policy Conversation on Community Learning organized by the Office of Learning Technologies, Human Resources Development Canada. The paper ...

Sherri Torjman, Jul 2003    

Compendium of Promising Crime Prevention Practices in Canada
Recueil de pratiques prometteuses en matière de prévention du crime au Canada

This publication documents the range of effective crime prevention practices under way throughout Canada. Members of the Federal/Provincial/Territorial Working Group on Community Safety and Crime Pre...

Wanda Jamieson and Liz Hart, Jun 2003    

The Social Role of Local Government
Le rôle social de l’administration locale

The Social Role of Local Government is the second in a series of Caledon papers to support the Vibrant Communities initiative. The first paper in this series, Comprehensive Community Initiatives, exam...

Sherri Torjman and Eric Leviten-Reid, May 2003    

Southeast False Creek — The Struggle for Sustainability

This community story describes how one Vancouver neighbourhood is translating the concept of sustainable development into practice. City planners, developers, environmentalists, design professionals a...

Anne Makhoul, May 2003    

Child Benefits Levels in 2003 and Beyond: Australia, Canada, the UK and the US

Australia, Canada, the UK and the US all have programs providing cash benefits to families with children. This study is a detailed comparison of current child benefit rates in the four countries, for ...

Michael Mendelson, Apr 2003    

The New Liberalism: Ideas and Ideals

This essay appears in H. Aster and T. Axworthy eds. (2003). Searching for the New Liberalism. Toronto: Mosaic Press of Canada. It was first presented at the Searching for the New Liberalism Conference...

Sherri Torjman, Apr 2003    

Comprehensive Community Initiatives
Initiatives communautaires intégrées

This paper explores the emerging theory and practice on comprehensive community initiatives. It is one of a series of papers written in support of the Vibrant Communities project, which has embraced t...

Sherri Torjman and Eric Leviten-Reid, Mar 2003    

Seeking Sustainable Livelihoods: Constructing a Role for Community Economic Development in Technology-Cluster Growth

Can technology clusters deliver sustainable livelihoods? Following the bursting of the ‘tech bubble’ worldwide, technology clusters appear capable of delivering sustainable livelihoods mainly for elit...

Edward T. Jackson and Rahil Khan, Feb 2003    

A Toolbox for Improving Health in Cities: A Discussion Paper

This paper applies the theory of complex adaptive systems to health in cities. It describes the features of complex systems and identifies a variety of tools for promoting health in such a context. ...

Sholom Glouberman, Phillippa Campsie, Michael Gemar and Glen Miller, Feb 2003    

Nation Building Through Cities: A New Deal for Immigrant Settlement in Canada

This article offers a critique of the federal Minister of Citizenship and Immigration"s proposed ‘dispersion’ policy, which is considering offering a temporary work visa that ties an immigrant to a pa...

Elizabeth McIsaac, Feb 2003    

Ontario's Shrinking Minimum Wage

...

Ken Battle, Feb 2003    

How to Make Immigration Work Better: Countering the Defeatists

...

Alan Broadbent, Feb 2003    

The Federal Government Can and Should
Lead the Renewal of Canada’s Health Policy

Written by renowned health expert Dr. Michael Rachlis, this response to the Romanow report on the future of health care calls upon the federal government to rejuvenate Canada’s health care system. The...

Dr. Michael Rachlis, Feb 2003    

The 2003 Budget: Political Legacy Needs Policy Architecture

...

Ken Battle, Sherri Torjman and Michael Mendelson, Feb 2003    

What Are Policy-Makers Saying about Respite?

This report presents the findings from interviews with selected key informants who have a policy interest in respite for caregivers. The survey was carried out in January and February 2003 on behalf o...

Sherri Torjman, Feb 2003    

Innovation and CED: What They Can Learn From Each Other
Innovation et DÉC: Ce qu'ils peuvent apprendre l'un de l'autre

The purpose of this paper is to explore the links between the concept of innovation and the practice of community economic development (CED). The paper first examines the practice of community economi...

Sherri Torjman and Eric Leviten-Reid, Jan 2003    

Minimum Wages in Canada: A Statistical Portrait with Policy Implications

The minimum wage is one of the oldest social policies, originating in New Zealand in 1894 and spreading to Canada in the early part of the 20th century. Yet it remains highly controversial. Some peopl...

Ken Battle, Jan 2003    

Foundations and Future of Social Policy in Canada: Three Short Speeches from the Caledon Institute's 10th Anniversary Celebration, November 6, 2002

The Caledon Institute marked its tenth anniversary with a day-long series of presentations and panel discussions at the Château Laurier Hotel in Ottawa on November 6, 2002. The celebration offered an ...

Battle, K., Torjman, S. et al., Nov 2002    

Architecture for National Child Care

The case for investing in high quality child care is compelling and unequivocal. The current challenge is to develop an architecture that will help guide the construction of a Canadian child care syst...

Ken Battle and Sherri Torjman, Nov 2002    

Foundations and Future of Social Policy

This address was presented at the Caledon Institute's Tenth Anniversary Celebration in Ottawa on November 6, 2002....

Tom Kent, Nov 2002    

The House of Commons and Common Houses

This commentary on affordable housing was published as an op ed in the Globe and Mail on September 24, 2002....

Sherri Torjman, Sep 2002    

Social Policy That Works: An Agenda

Canada needs social policy that works, says new Caledon report.  "Health care is the $100 billion gorilla of Canadian public policy. We all must hope that the forthcoming report of the Roman...

Ken Battle and Sherri Torjman, Sep 2002    

The Bases Are Loaded

This speech to the Groundswell Conference organized by the Learning Enrichment Foundation in Toronto and the Canadian Community Economic Development Network focusses upon the challenges related to the...

Sherri Torjman, Sep 2002    

Population Aging, Health Care Spending and Sustainability: Do We Really Have a Crisis?

This paper argues that issue of health care sustainability does not arise because of the inability of the economy or the overall fiscal system to finance rising health care costs. It arises from a com...

Joe Ruggeri, Sep 2002    

real leaders - special edition (volume 13)

This special edition of real leaders was written in conjunction with the Caledon report A Social Vision for the New City of Hamilton.In preparing this Social Vision, interviews were held with manycomm...

Pamela Mollica, Karen Mollica, Sep 2002    

A Social Vision for the New City of Hamilton

This Social Vision was prepared at the request of the Social and Public Health Services Department of the New City of Hamilton and was approved by Hamilton City Council on October 22, 2002. The Vision...

Torjman, S., Leviten-Reid, E. et al., Sep 2002    

Canada 2015: Globalization and the Future of Canada's Health and Health Care

This report describes four scenarios for future global economic and political structures – called Global Club, Shared Governance, Cyberwave and Regional Dominators – and looks at the future of health ...

Michael Mendelson and Pam Divinsky, Jul 2002    

The Threat to Democratic Citizenship

In this presentation which was made at the D.G. Willmot Lecture, Brock University, Spring 2002, Ed Broadbent discusses his views about the threat to democratic citizenship in Canada. He explores the a...

Ed Broadbent, Jul 2002    

A New Era in British Columbia: A Profile of Budget Cuts Across Social Programs

This paper is a summary of the wide range of reductions and cuts the BC Liberals have introduced to social programs over the past year. It documents changes in the areas of health care, education, inc...

Caledon Institute of Social Policy, Jul 2002    

Promoting Access to Postsecondary Education

This paper discusses the problems faced by low- and middle-income Canadians regarding access to postsecondary education. The author proposes several remedies, including increased federal funding for p...

Paul Heisler, Jul 2002    

The ABLED Initiative: Encouraging Entrepreneurship for Persons with Disabilities

Advice and Business Loans for Entrepreneurs with Disabilities (ABLED) is an initiative operating out of Vancouver and Victoria. This story profiles three entrepreneurs and provides details of lessons ...

Anne Makhoul, Jul 2002    

Fiscal Imbalances and the Financing of National Programs

This paper explores the state of government finances in Canada. It focusses upon the growing fiscal imbalance, commonly known as vertical fiscal imbalance (VFI), between the federal and provincial/ter...

Joe Ruggeri, Jul 2002    

The Place of Cities in Canada: Inside the Constitutional Box and Out

In this speech delivered at an April 2002 conference at Queen’s University’s School of Policy Studies, Alan Broadbent – one of Canada’s most influential action-thinkers on urban issues – offers a rang...

Alan Broadbent, Jun 2002    

Medicare: It's Decision Time

Decision Time for Medicare "The uncertain future of medicare does not come from public opinion. By a wide margin, most Canadians want health insurance according to the five principles that identify me...

Tom Kent, May 2002    

Magnets and Glue: New Tools for Cities

This commentary was first published as an op ed in the Toronto Star under the title "World-class cities need magnets and glue." It argues that cities must invest in key areas of social infrastructure:...

Sherri Torjman , May 2002    

Labour Market Information Needs in a Changing Economy

This paper was written at the request of the Labour Market Information Working Group of the Forum of Labour Market Ministers. It identifies major gaps in labour market information, especially at the l...

Sherri Torjman , May 2002    

CARE for Nurses Program: Helping New Ontarians Access the Profession

The Creating Access to Regulated Employment (CARE) initiative for Nurses helps Internationally Educated Nurses prepare for a licensing examination. Early results have exceeded expectations....

Anne Makhoul, May 2002    

Families and Schools Together Canada

Family Service Canada has introduced a family involvement program in communities across the country with the assistance of local schools, school boards and a variety of funding partners. Children who ...

