Canada and the World Backgrounder articles from October 1994

Canada and the World Backgrounder archives from October 1994

Two views.(conservative and liberal views on the causes of poverty)(Editorial)
October 1, 1994... At the two ends of the political spectrum you'll find two opposing views of poverty. Simply put, right-wingers believe that poverty is the fault of the poor, while left-wingers believe that poverty should be blamed on society. These two...

Relative or absolute?(Poverty - Definition)
October 1, 1994... Is poverty absolute; are all people with an income below a certain level poor? Or is poverty relative; do the individual circumstances of someone determine whether or not they are poor? In Canada, we turn to Statistics Canada for a...

Rock bottom.(Canadian Council on Social Development sets $2,000 as absolute minimum income)(Poverty - Definition)
October 1, 1994... How little can you live on? The Canadian Council on Social Development says $2,000 is the absolute minimum. This is based on food provided by a food bank, shelter in a community hostel, second-hand clothing, and basic, state health care. For...

A budget you can live with?(budget for a poor urban family)(Poverty - Definition)
October 1, 1994... The 1994 Fact Book on Poverty lists the spending for an average poor urban family of four. This amounts to $14.60 per person per day for a total annual expenditure of $21,300. Here's the budget: * $4.75 per person per day for food; *...

The last stitch in the net.(Poverty - The Welfare System)
October 1, 1994... When most of what you own has been sold, your savings are gone, and your unemployment insurance benefits have run out, it's time to visit your local welfare office "I can lift 250 pounds," the 26-year-old man told reporters. "You think I...

Lender of last resort. (pawnbrokers)(Poverty - The Welfare System)
October 1, 1994... Bad times are good times at the pawnbrokers. For some families, the pawnshop is the last resort for getting money. The customer gives the pawnbroker something of value -- engagement ring, stereo, camera, etc.--in exchange for a loan. The money...

Minimum wage equals minimum work? (effect of minimum wage laws on employment)(Poverty - The Welfare System)
October 1, 1994... Governments across the country set minimum wages. Employers are not allowed to pay workers less than this set hourly rate. The idea is that minimum wage laws protect workers from being exploited. Minimum wages are also an attempt to give people...

Part-time boom. (growth of part-time jobs in Canada)(Poverty - The Welfare System)
October 1, 1994... During the early 1990s, the number of part-time jobs in Canada grew by 266,000. Yet, at the same time, almost 500,000 full-time jobs were lost. Nearly 70% of new jobs have been part-time. Says one dismayed part-time worker: "This is no good. My...

The government giveth.(Poverty - Social Services)
October 1, 1994... "Are there no prisons?" inquired Scrooge when asked to give to the poor. "And the Union workhouses?" he demanded. "Are they still in operation?...the treadmill and the poor law are in full vigour?" Assured that these institutions existed...

Employment insurance. (unemployment insurance in Canada)(Poverty - Social Services)
October 1, 1994... The idea behind unemployment insurance was to give people a source of income to tide them over between jobs. The scheme has turned into a permanent income support program for the chronically unemployed. It is hugely expensive and in desperate...

At least the hotelier won't starve. (government poverty meeting in British Columbia runs up $3,390 bill)(Poverty - Social Services)
October 1, 1994... Joy MacPhail, as British Columbia's Social Services Minister, is the person who looks after welfare and poverty issues in her province. Early in 1994, she decided it was time for a major discussion on ways to help the poor. She gathered eleven...

Where the other half lives. (where wealthiest people in Canada live)(Poverty - Social Services)
October 1, 1994... This shouldn't come as a surprise -- most of Canada's wealthiest people live in or around Toronto. Ritzy Westmount in Montreal, at 18%, has the highest percentage of its citizens earning $100,000 a year or more. The Calgary neighbourhood of...

The feminization of poverty.(Poverty - Women)
October 1, 1994... In a decade when many Canadians are earning less money than in the past, women are among the worst off. In 1992, women made only 61.7% of what men made. For men, the median income (the exact halfway point between the highest and lowest incomes)...

Who's taking care of the child-care workers. (studies find child-care workers are poorly paid)(Poverty - Women)
October 1, 1994... There's a shortage of child care for Canada's young children. This makes life difficult for women working outside the home, but child-care workers themselves make near poverty wages. A 1992 national survey of 7,200 child-care workers found that...

Squeezed out. (effect of 1990s recession on the middle class)(Poverty - Women)
October 1, 1994... The recession of the early 1990s had many victims, but one group hit harder than most was the middle class. Economic analysts have noted that the hard times tended to split the middle class into rich and poor. And, it's no surprise to learn...

Cash challenged? (terms used to describe poor people)(Poverty - Women)
October 1, 1994... Cartoonist Jules Feifer once wrote: "I used to think I was poor. Then, they told me I was needy. Then, they said it was self-defeating to think I was needy. Instead, I was deprived. Then, they said deprived had a bad image; I was really...

