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July 2017
Basic Income: Ontario’s Pilot Project
Ontario is embarking on a pilot project to test the effectiveness of the Basic Income Guarantee, a form of social assistance in which recipients receive an unconditional sum of money. The persistence of poverty, rising wealth inequality, and a changing job market are some of the drivers behind the renewed interest in basic income schemes. Even Silicon Valley has started to advocate for basic income as they see their technologies replacing a lot of paid human work in the near…
Find out more »August 2017
Fair Housing Plan – Is it going to work?
The Ontario government introduced a “Fair Housing Plan” in April as a response to runaway housing prices and tenants facing massive rent increases they could ill afford. Toronto has already seen the market start to cool thanks to the speculation tax and tightening mortgage rules, but will this have a lasting effect? Vancouver rebounded barely 9 months later. Renters should see some short term relief but the fear will be that, like rent control in the 90s, this discourages new…
Find out more »September 2017
Mental Healthcare in Education
The last several years has seen an increase in awareness about mental illness and with it better resources for those who need help. Finland and Australia have been on the leading edge of mental health research in the education system and policies adopted here are often trickled down from their work. The start of each new school year is when changes to special education support are made, and sometimes it is to the detriment of students. Many parents feel that…
Find out more »October 2017
Rising Waters – Are we ready to cope?
Ontario and Quebec saw a lot of water this year. Flooding in the first half of summer kept the Toronto Islands closed for much of the season. Watching the devastation wrought by what seems like an endless line of Hurricanes down south is really forcing us to think about our own infrastructure resiliency. Once in 500 year storms are happening with increasing frequency. Flooding is becoming common place in Toronto. What are we doing to make sure our critical infrastructure…
Find out more »November 2017
Legalizing Marijuana – Impacts of Legislation
What are the expected impacts of legalizing marijuana both to those in the industry and to the medical community?
Find out more »January 2018
NAFTA – what should Canada expect?
President Trump thinks Canadians are being difficult. Canada’s Ambassador described the talks as "heated" but productive, and predicted "drama" ahead. To add further post Brexit dysfunction to the array, the UK wants in on NAFTA as though the name wasn’t a hint. For all the doom and gloom about NAFTA in the 80s, there aren’t a lot of voices in Canada calling for its demise. What’s the future of Canadian corporations if NAFTA talks die and President Trump gets to…
Find out more »February 2018
Losing Community News Outlets – Democratic Implications
Community papers are closing across the country. This has massive implications for small communities.
Find out more »March 2018
Smart Cities – Will we leave people behind?
As Cities around the world get smarter, will cities start leaving people behind?
Find out more »April 2018
Provincial Election 2018 – University Rosedale
The Candidates for University Rosedale will discuss their vision of Ontario before the upcoming election.
Find out more »May 2018
Term Limits – Will we get better politicians?
Toronto city councillor Mary-Margaret McMahon (Ward 32, Beaches-East York,) announced she will not run in the 2018 municipal election and is calling on other incumbent councillors to step aside too. Join us as we welcome her and policy expert Vasiliki (Vass) Bednar to discuss how incumbency impacts our democratic process.
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