John Richards – Education the Critical Piece for an Indigenous Urban Agenda
From: John Richards To: Marc Miller, Minister of Indigenous Services, and provincial ministers of education Date: July 8, 2020 Re: Education the Critical Piece for an Indigenous Urban Agenda Since 1981, Ottawa has published the Community Well-Being Index (CWB), an exercise in rating social conditions in individual First Nation and Inuit communities. Using census data, the CWB is […] Stéphanie Lluis – Regional Differences In Job Growth Shows Ottawa Must Think Regionally
From: Stéphanie Lluis To: Canadians Concerned about the State of the Labour Market Date: July 2, 2020 Re: Regional Differences in Job Growth Shows Ottawa Must Think Regionally The massive and sudden drop in employment caused by the pandemic has been followed by uncertainty about when, where, and how quickly the economy is re-opening. Collectively, these factors create a coordination problem in the labour […] Schwellnus, Koelle – Supporting Incomes While Promoting A Speedy Labour Market Recovery
From: Cyrille Schwellnus and Michael Koelle To: Bill Morneau, Minister of Finance Date: June 30, 2020 Re: Supporting incomes while promoting a speedy labour market recovery In response to the jobs crisis triggered by COVID-19, a number of countries, including Australia, Japan, New Zealand and most of Western Europe, have established or expanded job retention […] Boessenkool, Robson – Thoughts On Forestalling The Coming Childcare Crisis
From: Ken Boessenkool and Jennifer Robson To: Federal and provincial childcare funders Date: June 24, 2020 Re: Thoughts on forestalling the coming childcare crisis As the economy continues to re-open, albeit differently across jurisdictions and over time, many sectors are going to struggle with necessary and ongoing rules on physical distancing and disinfecting. These new […] Ottawa Should Use CERB Extension Time Wisely: Crisis Working Group on Household Income and Credit Support
June 23, 2020 – Ottawa should use the Canada Emergency Response Benefit’s eight-week extension to update its Employment Insurance administrative architecture and roll out a training benefit program, says the C.D. Howe Institute’s Crisis Working Group on Household Income and Credit Support.
At their recent meeting, working group members discussed the proposed amendments to the Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB) Act. The group also identified the need for training support benefits for CERB recipients, management of uncertainties to improve decision-making by households, and increased coordination with provincial governments to ease the transition back to work.
The group recommends:
Removing the…Lemieux, Schirle, Skuterud – Initial Impacts Of Covid-19 On The Labour Market
From: Thomas Lemieux, Tammy Schirle, Mikal Skuterud To: Employment and Social Development Canada Date: June 12, 2020 Re: Initial impacts of COVID-19 on the labour market The COVID-19 pandemic forced the Canadian economy into a medically-induced coma in March, and by mid-April about one third of the Canadian workforce had applied for the Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB). While […] Janice Mackinnon – The Cerb Decision: Reform Or Replace?
From: Janice MacKinnon To: Policymakers in Ottawa Date: June 12, 2020 Re: The CERB decision: reform or replace? The Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB) begins to wind down next month, and the government must decide what happens to its most popular, and expensive, income support measure. There are two possible paths: either the CERB – reformed […] Mahboubi, Ragab – Restructuring Social Assistance In Ontario
From: Parisa Mahboubi and Mariam Ragab To: Canadian Businesses and Governments Date: June 9, 2020 Re: Restructuring social assistance in Ontario Social assistance systems, and how they interact with individuals’ participation in the labour force, are an integral component of healthy and financially stable communities. In Canada, nearly 50 percent of all social assistance recipients reside in Ontario […] Data Needed for Income Support Transition Planning: Crisis Working Group on Household Income and Credit Support
June 8, 2020 – Better data is required to make informed decisions about an income support transition model, says the C.D. Howe Institute’s Crisis Working Group on Household Income and Credit Support.
At their recent meeting, working group members discussed options for providing continued income support to Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB) recipients who, after exhausting their maximum eligibility period, may remain unemployed and without access to Employment Insurance (EI). The group also explored a solution for getting real-time pay information to tackle the administrative challenge of using income-tested support programs, and discussed the potential impact of working from home on young employees and the gender wage…
Mike Veall – Freezing Ei Premiums
From: Mike Veall To: Bill Morneau, Minister of Finance Date: June 5, 2020 Re: Freezing EI premiums The federal government has, in your words, “no plan to raise taxes.” This should extend to Employment Insurance (EI) premium increases as well. When the Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB) and the Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy (CEWS) are […] Lifting Lives: The Problems with Ontario’s Social Assistance Programs and How to Reform Them
Ontario should streamline path off welfare with more carrot, less stick Ontario should trim “punitive” welfare clawbacks and hike earnings exemptions for a more effective welfare system, says a new report from the C.D. Howe Institute. Authors Parisa Mahboubi and Mariam Ragab provide recommendations that would reduce the cost of taking on work to social […] Green, Simard-duplain, Siu – A Covid Assessment Tool To Guide The Opening And Closing Of Sectors
From: David A. Green, Gaëlle Simard-Duplain, and Henry E. Siu To: Policymakers across Canada Date: June 2, 2020 Re: A COVID Assessment Tool to Guide the Opening and Closing of Sectors Since early May, the number of new Canadian COVID cases and – importantly – the number of COVID-related deaths, is on a downward trajectory. Now, public attention […]