Lisa Pridmore, May 2002    

real leaders, volume 12

This edition of real leaders profiles three individuals who have contributed to social well-being through their involvement in political life. John Godfrey,Member of Parliament for the Toronto riding ...

Pamela Mollica, Karen Mollica, May 2002    

Fulfilling the Promise: Integrating Immigrant Skills into the Canadian Economy

This paper sets out the context, proposed approach and components of a system envisaged by the Maytree Foundation in which Canada values and benefits from the skills, training, education and experienc...

Naomi Alboim and the Maytree Foundation, Apr 2002    

Power Camp: Liberating Ideas, Liberated Visions

This community story profiles Power Camp, a summer day camp and off-season workshop program which collaborates with community organizations in cities across Canada. Power Camp was conceived by three ...

Anne Makhoul, Apr 2002    

Medicure

This op ed points out how the loss of the Canada Assistance Plan in 1996 shook the foundation of community supports that help keep people out of hospital and decimated the systems of community care th...

Sherri Torjman , Feb 2002    

Reaching Past the Barricades: Conflict Resolution at International Summit Events

World summit events have recently been marked by violence, injury and property destruction. A process for engaging police, media, politicians, activists and the general public has been developed by a ...

Anne Makhoul, Feb 2002    

From Trade-Off to Trade-Up

This paper, presented at the Arthur Kroeger College of Public Affairs, argues that economic competitiveness and social cohesion are not a trade-off, but rather are intrinsically linked. It discusses t...

Sherri Torjman, Feb 2002    

The Canada Pension Plan Disability Benefit
La prestation d’invalidité du Régime de pensions du Canada

This report presents a policy history of the Canada Pension Plan disability benefit. It discusses the strengths and unique features of this national program, trends in caseload and cost, key issues re...

Sherri Torjman, Feb 2002    

Equalization: Will the Attacks Ever End?

In this commentary, the author contends that a recent misinterpretation regarding the equalization formula not only would undermine the constitutional foundations of the equalization program but also ...

Joe Ruggeri, Feb 2002    

Enterprising Non-profits

This story describes the development of a program in British Columbia which supports non-profit organizations in their bid to diversify revenue sources by launching business enterprises. Started as a...

Ann Simpson, Feb 2002    

The Lifeline Budget

The Lifeline Budget was developed by the group, Our Schools, Our Communities, in support of a strong, adequately funded public education system. The paper is intended to help similar groups that are s...

Mitchell Beer, Dec 2001    

Reclaiming Our Humanity

This social vision paper was written on behalf of the Coalition of National Voluntary Organizations, the Canadian Council on Social Development and United Way Canada. It discusses the constitutional, ...

Sherri Torjman, Dec 2001    

Constructing Knowledge and Training Curricula: Early Childhood Care and Development in Canadian Aboriginal Communities

This paper discusses the partnership process in which Aboriginal communities were engaged with the University of Victoria to create a culturally sensitive and appropriate Early Childhood Care curricul...

Jessica Ball and Alan Pence, Dec 2001    

Brief to the Standing Committee on Finance: Proposal for a National Disability Supports Initiative

The Caledon Institute submitted this brief entitled Proposal for a National Disability Supports Initiative to the Standing Committee on Finance. The brief calls for a federal/provincial initiative tha...

Caledon Institute of Social Policy, Dec 2001    

Equalization: Let's Stick to the Principles

This commentary addresses the future of the equalization agreement in Canada. The authors stress the need to focus upon its underlying principles in order to ensure the fiscal health of all regions of...

Joe Ruggeri and Frank Strain, Dec 2001    

Growing Prospects

Growing Prospects is a nonprofit organization that is providing training and employment to individuals on income assistance, helping them develop the skills required to find full-time employment in th...

Ann Simpson, Nov 2001    

Taking Health Care to the Streets: Ottawa’s Inner City Health Project

This story describes an innovative partnership which seeks to change the way that health services are delivered to homeless individuals....

Ann Simpson, Nov 2001    

The Toronto Food Policy Council

Food security issues are increasingly preoccupying municipal governments as they grapple with the persistence of hunger, food-related health issues, waste disposal problems and other symptoms of probl...

Ann Simpson, Oct 2001    

Seeds of Promise: Grandview/?Uuqinak'uuh School in Vancouver

This article profiles the steps taken to revitalize an inner-city elementary school community in Vancouver"s east end. A 1997 family crisis became the impetus for change, allowing school staff to pri...

Anne Makhoul, Oct 2001    

Opening Dialogue, Opening Minds: Encouraging Citizen Engagement

The Canadian Council for International Co-operation has been testing innovative methods of engaging the public in meaningful discussion of international policy issues. This community story describes ...

Ann Simpson, Oct 2001    

real leaders, volume 11

This edition of real leaders shines the spotlight on youth. Founders of vastly different initiatives, Simon Jackson, Ryan Hreljac and Rahul Raj demonstrate that a powerful vision can go a long way. ...

Pamela Mollica, Anne Makhoul, Oct 2001    

Toward a Comprehensive Affordable Housing Strategy for Canada

Written by Steve Pomeroy, one of Canada's most knowledgeable housing experts, this report offers a comprehensive perspective on the problem of lack of affordable housing in this country and sets out a...

Steve Pomeroy, Oct 2001    

From Information to Application: How Communities Learn

This review summarizes selected literature sources on the subject of community learning and identifies key themes considered in these sources. The findings of this work will be applied to the subsequ...

Sherri Torjman, Eric Leviten-Reid, Christopher Camp and Anne Makhoul, Sep 2001    

Social Inclusion: A New Vision of Immigrant Settlement in Canada

This commentary is the text of a keynote address delivered at the National Settlement Conference in Kingston June 2001. The address describes the settlement "journey" that immigrants experience when ...

Ratna Omidvar, Sep 2001    

Social Housing - A Key Component of Social Policies in Transformation: The Quebec Experience

This paper is a revised version of a presentation to the Symposium on Affordable Housing Policy organized by the Canadian Housing and Renewal Association. The paper reports on a number of innovative ...

Yves Vaillancourt, Sep 2001    

Relentless Incrementalism: Deconstructing and Reconstructing Canadian Income Security Policy

This report is a comprehensive analysis of recent and ongoing changes to Canadian income security policy. The paper argues that economic factors are a necessary but not sufficient explanation for the...

Ken Battle, Sep 2001    

Partnerships 'Down Under': The Kwinana Industries Council Excellence in Education Compact

An innovative partnership in Western Australia is helping to keep young people in school and prepare them for the world of work. The Kwinana Industries Council (KIC) Excellence in Education Compact i...

Ann Simpson, Sep 2001    

New - and Newsworthy - Ideas on Welfare Reform

This commentary was prepared in response to an op ed in The Ottawa Citizen that called for a return to workhouses for welfare recipients. It was published under the banner of “New Ideas.” The commen...

Sherri Torjman, Aug 2001    

Ottawa Should Expand the Canada Child Tax Benefit

Presentation to the Commons Subcommittee on Children and Youth at Risk ...

Ken Battle, Jun 2001    

The Philanthropic Contract: Mutual Benefit for the Public Good

In this speech to the Private Foundations Canada Conference held in Toronto on June 1, 2001, Alan Broadbent explains The Maytree Foundation's approach to philanthropic giving.  Broadbent is a business...

Alan Broadbent, Jun 2001    

Lessons for the Russian Federation from the Reform of Income Security Programs in Canada

The purpose of this follow-up note to the earlier paper for the CEPRA Project (see above) to reflect upon the findings of the research carried out on income security in Russia and to link these findi...

Ken Battle and Sherri Torjman, May 2001    

Sustainable Development: Innovation and the Quality of Life

This framework was designed for presentation at a meeting of the federal Interdepartmental Working Group on Sustainable Development. The framework focusses specifically upon the links between sustain...

Sherri Torjman and David Minns, May 2001    

The Post-Welfare State in Canada: Income-Testing and Inclusion

This report was prepared for the CEPRA (Consortium for Economic Policy Research and Advice) Project, "Living Standards and Income Inequality in Selected Regions," for the International and Canadian Pr...

Battle, K., Torjman, S., May 2001    

Ken Battle and Eric Leviten gave the opening address at the 'Building a Winning Community' conference in Hamilton, Ontario on

On April 5, 2001, the Social Planning and Research Council of Hamilton, Ontario sponsored a conference titled “Building a Winning Community: Visions and Challenges for the New City of Hamilton.” The ...

Ken Battle and Eric Leviten, Apr 2001    

Read the Fine Print!

The Canadian Life and Health Insurance Association uses bold typeface to advise potential buyers of private insurance: “Read your contract!” While the warning is sound advice in general, it was meant...

Sherri Torjman, Apr 2001    

Social Capital and the 'Our Millennium' National Project

This report is an analysis of the Our Millennium gift registry. Our Millennium was a special project initiated by the Community Foundations of Canada to mark the new century. It was designed as a na...

Sherri Torjman and Eric Leviten, Apr 2001    

First Stop: Front-line crime prevention
Premier Arret : La prèmiere ligne en matière de prévention du crime

The First Stop program is on site at the downtown bus station in Montreal to provide assistance to vulnerable people, and to help prevent crime and victimization.  Part of the work of First Stop ...

Ann Simpson, Apr 2001    

The Cambridge Self-Help Food Bank

The Cambridge Self-Help Food Bank is a food bank with a difference. Besides helping people put food on the table, it also feeds people's desire to be accepted as capable, contributing members of their...

