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Articles on Low-income families

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Child-care wait lists have ballooned across Ontario since the province signed on to the national $10-a-day program, as demand due to the lower fees appears to be far outstripping the creation of new spaces in many regions. Children play at a daycare in Coquitlam, B.C., on March 28, 2018. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck

3 years after Canada’s landmark investment in child care, 3 priorities all levels of government should heed

Governments need to co-operate to prioritize access to high-quality child care for low-income families, and sustain not-for-profit care centres with well-paid educators.
Several tents were set up in October 2023 across from the Confederation Building in St. John’s, NL, to bring attention to the lack of affordable housing in the city. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Paul Daly

The private sector housing experiment has failed: Ottawa must now step up on social housing

There are many strategies needed simultaneously to address housing affordability in Canada. The expansion of social housing supply is a particularly effective one.
Gas prices are at record highs. AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar

Federal gas tax holiday: Biden says it will provide ‘a little bit of relief’ – but experts say even that may be a stretch

We asked four experts to explain what gas taxes are used for and whether waiving them will make much of a difference to American households.
Ontario’s child care policy now creates a universal, flat-fee child care for medium and high-income families but doesn’t guarantee subsidies to low-income families. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Justin Tang

Ontario’s child-care agreement is poised to fail low-income children and families

Ontario’s flat fee for child care should be replaced by an income-tested fee reflecting family incomes.
The official child poverty rate is about the same today as in 1967. More Than Words Photography by Alisa Brouwer/Moment Open via Getty Images

1 in 6 US kids are in families below the poverty line

An alternative approach to measuring poverty detected a decline in 2021, amid a surge in government support for low-income families.
Students pulling a heavy ball representing the total outstanding student debt in the U.S. at over $1.5 trillion. PAUL J. RICHARDS/AFP via Getty Images

The morality of canceling student debt

President-elect Joe Biden promised to forgive some part of student debt. An ethicist considers what’s fair.
External stressors might have more to do with a low-income couple’s success. Michael Newman

Relationship advice from the government doesn’t help low-income couples – here’s what might

Relationship education programs are meant to strengthen low-income couples, with the idea children would benefit. But focusing on communication skills overlooks what really matters to these Americans.

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