Why do BC kids need Finance Minister’s charitable donation to buy them shoes?
Minister Hansen donated money for shoes for poor children. Then he delivered a budget that doesn’t help parents who receive income assistance or who are working for the $8.00 per hour minimum wage to...
View ArticleThe Budget: A Determinant of Health
I know this budget is supposed to be good news for health, but I want to argue here that the exact opposite is true. We’ve had a lot of budgets like this in B.C., so this one is in keeping with its...
View ArticleIWD commitments on my wish list
With International Women’s Day on the horizon this weekend, I’m looking for some commitments. Women are over-represented in low-wage work. So which party in the upcoming election will commit to an...
View ArticleLiving Wage: Congratulations to New Westminster
Some great news to share on the living wage front. Last night (April 26), New Westminster City Council voted unanimously to adopt the first municipal Living Wage policy in Canada. They have used the...
View ArticleLiving Wage 2010
This morning CCPA-BC released a new study with First Call: BC Child and Youth Advocacy Coalition, and the Metro Vancouver Living Wage for Families Campaign. Working for a Living Wage 2010: Making Paid...
View ArticleLiving Wage Policy: Why Municipal Governments should lead the way
By Michael McCarthy Flynn and Seth Klein The Living Wage for Families Campaign, along with 54 organizations representing over 300,000 British Columbians, recently issued an Open Letter calling on all...
View ArticleGrowing support for cities to adopt living wage
New developments since my recent post calling on municipalities to lead the way on adopting living wage policies: First, over just over 100 candidates have responded to the Open Letter issued by the...
View ArticleLocal living wage employer wins best employer award
Hats off to Eclipse Awards, a local small business that was one of the first to seek certification as an official Living Wage Employer. At an awards ceremony last night, Eclipse won the Best Employer...
View ArticleEngland’s serious debate about living wages
I was in London for the last week and I was amazed to see what a big issue the idea of paying people a living wage has become there. The living wage, as opposed to the minimum wage, is based on what a...
View ArticleSeeking a Real Families First Agenda this First BC Family Day
By Seth Klein and Adrienne Montani On February 11, British Columbians will enjoy a well-deserved new stat holiday. With the inaugural Family Day, Premier Christy Clark has made good on a promise made...
View ArticleLiving wage reports reveal a big gap between actual wages and the costs of...
How much do working parents need to earn to be able to afford to live in our community? There reports released today provide the answer for the three largest regional districts in BC, home to 2/3 of...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Vancouver child poverty rate is second-highest in Canada
The story of child poverty in Canada is very much an urban story. One out of every 10 children living in urban areas was poor in 2010, compared to one in 20 children living in non-urban areas. Three...
View ArticleAnti-poverty movement, meet the culture of medicine.
The evidence for the burden of income inequality on health is plentiful and convincing, with inequity and its health impact both increasing in British Columbia in recent years. Many voices are calling...
View ArticleClik here to view.
New Living Wage Reports Force Us to Look at Child Poverty in the City
There reports released today show that the costs of supporting a family are rising fast in the three largest urban areas of our province, home to 2/3 of BC’s population. Two parents working full-time...
View ArticleClarifying the difference between the minimum and living wage
A couple days ago, I submitted the following letter to the editor at the Vancouver Sun. Hopefully they will publish it shortly: Mark Von Schellwitz (opinion piece, May 6) is right that a minimum wage...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Why the Metro Vancouver living wage is not enough for single parents and how...
The living wage calculation is based on the needs of two-parent families with young children, but the idea behind it is that this wage would also support different types of families throughout the...
View ArticleGrowing support for cities to adopt living wage
New developments since my recent post calling on municipalities to lead the way on adopting living wage policies: First, over just over 100 candidates have responded to the Open Letter issued by the...
View ArticleLocal living wage employer wins best employer award
Hats off to Eclipse Awards, a local small business that was one of the first to seek certification as an official Living Wage Employer. At an awards ceremony last night, Eclipse won the Best Employer...
View ArticleEngland’s serious debate about living wages
I was in London for the last week and I was amazed to see what a big issue the idea of paying people a living wage has become there. The living wage, as opposed to the minimum wage, is based on what a...
View ArticleSeeking a Real Families First Agenda this First BC Family Day
By Seth Klein and Adrienne Montani On February 11, British Columbians will enjoy a well-deserved new stat holiday. With the inaugural Family Day, Premier Christy Clark has made good on a promise made...
View Article