Mary McKeigan, Mar 2001    

Quint: CED and Affordable Housing in Saskatoon

Quint Development Corporation was formed in 1995 by residents of the five neighbourhoods that comprise the inner city of Saskatoon. This not-for-profit community organization was created to help local...

Len Usiskin, Laverne Szejvolt, Mike Keeling, Mar 2001    

Transition to Retirement

The personal stories series was launched to give families and individuals a 'voice' to tell their stories. In this story, Joan Johnson describes the challenges related to the transition to retirement....

Joan Johnson, Mar 2001    

Opportunity Development Accounts

The Individual Development Account (IDA) is an important new tool for combating poverty. It enables people with low incomes to accumulate a substantial financial asset to be invested in a potentially ...

De Rail, Mar 2001    

real leaders, volume 10

This edition of real leaders profiles one individual and two groups who demonstrate that working together can make a difference in a community. Carol Ann Cole raised more than $1 million for breast ca...

Pamela Mollica, Mar 2001    

Social Housing with Community Support: A Study of the FOHM Experience

This paper presents the results of an evaluation of the social housing program of the Fédération des OSBL d'habitation de Montréal (Montreal Federation of Housing Non-profit Organizations). The result...

Luc Thériault, Mar 2001    

Investing Social Security Funds: Principles and Considerations

Written by Edward Tamagno, a senior federal official responsible for the negotiation and administration of Canada's international social security agreements, this paper discusses the growth of “hybrid...

Edward Tamagno, Feb 2001    

Healthy Families, Healthy Communities
Familles en santé pour des villes et des villages en santé

Healthy Families programs offer education and positive social modelling to families with young children in a number of communities in Canada. This paper describes a project supported by the Crime Prev...

Anne Makhoul, Feb 2001    

Tools for Change
« Tools for Change »

Young people who have been "in care" - in the child welfare system, foster homes or institutions - face many challenges. Their lives are often characterized by instability, and many bear scars from ea...

Ann Simpson, Feb 2001    

From the Ground Up: Municipal crime prevention initiatives
En commençant par la base : Les programmes municipaux de prévention du crime

Municipalities play a key role in crime prevention. This paper describes several municipal crime prevention projects supported by the Safer Communities Initiative. The Federation of Canadian Municipal...

Ann Simpson, Feb 2001    

Don't Slam the Door

Ottawa is reacting to outcry over smuggled immigrants by threatening to tighten the borders. There are much better ways to solve this problem argues The Maytree Foundation’s Andrew Brouwer, in a Comme...

Andrew Brouwer, Jan 2001    

Benefits for Children: A Four Country Study

Benefits for Children: A Four Country Study reports on the system of income benefits paid on behalf of children in Australia, Canada, the United Kingdom and the United States. The study compares the s...

Ken Battle, Michael Mendelson, Daniel Meyer, Jane Millar et al., Jan 2001    

Parents in Action for Education, Montreal

Launched in 1999 by a community development organization in Montreal known as the Third Avenue Resource Centre, People in Action for Education offers support and information for parents from socially ...

David Dillon, Jan 2001    

Closing the 'Revolving Door': The Toronto Drug Treatment Court
Fermer la « porte-tambour » : Le Tribunal de traitement de la toxicomanie de Toronto

Drug-related crime is a major problem in many Canadian communities, and studies have shown a strong link between drug addiction and repeat criminal behaviour. The traditional criminal justice system o...

Ann Simpson, Jan 2001    

Abuse of trust: Children and youth in the sex trade
Abus de confiance : Les enfants et les jeunes de l'industrie du sexe

It is estimated that more than 300,000 children and youths are involved in the sex trade in North America. Law enforcement officials, social service providers and the general public often regard these...

Ann Simpson, Jan 2001    

The South Shore Family Resource Association
L’association des ressources familiales de la Côte Sud

The South Shore Family Resource Association is an initiative supported by Health Canada's Community Action Program for Children. The Association serves the Shelburne, Queens and Lunenburg counties of ...

Mary McConnell, Jennifer Lamrock, Debbie Smith, Jan 2001    

Yes, Virginia, There is a Guaranteed Annual Income

A version of this commentary was originally published in the National Post on December 13, 2000. ...

Ken Battle and Sherri Torjman, Dec 2000    

Crime prevention starts at an early age
Le prévention du crime débute dès le jeune age

Patterns of criminal behaviour and victimization often begin in childhood and adolescence, and children and youth are priorities for the National Strategy on Community Safety and Crime Prevention.&nbs...

Ann Simpson, Nov 2000    

Project Early Intervention
« Project Early Intervention »

Children and youth are priorities for the National Strategy on Community Safety and Crime Prevention. Particular attention is being paid to fostering community action and promoting conditions that hel...

Anne Makhoul, Oct 2000    

Goodwill: Partnerships That Work

For 65 years, Goodwill Toronto has been on a mission: to help people with disabilities and others facing employment barriers find meaningful jobs in the community. This paper describes several Goodwil...

Jill Kehoe, Oct 2000    

Street Culture Kidz
«Street Culture Kidz»

Fostering the healthy, secure, prosocial development of children and youth is an important component of crime prevention through social development. With assistance from the Community Mobilization Pro...

Ann Simpson, Oct 2000    

Special Education in Ontario: Do We Care Where We're Going?

This is one of two commentaries which discuss the status of special education in Ontario. Special education essentially involves tailoring and personalizing the school experience for each exceptional ...

Jim Bradt, Noreen Hardwick-Leclerc, Oct 2000    

real leaders, volume 9

This issues of real leaders takes us across the country to Ottawa, Winnipeg and Saskatoon for a look at innovative community development initiatives. Andrejs and Lorraine Berzins are working to achie...

Pamela Mollica, Oct 2000    

Social Programs: Reconstruction Not Restoration

In a brief to the Finance Committee, the Caledon Institute of Social Policy calls for the “reconstruction not restoration” of Canadian social programs. In the emerging post-deficit era, 'social reinve...

Ken Battle, Sherri Torjman and Michael Mendelson, Oct 2000    

Booming for Whom? People in Ontario Talk About Incomes, Jobs and Social Programs

Despite the Ontario government's claim that 'families are better off,' many people in Ontario are worse off and struggling to get by, says a report released today by the Caledon Institute. The report,...

Kate Bezanson and Susan McMurray, Oct 2000    

Proposal for a National Personal Supports Fund

Personal supports refer to a range of goods and services technical aids and equipment, personal services and brokerage that offset the effects of a disabling condition. These supports help ensure th...

Sherri Torjman, Oct 2000    

Special Education Funding in Ontario: Bogged Down in Claims

This commentary discusses the status of special education in Ontario. Special education essentially involves tailoring and personalizing the school experience for each exceptional student when the reg...

Jim Bradt, Noreen Hardwick-Leclerc, Oct 2000    

Refugees in Limbo and Canada’s International Obligations

The refugee and immigrant series was launched by the Caledon Institute of Social Policy in partnership with the Maytree Foundation"s Refugee and Immigrant Program. The purpose of the series is to high...

Guy S. Goodwin-Gill and Judith Kumin, Sep 2000    

Engaging Students and Communities: Voices from Nova Scotia

The Southwest Regional School Board in Nova Scotia has undertaken several initiatives to increase public involvement and support for publicly funded education. Two of these initiatives are highlighte...

Anne Makhoul, Sep 2000    

The Spirit is Still Dancing: Joe Duquette High School

Joe Duquette High School in Saskatoon opened its doors in 1980 after a decade of activism by Aboriginal community members who wanted greater conrol of educational philosophy and direction. Originally...

Anne Makhoul, Sep 2000    

A Proposed Model Framework for Early Childhood Development Services Within the National Children's Agenda

This proposed model framework is a follow-up to the February 2000 report entitled Ottawa Should Help Build a National Early Childhood Development System. The framework was developed in response to the...

Ken Battle and Sherri Torjman, Sep 2000    

First Ministers' Last Priority

This commentary points out the lack of action on the disability front, despite governments' commitment to proceed in this area. Their written promise was made in a document entitled In Unison: A Canad...

Sherri Torjman, Sep 2000    

The Lessons of Walkerton Run Deep

This commentary points out what can happen when society downplays or neglects the public infrastructure that has an impact on our health and safety. Walkerton is a tragic but instructie wake-up call....

Sherri Torjman, Sep 2000    

What Should Be Done About Medicare

In this report, Mr. Kent offers a comprehensive set of measures to rebuild medicare as a firm partnership between the federal and provincial governments. First and foremost, the federal government mus...

Tom Kent, Aug 2000    

Saying 'No' to Bullying: The 'Guets-Apens' game
Dire « non » à l'intimidation! Le jeu de « Guets-Apens »

With assistance from the Community Mobilization Program, the Centre Option-Prévention T.V.D.S. in Montreal has developed the prototype for a board game that addresses the issue of bullying. Guets-Apen...

Ann Simpson, Aug 2000    

Partnership for Sustainable Development: The Case of Parc de la Gaspésie
Partenariat pour un développement durable : Le cas du parc de la Gaspésie

After many years of negotiations, an innovative partnership of community groups and government agencies is putting in place an integrated approach to tourism in order to encourage sustainable developm...

Ann Simpson, Aug 2000    

Addressing the Personal Security Issues of Women and Girls
Intervenir au chapitre de la sécurité personnelle des femmes et des jeunes filles

Crime and the fear of crime are two critical factors that can greatly undermine a person"s sense of security. Personal security issues are particularly important for women and girls. Various studies h...

