Most Current Research on Social Change in Canada

Most Current Research on Social Change in Canada

The Philippine Reporter believes that research matters. Hence, it is publishing information on some of the latest research gems significant to everyone.

These studies are lifted from the SPAR (Social Policy Analysis and Research) Monitor, an inventory of recent social research information relevant to social policy. — Editors

This bulletin is a quick inventory of recent social research information. Its purpose is to promptly disseminate the most current external and internal research relevant to social policy. It is published by City of Toronto’s Social Development, Finance and Aministration Division.

Brighter Prospects: Transforming Social Assistance in Ontario.

A Report to the Minister of Community and Social Services, by Frances Lankin and Munir A. Sheikh, Commission for the Review of Social Assistance in Ontario, October 2012.
This report charts a new course for social assistance towards a simpler, more effective, and more accountable system that has the potential to make Ontario a leader in removing barriers and increasing opportunities for people to work. As the Government of Ontario has recognized, employment is a key route to escaping poverty.
Some of the recommendations:
• Place reasonable expectations on, and provide supports for, people who rely on social assistance with respect to active engagement in the labour market and participation in treatment and rehabilitation
• Establish an appropriate benefit structure that reduces barriers and supports people’s transition into, and attachment within, the labour market
• Simplify income and asset rules to improve equity and make it easier to understand and administer social assistance
• Ensure the long-term viability of the social assistance system
• Define Ontario’s position vis-à-vis the federal and municipal governments as it relates to income security for Ontarians.
For link to the report:
http://www.socialassistancereview.ca/uploads/File/COMM_Report_FinalH-t-Eng.pdf

Labour Force Update, Toronto Immigrant Employment Data Initiative (TIEDI), November 2012.

This report aims to provide up-to-date labour market data on immigrants. It is based on a sample of 53,000 households (representing approximately 100,000 individuals) across Canada, including 16,000 households in the province of Ontario. Due to the limited sample size, data on smaller groups have a higher coefficient of variation.
• When comparing data for November 2011 and November 2012, both immigrants and Canadian-born gained jobs in Toronto CMA
• Immigrants gained 53,500 jobs while Canadian-born gained 68,000 jobs
• For Canadian-born, jobs were gained mostly in the following industry sectors: trade (32,800 jobs), accommodation and food services (25,500 jobs), and other services (20,600 jobs)
• Large job losses occurred in manufacturing sector (9,800 jobs), public administration sector (6,200 jobs), and construction industry (5,000 jobs).
For link to the report: http://www.yorku.ca/tiedi/doc/lfs201211.pdf

Hunger Report 2012, by Ontario Association of Food Bank, December 03, 2012.

This has been a challenging year for many Ontarians, with 412,000 individuals accessing food banks in March 2012 alone. The largest group of food bank users are children, with 160,000 kids accessing food banks monthly. What’s more, some of the largest growing groups of food bank users are single parent households, the working poor, senior citizens, university students, and recent graduates.
Some of the report’s findings include:
• 412,998 individuals, including 159,918 children, accessed Ontario’s food banks in March 2012 alone
• 174,618 households accessed food banks, this year, for the first time in their lives
• Nineteen percent (19%) of food banks in Ontario do not have adequate supplies to address the growing need in their community
• Federal and Provincial cuts to social assistance programs, the rise in living costs, and unforeseeable natural disasters results in growing need for food assistance.
For link to the report:
http://www.oafb.ca/tiny_mce/plugins/filemanager/pics_cms/18/218/2012_OAFB_Hunger_Report.pdf