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Rights + Justice

The Tyee Reader on Inequality

Sampled from eight years of our reporting and analysis on the growing divide.

Tyee Staff and Contributors 28 Oct 2011TheTyee.ca

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In a way, The Tyee has been covering the Occupy Movement since we started back in 2003. That's how long we've been reporting on the issues of social and income inequality that inspire Occupiers all over the world.

So we're happy to provide you with links to scores of articles dealing with inequality in British Columbia, in Canada, and elsewhere. We've organized them in chronological order within each section. And we've included some bonus links to other useful sources on inequality.

INEQUALITY IN BC

News articles:

Welfare’s New Era in BC: Series
Andrew MacLeod's four-part series investigating the BC Liberals' new policies towards the poor and failure to monitor the human toll. By Andrew MacLeod, July 2004.

2010: More Homeless than Athletes: Series
Monte Paulsen's 10-part series traces reasons for the rise of homelessness in the Vancouver area, scrutinizes the numbers and responses offered by officials, and lays out what experts believe is really necessary to seriously turn the tide before the world arrives for the Olympics in 2010. By Monte Paulsen, Nov.-May 2007.

Seven Solutions to Homelessness
Each is working somewhere else, and will save money and lives here. By Monte Paulsen, Jan. 8, 2007.

BC's Homeless Death Toll: 56 or More in Two Years
Tally of homeless deaths released to Tyee by chief coroner. By Monte Paulsen and Tom Sandborn, April 17, 2008.

Poverty Built into BC's System
Two-year study looks at welfare policies' effects on people. By Andrew MacLeod, April 22, 2008.

Canada's Rich Stomp the Planet
Their eco-footprint is more than double nation’s poor: study. By Tom Barrett, June 24, 2008.

The Meltdown, Seen from Below
What union leaders, labour experts and anti-poverty activists say needs to be done. By Tom Sandborn, Nov. 2008.

A City Soft on 'Slumlords'
The Sahotas own crime-ridden, decrepit buildings, but Vancouver hasn't forced them to meet legal standards. A Tyee special report. By Sean Condon, Nov. 10, 2008.

A Home for All: Series
Monte Paulsen's award-winning 12-part series starts with fact that having a job or even a two-income family is no longer enough to guarantee a basic, comfortable place to live -- in fact, the average Metro Vancouver earner can afford only half a home. What can be done to close that divide? By Monte Paulsen, Feb.-June 2009.

Homeless Crisis Grows in BC North
Shelter is scarce and even "jungle camps" are shut to the jobless and addicted. A Tyee special report. By Sean Condon, March 16, 2009.

When Two Jobs Aren't Enough
Thousands in B.C. lack the full time, decent paying jobs they seek. Walk a mile on their treadmill. By Justin Langille, Sep. 8, 2010.

While the rich get richer, Canada's middle class stagnates
Canada has entered a 1920s-like Gilded Age, where the super-rich consolidate their wealth while the middle class stagnates. The Canadian Press, Dec. 1, 2010.

UNICEF calls for 'Children's Commissioner' to improve kids' equality
Canadian children in poor families are suffering from a widening inequality gap, according to a UNICEF report. By Crawford Kilian, Dec., 2010 

Complaints of Unfairness Shoot up from Welfare, Disability Recipients
Independent government tribunal had budget cut as appeals rose 46 per cent. By Andrew MacLeod, Feb. 2010.

If You Were to Vote Against Poverty
Which party deserves your nod? The NDP and Liberals have made explicit promises. Conservatives have not. By Katie Hyslop, April 20, 2011.

Nickeled and Dimed: BC's Uneven Minimum Wage Bump
Critics say Libs are miserly to let employers pay less to workers who serve alcohol. By Tom Sandborn, June 7, 2011.

Finding a New Pension Fix: Series
RRSPs haven't delivered, private pensions are increasingly rare, and the growing consensus among leaders is that it is time for Canada to reinvent its deal with retirees. This seven-part series lays out what's wrong with the current system, and ideas to fix it. By David Beers, Andrew MacLeod and Jim Sutherland, Dec. 2009.

'Biggest Rollback of Worker Rights in Canadian History'
That's how one scholar terms Campbell-era policies. Rounding up the decade's top 10 labour stories. By Tom Sandborn, Sep. 7, 2010.

'The Coca-Cola Case'
More than a documentary, it's a vehicle for a global movement for corporate accountability and union rights. By Tom Sandborn, March 25, 2011.

Will America's Anti-Union Spasm Engulf Canada?
Fraser Institute conservatives openly wish for it, unions rally to vow 'no way.' By Tom Sandborn, April 18, 2011.

