By: Lisa Alers-Hankey In today’s global economy an estimated 95 percent of the material value of plastics is lost after single-use, amounting to a value between $100-150 billion dollars annually. The Canadian economy only recycles nine percent of plastics, leading to vast amounts of economic value being lost to landfills. Furthermore, the production and end-of-life care of…
Category: Commentary
Indigenous Child Welfare in Ontario: Reconceptualizing Neglect Investigations
By: Eliana Sinicropi The overrepresentation of Indigenous children in Canadian child welfare systems is driven by substantiated neglect investigations. Indigenous Peoples are more likely to face structural inequalities which can impede their ability to meet the needs of their children. The understanding of neglect as a parental failure, which is consistent across provincial jurisdictions, does…
Analyzing the Efficiency Debate of Ontario Works and the Ontario Disability Support Program
By: Anna Hardie Ontario has two main social assistance programs to help alleviate poverty: Ontario Works (OW) and Ontario Disability Support Program (ODSP). OW provides temporary financial assistance and job support for low-income Ontarians. ODSP also provides financial assistance and aims to support people with disabilities to overcome barriers to employment. Both programs have similar…
Vaccine Mandates: The Pre-COVID Landscape
By: Ally Buchanan Since the introduction of the COVID-19 vaccine to Canada in December 2020, the discourse surrounding the novel immunization and potential mandates has become widespread. As different jurisdictions have begun implementing workplace and business vaccination requirements, the conversation has become increasingly divisive and antagonistic. What is the scope of vaccine mandates across Canada?…
The Case for a National Community Relocation Program
By: Sean Cameron The impact that climate change is having on the resilience of Canadian communities is becoming clearer with every passing season as rising global temperatures trigger more frequent, deadly natural disasters across the country. A growing share of areas where Canadians are displaced may soon be considered no longer livable, yet the support provided by…
Plastic Waste: How Insufficient Policies are Failing Us
By: Lisa Alers-Hankey Government recycling markets and policies cannot keep up with the waste Canadians generate. The pandemic has increased reliance on single-use plastics through personal protective equipment and deliveries, further exacerbating the waste problem. The federal government has two policy proposals: a ban on select single-use plastics and a commitment to “Zero Plastic Waste…