Ann Simpson, Aug 2000    

The New Immigration Act: More Questions Than Answers

Ottawa"s proposed overhaul of the Immigration Act fails to live up to democratic principles and human rights norms. Many of the most important elements of the immigration and refugee system, such as r...

Andrew Brouwer, The MayTree Foundation, May 2000    

Richmond School District Builds on a Strong Foundation

Richmond School District Number 53 in British Columbia provides an example of gracious communication under pressure. Two years ago, the district was asked by a large group of its Asian parents to open...

Anne Makhoul, May 2000    

Brain Drain, Brain Gain

...

Session Proceedings, Sponsored by the Maytree Foundation, May 2000    

The Social Dimension of Sustainable Development

This paper was prepared in response to a request by the Commissioner of Environment and Sustainable Development at the Office of the Auditor General to clarify the meaning of the social dimension of s...

Sherri Torjman, May 2000    

Education and the Public Good

The "public good" refers to actions taken in the interest of all citizens. Unfortunately, it is a concept that has fallen out of favour in recent years. The notion of the public good flies in the face...

Sherri Torjman, Apr 2000    

Survival-of-the-Fittest Employment Policy

The research for this report was undertaken at the request of the Partners for Jobs Working Group spearheaded by the Regional Municipality of Ottawa-Carleton. The purpose of this report is to identify...

Sherri Torjman, Apr 2000    

People for Education: Reviving Public Debate

People for Education is a citizen advocacy group working out of Toronto. The group was formed in response to recent changes in Ontario's education system. The paper describes how People for Education ...

Anne Makhoul, Apr 2000    

The Tisdale RECplex: (Almost) Everything Under One Roof

In 1997, the town of Tisdale in northeastern Saskatchewan (population 3,500) opened a 100,000 square foot joint-use facility which houses an array of educational, recreational and cultural spaces. Thi...

Anne Makhoul, Apr 2000    

Public Discourse on Public Education

This is the first paper in a series entitled communities and schools. The series will consist of a set of commentaries and stories on various aspects of public education. It will explore the role that...

Sherri Torjman, Apr 2000    

Ryerson Community School - Where You Belong

Ryerson Community School is located in the heart of downtown Toronto in an area considered by many as undesirable. Since the early 1980s, Ryerson school administrators have worked to develop community...

Anne Makhoul, Apr 2000    

Ontario Cuts to English as a Second Language

This commentary highlights the impact of recent cuts in Ontario to English as a Second Language (ESL). A strong ESL program is the cornerstone of public education in a culturally diverse society. Yet ...

Carolyn Bullock, Apr 2000    

A Review of the Alberta Private Hospital Proposal

This report, by leading health policy expert (and practising physician) Dr. Michael Rachlis, offers a sharp critique of the Alberta government's planned legislation to allow regional health authoritie...

Michael Rachlis, Mar 2000    

The Payback Budget of 2000

This report is a response to the federal budget of 2000, which Caledon believes will 'rank among Canada's most important.' While Caledon argues that the money that will be devoted to debt repayment wo...

Ken Battle, Sherri Torjman and Michael Mendelson, Mar 2000    

real leaders: volume 8

This edition of real leaders profiles Robert Conn, Alice Carlick and Debbie Groat, and Bev Kirby. Robert Conn is founder and Executive Director of the SmartRisk Foundation in Toronto whose innovative ...

Nolté, J., Mollica, P., Feb 2000    

Ottawa Should Help Build a National Early Childhood Development System

This paper makes the case for federal leadership and financial investment - a total of $7.5 billion over five years - in a national early childhood development system. Early childhood development serv...

Ken Battle and Sherri Torjman, Feb 2000    

Equal Access to Student Loans for Convention Refugees

Federal law and provincial regulations exclude Convention refugees from public student loan programs until they have been granted permanent resident status. These are individuals who fall within the d...

Andrew Brouwer, The Maytree Foundation, Feb 2000    

Employment Insurance: Small Bang for Big Bucks

This commentary discusses the problems that have arisen with the introduction of the Employment Insurance (EI) Act which replaced the former Unemployment Insurance Program in 1996. The purpose of the ...

Sherri Torjman, Feb 2000    

Economic Migrants or Refugees? Trends in Global Migration

The Maytree Foundation, in conjunction with the Caledon Institute of Social Policy and the Canadian Institute of International Affairs, sponsored the forum Economic Migrants or Refugees? Trends in Glo...

Session Proceedings, Jan 2000    

real leaders, special edition 2 (volume 7)

Opportunities 2000 (OP2000) is an innovative community-based program to reduce poverty in the Waterloo Region of Southwestern Ontario. Its works with various community partners to develop initiatives ...

Pamela Mollica, Jan 2000    

Reach: Equality and Justice for People with Disabilities

Reach is an Ottawa-based voluntary organization that assists people with disabilities in Ottawa-Carleton and eastern Ontario to resolve legal issues by linking them with lawyers. More than 250 lawyers...

Ann Simpson, Jan 2000    

'Bringing People Together': Compass Community Trust

This paper describes how the Compass Community Trust in Tauranga, New Zealand, has supported the development of a dynamic network of community and not-for-profit organizations, helping them to link wi...

Ann Simpson, Dec 1999    

Tax Breaks or Broken by Taxes?

Tax Breaks or Broken by Taxes is the first in our personal stories series. This letter was written by a mother with a daughter with multiple disabilities. It provides examples of the problems raised i...

Shirlea Smith, Dec 1999    

Roots and Wings: The Fort Smith Youth Centre
Racines et Ailes : La Maison des jeunes de Fort Smith

The Youth Centre in Fort Smith, Northwest Territories, is a place where youth from all backgrounds can feel welcome. It came to life because of a partnership effort of the Fort Smith Métis Council, th...

Ann Simpson, Dec 1999    

Credit Corrosion: Bracket Creep's Evil Twin

"Bracket creep" - the decline in tax brackets due to lack of full indexation - has attracted attention recently, though it has been slowly hiking the taxes of some taxpayers since 1986; about one in f...

Ken Battle, Dec 1999    

Community Action Committee for Bay St. George

This paper, written by the coordinator of the Community Action Committee for Bay St. George, describes how parents, caregivers and community organizations in rural Newfoundland have developed Family R...

Bernice Hancock, Dec 1999    

The Price of Prudence

The federal Department of Finance"s recent Economic and Fiscal Update provides for $28 billion a hefty 30 percent of the total $95 billion projected surplus between 2000-01 and 2004-05 - to be set as...

Michael Mendelson, Dec 1999    

Cranberry Portage Child/Family Resource Centre

The Child/Family Resource Centre provides programs for children and families in Cranberry Portage, Manitoba, and surrounding communities in the north of the province. With support from Health Canada"s...

Wendy Trylinski, Nov 1999    

Success by 6
6 ans et gagnant

Success by 6 is a movement that is sweeping North America, bringing together communities around the concept of giving young children the foundation they need to get a good start in life. Initiated by ...

Judith Nolté, Nov 1999    

Are Outcomes the Best Outcome?

This report challenges the obsession with outcomes as part of the current preoccupation with accountability. The paper recognizes and concurs with the importance of setting and trying to meet clearly ...

Sherri Torjman, Nov 1999    

Will the 'Children's Budget' Include Kids With Disabilities?

This report argues that the so-called "children"s budget" that Ottawa is expected to bring down in the year 2000 may fail to address the needs of a large number of Canada"s children - the 458,000 chil...

Sherri Torjman, Nov 1999    

'Self-build' Housing in Aboriginal Communities

This paper describes an innovative project to help address the shortage of affordable housing in aboriginal communities. With contributions from the Homegrown Solutions program and a variety of busine...

Ann Simpson, Nov 1999    

How to Do a Children's Budget and a Tax Cut Budget in 2000

Ottawa is under pressure to deliver a so-called 'children's budget' in 2000, but there are also demands to ease the tax burden. Caledon offers a package of proposals that would accomplish both tasks. ...

Ken Battle and Michael Mendelson, Oct 1999    

Employment Policy Options

The current flap over productivity and the brain drain may have pushed unemployment to the side of the chattering class"s radar screen. But the recent decline in Canada"s unemployment rate from doubl...

Bob Baldwin, Arthur Donner, Pierre Fortin, Michael Grant et al., Oct 1999    

Immigrants Need Not Apply

This paper is the first in a series of Caledon/Maytree papers on immigrant access to the professions and trades in Canada. The paper describes the difficulties facing immigrant professionals and trade...

Andrew Brouwer, Oct 1999    

The Critical Human Factor: Mentoring Our Young People

This commentary makes the case for mentoring the pairing of an individual with a 'significant other' who takes an interest in that individual and who provides personal and professional guidance. The ...

Bob Couchman, Oct 1999    

Strategies for a Caring Community: The Local Government Role

Opportunities 2000 is a project of the Lutherwood Community Opportunities Development Association in Waterloo Region. The organization will work over the next few years with various community partners...

Sherri Torjman, Sep 1999    

More Money in the Pocket

Opportunities 2000 is a project of the Lutherwood Community Opportunities Development Association in Waterloo Region. The organization will work over the next few years with various community partners...

Ken Battle and Sherri Torjman, Sep 1999    

Community Outreach at the Cornwall Alternative School
Programme communautaire à l'école alternative Cornwall

This paper describes the innovative academic programs offered at the Cornwall Alternative School in Regina.  The school specializes in an alternative curriculum for students who are experiencing ...

