In November 2019, before the terrifying realities of COVID-19 were known, Oxford economist Kate Raworth gave an interview where she explained her model of sustainable and equitable development called “doughnut economics.” Over the course of the interview the conversation briefly shifted to board games to accentuate a point. She remarked “don’t play Monopoly, play Pandemic.” What she meant was, don’t play a game of winners and losers driven by greed that characterizes our current economic system. Instead, play a cooperative game where everyone comes together to solve a dynamic problem for the common good. As governments begin to ease restrictions and Canada tiptoes into the economic recovery phase, we would be wise to heed this advice.

Raworth’s doughnut theory is critical of traditional economic models that use GDP growth as the primary measurement of success. She rejects the notion that growth can go on forever without exceeding earth’s capacity to sustain it. She also asserts that modern societies tolerate unacceptable levels of inequality where too many people fall through the cracks or, to use her imagery, fall into the doughnut hole.

In response, she provides an alternative model that gives more prominence to different indicators. Ones that constrain growth based on the earth’s ecological limits (the outer ring of the doughnut) while also doing a better job of caring for people (keeping them out of the doughnut hole).

Raworth’s model is impressive and credible while remaining accessible. That being said, she’s not the first person to identify these flaws. The harder part is finding the political courage required to implement policies that subordinate growth to different priorities. The status quo is a mighty force with powerful vested interests.

In April, the municipality of Amsterdam officially embraced the doughnut model. The experiment is in its infancy but, for now, Raworth’s theory has been elevated to a higher level of legitimacy. The fact that a cosmopolitan world capital adopted this set of policies is a powerful symbol of how conventional wisdom about responsible public administration is changing. When confronted with a complicated web of problems, now more than ever, citizens want a nuanced and forward-looking response.

Canada, like Amsterdam and every government everywhere, is coping with a unique and unprecedented convergence of problems. On top of COVID-19, its economic fallout and an impending climate crisis, the price of oil has bottomed out and our public infrastructure is crumbling. The scale of response required is comparable to the mobilization efforts of World War II and the Marshall Plan that followed.

In spite of the magnitude of today’s problems, there is also space for optimism. After the war, the large-scale investment, coordination and international cooperation vaulted the global economy from the great depression into an era of shared prosperity. Today, low interest rates and low levels of federal debt mean Canada has the capacity to spend without a practical limit when considering solutions. Looking forward, there is hope but success is not guaranteed. Powerful forces will seek a return to business as usual.

The economic recovery phase is slowly beginning. All levels of government are starting to ease restrictions and chart paths to normalcy. We know governments are going to spend a lot but we don’t know what it will look like. As soon as the public purse strings loosened, a factious and gritty battle of ideas commenced. On one extreme, we have the Monopoly-playing industrialists. They are guided by self-interest and a narrow definition of wellbeing. On the other, a much broader coalition with an ambitious vision for a better world. 

We are living through an unprecedented moment. The impact of public policy decisions made in the next few years will be felt for generations. Let’s not screw it up. Success means protecting people while also acknowledging ecological limitations and accelerating the transition to a sustainable future. There is no single right path but the odds of success improve if the right framework is in place from the beginning. Canada has a lot to learn from doughnut economics.  

Originally posted on National Newswatch on May 6, 2020.

Criminals and big-time tax evaders rely on secrecy to flow revenue where they want it to go without detection or scrutiny.

Some business owners are hiding their assets by calling themselves the beneficial owner and putting up another person or business up as the legal business owner – allowing them to avoid accountability and access to all of the profits.

Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada invited Canadians to provide feedback on the Consultation Paper: Strengthening Corporate Beneficial Ownership Transparency in Canada. We made clear that greater transparency is required.

Read our submission

We surveyed our members who are auditors at the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) in 2018:

• 61% believed Canada is too secretive about beneficial ownership information
• 75% stated that federal and provincial governments should require corporations to publicly identify beneficial ownership relationships

Where secrecy is the problem, transparency is the solution.

The federal government should create a publicly accessible registry of company beneficial ownership information. A one-stop, searchable, easy-to-use tool that enhances, standardizes and aggregates information from all federal, territorial and provincial jurisdictions. 

After finding his calling as a nuclear engineer, Jeff became charmed by the small town of Pinawa, Manitoba and the interesting career opportunity it offered. 

Pinawa is home to Whiteshell Laboratories, a complex for nuclear research established by Atomic Energy of Canada Limited (AECL) during the early 1960s. The complex is a legacy of nuclear research in Canada and is currently being decommissioned by Canadian Nuclear Laboratories (CNL) Ltd.  

