On March 8, I gave a guest presentation to students in Professor Naomi Lightman’s Sociology of Work class at the University of Calgary. I was joined by Alexander Kulakov and Amit Nade, employment coaches at the Mustard Seed. Here are 10 things to know about homelessness and employment in Calgary: There aren’t…
New, dirty gas drilling method threatens drinking water A technology used by the oil and gas industry to obtain natural gas is raising major concerns across the United States and is equally suspect for areas being drilled in Western Canada. Called hydraulic fracturing (or “fracking” in the trade), it allows…
The recession won’t be over till people get back to work The next time someone says the “recession is over,” ask them exactly what they mean. Because it’s increasingly clear that it means different things to different people. And it’s equally clear it doesn’t usually mean that the unemployment crisis…
Lessons from WestEnd Commons Stable and affordable housing is a central component in improving people’s quality of life. In light of a severe housing shortage facing low-income renters, it is clear that Manitoba has work to do to ensure that all citizens have access to a warm and secure place…
Ontario Students as a Means to the Government’s Ends In high-risk sites like Ontario, traditional forms of liberal education are being replaced by policies mandating teaching and learning activities that are aimed at serving the utilitarian needs of a corporate and globalised marketplace. In effect, educational policy making in the…
More than half of nearly 50 dams that fossil fuel companies built in recent years without first obtaining the proper permits had serious structural problems that could have caused many of them to fail. And now, BC’s Oil and Gas Commission (OGC), which appeared to be asleep at the switch…
Adam Nowek / Flickr” style=”border-radius:0px;–objectFit:cover;–imagePosX:50%;–imagePosY:50%” decoding=”async” srcset=”https://www.policyalternatives.ca/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/policynote_Dec2017_7-recommendations-300×141.jpg 300w, https://www.policyalternatives.ca/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/policynote_Dec2017_7-recommendations-1024×480.jpg 1024w, https://www.policyalternatives.ca/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/policynote_Dec2017_7-recommendations-768×360.jpg 768w, https://www.policyalternatives.ca/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/policynote_Dec2017_7-recommendations.jpg 1279w” sizes=”(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px” />The CCPA-BC sent the following submission to the BC Government’s How We Vote consultation, which requests feedback on key elements of the upcoming referendum on electoral reform. Written submissions are being accepted from now until February 28, 2018. You can feel free to quote or cite any of the following if…
CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE FULL REPORT OTTAWA—A new study released today by the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives (CCPA) updates the most and least expensive cities for child care in Canada. Fees have risen faster than inflation in 71% of the cities since last year, and in 82% of…
This year, the CCPA-BC’s annual Gideon Rosenbluth Memorial lecture featured one of Canada’s leading progressive economists, Armine Yalnizyan, who shared some insights on the changing world of work and the importance of achieving inclusive growth. Making growth inclusive has become a global policy priority backed, at least on paper, by…
Kenny Mcdonald / Flickr” style=”border-radius:0px;–objectFit:cover;–imagePosX:50%;–imagePosY:50%” decoding=”async” srcset=”https://www.policyalternatives.ca/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/pn_nov2017_HousingCrisisWorse-300×133.jpg 300w, https://www.policyalternatives.ca/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/pn_nov2017_HousingCrisisWorse-768×341.jpg 768w, https://www.policyalternatives.ca/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/pn_nov2017_HousingCrisisWorse.jpg 900w” sizes=”(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px” />As the United Nations’ Special Rapporteur on the Right to Adequate Housing from 2000 to 2008, Miloon Kothari observed the failure of market-based approaches to addressing housing crises. His 2007 report on Canada called for “a national strategy [for the] large scale building of social housing, and much better tenant…
Paul Graham Morris / Flickr” style=”border-radius:0px;–objectFit:cover;–imagePosX:50%;–imagePosY:50%” decoding=”async” srcset=”https://www.policyalternatives.ca/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/pn_nov2017_GHGTargetsAnniversary-300×133.jpg 300w, https://www.policyalternatives.ca/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/pn_nov2017_GHGTargetsAnniversary-768×341.jpg 768w, https://www.policyalternatives.ca/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/pn_nov2017_GHGTargetsAnniversary.jpg 900w” sizes=”(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px” />Canadian politicians have a long-standing tradition of proclaiming targets to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, then failing to meet them. After a wake-up call in the form of a record fire season this past summer, what are the prospects for climate leadership from BC’s new government? First, a look back November…
As we continue to dig into university and college finances in Ontario, what becomes apparent is not only the change in revenue sources these institutions are experiencing (which we discuss here). There are also shifts in how and where institutions choose to spend their money. The current strike by college…