Vonnie Schmidt and Linda Routledge, Aug 1999    

Community Outreach at the Cornwall Alternative School
Programme communautaire offert à l'école alternative Cornwall

This paper describes the innovative academic programs offered at the Cornwall Alternative School in Regina. The school specializes in an alternative curriculum for students who are experiencing diffic...

Vonnie Schmidt and Linda Routledge, Aug 1999    

Crime Prevention in Kugluktuk
Prévention du crime à Kugluktuk

The small town of Kugluktuk, Nunavut, was experiencing an increase in criminal activity, particularly amongst the youth in the community. In the past, citizens of Kugluktuk did not acknowledge crime a...

Lena Pederson and Donna Stephania, Aug 1999    

Community Coordination to Improve Women's Safety
Coordination à l'échelle communautaire pour accroître la sécurité des femmes

Violence against women and children cannot be tolerated. This paper highlights the need for more joint provincial and local responses to protect women from abuse. Key to improving protection for women...

Tracy Porteous and Jane Coombe, Aug 1999    

KIDS COUNT: Partners for Children's Health and Learning

KIDS COUNT is a unique, community-wide partnership to improve the health and learning opportunities of children and their families in neighbourhoods of London, Ontario. KIDS COUNT brings together pare...

Ann Simpson, Jul 1999    

Protection with a Price Tag: The Head Tax for Refugees and Their Families Must Go

In 1995, Ottawa imposed a $975 right of landing fee, or "Head Tax," on immigrants and refugees. This tax came in addition to a $500 processing fee introduced the previous year. Canada gained the d...

Andrew Brouwer, Jun 1999    

Aboriginal People in Canada's Labour Market
Les Autochtones et le marché de l'emploi canadien

Using data from the 1996 Census and the 1991 Census-based Aboriginal Peoples Survey, this report compares the job situation of Aboriginal people to that of the general population. The Aboriginal ident...

Michael Mendelson and Ken Battle, Jun 1999    

Unravelling the Threads of Democracy

This paper describes the activities of the voluntary sector and its three key roles: service delivery, innovation and ethical leadership. The voluntary sector operates, at least in theory, outside of ...

Sherri Torjman, Jun 1999    

The Online Healthy Relationship Project
« Pour des relations saines »

The Online Healthy Relationships Project is an innovative approachto educating adolescents about the underlying issues that contribute toviolent behaviour. Essentially a violence prevention program, t...

Andrew Safer, Jun 1999    

Reintegrating the Unemployed Through Customized Training

Customized training is one method of facilitating labour market entry and reentry. While described as a discrete approach, it is linked to a range of labour market interventions. This paper first expl...

Sherri Torjman, Jun 1999    

real leaders, special edition (volume 6)

This edition of real leaders profiles three individuals from Ottawa-Carleton. John Kelly is President and CEO of JetForm, an Ottawa high-technology company which donates significant time and money to ...

Judith Nolté, Pamela Mollica, Jun 1999    

Making a Promise of Inclusion
Une promesse communautaire d'intégration

This paper describes the process undertaken to create the PEI Community Promise of Inclusion. Despite the strength of community involvement in Prince Edward Island,there are still many Islanders who f...

Sandi MacKinnon, Jun 1999    

The Roots of Empathy

The Roots of Empathy is a classroom-based parenting program designed for elementary school students. The program has as its cornerstone a monthly classroom visit by an infant and parent. The goals o...

Mary Gordon, Jun 1999    

Costs, Closures and Confusion: People in Ontario Talk About Health Care, Periodic Report #4

The health care system in Ontario is unravelling, say household members the Speaking Out Project has intervewed since 1997. They explain that the Ontario government"s restructuring of health care is n...

Kate Bezanson and Louise Noce, May 1999    

A Labour Force Development Strategy for Ottawa-Carleton

This labour force development strategy was commissioned by the Chairman of the Regional Municipality of Ottawa-Carleton. The report identifies the extent of the Region's labour market problems in term...

Sherri Torjman, May 1999    

CRUNCH: Improving Victoria's Downtown Core

CRUNCH is an innovative community development process which devises cooperative solutions to the problems facing Victoria"s downtown core. The city faces many challenges: fear of violence on the stree...

Bernie Jones, Apr 1999    

Poverty Eases Slightly

After two years of increases in 1995 and 1996, poverty eased a bit in 1997. Statistics Canada estimates that 5,222,000 Canadians or 17.5 percent of the population - one person in six - lived on low in...

Ken Battle, Apr 1999    

The Neighbourhood Coalition for Conflict Resolution

This community story describes the work of the Neighbourhood Coalition for Conflict Resolution in Ottawa, Ontario. Conflict is part of life in any community and knowing how to deal with it is vital to...

Ann Simpson, Mar 1999    

What's In A Name: Identity Documents and Convention Refugees

There is an entire class of marginalized people living in Canada today: United Nations Convention refugees who do not have travel documents, passports or other official documents to prove their identi...

Andrew Brouwer, Mar 1999    

Beware of Governments Bearing Tax Gifts

This commentary, first published as an op ed in The Ottawa Citizen, discusses possible tax changes in the 1999 Budget. The paper notes that any income tax cuts announced in the Budget will be worth le...

Ken Battle and Sherri Torjman, Mar 1999    

Enviroworks

Enviroworks is a Used Building Materials Store owned by the Limestone District School Board in Kingston, Ontario and is operated by students in the Board. It is an example of a highly successful commu...

Mike Zanibbi, Mar 1999    

Dumb and Dumber Government Rules

This commentary describes the range of barriers that arise as a result of 'dumb' rules associated with various government programs. At the federal level, tighter eligibility criteria for Employment In...

Sherri Torjman, Mar 1999    

To Everything (Even Fiscal Policy) There Is a Time: A Time to Restrain and a Time to Spend

Using a fiscal model developed at the Caledon Institute, this report explores the impact of two archetypical scenarios on the federal debt between now and fiscal year 2008-09. The first scenario is Ca...

Michael Mendelson, Feb 1999    

real leaders, volume 5

In this edition of real leaders, Erica Watts and Caitlin McRae lead their public school in an initiative to raise funds for victims of Hurricane Mitch. As founder of the Family Abuse Crisis Exchange (...

Judith Nolté, Pamela Mollica, Feb 1999    

Good Work: Getting It and Keeping It

This summary document is a companion report to the book, Employment Policy Options, to be published by the Caledon Institute of Social Policy. The book is composed of 10 chapters on various aspects of...

Sherri Torjman, Ken Battle, Feb 1999    

The Social Fundamentals

Caledon's critique of the 1999 Budget was issued several hours after it was read in the House of Commons. The Social Fundamentals points out that Canadians have endured several years of tough fiscal m...

Ken Battle, Sherri Torjman, Michael Mendelson, Feb 1999    

Social Policy 2000: An Agenda

This report draws inspiration from Tom Kent's influential 1960 tract Towards a Philosophy of Social Security, the blueprint for the phenomenal development of social programs in the 1960s. The report p...

Tom Kent, Jan 1999    

Igalaaq: The Rankin Inlet Community Access Centre

This paper describes how a dedicated teacher, a supportive school and business community, and numerous volunteers created Igalaaq, an innovative community computer access centre in Rankin Inlet. ...

Ann Simpson, Jan 1999    

Babies Best Start

This paper describes Babies Best Start, an innovative initiative of Health Canada"s Community Action Program for Children. Based in Scarborough, Babies Best Start trains and supports parents from ...

Brenda Pickup, Dec 1998    

The Don't-Make-Sense Welfare Rules

Certain welfare rules on assets and earnings create disincentives to work. Welfare applicants are expected to deplete most of their assets before they are considered eligible for financial assistance....

Sherri Torjman, Nov 1998    

Home Care: More Than Care at Home

This commentary argues that current discussions on home care are being framed far too narrowly. Home care is not simply a means of providing medical or nursing care at home. Rather, any home care init...

Sherri Torjman, Nov 1998    

Centralizing Power, Decentralizing Blame: What Ontarians Say About Education Reform

Students and families in our study support the goal of education reform, but they do not believe the Ontario government’s reforms are improving the quality of education. Instead, they point to a numbe...

Anne O'Connell and Fraser Valentine, Oct 1998    

Refugees in Legal Limbo

This report explains the plight of the estimated 7,500 to 10,000 refugees in Canada who are living in ‘legal limbo.’  Refugees in legal limbo have been accepted to Canada but have not yet been gr...

Andrew Brouwer, Oct 1998    

Strategies for a Caring Society

This paper is the keynote address for the "Strategies for a Caring Society: Investing in the Whole Community" conference organized by The Trillium Foundation on October 15-16, 1998. The international ...

Sherri Torjman, Oct 1998    

Early Childhood Services for Kingergarten-Age Children in Four Canadian Provinces: Scope, Nature and Models for the Future

Early Childhood Services for Kindergarten-Age Children in Four Canadian Provinces: Scope, Nature and Models for the Future examines kindergarten and child care for kindergartners in communities in New...

Julie Mathien, Laura C. Johnson, Oct 1998    

Health Care/Caring for Health

The next federal Budget is expected to focus on health care. Ottawa has to redress some of the damage created through cuts to social programs introduced as part of the Canada Health and Social Transfe...

Sherri Torjman, Sep 1998    

Welfare Reform Through Tailor-Made Training

This paper describes "tailor-made training," an approach to welfare reform that focusses upon individual skills. Under this model, a nonprofit organization identifies job opportunities in the local ec...

