Browsing by Author "Kneebone, Ron"
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Item Open Access The connection between professional sporting events, holidays and domestic violence in Calgary, Alberta(The School of Public Policy, University of Calgary, 2017-06) Boutilier, Sophia; Jadidzadeh, Ali; Esina, Elena; Wells, Lana; Kneebone, RonThere are some days in Calgary, Alberta when domestic violence is more likely to happen than other days. There is a statistically significant connection between higher rates of domestic violence and certain Calgary Stampeders’ football games as well as the arrival of the Calgary Stampede. During the 10-day-long Calgary Stampede, domestic violence calls on the seventh, ninth and tenth day of Stampede, were up 15 per cent compared to an average day. Weekends and summer months were also generally associated with the highest rates of domestic violence reports in Calgary. When it came to Calgary Stampeders’ football games, calls were higher only when the Stampeders faced off against the rival Edmonton Eskimos – with a 15 per cent increase in domestic violence reports. Grey Cup games in which Calgary played were associated with a 40 per cent increase in reports of domestic violence. However, games played by the Calgary Flames seemed to have no relationship to domestic violence calls, even those against the rival Edmonton team. Also, New Year’s Day appears to be associated with a significant spike in domestic violence, going by a four-year count of phone calls reporting domestic violence to both police and a local help line for those experiencing domestic and sexual abuse. There are also increases in calls associated with Good Friday, Easter, Canada Day, Labour Day, Valentine’s Day and Halloween. Meanwhile, the 2013 catastrophic floods in Calgary resulted in an increase in reports of domestic violence to police and the Connect help line, averaging an additional 6.6 reported incidents of domestic violence per day during the flood, 14 per cent higher than average.Item Open Access Financial Literacy within Payday Lending Legislation(2018-09-04) Kluska, William; Kneebone, RonPayday loans are becoming a larger part of the Canadian credit industry. The most recent report from the Canadian Consumer Finance Association (formally the Canadian Payday Loans Association) indicated that in 2014 there were 4.47 million loans made worth $2.19 billion dollars, which is almost double the number of loans and value from 2010. In the past 30 years, information gathering techniques about borrower credit history have improved in the credit industry. Some have suggested that this has caused many low income or high-risk borrowers to become displaced or pushed out of traditional credit markets. Payday loans have become one alternative credit product that many of these borrowers have substituted to fill their credit needs. A recent report from the Financial Consumer Agency of Canada, (FCAC), indicated that 45% of all respondents used a payday loan to pay for an unexpected expense such as a car repair, and 41% of respondents used a payday loan for an expected expense such as paying for an overdue utility bill. Additionally the FCAC report indicated that 43% of respondents did not understand that a payday loan is more expensive than alternative forms of credit. The net benefit of payday loans has mixed results in academic research, with many indicating that the current regulatory structure of payday loans has led to negative outcomes for many borrowers within the industry. Legislation in Canada has traditionally looked at lowering the price ceiling for payday loans or limiting the amount of a loan that a borrower can obtain, yet this has had little positive effect and has likely caused additional credit rationing behaviours by lenders. Recently, suggestions have been brought forth to focus on improving financial literacy among borrowers so they can make more well informed decisions. To counter some of the gaps in consumer financial literacy some provinces have implemented mandatory financial literacy material handouts to assist borrowers to gain a better understanding of budgeting, credit and overall financial health. Alberta and New Brunswick are the most advanced in their requirements, mandating financial literacy informational material be provided in addition to contact information for credit counselling services for all borrowers. Manitoba has mandated that contact information for credit counselling services be provided to all borrowers, but has not required any form of financial literacy information material be provided. Finally, Ontario has mandated that a portion of the licensing fees paid by payday lending institutions be used to fund the Ontario Payday Lending Education Fund, but do not have any provisions within the legislation as to what the fund is intended or required to provide. The academic literature has fundamentally suggested that financial literacy is most improved through customized, one-on-one training interactions. However, very little effort has been put forward to investigate the effectiveness of financial literacy handout information, and for good reason. It can be difficult to ascertain the retention abilities of the general public from complicated financial handouts. Most survey data analysis is unavailable to properly assess or address these concerns. Payday lending legislation is complicated and heavily influenced by political actors. It is unlikely that regulation focused solely on improving financial literacy outcomes through payday lending regulation will be successful given the research available, however, more data collection and analysis may provide some additional insight into the validity of such efforts.Item Open Access Leaving Homelands to finding Homes: Refugee Housing Affordability in Calgary(2018-09-07) Falconer, Robert; Kneebone, RonThe issue of refugee housing affordability in Calgary is one which needs attention. In the coming