[Northern Light]

On the Welfare comment.....while obviously Farr was over-reaching w/that one....

Its important to realize how pathetic social assistance rates are....roughly $600.00 per month for a single individual. That's all-in (though you do get medical benefits and some other odd n'sods).

Can anyone here truly imagine having to live on that? Even in Hamilton, rent at that level is hard to come by, never mind food.

Now I'm not delusional that some people on pogey aren't lazily accepting their fate.......and enjoying free accommodation w/friends or family; or separately getting subsidized housing...

Still, not much quality of life on that budget.

I think there's a balanced nuance here......

Most people on Social Assistance do want to get a job etc.

A meaningful number don't..........though

That's not strictly speaking because they love the lifestyle of welfare...(in most cases)..........

Rather its a case of the alternative being a min. wage job at $10.25 per hour, for 37.5 hours a week (the standard f/t in retail) and often with no benefits.

And if that's your alternative as un-skilled, entry-level worker, its not hard to see how some end up staying on social assistance.

Many also lack the skills to get a job (interview skills, resume etc.)

If we had either universal or low-income pharmacare and dentalcare, and these were no longer tied to receiving welfare...(allows free-contraception)

If minimum wage were just a bit higher (say $12 per hour)

If we enforce people not dropping out of high school, and made job-hunting skills part of the curriculum in grade 11.

We wouldn't get everyone off social assistance, but I bet we could get the number down by 1/2 in a hurry.

Another key is designing the system so work pays. Both by letting people save up a bit more; and by not their kids job against their welfare income (this happens now)....and helps create that multi-generational effect.

I'm off topic.........LOL............just saying.