An ounce of prevention. (Canadian approach to child poverty)(Poverty - Children)
October 1, 1994... More than a million children in Canada live in poverty. Many go to bed hungry or fill up on low-cost food with little nutritional value. They usually live in substandard housing, where accidents are frequent and health hazards abound. Life is...

The cost of casualties. (economic costs of illiteracy and poverty)(Poverty - Children)
October 1, 1994... In the U.S., the business community is alarmed at the size and extent of the casualty class. During a lecture to the Canadian Council of Inner City Education in Ottawa in April 1994, Dan Offord (Director of the Research Unit, Children at Risk...

The poorer they are, the harder they fall. (playground surfaces in poor neighborhoods are more likely to be too hard to meet safety standards)(Poverty - Children)
October 1, 1994... Rich kids have soft landings when they fall off the Jungle Gym. Montreal General Hospital did a survey of playground equipment of 1993. In upper-income areas, playground surfaces were below safety standards in 35% of cases. However, in the...

Unwelcome companions. (links between poverty, health problems and crime)(Poverty - The Effects of Poverty)
October 1, 1994... Being poor is more than not having enough money. For the 3.8 million Canadians living in poverty in 1990 it was likely to mean poor nutrition, poor health, lower education, substance abuse, family violence, and crime. And, raising children in...

Health and wealth. (study of gravestones indicates poor people have shortest lives)(Poverty - The Effects of Poverty)
October 1, 1994... The poorer you are the shorter your life. That's true today and it seems to have been true in years gone by. Researchers in Scotland have been studying gravestones in Glasgow. The tallest grave markers are, of course, the most expensive. The...

Learning disabilities. (links between poverty and learning problems)(Poverty - The Effects of Poverty)
October 1, 1994... Poor children "are at the greatest risk of not getting enough education," according to a study released in 1993 by the National Anti-Poverty Organization (NAPO). The report, which links illiteracy and poverty, outlines various problems...

The visible invisible people.(Poverty - Homelessness)
October 1, 1994... She used to be an accountant. Today, Jean is homeless in Toronto. A few years ago the 40-something woman became clinically depressed. Jean lost her job, eventually was forced onto welfare, and when she could no longer pay her rent was thrown...

The unending emergency.(Poverty - Food Banks)
October 1, 1994... The Edmonton Gleaners Association opened the nation's first food bank in 1981. At the time, Edmonton was among the cities hardest hit by an economic recession equal in severity to the 1930s' Great Depression. Canada's social security system...

How the other half lives. (Yolanda Ballard sues to increase $50,000 income from estate of Harold Ballard)(Poverty - Food Banks)
October 1, 1994... Harold Ballard, the one-time owner of the Toronto Maple Leafs hockey team, died in 1990. He left his companion, Yolanda Ballard, an income of $50,000 a year. Not enough, said Ms. Ballard, and she filed a claim in court for $381,000 a year....

Self help.(Poverty - Solutions)
October 1, 1994... The traditional government approach to poverty hasn't changed much over the years -- if you throw enough money at it it will go away. But, poverty hasn't gone away, it's increased despite the billions spent to reduce it. Perhaps, there's a...

It all depends on your point of view. (Ruth Bowen lives happily on income of $12,156)(Poverty - Solutions)
October 1, 1994... In 1992, pensions and supplements gave Ruth Bowen of Toronto an income of $12,156. That's hardly more than half of what the government says she needs. However, she says, "I've never had so much." She is 65, has lived in public housing for 31...

Poverty in Canada.(About Canada)
October 1, 1994... What is poverty? How does Statistics Canada, for example, decide that an individual or family is poor? How is poverty measured? What yardsticks can be used? Defining poverty means identify in the characteristics which contribute to an...

Defining poverty.(About Canada)
October 1, 1994... In 1992, more than four million Canadians - 16% of the population - were labelled poor by Statistics Canada. These Figures suggest that about one in every six Canadians is disadvantaged. The extent and potential consequences of poverty have...

Counting the poor.(About Canada)
October 1, 1994... Many of the arguments over poverty turn around such questions as who is poor, how widespread is poverty in Canada, has poverty increased or decreased, and so on. The answers obviously depend on how poverty is defined in the first place....

Making a living.(About Canada)
October 1, 1994... People in our society obtain income in three basic ways. Individuals may own valuable assets such as land or machines, have investments such as stocks and bonds, or receive inheritances. Some Canadians own enough assets to support a comfortable...

Looking for solutions. (solutions for problems of poverty)(About Canada)
October 1, 1994... The obvious question in any discussion of government policy is, "Why should government do anything at all?" To answer this question, consider some others first. Should Canadians live in a fair and just society? What is a fair and just society?...