Ever since Jeff was young, he loved playing with lego blocks and finding solutions to difficult problems. 

Today, he’s a project engineer for CNL, and he faces every new challenge with enthusiasm. 

“One of the biggest challenges is communicating with the public, Indigenous groups and other stakeholders as to what we do and how we do it, so they have a better understanding of how we are moving forward safely and effectively,” Jeff says. 

Jeff studies and models the contaminant transport of radionuclides through groundwater and their impacts on the biosphere. This information is essential to ensuring the safety of communities and the environment when disposing of the WR-1 reactor at Whiteshell. 

Through this research, Jeff and his team have found the best way to decommission the project: disposing of the reactor where it stands.

“We have a plan before the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission – an environmental assessment – to get regulatory permission to dispose of this reactor right where it is,” he says. 

Jeff is proud of the work he does to protect our environment, he’s proud of his research into solutions for the ever-growing climate crisis, and he’s proud of his union. 

“PIPSC has been instrumental in helping us obtain fair collective agreements that recognize that we are all working ourselves out of a job, and we all have to look forward to a new career opportunity in the very near future.” 

Jeff’s bargaining group executive works hard to ensure he and his colleagues not only have the professional development resources they need but also the flexibility to maintain a healthy work-life balance. 

Outside of work, Jeff loves spending time with his children, playing hockey, coaching the local Timbits soccer team, and engaging with his community. Being a PIPSC member means he can do the things he loves while working towards the goals he cares about the most. 

We need people like Jeff, who are passionate about protecting Canadian communities, to find solutions to safely dispose of nuclear waste. 

“My work here at Whiteshell is an example of how nuclear waste can be safely and effectively cleaned up and managed,” he says. “We can do it safely and we can do it cost-effectively. That’s good for the workers here, it’s good for the people who live in the area, it’s good for the environment, and it’s good for the Canadian taxpayer.” 

We are calling on Prime Minister Trudeau to take action to protect workers in food production plants.

With UFCW (United Food and Commercial Workers Canada) and the Agriculture Union, we have sent a letter to the federal government urging action to stop the spread of COVID-19 in food production plants. 

COVID-19 is a threat to workers and food security.

Read our letter to Prime Minister Trudeau

Measures to ensure social distancing need to be implemented and production lines slowed to allow people to work safely.

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) must intervene to ensure outbreaks in these plants are addressed immediately and effectively. The health and safety of workers must come first. 

We have come to an agreement with the Treasury Board that all grievances will be suspended from March 20 to July 5, 2020, inclusively. This is a consequence of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Our agreement is in keeping with the same suspension of activity ordered by the Federal Public Sector Labour Relations and Employment Board on March 20, 2020, and is in keeping with the terms of our collective agreements.

Read the agreement

Your grievance will not be impacted by this extension. We will continue to work together to hold your employer to account. And the work on your grievance will resume as soon as it is possible.

This suspension ensures that members are able to submit any necessary grievances. The 25-day time limit to submit a grievance is also suspended. In some exceptional circumstances, we can proceed with your grievance according to the regular timelines. Contact your regional office staff for assistance.

These are challenging times and PIPSC members continue to deliver services for people across Canada. Union support is available to you for any challenges you may face in the workplace related to COVID-19.

If you need other workplace support, your local stewards are hard at work and can support you.

Grievances can be challenging at the best of times, and facing a suspension of your grievance as a result of the current health crisis is an additional challenge. We are all in this together. Please reach out to family, friends, colleagues, fellow union members and your Employee and Family Assistance Program (EFAP) for support.

If the current crisis requires it, we may agree to an extension of this suspension.

Canada is losing billions of dollars in tax revenue to off-shore tax havens.

As a part of our fight to close tax loopholes, PIPSC participates in the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) Base Erosion Profit Shifting (BEPS) initiative. Over 135 countries are collaborating to put an end to tax avoidance strategies that exploit gaps and mismatches in tax rules to avoid paying tax.

In March 2020, we provided a submission on the OECD Review of the BEPS Action 13 minimum standard based on the responses of thousands of CRA professionals to our 2018 Tax Fairness Survey.

Read the PIPSC submission

Though the BEPS represents a significant step forward, it does not go far enough and there are steps that should be taken more quickly. The OECD’s country by country reporting (CbCR) standards should move towards the Global Reporting Initiative Tax Standard to address data quality shortcomings. And CbCR reports should be made available to the public. We also believe the current threshold for CbCR is too high.

