Employment Insurance (EI) is available, in theory, to any Canadian who loses their jobs at no fault of their own. If you are laid off, become ill, or take your maternity or paternity leave, you can qualify for EI benefits that will temporarily pay you a portion of your wage while you look for new work, recover or raise your child. However, these benefits are not always available to those who have paid into them. In November, members of our team attended a lunch at The Canadian Club of Toronto where the Mowat Centre presented the findings of their Employment Insurance Task Force.  Titled “Making … Read more →

Two weeks ago we wrote about how Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami (ITK), the national Inuit Organization, is holding a Presidential Election on Wednesday June 6. A non-profit national advocacy group founded in 1971, ITK represents and promotes the interests of 55,000 Inuit across Canada on a wide variety of environmental, social, cultural, and political, issues and challenges. Yesterday, ITK announced that two candidates have stepped forward to run for the post: Terry Audla of Iqaluit and Robert Watt of Ottawa. Audla, 42, became Nunavut Tunngavik Inc.‘s chief executive officer in February 2011 after working for 17 years with the Qikiqtani Inuit Association (QIA) in … Read more →

New Brunswick municipalities went to the polls yesterday for their quadrennial elections. Complete results have not yet been released, but there are still some interesting election outcomes we can share today. In St. John, challenger Mel Norton defeated incumbent mayor Ivan Court by a “wide margin,” according to Metro News. In Fredericton, the provincial capital, Brad Woodside was re-elected. George LeBlanc was re-elected in Moncton. CBC News reports that voters in Dieppe returned Yvon Lapierre to the mayor’s chair, despite his resignation from the post in 2005. In Miramachi, Gerry Cormier was easily re-elected to a second term as mayor. … Read more →

It has been about a year and a half since Ontarians went to the polls to elect their municipal governments and school boards. Since then, they have also elected a federal and provincial government. With the deluge of news about the more recent elections, here is a small reminder that there is a lot going on at the municipal level, as well. Some recent headlines that have caught our eyes: Council vote could see Markham gain official city status Municipalities in Ontario come in a variety of names; city, county, municipality, town, township, united townships, and village. In Markham, which … Read more →

Jenner Colony School is a small Hutterite school in southeast Alberta. Despite only 12 students and no access to computers, smart boards, TV or videos, Jenner Colony School enthusiastically took part in the Alberta 2012 Student Vote last month. Jenner was one of 25 Hutterite schools from across the province to take part. Jenner voted in the Drumheller-Stettler electoral division – along with five other colony schools – where students elected PC candidate Jack Hayden by a wide margin. In the adult election, Wildrose candidate Rick Strankman prevailed with 49% of the popular vote; Strankman only won by 5 percentage … Read more →

On Wednesday, Prime Minister Stephen Harper released a statement “welcoming” the three new Senate nominees elected by Albertans last month. Held in conjunction with the 2012 provincial election, Alberta voters selected Doug Black, Scott Tannas and Mike Shaikh as their future Senators. Alberta is the only province to hold elections for nomination to the Senate; in all other cases, Senators are appointed by the Prime Minister. Alberta elected three Senate nominees: one for each of the two vacancies that are expected in the next six years and one extra, in case of early retirement. However, the results of these elections are … Read more →

Researchers at Ohio State University have found that “losing yourself” in the world of a fictional character or story can change your own behaviour and thoughts to match those of the character. Their study found that this “experience-taking” can lead people to take the emotions, thoughts, beliefs and internal responses of characters as if they were their own. In some situations, this experience-taking can lead to real changes in the lives of readers. In one experiment, the researchers found that people who strongly identified with a fictional character who overcame obstacles to vote was “significantly more likely” to vote in … Read more →

Jared Burton, a Grade 12 student at Leduc Composite High School, has been trying to raise awareness about the First-Past-the-Post (FPTP) method of voting which he believes is unfair. In its place, Burton wants to create a voting system that fairly represents each citizen’s vote. In conjunction with last month’s Alberta 2012 Student Vote, Jared gave students in his class the opportunity to cast a Mixed-Member Proportional (MMP) ballot as part of a project in his Social Studies class. In MMP, every vote is counted equally and results would be proportional. The number of seats each party would receive in the … Read more →

On May 14, New Brunswick heads to the polls for municipal elections. First elected in 2004, Dan Keenan is the City Councillor for Fredericton’s Ward 1. In next week’s election, Keenan has no opponents. He is acclaimed, and does not need to campaign for his job. However, Keenan is speaking out in an effort to encourage higher voter turnout on Election Day. Fredericton, the capital of New Brunswick, has three acclaimed city council candidates and there are fears that this will dissuade citizens from taking part in the elections other races. In the 2008 New Brunswick municipal elections, 46% of eligible voters cast a … Read more →

Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami (ITK), the national Inuit Organization, is holding a Presidential Election on Wednesday June 6, 2012 at their Annual General Meeting in Kuujjuaq, Nunavik. Founded in 1971, ITK represents four Inuit regions – Nunatsiavut (Labrador), Nunavik (northern Quebec), Nunavut, and the Inuvialuit Settlement Region in the Northwest Territories.  Mary Simon, the ITK leader since 2006, has decided not to run for a third term. Simon, 64, has been working on behalf of Aboriginal Canadians in the North for more than 40 years, according to the Globe and Mail. Simon says that “there has never been a day when I didn’t like my … Read more →

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Latest News

Updated Blog: Does the Employment Insurance System Need Reform?

Candidates Announced for Inuit Presidential Election

New Brunswick Municipal Election Results

Ontario Municipal Updates

Student Vote at Jenner Colony School

Prime Minister welcomes selection of Alberta Senate nominees: Should all Senators be elected?

Identifying with a fictional character can help get people to vote

Student Vote participant takes a critical look at Alberta’s voting system

Despite being acclaimed, Fredericton City Councillor encourages citizens to vote

Inuit Presidential Election to be held in June