KW By-Election: Time is ripe to end strategic voting in Waterloo Region
New Democrats in Waterloo Region, both federally and provincially, have long been dogged by strategic voting. Those on the centre-left, not wanting the conservatives to win, will often vote Liberal...
View Article2 Editorials: On social profits and policy, and cuts to social assistance...
I was fortunate to have two editorials published this month. One was my return to the Waterloo Region Record now that the KW by-election is over. I wanted to talk about the need for politicians to make...
View ArticleInstead of aiming to reduce poverty, why don’t we aim to eliminate it?
I enjoyed writing this editorial above others, as the reading I did to research the topic was interesting and engaging, and gave me real hope about a powerful idea in poverty reduction. Along the way I...
View ArticleTo Regional Council re: Cuts to Discretionary Benefits
Today I will be addressing Regional Council as part of their public input session on the budget. I will be speaking on the provincial cuts to Ontario Works/Ontario Disability Discretionary Benefits. I...
View ArticlePersonal tips for health vs. social determinant tips for health
A colleague of mine recently dug up on old piece on the social determinants of health which I thought was just fantastic. It originally came from “Social Determinants of Health: Canadian Perspectives”...
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On Idle No More: Would you drive 8 minutes to save a life?
Would you drive 8 minutes to save a life? That’s how long it would take to drive from the Prime Minister’s home at 24 Sussex to Victoria Island where Chief Theresa Spence of Attawapiskat is on hunger...
View ArticleA generation on a slow march to senior poverty
While we typically think about the barrier that tuition creates for access to education, rising tuition will create a major problem down the road – senior poverty. New graduates are finding a difficult...
View ArticleLetter to the Ontario government on funding for individuals with...
In the last few weeks I have heard more and more about an issue that hasn’t been gaining much attention in the media. For years families with children with developmental disabilities struggled with...
View ArticlePassionate words from the petition for full, uninterrupted funding for people...
The petition for full and uninterrupted funding for individuals with developmental disabilities has been up for 6 days now and the response has been incredible. Signatures have poured in from across...
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Developmental disabilities funding crisis: news from Ontario and Canada
The Petition The petition for uninterrupted funding for people with developmental disabilities is only about 600 signatures from its goal! When we first put this petition online we had no idea whether...
View ArticleOmbudsman’s Annual Report 2013 and Developmental Disabilities
Today Ontario’s Ombudsman released his office’s annual report for the provincial legislature. The place I immediately jumped down to was the section on the special investigation by Andre Marin’s office...
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Calling for a Living Wage in Waterloo Region
The Waterloo Region Record today printed an editorial I wrote calling on regional council to revisit the living wage issue. Several years ago a living wage for employees (including employees of hired...
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Class warfare or the social determinants of health?
I was disappointed Thursday morning reading Peter Shawn Taylor’s latest column for the Waterloo Region Record, Public health takes a wrong turn into class warfare. In it Taylor criticizes the Region of...
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The social determinants of everything
I believe that the study of the social determinants of health offers our best chance to create a sustainable healthcare system. How? By minimizing health costs with a focus on creating a more equal...
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Day 3: Nutrition and the food hamper program
Access to food is one of the front-lines of poverty. It’s one of the most obvious ‘needs’, and it quickly shows us how the community is doing. I often struggle with our response to food insecurity: by...
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12 Days for Good: Fellowship and ALIV(e)
Today’s theme for 12 Days for Good is fellowship. Throughout the year I volunteer on the board of directors of Opportunities Waterloo Region, a small organization that ‘mobilizes solutions to poverty.’...
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12 Days for Good: Peace and SASCWR
Today is day 6 of the House of Friendship’s 12 Days for Good campaign. The theme today is ‘peace.’ When I hear the word peace I usually think first of world peace – an absence of war. Then I remind...
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12 Days for Good: Inclusion and I Choose Dignity
Today’s 12 Days for Good theme is ‘inclusion’. It’s one of my favorite words. There was a time when ‘acceptance’ was my go-to word. I didn’t think much about the meaning of the word, only the spirit of...
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12 Days for Good: Solidarity and Togetherness
Today is day 8 of the 12 Days for Good campaign and the theme is solidarity and togetherness. There are so many wonderful examples of local people and groups working to build belonging in our...
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12 Days of Good: Hospitality
The 12 Days of Good theme today is hospitality – welcoming with kindness all who enter our door. I can think of no place more representative of this here in Waterloo Region than The Working Centre in...
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