Sherri Torjman, Sep 1998    

real leaders, volume 4

This edition of real leaders profiles Francisco Rico-Martinez, Claude Turgeon, and Frank and Kaja Westgarth. Francisco founded a shelter in Toronto and supports refugees during the immigration process...

Judith Nolté, Pamela Mollica, Sep 1998    

Mentorship Program for New Canadians

Skills for Change is a nonprofit organization that provides training to help immigrants and refugees participate in the workforce and the wider community. The authors describe the agency's Mentors...

Benilda Silkowska-Masior and Teresa Szajkowski, Sep 1998    

Alternatives to Food Banks

This paper describes the Alternatives Program and other services provided by the Agincourt Community Services Association in Scarborough. The author describes how activities and projects such as a Coo...

Fahima Biglar, Aug 1998    

Down and Out in Winnipeg and Toronto: The Ethics of Legislating Against Panhandling

This report challenges the rise of anti-panhandling legislation in several Canadian cities, the latest being Winnipeg. The author, Director of the Centre for Professional and Applied Ethics, Universit...

Arthur Schafer, Aug 1998    

The Social Economy in Quebec

This story is an edited excerpt from a chapter in a forthcoming book by Eric Shragge entitled Social Economy: Critiques and Perspectives. The social economy in Québec is concerned fundamentally with e...

William Ninacs, Jul 1998    

The New Public Pollicy

In 1996-97, the federal government spent $12 million on public polls and focus groups to seek opinions on its performance. The new public "pollicy," which relies so much on opinion polls for guidanc...

Sherri Torjman, Jun 1998    

Perspectives on Partnership

Perspectives on Partnership is a collection of readings on collaborative working arrangements. Partnerships are strategic alliances which involve a sharing of resources and responsibility to achieve a...

Mark Hudson, Gillian Kerr, Barbara Lebrun, Rod Lohin et al., Jun 1998    

Partnerships: The Good, The Bad and The Uncertain

This paper was prepared for presentation at the 4th International Partnership Conference in Trondheim, Norway, June 27 - July 1, 1998. The paper describes the research in partnerships that the Caledon...

Sherri Torjman, Jun 1998    

No Treasure CHST for Health Services

This commentary argues that, if health care is underfunded as many people believe, the solution does not lie in increasing federal transfer payments to the provinces under the Canada Health and Social...

Michael Mendelson, Jun 1998    

No Taxation Without Indexation

This report explores the impact of partial deindexation of the personal income tax system, refundable GST credit and federal child benefits. Introduced into the tax/transfer system in 1986 by Mulrone...

Ken Battle, Jun 1998    

Working for the Poor and Disadvantaged: Reflections at the End of the 1990s

This paper discusses the role of Citizens for Local Democracy (C4LD) in seeking social equity and democracy for all members of a community, including the poor and disadvantaged. C4LD was created i...

John Sewell, May 1998    

Removing Welfare Barriers in Manitoba

The author describes how SEED Winnipeg helped changed welfare regulations in Manitoba that were an impediment to self-employment. SEED Winnipeg is a nonprofit organization which helps low-income peopl...

Garry Loewen, May 1998    

The Parent Relief Project

Lack of access to adequate child care has been identified as a major barrier for at-risk families and parents seeking employment. This paper describes The Parent Relief Project in Toronto which wo...

Donna Devlin, May 1998    

Opportunities 2000: A Community-Based Program to Reduce Poverty

Opportunities 2000 is an innovative and ambitious community-based program to reduce poverty in the Waterloo Region of Southern Ontario.  Opportunities 2000 is being undertaken by the Lutherwood C...

Dwayne Hodgson, May 1998    

Can Communities Reduce Poverty?

This is the question that the Community Opportunities Development Association (now known as Lutherwood CODA) in Waterloo Region has set out to answer. It has embarked upon Opportunities 2000 (OP2000) ...

Sherri Torjman, Apr 1998    

The Key to Kyoto: Social Dimensions of Climate Change

Under an international agreement signed in December 1997, Canada committed itself to reducing greenhouse gas emissions by six percent by the years 2008-2012. But because the emission of three of the s...

Sherri Torjman, Apr 1998    

There's No Love in 'Tough Love'

Tough love refers to the conventional 'wisdom' now shaping the design of many social programs. The term typically gets used in relation to welfare and has influenced the design of workfare – which inv...

Sherri Torjman, Feb 1998    

Community-Based Poverty Reduction

Unemployment and poverty are multifaceted, complex problems that must be addressed through a combination of public policy and community-based approaches. This paper sets out a framework for community-...

Sherri Torjman, Feb 1998    

The Piece-of-the-Puzzle Budget

This same-day response to the 1998 federal Budget argues that Canada's poor - who suffered most from cuts to social programs during the anti-deficit campaign - have first claim on the soon-to-be-risin...

Caledon Institute of Social Policy, Feb 1998    

Act in Haste ... The Style, Scope and Speed of Change in Ontario

Partipants expressed their concerns about all of the changes happening in Ontario. They said there are too many changes in major policies and programs, the pace at which change is happening is too rus...

Kate Bezanson and Fraser Valentine, Jan 1998    

Take It or Leave It: The Ontario Government's Approach to Job Insecurity

Despite an improving Ontario economy, interviewees reported experiencing a rise in job insecurity.  They pointed to new government policies that are contributing to a ‘bad jobs’ economy. ...

Louise Noce and Anne O'Connell, Jan 1998    

To Pay or Not to Pay: Should the Federal Government 'Pay Down' its Debt?

To Pay or Not to Pay: Should the Federal Government 'Pay Down' its Debt? develops a fiscal model to forecast the impact of several scenarios on the federal debt between now and fiscal year 2008-09. Th...

Michael Mendelson, Jan 1998    

Speaking Out Project Description, Research Strategy and Methodology

The Speaking Out project is documenting the effects policy changes are having on ordinary people in Ontario, especially those with low incomes, through ongoing interviews with 40 Ontario households. T...

Susan McMurray with assistance of the Speaking Out Team, Dec 1997    

Persistent Poverty

In this same-day analysis of the 1996 low income estimates from Statistics Canada, the Caledon Institute concludes that the poverty figures are worse than they appear.  While the number and perce...

Ken Battle, Dec 1997    

Child Benefit Reform in Canada: An Evaluative Framework and Future Directions

This report offers governments advice on how to build and evaluate the National Child Benefit System announced in the 1997 federal Budget. The study traces the development of the concept of an "integr...

Ken Battle and Michael Mendelson, Dec 1997    

caledon profiles: real leaders (volume 3)

This third edition of real leaders profiles Tina Conlon, Dan O"Grady and the little red dot club. While Tina and Dan approach their work from different perspectives (Tina"s work deals primarily with i...

Judith Nolté, Pamela Mollica, Dec 1997    

Medicare: How to Keep and Improve It, Especially for Children

Tom Kent warns that equitable health care in Canada requires new federal action soon. For the past 20 years, medicare has been sustained by the public will – not by the actions of the federal governme...

Tom Kent, Dec 1997    

The Capitalist Models: Where They Came From and Where They May Go

This commentary discusses two basic models of capitalism. One is 'coordinated market capitalism' (CMC) in which institutions (e.g., national wage-setting or bargaining, business-labour management of s...

Michael Mendelson , Nov 1997    

The Multilateral Agreement on Investment (MAI) and Public/Social Services

This paper explores the potential impact of the Multilateral Agreement on Investment (MAI) upon public and social services.  The MAI is currently being negotiated by officials from the 29 member ...

Andrew Jackson, Nov 1997    

Welfare Warfare

This paper assesses the potential impact of Bill 142 which replaces existing Ontario welfare legislation with the Ontario Works Act and the Ontario Disability Support Program Act. The Ontario Works Ac...

Sherri Torjman, Nov 1997    

Chambers of Commerce and CED: 'It makes good business cents'

Chambers of Commerce typically act as an advocate for business in their communities. This paper describes the unique perspective of the Truro and District Chamber of Commerce in Nova Scotia which sees...

Dianne Fitzgerald-Large and Robert Baxter, Nov 1997    

Friedman's Revenge: The Reform of 'Liberal' Welfare States in Canada and the United States

Written by two leading scholars (John Myles at Florida State University and Paul Pierson of Harvard Uni-versity), this paper compares and contrasts the rise of income-tested social programs in Canada ...

John Myles and Paul Pierson, Nov 1997    

Target Tax Relief

Changes to the tax system since the mid-1980s have placed a growing burden on Canadians least able to bear it – those with low and modest incomes.  The elimination of the federal income tax reduc...

Ken Battle, Oct 1997    

Cash Poor, Community Rich

This commentary builds on some of the experiences shared at the Jane Jacobs: Ideas That Matter Conference held in Toronto in October 1997. A major purpose of the conference was to bring together peopl...

Sherri Torjman, Oct 1997    

The National Child Benefit: Best Thing Since Medicare or New Poor Law?

This paper, originally presented to the Eighth Conference on Canadian Social Welfare Policy held in Regina, assesses social groups" criticisms of the National Child Benefit announced in the 1997 feder...

Ken Battle, Sep 1997    

The New Handshake Federalism

This commentary highlights recent federal/provincial initiatives around two key issues: child poverty and supports for persons with disabilities. While these efforts rarely make the headlines, they ar...

Sherri Torjman, Sep 1997    

A True Urban Centre: Collaborative Community Problem-Solving and the Dufferin Mall

The third story in this community stories series was written by David Hall, Manager of Operations and Development of the Dufferin Mall in Toronto. This paper describes how the management of Dufferin M...

