Community Action articles from August 2002

Community Action archives from August 2002

Starting our 18th year. (Comments).(Brief Article)(Editorial)
August 19, 2002... This issue starts our 18th year of publishing news and information about community services in Canada. Looking back, we recognize that Canadians have been involved in world-wide debate on the nature of state and society. The conflict is about...

Robotic characters tested for clinical work and training at Toronto CAS.(Children's Aid Society)(Brief Article)
August 19, 2002... TORONTO -- The use of child friendly robots in work with children appears promising and continues to be developed by the Children's Aid Society of Toronto. The four-foot tall robots come in four models: Motoring Mike (a white male), The...

Health and social jobs lead the way.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
August 19, 2002... OTTAWA -- While employment in Canada rose 23,000 in July, the health and social services sector is well ahead of the job race. Employment in this sector continued to build on gains in recent months, with an increase of 35,000. Since...

Systemic abuse found at former B.C. school for developmentally disabled.(Woodlands School, British Columbia)(Brief Article)
August 19, 2002... VICTORIA -- Systemic abuse of developmentally disabled residents of Woodlands School occurred between 1976 and 1986, an administrative review concluded. Conditions were ripe at the institution that opened in 1878, said report author Dulcie...

Premiers call for more funding for health care.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
August 19, 2002... HALIFAX -- Provincial premiers and territorial leaders called for a new funding partnership for health care at their August meeting. Provincial/territorial health care spending has grown by an average of $4.25 billion per year over the past...

Calendar Canada.
August 19, 2002... Aug. 26-29: Training program: Verbal intervention skills and crisis prevention; Crisis Prevention Institute Inc.; Calgary; Email: info@crisisprevention.com Sept. 12-13: Workshop: Health information management; Ontario Hospital...

Foreign calendar.(Brief Article)
August 19, 2002... Sept. 3-4: Conference: Researching the voluntary sector; Nottingham University, UK; jayne.blackborow@ncvo-vol.org.uk Sept. 3-6: Conference: International network on the prevention of accidents and trauma at work; ICOH Scientific...

Chronic poverty rate highest for pre-schoolers, says NWC. (Child & Family).(National Council of Welfare)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
August 19, 2002... OTTAWA -- Pre-school children showed the highest rate of chronic poverty over a six-year period covering 1993-98, according to the National Council of Welfare. Its Poverty Profile 1999 showed a one-year improvement of 0.7 per cent in the...

N.B. allocates $10 million for early childhood projects. (Child & Family).(New Brunswick)(Brief Article)
August 19, 2002... FREDERICTON -- The New Brunswick government has allocated $10 million for phase II of the province's Early Childhood initiatives. The allocations includes: * Almost $950,000 for Enhanced Child Day Care Services. Training and professional...

100 million AIDS orphans by 2010? (Child & Family).(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
August 19, 2002... SION, SWITZERLAND -- The number of children orphaned worldwide because of AIDS could reach 100 million by 2010, far greater than the official estimates of between 26.4 million and 44 million. That is the conclusion of a study published by...

Kenyan aid worker charged with sexual abuse of boys in refugee camp. (Child & Family).(Edward Lisamulu Milimu)(Brief Article)
August 19, 2002... NAIROBI -- A Kenyan aid worker employed by the Lutheran World Federation was charged in Nairobi with four counts of sodomizing boys in Kenya's Kakuma refugee camp. The charge came three months after U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees Ruud...

B.C. tax cuts shift costs to middle and low income families. (Child & Family).(study finds rising health care costs offsets benefits of tax cuts in British Columbia)(Brief Article)
August 19, 2002... VANCOUVER -- Provincial income tax cuts have been offset by increases in health premiums and other fees so that many middle-and low-income British Columbia families are actually worse off, according to a new study by the Canadian Centre for...

Child care licensee's survey. (Child & Family).(Brief Article)
August 19, 2002... HALIFAX -- Child Care Connection Nova Scotia, in partnership with the Provincial and Territorial Directors of Child Care/ Early Childhood Development and with funding Human Resources Development Canada is conducting a survey to look at the...

Child of alcoholic mother sues Manitoba. (Child & Family).(Brief Article)
August 19, 2002... WINNIPEG -- A woman has launched a suit against the Manitoba government, because child welfare authorities did not remove her permanently from the home of her alcoholic mother. The statement of claim filed in Court of Queen's Bench claims...

CBA forms coalition with social groups to advocate for legal aid. (General).(Canadian Bar Association)(Brief Article)
August 19, 2002... LONDON -- The Canadian Bar Association is forming a legal aid Coalition to select test cases to broaden the right to legal representation and to deal with the legal aid crisis in Canada. Daphne Dumont, Past President of the CBA announced a...

Children's Aid Foundation child abuse prevention grant program 416-923-0924. (Funding).(contributions to child welfare organizations, projects)(Brief Article)
August 19, 2002... Aisling Discoveries Child & Family Centre. To help with the packaging of a school readiness program `Ready, Set, Go' for duplication and delivery by other agencies, through the creation of a manual and training workshops. $5,000 Albion...