PIPSC Economist, Ryan Campbell, will represent members at the OECD virtual consultation on BEPS Action 13 on May 12-13, 2020.

We must close tax loopholes and collect revenue to fund the services Canadians rely on. We won’t sit by and watch rich corporations and individuals avoid contributing their fair share.

We are fighting for tax fairness.

The Ontario government has announced pandemic pay for front-line healthcare workers. Front-line health care workers are critical to the ongoing efforts to protect Ontarians and reduce the impact of COVID-19. Their sacrifices and dedication to service are remarkable.

The details of the program released provided examples of workers who will receive pandemic pay but it did not provide an exhaustive list.

We have written to Premier Ford asking for confirmation that our members who are working on the front lines in Ontario’s cancer centres will receive pandemic pay.

Read our letter to Premier Ford
We are proud of the important work of our radiation therapists. They are subject to the provisions of the Ontario state of emergency and are essential workers who cannot refuse unsafe work.

We know these members are taking all precautions possible, using personal protective equipment (PPE) and that they are being exposed to COVID-19 in their workplaces. It is our expectation that these members receive pandemic pay in compensation for the increased risk and demands of their work during this pandemic.

We will share the response we receive from Premier Ford.

Disability workers’ compensation, pension and lump-sum payments for a reclassification decision are generally considered taxable income.

This income is reported to the Canada Revenue Agency and must be declared when you file your taxes. Your employer, the pension centre, the workers’ compensation board, and the disability plan administrator will provide you with online tax statements. Most disability payments, including the Public Service Disability Plan, are taxable income.

It is important to review these payments carefully with your tax professional. If you have concerns about the amounts stated on these forms, you must contact the organization that provided the document. Your PIPSC compensation team does not have access to this information and cannot provide tax advice.

If you have received income from multiple sources – for example, from disability pay adjustments and retroactive payments because of a reclassification decision then you may receive amended tax forms at a later date. This is usually automatic. Often tax forms need to be reissued to reflect any corrections in amounts paid or the type of income. This might be the case for someone who completed a progressive return to work or who was accepted for workers’ compensation while also receiving disability payments. You may find it helpful to review your bank statements against the amounts reported on your tax forms to ensure any adjustments were properly reflected.

Your tax professional will be able to assist you with understanding the tax implications of these documents including tax credits for certain retroactive payments.

Members who experienced tax issues resulting from Phoenix will find additional information here

The Public Service Health Care Plan (PSHCP) will temporarily accept expenses for social workers and psychotherapists under the mental health provision.

This includes services provided directly by psychotherapists as well as social workers in all regions.

It’s okay to not be okay. This is a difficult time, please use all the supports that are available to you.

Whether or not you are covered by the PSHCP, most PIPSC members with federal, provincial or private employers, have access to an Employee and Family Assistance Program (EFAP). These programs also include mental health support that is easy to access.

We’re all in this together. Reach out to your family, friends, colleagues, fellow union members and mental health supports. We all need a hand sometimes.

If you have experienced a Phoenix-related overpayment after March 22, 2020, the repayment of this amount has been temporarily suspended.

This includes overpayment of wages, emergency salary advance or priority payment related to Phoenix. If you wish to repay the Phoenix overpayment, you may do so by contacting the Client Contact Centre.

If you have an existing repayment plan in place with the Pay Centre those payments will continue. These plans can be modified if you are experiencing hardship, please contact the Client Contact Centre right away.

The recovery of other amounts owing from routine pay transactions will continue:

• overpayments of less than 10% of an employee’s gross bi-weekly pay
• periods of leave without pay of 5 days or less
• overdrawn leave (vacation/sick) upon the termination of employment (for reasons other than incapacity/illness and layoff)
• cancellation of leave with income averaging agreement by the employee, where the leave has been taken
• amounts advanced on behalf of employees for union dues
• maternity/parental allowance, where the employee has not fulfilled their obligation as set out in their collective agreement or terms and conditions of employment
• amounts owed to public service health insurance plans, pension, supplementary death benefit or disability/long-term disability due to periods of leave without pay.

The recovery will also continue for overpayments associated with the termination of employment, end-of-term or casual contracts without further extension or renewal (from first available funds).

If your pay has been deducted for Phoenix overpayments, emergency salary advances or priority payments after March 23, 2020 – please contact our Phoenix Help Team for support.