Can disability rights be maintained in the “uber-economy”?

Everyone is talking about the “sharing” or “gig” economy these days, especially when it comes to ride-sharing apps like Uber. The public debate has mostly centred on issues of public safety, customer service, precarious work, insurance and taxation. And rightly so. Uber’s ability to skirt regulations not only threatens to dismantle an entire sector, but also adds to the broader corporate attack on labour protections, fair taxation, regulatory systems and the future of decent work. Nevertheless, there’s another issue that isn’t getting enough attention in the “uber-debate” - and that would be the issue of accessible transportation and disability rights.

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Poor Health Care and Food Security among Factors that Determine Higher Mental Distress among Inuit

The social determinants of health, including income, health care services, food security and housing, shape the health of the Inuit population.

Inuit women had higher average mental distress scores than Inuit men, according to a recent Statistics Canada report on the social determinants of health of higher mental health distress among the Inuit. Difficulty accessing health care, low or very low food security, living with physical chronic conditions and moderate to weak family ties were the four key predictors of mental health distress among Inuit men and women. [Read more…]

Canada’s Declining Commitment to Refugee Protection

Over the last 20 years, refugees as a share of all permanent residents to Canada were the lowest in six recent years—2008, 2009, 2010, 2012, 2013, and 2014. [Read more…]

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