“IT STRIKES” Again: Wisdom might have everything to do with feeding the birds PT2

[This column was originally published in April, 2003. There is a link to PT1 below. gah]

...Past government policies helped distribute more fairly some of our country’s wealth. Those days are gone.

Consider these clippings from March and April 2003:

The ranks of high-powered, high-salaried Canadian workers ballooned by more than two-thirds between 1990 and 2000, with almost half a million people in the exclusive club of those who earned more than $100,000 a year (Canadian Press)

Average earnings have gone up in Canada and they’re higher than they’ve ever been now. The reason - the upper end made big gains. But... the number of full-time workers who earned $20,000 or less also increased in the 1990s... (Canadian Press)

“What these figures show is we have a growing gap between the rich and poor,” said Rebecca Coulter of the University of Western Ontario. (London Free Press)

Canadian food banks assisted 295,228 people in 2002. Ontario’s food banks accounted for 40% of that total. 35 - 40% were children. (London Food Bank, Decade report)


["It's wise to feed the birds": photo G.Harrison]

London police are dealing with people who have a mental illness at an alarming and rapidly increasing rate... more of those people are being arrested because police have no other options. (Kelly Pedro, Free Press)

“Better housing, income and options are needed for people who are mentally ill,” says Lisa Heslop, supervisor with the London police victim services unit. (Kelly Pedro)

In a move that acknowledges some customers face genuine hardship, London Hydro announced... a $50,000 donation to THAW, helping low-income (earners) facing hydro cutoffs. (Mary-Jane Egan, London Free Press)

I think it wise to feed the birds.

gah

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Please click here to read ‘Wisdom might have everything to do with feeding the birds’ PT1

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