| Liberals urge government to take action on housing
The Alberta Liberals have unveiled a new plan to create 10,000 new affordable housing units within the next five years.
The plan includes legislative changes that would make secondary suites more common throughout the province. The party would like to see a $5,000 grant program to help offset costs to homeowners who create secondary suites. The Liberals also suggest the province should donate and swap land with municipalities for affordable housing and the province should create community land trusts.
The Liberals also want to see financial assistance provided for "moderate income" Albertans to enable them to buy homes and low- or no-interest loans for low-income renters for damage deposits and first month’s rent.
Meanwhile, Premier Ed Stelmach has promised a premier’s task force on affordable housing will be created to examine options. Municipal Affairs and Housing Minister Ray Danyluk says members will be chosen by the end of the month and a report should be ready 45 days after that. The Liberals are asking for representation on the task force.
Doomsday clock ticks forward
The world is moving closer towards nuclear disaster warns the University of Chicago’s Bulletin of Atomic Scientists (BAS). The organization will move its Doomsday Clock forward on January 17 to reflect its concern. The clock hasn’t moved forward since February 2002.
In a press release, the organization says, "The major new step reflects growing concerns about a 'second nuclear age' marked by grave threats, including: nuclear ambitions in Iran and North Korea, unsecured nuclear materials in Russia and elsewhere, the continuing 'launch-ready' status of 2,000 of the 25,000 nuclear weapons held by the U.S. and Russia; escalating terrorism; and new pressure from climate change for expanded civilian nuclear power that could increase proliferation risks."
BAS is a magazine that advocates for the peaceful use and international control of nuclear technology. The magazine created its infamous Doomsday Clock in 1947 as a symbol of how close the planet is to nuclear destruction.
Public Interest Alberta advocates living wage for province
Public Interest Alberta (PIA), a left-wing lobby group, is urging action from municipalities and the province to reduce poverty in the province.
PIA recently released a report, written by the Edmonton Social Planning Council, which found that Alberta’s minimum wage hasn’t kept pace with inflation since the 1970s and close to 25 per cent of all employed Albertans made less than $12 an hour in 2005. The report also points out that 68,000 Canadians live under Statistics Canada’s low-income cutoff.
PIA wants to see municipalities create living wage policies. It defines a living wage as "the income required to maintain a safe, healthy standard of living in a community." The group recognizes that an appropriate living wage is dependent on the costs in specific communities and will likely vary throughout the province.
"We’re very careful to say that this is the beginning of a discussion and each city has to go through its own process to define what a living wage is," says Bill Moore-Kilgannon, executive director of PIA.
PIA also wants the province to create a comprehensive poverty reduction plan and to increase minimum wage so that it reflects the true cost of living. He organization is also urging the government to increase funding to social service agencies so they can pay employees a living wage.
Moore-Kilgannon says social service agencies need more funding in order to retain qualified staff. |
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