Human Resources Development Canada 819-994-5559. (Funding).(contributions to social development organizations, projects)(Brief Article)
August 19, 2002... Neil Squire Foundation, Vancouver. Social Development Partnerships Program funding for "Towards Financial Independence", to develop a five-year plan to diversify its revenue base and use their planning experience in the creation of a...

Union raises safety concerns at new Truro prison for women. (General).(Union of Canadian Correctional Officers)(Brief Article)
August 19, 2002... TRURO -- The decision to reduce the number of correctional officers on duty when the Nova Institution for Women opens a maximum-security unit in September raises a serious safety concern, according to the Union of Canadian Correctional...

Trillium Foundation 800-263-2887. (Funding).(contributions to social service organizations, projects)(Brief Article)
August 19, 2002... St. Vincent de Paul Society Particular Council Sarnia Deanery (Essex, Kent, Lambton). To purchase a van that will be used to pick up and deliver items used in area thrift shops which will help ensure that needy people in the community receive...

Voluntary sector networks form federation. (Voluntary Sector).(Brief Article)
August 19, 2002... OTTAWA -- Eleven voluntary sector networks have joined into the Federation Voluntary Sector Networks. The federation aims to: * Exchange information and resources within the voluntary sector; * Facilitate and promote collaboration; ...

Turkish group studies downtown Toronto agency as model centre. (Voluntary Sector).(519 Community Centre)(Brief Article)
August 19, 2002... TORONTO -- A group from Istanbul met with staff and board members of the 519 Community Centre to learn about the organization and running of a community centre that serves a diverse community of interests. Called LambdaIstanbul, the Turkish...

Adobe gives Software, support. (Voluntary Sector).(Adobe Systems Inc.'s offer of software donation, volunteer work for charities)(Brief Article)
August 19, 2002... OTTAWA -- Software maker Adobe Systems Incorporated, is offering to donate a piece of software and volunteer support to charities annually. The offer is open internationally but preferences for these donations is given to organizations in the...

Hospice for the homeless opens in Ottawa. (Shelter).(Hospice for the Homeless at The Mission)(Brief Article)
August 19, 2002... OTTAWA -- Hospice for the Homeless at The Mission, in Ottawa is the first palliative care home linked to a shelter for the homeless to open in Canada. The facility serves people facing a life-threatening illness who asked to be allowed to die...

Toronto adopts shelter standards, to open new hostels outside downtown. (Shelter).(homeless shelters)(Brief Article)
August 19, 2002... TORONTO -- Homeless people staying in Toronto shelters have new standards for space and ventilation, but what they really need is affordable housing, some city councillors say. The standards will apply to city-managed shelters, and to...

Canada wide shelter web opens. (Shelter).(Web site Shelternet.ca)(Brief Article)
August 19, 2002... TORONTO -- Shelternet.ca opened as a website that links shelters for abused women and children across Canada. The website was created by a group of anti-violence workers. The aim is to connect women to their local shelter and support...

CNIB seeks $33 million to develop world's first digital library. (Disability).(Canadian National Institute for the Blind)(Brief Article)
August 19, 2002... TORONTO -- The Canadian National Institute for the Blind launched its $33 million "That all may read..." nationwide campaign to digitize its library of alternate format materials. Currently, only three per cent of published materials are...

Recreation and art therapy axed in B.C., called a "disturbing trend". (Disability).(elimination of hospitals' recreational, art therapy programmes in British Columbia)(Brief Article)
August 19, 2002... VANCOUVER -- A decision by St. Paul's Hospital to end its Therapeutic Recreation and Expressive Arts Program is part of a disturbing trend toward eliminating programs that improve health outcomes and quality of life, therapists say. The...

U.K. wants fines to end bed blocking. (Disability).(prevention of unnecessary delay in discharge of aged patients from hospitals in United Kingdom)(Brief Article)
August 19, 2002... LONDON -- The government proposes to end bed blocking in England by making local social services departments pay a penalty of 100 [pounds sterling] to 120 [pounds sterling] a day if they delay an older person's discharge from hospital. In...

Ontario offers accessibility funds. (Disability).(governmental guidelines for Community Accessibility programme)(Brief Article)
August 19, 2002... TORONTO -- The Ontario government released guidelines and criteria for the 2002-2003 Community Accessibility program, which provides grants to incorporated, not-for-profit, nongovernment, community-based organizations in Ontario that enter into...

Publications.(Bibliography)
August 19, 2002... The publications listed below are for information purposes only. Community Action does not distribute these publications. To obtain copies contact the publisher. The entries in this section are listed free of charge and are limited to material...

Videos.(Brief Article)
August 19, 2002... Wings of the Heart (volunteers in the federal correctional system) Correctional Services Commission. Ottawa. murphyja@csc-scc.gc.ca A parent's guide to newborn hearing screening, Hearing Foundation of Canada, Toronto....