years, Canada is expected to increase its refugee resettlement targets to approximately 15% of its total immigration quota. This percentage is up from pre-2015 targets of approximately10%. As the total number of immigrants invited rises, this 15% will be reflected in an increased total of refugees arriving each year. Calgary Catholic Immigration Society (CCIS) is the primary agency responsible resettling, finding housing, and providing support for all government sponsored refugees, and 75% of all privately sponsored refugees arriving in Calgary. Though best practices dictate that CCIS’ Housing Liaison resettle refugees according to affordability and even distribution throughout the city, sudden influxes combined with affordability issues may constrain the agency to specific areas of the city. Data provided by CCIS shows a concentration of refugees living in the far north part of Calgary, some small portions in the Southwest, and a large concentration in the Forest Lawn/Northeast part of Calgary. This study assumes that the largest motivating factor for resettlement in these areas is housing affordability, constrained largely by refugee settlement funding. A survey of refugee budgets, when compared to available mean and lower quartile rental data, mostly corroborates this assumption. A map generated by GIS software shows how the rent-to-income ratios faced by refugees incentivizes settlement and concentration in these areas. Breaking down refugee funding also provides insight into how family structure and size impacts affordability. Single refugees are likely to face housing affordability issues far more than their counterparts with children, primarily due to the lack of child benefits. Current literature and findings in this paper indicate that rent supplements buffer single refugees against the lack of child benefits, and against housing affordability issues. Refugee claimants, those seeking asylum in Canada, were at the greatest risk for homelessness in Calgary. While their case is pending they are denied all financial benefits except for basic provincial income support. With rent-to-income ratios of 90% in Calgary, this work finds that they are at extreme risk for shelter use, relative homelessness, and absolute homelessness. It is recommended that the federal government consider granting refugee claimants benefits, and that the primary mechanism for increasing refugee housing affordability should be increasing cash transfers, including the possibility of a national housing benefit, to all Canadians.Item Open Access Policy Approaches to Internet Access in Northern and Rural Canada(2018-09-04) Jevne, Hanna; Kneebone, RonThis Capstone project explores the different programs administered by the Government of Canada to improve internet connectivity in rural, remote, northern, and Indigenous communities. The gap in internet access between rural and urban Canadians is an issue receiving federal funding in light of a new government objective to make high-speed internet access universal in Canada. A review of the literature describes the digital divide in Canada, the impacts of internet connectivity, and the regulatory environment. It is found that there is still a considerable gap between rural and urban internet access rates, which limits the options that rural residents have for economic opportunity and social participation. The policy objectives of the federal government also represent a conflict between ensuring all Canadians can access essential services while interfering as little as possible with market forces. Since the 1990s, the federal government has instituted six major national programs to subsidize broadband infrastructure and encourage communities to connect to the digital economy. These programs are described and compared to data on internet access rates over the past two decades in order to assess the impact that each program has made and recommend successful approaches to improve these programs in the future. vi | P a g e The major finding is that the data available on high-speed internet in Canada does not give policymakers sufficient evidence to make informed decisions. In fact, the level of scrutiny and performance measurement these programs are subject to has decreased over time, at the same time that the focus on market forces has increased. Given the social, democratic, and economic benefits of internet access, the federal government has made the extension of high-speed internet infrastructure a policy priority. To deliver on this priority and maximize the value of tax-payer dollars, this paper will argue that more attention to data collection in this area is necessary to produce evidence-based public policy. Combined with best practices from international leaders that employ supply- and demand-side interventions as well as balanced public interest and competition regulations, better data will play a large role in meeting the government’s ambitious targets to serve all Canadians with quality internet access.Item Open Access The Role of Private Foundations in International Development: a labour market analysis(2015-11) Devji-Esmail, Alisha; Kneebone, RonThe World Health Organization (WHO) defines health as “a state of complete physical, mental and social well-‐being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.” In developing countries, the WHO definition of health is far from being met. Because of globalization, the issues that are being faced in those countries are of great importance to developing countries. Social justice and a better understanding of global public goods have created a strong incentive for action. The forms of aid provided have evolved over time from military aid to modern day heath, education and social innovations. The many international aid organizations attempt to improve the lives of those who are less fortunate. These organizations include official development assistance, Non-‐Governmental Organizations and finally Private Foundations.