David Hall, Aug 1997    

Social Reinvestment: Memo to the Next Prime Minister of Canada

This second Memo to the Next Prime Minister sets out a detailed agenda for social reinvestment.  The new government should ensure a stable fiscal framework which includes clear parameters for mon...

Ken Battle and Sherri Torjman, May 1997    

On Magnets and Magnates

Harvard School of Business Professor Rosabeth Moss Kanter writes that communities need both magnets and glue to thrive in the global economy. Magnets attract new people and companies to renew and broa...

Sherri Torjman, May 1997    

Social Reinvestment

This second Memo to the Next Prime Minister sets out a detailed agenda for social reinvestment. The new government should ensure a stable fiscal framework which includes clear parameters for monetary ...

Caledon Institute of Social Policy, May 1997    

Using the Economy to Develop the Community: Psychiatric Survivors in Ontario

This paper presents a unique approach that psychiatric survivors have taken over the past decade towards economic development in Ontario. The term "psychiatric survivors" refers to people who are typi...

Kathryn Church, Apr 1997    

caledon profiles: real leaders (volume 2)

In this second edition of real leaders, Caledon profiles three Canadians who have established creative partnerships that make significant strides in promoting economic and social well-being: Sue Kurbi...

Judith Nolté, Michelle Pante, Mar 1997    

The Down Payment Budget

The 1997 federal Budget is a 'Down Payment' budget because it represents only a first step in social reinvestment. The centrepiece of the Budget was the announcement of a National Child Benefit System...

The Caledon Institute of Social Policy, Mar 1997    

Social Partnerships for Training

This study investigates the role and experience of social partnerships in the establishment of labour force development boards. Drawing upon recent theory in political science and comparative public p...

Rodney Haddow, Leif Hommen, Andrew Jackson, Craig McFadyen et al., Mar 1997    

Civil Society: Reclaiming Our Humanity

This report explores the meaning of the concept 'civil society.' While this term is being used more frequently in public discourse, there is no common understanding of what it actually means. This pap...

Sherri Torjman, Mar 1997    

The Disability Income System in Canada: Options for Reform

This research was undertaken for the federal Task Force on Disability Issues. Its purpose was to identify the short-term, medium-term and long-term options for reform of the disability income system. ...

Sherri Torjman, Mar 1997    

The Montreal Community Loan Association and Social Partnerships

The first paper in this series was written by Lance Evoy, Coordinator of the Institute in Management and Community Development at Concordia University. The paper describes the Montreal Community Loan ...

Lance Evoy, Feb 1997    

Disentanglement - or Disengagement?

Ontario recently announced plans to shift powers and costs between the provincial and municipal governments with respect to a wide range of human services. The changes come on the heels of the work of...

Sherri Torjman, Jan 1997    

Desperate for Respite

Respite care is a service for caregivers. It provides relief for the individuals who care at home for a severely disabled or ill child, an ailing spouse or a frail or sick parent. Respite care is in s...

Sherri Torjman, Jan 1997    

History/Hysteria

This commentary argues that the debate on the CPP disability benefit has been misinformed. The purpose of the program is not well understood. Moreover, most Canadians are unaware of some key historica...

Sherri Torjman, Dec 1996    

Precarious Labour Market Fuels Rising Poverty

This paper presents key statistical data on trends in low incomes including child poverty, risk of poverty by family type and provincial rates of poverty. The major conclusion from this analysis is th...

Ken Battle, Dec 1996    

Dollars for Services aka Individualized Funding

Individualized funding is a method of financing that has been employed primarily to help people with disabilities purchase disability-related goods and services. However, the underlying principles can...

Sherri Torjman, Nov 1996    

Does Canada Need Ottawa?

Does Canada Need Ottawa? urges the federal government to resume its traditional role as leader of the country. In recent years, Ottawa appears to have lost sight of its role and purpose as a national ...

Sherri Torjman, Jun 1996    

The Provinces' Position: A Second Chance for the Social Security Review?

This paper discusses the contents of the Report of the Ministerial Council on Social Policy Reform and Renewal as well as the process through which it was developed. The four positive proposals for re...

Michael Mendelson, Jun 1996    

Roundtable on the Ministerial Report on Social Policy

This brief statement expresses a consensus emerging from a roundtable hosted by Caledon on June 14, 1996, to discuss social policy proposals put forward by the provincial and territorial governments i...

Caledon Institute of Social Policy, Jun 1996    

National Child Benefit: An Idea Whose Time Has Come

This commentary highlights one of the proposals put forward in the recent Report of the Ministerial Council on Social Policy Reform and Renewal. A national child benefit would replace the federal Chil...

Ken Battle, Jun 1996    

Sustainable Social Policy and Community Capital

These proceedings include a set of papers presented at the two-day Sustainable Social Policy and Community Capital forum, published jointly with the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation. The forum ...

Michelle Pante, Sherri Torjman, Adrian Borate, Sandra Dean et al., Jun 1996    

Good Idea, Bad Execution: The Government's Child Support Package

Good Idea, Bad Execution describes the recent federal changes to the Divorce Act as it relates to child support. The paper analyzes the guidelines component of the federal initiative and examines the ...

Ross Finnie, Jun 1996    

Round Table on Canada Pension Plan Reform: Gender Implications
Table ronde sur la réforme du Régime de pensions du Canada : les répurcussions sur les femmes et les hommes

This event was hosted by the Caledon Institute of Social Policy and sponsored by Status of Women Canada.  It was held on May 17, 1996. ...

Ken Battle, Sherri Torjman, Cameron Crawford, Steve Kerstetter et al., May 1996    

Round Table on CPP Reform: Gender Implications
Table ronde sur la réforme du Régime de pensions du Canada: les répercussions sur les femmes et les hommes

The proceedings contain an executive summary which highlights key themes and the papers presented throughout the day. The papers focus on a range of issues including the policy context of CPP reform, ...

Caledon Institute of Social Policy, May 1996    

caledon profiles: real leaders (volume 1)

In this first edition of real leaders, Caledon profiles three very special Canadians who have established creative partnerships between business and community groups: Robert Caldwell through his invol...

Judith Nolté, Michel Pante, May 1996    

Experts' Forum on Canada Pension Plan Reform

The proceedings of the Experts" Forum on Canada Pension Plan Reform contain 13 papers which illustrate the wide range of perspectives on CPP reform. The papers make clear that there is fundamental dis...

Ken Battle, Sherri Torjman, Keith Ambachtscheer, Bob Baldwin et al., May 1996    

The Primary Needs of Children: A Blueprint for Effective Health Promotion at the Community Level

This paper discusses the primary needs of children and sets our a blueprint for meeting these needs and for promoting community health. The four major categories of basic need are biological, other ph...

Paul D. Steinhauer, M.D., Apr 1996    

The Role of Housing in Social Policy
Le role du logement dans la politique sociale

These papers were presented in a panel session at the Seventh Annual Social Welfare Policy Conference, Remaking Canadian Social Policy.  The event took place in Vancouver, BC in June 19...

Ken Battle, Veronica Doyle, Dougas Page, Steve Pomeroy et al., Apr 1996    

The 1996 Budget and Social Policy

In this same-day response to the 1996 federal Budget, the Caledon Institute of Social Policy describes and assesses the major social policy changes announced by the Minister of Finance. Caledon strong...

Caledon Institute of Social Policy, Mar 1996    

The Government as Robin Hood

This volume presents estimates of the extent to which the tax and spending policies of the three orders of government affect the economic position of different income and demographic groups in Canada....

G.C.Ruggeri, D. Van Wart and R. Howard, School of Policy Studies, Queen's University/Caledon Institute of Social Policy, Feb 1996    

Workfare: A Poor Law

Workfare: A Poor Law describes the fundamental distinction between a welfare approach and a human resources approach to welfare reform. Strictly speaking, "workfare" refers to mandatory participation ...

Sherri Torjman, Feb 1996    

Can Workfare Work?: Reflections from History

Can Workfare Work? traces the history of workfare from the English Poor Laws of the 16th century to the present-day Common Sense Revolution in Ontario. The author discusses the early roots of workfare...

James Struthers, Feb 1996    

The Equity, Efficiency and Symbolism of National Standards in an Era of Provincialism

This paper explores the long-run implications of the 'provincialization' of health policy in Canada. It discusses why the market for health care operates in a fundamentally different way than the mark...

Lars Osberg, Jan 1996    

The Market's Revenge: Old Age Security and Social Rights

This paper discusses the mounting pressure on the budget of old age pensions. The first pressure arises from the ‘revenge of capital’ – the reassertion of market power that has taken place across the ...

John Myles, Nov 1995    

Lest We Forget: Why Canada Needs Strong Social Programs

This commentary argues that strong social programs are needed in this period of political instability. The pressure to decentralize the federal government may actually destroy the country, rather than...

Ken Battle and Sherri Torjman, Nov 1995    

Social Policy Before the Next Referendum

In the recent referendum, the Oui side argued that Canada no longer would provide good social programs and that only an independent Quebec would support a strong social security system.  The curr...

Michael Mendelson, Oct 1995    

Social Policy After the Referendum

If Quebec votes ‘no,’ should the federal government continue to remove itself from the field of social policy as a way of reconciling Quebec with Canada? The paper argues that this policy, first adopt...

Michael Mendelson, Oct 1995    

Looking for Mr. Good Transfer: A Guide to the CHST Negotiations

The forthcoming negotiations on the Canada Health and Social Transfer (CHST) will be among the most important federal-provincial discussions in recent history.  Yet what is at stake in these nego...