Periodicals received.
August 19, 2002... Bloodlines, Hemophilia Ontario, Toronto, Spring 2002 Communicate, The Children's Aid Society of Toronto, Summer 2002 Connections, Ontario Association of Credit Counselling Serices, Grimbsy ON, Summer 2002 Disability...

Rationing inevitable and more attention to priorities needed. (Reports For Romanow).(Brief Article)
August 19, 2002... Some form of health care rationing is inevitable in Canada and not enough attention is being paid to setting priorities, say the authors of A Framework for Determining the Extent of Public Financing of Programs and Services. The general...

Greater public participation needed in decision making. (Reports For Romanow).(Brief Article)
August 19, 2002... Governments at all levels should establish health system advocates as guardians of public health in order to improve public participation in decision-making. That is a key recommendation of the discussion paper, Public Participation and...

Complex or complicated? (Report For Romanow).('Complicated and Complex Systems: What Would Successful Reform of Medicare Look Like?' paper)(Brief Article)
August 19, 2002... Is fixing the health care system most like following a recipe, sending a rocket into space or raising a child? The first is a simple problem that produces a standardized result; the second a complicated problem that creates a high...

Sound management, too much fiscal discipline, can be counterproductive. (Reports For Romanow).(Brief Article)
August 19, 2002... Sound management of the health care system's finances is not enough to ensure its sustainability and, in fact, too much fiscal discipline can be counterproductive, say researchers--Louis M. Imbeau, Kina Chenard, and Adriana Dudas--from Laval...

Transfer GST to the province as revenue for health care system. (Reports For Romanow).(Brief Article)
August 19, 2002... The best way of ensuring additional future revenue for provincial health care systems would be to transfer federal GST revenue to the provinces, say two Saskatchewan researchers, Mellisa Rode and Michael Rushton. Their report, Options for...

Medicare stands firm on its foundations of shared Canadian national values. (Reports For Romanow).(Brief Article)
August 19, 2002... Proposals to reform medicare do not constitute an attack on Canadian values because those values are only loosely associated with the actual structure of health care programs, says a discussion paper prepared for the Romanow Commission. At...

Personal health care savings funds a promising avenue, says researcher. (Reports For Romanow).(Brief Article)
August 19, 2002... A promising avenue for medicare reform lies in the creation of individual personal health savings funds, says Jean-Luc Migue of the Fraser Institute. The beauty of the funds, which would build through personal tax credits, lies in the...

Nurse shortage cause of deaths. (Reports For Romanow).(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
August 19, 2002... OAKBROOK TERRACE, ILL.--Almost one-quarter of patient deaths and injuries in U.S. hospitals can be traced to the country's nursing shortage, says the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations. More than 126,000 nursing...

Canadian Council on Social Development. (Appointments).(Brief Article)
August 19, 2002... John Anderson, Vice President of Research, Canadian Council on Social Development, Ottawa.

William Osler Health Centre. (Appointments).(Brief Article)
August 19, 2002... Bob Bell, President & Chief Executive Officer, William Osler Health Centre, Brampton ON.

The Asthma Society of Canada. (Appointments).(Brief Article)
August 19, 2002... Melva Bellefountaine, Manager of Community and Professional Services, The Asthma Society of Canada, Toronto.

Ontario Association of Credit Counselling Services. (Appointments).(Brief Article)
August 19, 2002... Ruth Hall, Interim Executive Director, Ontario Association of Credit Counselling Services, Grimbsy ON.

United Way Canada-Centraide. (Appointments).(Brief Article)
August 19, 2002... Al Hatton, President, United Way Canada-Centraide Canada.

Alzheimer Society of Toronto. (Appointments).(Brief Article)
August 19, 2002... Francoise Hebert, Executive Director, Alzheimer Society of Toronto.

Shelternet. (Appointments).(Brief Article)
August 19, 2002... Jan Richardson, Managing Director: Shelternet, Toronto.

Ontario family physicians organizing for political action. (Reports For Romanow).(Brief Article)
August 19, 2002... TORONTO -- The Ontario Coalition of Family Physicians has launched a membership drive aimed at raising funds for a political action campaign. The group counts one-third of the province's family doctors among its members, according to...

Charges against London psychiatrist dismissed on technical grounds. (Reports For Romanow).(Brief Article)
August 19, 2002... LONDON -- A charge laid against a London psychiatrist was dismissed on technical grounds, due to a failure in the information laid. The charge alleged that the psychiatrist breached the legal requirements of the Ontario Mental Health Act...

Native healing in N. Ontario project. (Reports For Romanow).(Brief Article)
August 19, 2002... SAULT STE. MARIE -- Mamaweswen, the North Shore Tribal Council and the Sault Ste. Marie Friendship Centre received $601,600 over four years to develop a cultural health and mentorship program. Funding came from the Ontario Trillium Foundation....