Poverty, inequality & welfare

ILO points to low union density and low minimum wages as causes of economic collapse

Jan 8, 2011
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One more major international organization has published a report commenting on the damage done by growing inequality in society.  In December the International Labour Organization (ILO) published its second Global Wage Report.  The first such report examined trends in global wages in good times.  This one examines what happened in the economic collapse. Looking at… View Article

UNICEF shames Canada for inequality among children

Dec 16, 2010
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In an earlier blog Shannon Daub reported on Mark Milke’s assertion that inequality was a lot of humbug.  UNICEF has published a report that shows that it is children who bear the burden of inequality and that children are not to blame for it.  When many of us think about UNICEF we think of an… View Article

Global Pathology

Dec 10, 2010
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[Note: I will be giving a presentation on this subject this Sunday, December 12th, from 12:30 to 1:30 at the Unitarian Church (Hewett Hall), 49th and Oak, Vancouver] ———- Johann Goethe wrote:  “Viewed from the height of reason, all life looks like some malignant disease and the world like a madhouse.” His view may seem… View Article

The Vision Thing

Dec 6, 2010
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For many years now, the year 2010 has had an almost mythic quality to it. More than just a decade-ending round number (we never collectively named that decade; I like “the naughties” myself), it had deep meaning for BC because THEY WERE COMING. The Olympics. Vancouver 2010. In the early days, utopian olympianism ruled the… View Article

Reduction in unionization helped break the economy

Dec 5, 2010
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Do unions have any role in today’s society?  Right wing organizations like the Fraser Institute say no but a report from an unlikely source suggests otherwise.  The International Monetary Fund, no left wing organization, has published a paper suggesting the decline of unionization is one of the causes of the financial crisis and an increase… View Article

The Economist Magazine calls out BC

Dec 1, 2010
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Well, I never thought I’d see this rebuke of Canada and BC in The Economist Magazine of all places. But the current issue of the conservative magazine singles out BC for its high rate of child poverty. You can find it here. The piece highlights cuts to welfare, and notes, “One of the keenest slashers… View Article

Poverty reduction update

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Lots of developments on the Poverty Reduction front over the last two weeks. Here are a few updates: First, last week brought news that Danny Williams is stepping down as premier of Newfoundland and Labrador. Personally, I’m sad to see him go. Rarely mentioned in the news reports last week about his record of accomplishments… View Article

A Paradigm Shift is Happening

Nov 21, 2010
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A “paradigm shift” was the theme of Dr. Marti Glenn, one of the keynote speakers at the 2010 International Congress of The Association for Prenatal and Perinatal Psychology & Health, which took place from November 11-14 at Asilomar, California. Dr. Glenn, who is the Dean of the Santa Barbara Graduate Institute, began by saying that,… View Article