Michael Mendelson, Oct 1995    

Warm Heart, Cold Country: Fiscal and Social Policy Reform in Canada

This book explores the choices Canadians and their governments must make to balance fiscal restraint with the bonds that keep a civic society vital.  It is a joint publication of the Caledon Inst...

Ken Battle, Sherri Torjman, Michael Bach, Bob Baldwin et al., Oct 1995    

Milestone or Millstone? The Legacy of the Social Security Review

This paper is the text of the keynote address delivered at the 7th Social Welfare Policy Conference in Vancouver in June 1995.  The paper argues that the official Social Security Review could hav...

Sherri Torjman, Aug 1995    

Roundtable on Canada's Aging Society and Retirement Income System

The proceedings include presentations on the changing age structure of the Canadian population, the impact of labour market developments on retirement, and the strengths and weaknesses of various comp...

Ken Battle, Sherri Torjman, Bob Baldwin, Keith Banting et al., Jun 1995    

Constitutional Reform by Stealth

This paper explores the financing arrangement that will form the basis of the newly-announced Canada Health and Social Transfer (CHST).  The cash portion of this arrangement is declining rapidly ...

Ken Battle, May 1995    

Can We Have National Standards

Under the Canada Health and Social Transfer (CHST) announced in the 1995 Budget, the federal government is obliged to discuss principles and objectives with the provinces.  This paper discusses t...

Sherri Torjman and Ken Battle, May 1995    

CHST Spells COST for Disabled

The CHST will have a major impact on people with disabilities. The withdrawal of the Canada Assis- tance Plan, the legislative base for welfare and social services, combined with rapidly declining fe...

Sherri Torjman, May 1995    

The Let-Them-Eat-Cake Law

The Let-Them-Eat-Cake Law contends that low- and modest-income households will bear the direct cost of losing the Canada Assistance Plan (CAP) when it is replaced by the Canada Health and Social Trans...

Sherri Torjman, May 1995    

How Finance Re-Formed Social Policy

How Finance Re-Formed Social Policy analyzes the implications of the 1995 federal Budget for social policy.  It explores the likely impact of the Canada Health and Social Transfer on welfare, soc...

Ken Battle and Sherri Torjman, Apr 1995    

The Dangers of Block Funding

The Dangers of Block Funding rings the alarm bell on rumours that the federal government will replace the Canada Assistance Plan’s cost-shared transfers to the provinces for welfare and social service...

Ken Battle and Sherri Torjman, Feb 1995    

Investing in People is Good Business

This paper questions the standards of inter-national credit rating agencies in light of the threat by Moody’s Investors Service Inc. to downgrade Canada’s credit rating on most of its debt. The commen...

Sherri Torjman, Feb 1995    

Saving the Review

This commentary argues that the Social Security Review is in danger of becoming little more than the cuts exercise that its critics have accused it of being from the outset.  The rumoured mega-bl...

Ken Battle and Sherri Torjman, Feb 1995    

Colloquium on Child Poverty

This event took place in Ottawa on January 26, 1995. ...

Ken Battle, Sherri Torjman, Lloyd Axworthy, Claire Chamberland et al., Jan 1995    

Critical Commentaries on the Social Security Review

This monograph contains a set of commentaries on the Social Security Review written by 42 contributors from across the country. Authors were asked to document their initial responses to the federal Di...

Ken Battle, Andrew Aitkens, Francine Arsenault, John Clarke et al., Jan 1995    

Passive to Active! Rhetoric or Action

This commentary supports a central tenet of the federal Discussion Paper, Improving Social Security in Canada: The social security system should be made more active in assisting beneficiaries of incom...

Leon Muszynski, Dec 1994    

Old Wine in New Bottles: Privatizing Old Age Pensions

This paper is the first in a new series, Caledon Debates, launched by the Caledon Institute of Social Policy. John Myles, Professor of Sociology and Director of the Pepper Institute on Aging at the Un...

John Myles and Ken Battle, Dec 1994    

Green Light, Red Flag: Caledon Statement on the Social Security Review

The Caledon Institute supports the drive to reform social programs and to direct more resources towards improving the education and employment skills of Canadians.  Green Light, Red Flag goes bey...

Ken Battle and Sherri Torjman, Oct 1994    

Axworthy's Armada: Becalmed or Lost at Sea

This paper questions whether the Social Security Review is sunk before it is launched. Human Resources Development Minister Axworthy’s Action Plan has been delayed until the Fall – in order to avoid t...

Ken Battle, Aug 1994    

Seniors Beware: This Review's For You Too

This paper notes the problems related to the exclusion of seniors’ concerns from the Social Security Review.  The issues of training and upgrading, adjustment programs for older workers and nonst...

Sherri Torjman and Ken Battle, Jul 1994    

Weathering the Social Review

This commentary presents the forecast for the Action Plan discussion paper being prepared by the federal government.  The Action Plan is expected to receive an icy response from the provinces.&nb...

Sherri Torjman, Jun 1994    

Shifting Gears on the Social Highway

This paper argues that we are stuck in the welfare lane on the social highway. Public debate has focused primarily upon welfare dependence, workfare and welfare fraud. It is time to shift gears in ord...

Sherri Torjman, Apr 1994    

Small Technicality; Big Problem

The Canada Assistance Plan (CAP) allows the federal government to share with provinces the cost of welfare and social services.  The Social Security Review should pay attention to a CAP technical...

Sherri Torjman, Apr 1994    

A New Social Vision for Canada?: Perspectives on the federal discussion paper on social policy reform

Published by School of Policy Studies, Queen"s University, 1994.  Kingston, Ontario. Contact Queen's University for copies. ...

Keith Banting and Ken Battle, editors, Feb 1994    

Social Programs: Tail or Dog

The conventional wisdom that sees social programs as drain on the economy fails to recognize the drain that the economy has placed on social programs.  There is no doubt that these need to be ref...

Sherri Torjman, Feb 1994    

Can the Finance Ministers Play Hockey?

In this commentary, the Caledon Institute urges the federal and provincial finance ministers to work as a team with the ministers responsible for social services in order to effect social policy refor...

Sherri Torjman, Dec 1993    

Fiscal Federalism for the 21st Century

This monograph contains a set of papers presented at a seminar on Fiscal Federalism for the 21st Century organized by the Caledon Institute of Social Policy on October 13, 1993.  ...

Ken Battle, Michael Mendelson, George Fallis, Peter Leslie et al., Dec 1993    

Thinking the Unthinkable: A Targeted, Not Universal, Old Age Pension

In 1991, Canada’s 3.2 million women and men aged 65 and older constituted 11.6 percent of the population. Recent projections by Statistics Canada put the aged at 8.6 million or 23.2 percent of the pop...

Ken Battle, Oct 1993    

Federal Social Policy Agenda

This memorandum to the next Prime Minister encourages the federal government to carry out an informed and open review of social programs.  The memo draws attention to the myriad changes that Otta...

The Caledon Institute of Social Policy, Sep 1993    

The Welfare Wall: The Interaction of the Welfare and Tax Systems

This report summarizes the findings of a study conducted by the Caledon Institute of Social Policy for the Ontario Fair Tax Commission on the interaction of the Ontario welfare system and the federal ...

Ken Battle and Sherri Torjman, Jul 1993    

The Welfare Wall: Reforming the Welfare and Tax Systems

This report summarizes the findings of a study conducted by the Caledon Institute of Social Policy for the Ontario Tax Commission on the interaction of the welfare system and the federal and Ontario t...

Ken Battle and Sherri Torjman, Jul 1993    

Social Policy in Real Time

This paper examines social policy within the context of economic policy.  It describes how certain changes to fiscal and monetary policies in the 1970s and 1980s created a ‘debt crisis’ that, in ...

Michael Mendelson, Jul 1993    

Breaking Down the Welfare Wall

This commentary explores the concept of the ‘welfare wall’ – the obstacles that welfare recipients face when they try to enter or re-enter the labour market.  The welfare wall refers to direct ta...

Sherri Torjman and Ken Battle, Jul 1993    

The Health and Welfare of Social Programs

The impact of the newly-created superministry of Human Resources and Labour upon social programs is explored.  On the one hand, the move may be positive in that it recognizes the explicit links b...

Sherri Torjman, Jul 1993    

Plain Talk: Not When Ottawa Has Its Way

This commentary considers how ‘newspeak’ has been used by governments to try to manipulate public perceptions of key social problems and issues.  People who are unemployed now are considered to b...

Sherri Torjman, Jun 1993    

Fiscal Federalism and You

This commentary describes the four key funding arrangements that constitute the backbone of fiscal federalism; equalization payments, Established Programs Financing, the Canada Assistance Plan and the...

Sherri Torjman, Jun 1993    

Missing a Chance for a Solid Punch at Poverty

This commentary provides an explanation and critique of the new federal Child Tax Benefit, which replaces Family Allowances and the refundable and non-refundable child tax credits.  While the sam...

Ken Battle, Jun 1993    

The Squeeze on Social Spending

A succession of federal budgets has introduced substantial cuts (both direct and indirect through partial indexation) to social programs.  Despite these cuts, social spending can be attributed to...

Ken Battle, Jun 1993    

Federal Social Programs: Setting the Record Straight

This report explores the changes that have been made to federal social programs since 1985 in the areas of child benefits, child care, pensions, Unemployment Insurance, federal transfers to the provin...

Ken Battle and Sherri Torjman, May 1993