Search results for “site/Pat Armstrong”

  • State of play – 3rd party advertising rules and the 2013 provincial election

    BC’s third party election advertising law has been highly controversial since its introduction in 2008. I wrote the following briefing note to help organizations understand if/how the law affects them. BC’s 3rd party election advertising law applies to many many kinds of public communication during a provincial election campaign —…

  • Submission to the Minister of Finance Government of Manitoba On the 2002-2003 Provincial Budget

    Thank you for the opportunity to present our views on the province’s fiscal situation and the upcoming provincial budget. Once again this year we are preparing an Alternative Provincial Budget, which will be finalized and released in the months ahead. Context In last year’s Alternative Provincial Budget we ran a…

  • Public Solutions Could be Undermined by Private Interests

    Long waits for elective surgery and privatization are the price Canadians must pay for their well-intentioned but fatally flawed public health care system, right? Wrong. In fact, the above conclusion cries out for a second opinion. That’s because when it comes to surgical waitlists we are currently experiencing a ‘Eureka’…

  • Health co-operatives

    New Glasgow initiative could set precedent The recent initiative to form a health co-op in Pictou County has stirred up controversy. The proponents intend to develop a health clinic to provide a range of services. But some patients worry about access to physicians’ services and some Nova Scotians are concerned…

  • New report: Canada isn’t spending what it takes to succeed in the global shift to a clean economy; Budget 2023 must include ambitious climate investment plan

    CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE FULL REPORT Unceded Algonquin Anishinaabe Territories [OTTAWA], 9 February 2023 For Canada to compete in the global clean economy, the federal government must adopt an ambitious investment plan to match the scale of the climate and affordability crises, finds a new report released today by…

  • An ambition constrained budget

    Am I happy with the 2018 federal budget? Well, many of the items in it can be found in this year’s and past Alternative Federal Budgets (AFB), which of course is a good thing. But in general I’d say this is an ambition constrained budget. The government had the fiscal…

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    Raising the minimum wage is good for public health

    Soon we expect the Fair Wages Commission to advise the BC government on a path towards a $15 minimum wage and a plan for regular increases. This will be very good news for our province. Increasing the minimum wage is an important step in reducing poverty and income inequalities that…

  • Skyrocketing rent pushes modest apartments out of reach for lower-income Canadians in 97% of neighbourhoods

    New study maps the rental affordability crisis in Canada’s cities CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE FULL REPORT OTTAWA—In nearly every neighbourhood, in all parts of Canada, the hourly wage needed to afford an apartment rental is far above minimum wages and rising quickly, according to a new study released today…

  • Going… Going… Gone?

    Slowly, stealthily, progressive state is being dismantled Most Canadians, according to one poll at least, did not much like the recent federal budget, but still found it benign. No matter how often the government tells us it is changing the game, we seem reluctant to believe it. But governments rarely…

  • Time to mobilize like we mean it

    Lessons from the Second World War for the climate emergency Even before the arrival of COVID-19, the history of the Second World War was making a remarkable comeback. Our movie theatres (remember those?), Netflix offerings and bookstore shelves were full of modern reboots of our mid-century wartime experience. Then the…

  • Public Interest Research Project (BC)
    Seniors Care

    Without Foundation

    How Medicare is Undermined by Gaps and Privatization in Community and Continuing Care The Community and Continuing Care sector is fundamental to B.C.’s entire health care system. The sector’s significance can be traced to the 1991 Seaton Commission, which proposed a “closer to home” theme for health care restructuring. The…

  • Seniors Care

    Fast Facts: Contracting Out Enhanced Home Care Program

    Among the many recent changes by the Pallister government to health care was a contract with two private companies to operate the Enhanced Home Care Program (EHCP). This will provide community care to patients who can no longer benefit from acute hospital care, at an estimated total cost of $10.5M.…