McQuaig: Inequality Bad for Health and Economy
Trouble with Billionaires author speaks in Vancouver. By Crawford Kilian, June 13, 2011.

Income Gap Growing: Conference Board of Canada
A new report by the Conference Board of Canada says the income gap between richest and poorest Canadians has been widening over the past 20 years. By Crawford Kilian July 13, 2011.

Opinion & Essays:

Are BC's Welfare Limits Legal?
The Liberals' new welfare cutoffs signal more than a mean turn for Canadian values. They may violate the Charter of Rights and Freedoms. By Gwen Brodsky, Dec. 17, 2003.

INEQUALITY IN CANADA

Voting for Canada's Kids
A Vancouver study shows why day care remains a hot campaign issue. Not just the poor need early childhood support. By Dr. Clyde Hertzman, June 22, 2004.

Harper, Bush Share Roots in Controversial Philosophy
Close advisers schooled in "the noble lie" and "regime change." By Donald Gutstein, Nov. 29, 2005.

What Happened to Labour Rights?
You'd hardly know collective bargaining is a human right. By Murray Dobbin, June 22, 2006.

Poverty Amidst Plenty
We can brighten the dark side to B.C.'s economy. By Marc Lee, Aug. 14, 2006.

Child Poverty Is Down. No, it's Up
What the numbers don't say. By Sharon Manson Singer and David Hay, Jan. 2, 2007.

Life's Harder in Seattle
Vancouver a kinder, gentler place for working poor finds UBC prof. By Crawford Kilian, Feb. 13, 2007.

Divided, We're Falling
How the growing income gap hurts Canada's future. By Marc Lee, March 13, 2007.

Dying for the Rich
Our income gap is really a life and death health issue. By Crawford Kilian, May 6, 2008.

Working Below the Poverty Line
Big pay raise for B.C. bureaucrats highlights yawning income gap. By Iglika Ivanova, Aug. 17, 2008

BC's Rich and Poor: A Gap Pried Wider
Government fostered the divide. Now it reaps expensive social woes. By Kim Pollock, July 16, 2009.

Reckless and Ruinous: Harper's Economics
He ties us to stumbling U.S., pulls plug on stimulus, rolls dice on tar sands folly. By Murray Dobbin, Oct. 11, 2010.

That Gap Between Rich and Poor Is a Baby Killer
The deadly, unforeseen consequences of Canada's widening inequality. By Murray Dobbin, Dec. 6, 2010.

The Eubie Blake Economy
As aging boomers create an "elder culture" they are redefining our society's spending priorities. For the better? By Crawford Kilian, Jan. 27, 2010.

The Rich are Canadians, Too
But they've stopped acting like it, which is why it's time for tax laws to make them pay their share. By Murray Dobbin, Feb. 22, 2010.

The Degrowth Movement Is Growing
More than 300 people gathered in Vancouver to envision a healthy society without an expanding economy. By Derrick O'Keefe, May 2010.

Want a Real Issue? Try BC's Lagging Health Funding
Will BC Liberal leadership hopefuls explain why our province is falling behind in health care spending? By Will McMartin, Jan. 3, 2011.

CEOs made 155 times more than the average Canadian despite recession: study
The recession may have hammered the average Canadian but a new survey suggests CEOs weathered the storm in fine form. The Canadian Press, Jan. 3, 2011.

The CEO and the New Feudalism
Typical leader of a top 100 firm makes in three days what average worker must toil a year to earn. By Murray Dobbin, Jan. 17, 2011.

You're Poorer Than You Think
Latest stats confirm vast gap between ordinary folks and pension-rich CEOs. By Bill Tieleman, Aug. 2, 2011.

Is Capitalism Preparing to Bury Itself?
Choke consumers' wages and you choke the economy. Why don't our leaders see that? By Murray Dobbin, Sep. 26, 2011.

INEQUALITY AROUND THE WORLD

News Articles:

Brave New Charitable World?
The outpouring of donations to tsunami victims have some heralding a new era of global progress. But charity rarely produces fair or just solutions. By Cam Sylvester, Jan. 13, 2005.

Why Global Poverty is Canada's Enemy, Too
End it or get used to terrorism says economist Jeffery Sachs. By Jared Ferrie, Nov. 9, 2005.

Lift Kids Out of Poverty, Protect Their Brains
UBC researcher adds to growing data on physical cost of being young and poor. By Tom Sandborn, Jan. 6, 2009.

Fixing the Real Economy
Labour economist Jim Stanford focuses on workers, not paper wealth. By Tom Sandborn, Jan. 28, 2009.

In Haiti, like BC, Business Fights Rise in Minimum Wage
In both places, a living wage vs. threats of job losses. By Rob Annandale, May 8, 2009.

Global Labour Frames Future in Vancouver
Nine-hundred delegates from all over the world to vote on green social justice agenda. By Tom Sandborn, June 21, 2010.

A Visit with the Income Gap Doctor
The Spirit Level author Richard Wilkinson on how inequality hurts more than the poor, the wages of stress, and more. By Crawford Kilian, Dec. 15, 2010.

BC Activist Fights the Union Busting States of America
In Madison, where labour rights are under siege, a B.C. unionist joins the protest. By Tom Sandborn, March 11, 2011.

In Africa, It's Sickening to See Tories Play Refugee Politics
Here at the bleeding edge of the Somali crisis, I can't shake the face of Immigration Minister Jason Kenney. By Cam Sylvester, July 20, 2011.

Adbusters' Kalle Lasn Talks About OccupyWallStreet
The veteran culture-jammer on his role in getting the protest rolling, magic memes, what he would demand, and more. By Sam Eifling, Oct. 7, 2011

Opinion & Essays:

Jane Jacobs Jars Our Memories
For all our technical advances, says the noted thinker, we're forgetting a lot of crucial stuff. By Crawford Kilian, Jan. 5, 2005.

'Planet of Slums'
Grim guided tour of world's worst 'hoods. By Derrick O'Keefe, April 12, 2006.

Summoning Galbraith's Spirit
The amusing economist is looking smarter every day. By Crawford Kilian, March 20, 2007.

Naomi Klein's Global Coup
Her zooming book is reframing the debate. By Crawford Kilian, Sep. 11, 2007.

Rich as Hel
How the other one per cent lives. By Crawford Kilian, Oct. 9, 2007.

Eating the Rich, Tasty!
Welcome to the golden age of schadenfreude. By Vanessa Richmond, Jan. 14, 2009

Disgorge the Bastards!
Getting mad as hell at tycoon villains is the new buzz. By Vanessa Richmond, Feb. 4, 2009.

Ho Hum, They're Rioting in Toronto
Much of the world media snoozed through the G20 clashes. By Crawford Kilian, June 29. 2010.

Democracy Died (Again) at G20 Toronto
Window breakers get jailed, peaceful protests get ignored, leaders do what they wish in secret, the rest of us are alienated. As intended. By Crawford Kilian, July 2, 2010.

You're Not Wrong to Want to Be Swedish
Their economy hums along happily, beating ours, and (eeek!) it's a social democracy. By Crawford Kilian, Oct. 7, 2010.

Empowered in Calcutta: Story of a Sex Workers' Co-op: Series
Vancouver-based John Restakis journeys to Calcutta's oldest red-light district to learn about a remarkable success story: the Durbar co-operative created by sex workers to provide health and financial support to members. Jan. 19-24, 2011.

'The Death of the Liberal Class'
Chris Hedges says liberalism is long gone in the U.S. Can it be resurrected? By Crawford Kilian, Feb. 21, 2011.

Wisconsin Is the Canary in the Coal Mine
Prevent a race to the bottom. Don't scapegoat public sector workers for problems they didn't create. By Darryl Walker, March 17, 2011.

Everyone's a Looter in the London Riots
Whether driven by criminality or something more, we'll all take what we want from this riot. By Crawford Kilian, Aug. 10, 2011

Big Media Afraid to Take Wall Street Protest Seriously
That's how it appears, given the thin, dismissive coverage of Occupy Wall Street so far. By Katrina Orlowski, Sep. 26, 2011.

Nothing's More American than Fighting Greedy Bankers
Way ahead of Occupiers, U.S. founding leaders raged against powerful, corrupting financiers. By Mitchell Anderson, Oct. 27, 2011/

OTHER RESOURCES

BCStats on Income Inequality:

Indicators of Human Economic Hardship, Aug. 2011

Indicators of Human Economic Hardship, Sept. 2010

Statistics Canada on Income Inequality:
(These are just a few of many StatsCan articles on the subject.)

Income of Canadians

Low income and inequality

The Evolution of Wealth Inequality in Canada, 1984-1999

Income Inequality and Redistribution in Canada: 1976 to 2004

Other Organizations and Research:

Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives: Growing Gap Updates

Canadian Council on Social Development

Canadian Index of Wellbeing

Cornell University Center for the Study of Inequality

Inequality.org

Stanford Center for the Study of Poverty and Inequality

The Equality Trust

World Health Organization: Social determinants of health  [Tyee]

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