Community Action articles from August 2006

Community Action archives from August 2006

Confronting HIV/AIDS.(COMMENTS)
August 21, 2006... Two years ago, Parliament passed the Pledge to Africa Act, one of Prime Minister Jean Chretien's more noble moves upon leaving office. The Act was expected to make anti-retroviral drugs (ARVs) available at a modest cost to African and other...

More Canadians live and survive with HIV.(HEALTH)
August 21, 2006... The number of people living with HIV in Canada continues to rise, the Public Health Agency of Canada reports. Based on 2005 estimates, the number of people living with HIV is approximately 58,000, up 8,000 from 2002. The growing numbers...

Targeted approach to child care called for in C.D. Howe report.(GENERAL)
August 21, 2006... The C.D. Howe Institute calls for a "cautionary" and targeted approach to publicly supported child care in Canada. It does not support a universal child scheme as set out by the Liberal government in 2005. It also does not support the current...

Child support payment can be changed retroactively--Supreme Court rules.(CHILDREN, YOUTH & FAMILIES)(Brief article)
August 21, 2006... Child support payments can be changed when the payer parent has a change in income and the award can be retroactive to the date that the change occurred, the Supreme Court of Canada ruled. The court made the decision of four Alberta cases...

Insite closing would be disaster--report.(GENERAL)(safe injection site)(Brief article)
August 21, 2006... "Closing Insite would be both a public health disaster and a huge economic waste," Dr. Ernest Drucker says after publishing his study of Insite, the Vancouver clinic that is North America's first supervised injection site. The program has saved...

Apologies for an omission.(Correction notice)
August 21, 2006... Our apologies to Sandra Tam and to our readers for an omission in the previous issue of Community Action. We failed to include Sandra's name as the author of a fine book review that appeared on page 8. We are not certain how Sandra's name...

Calendar Canada.(Calendar)
August 21, 2006... Aug. 28-31: Nonviolent Crisis Intervention; Winnipeg; Call 1-800-558-8976 or register online at www.crisisprevention.com Sept. 12-15: Nonviolent Crisis Intervention; Vancouver; Call 1-800-558-8976 or register online at...

Foreign calendar.(Calendar)
August 21, 2006... Aug. 28-Sept. 1: Congress: International Association of Schools of Social Work; Santiago de Chile; www.globalsocialwork2006.cl Sept. 3-6: International Congress on Child abuse and Neglect; York, UK; International Society for Prevention of...

Ontario minister and officials deny responsibility in child support case.(CHILDREN, YOUTH & FAMILIES)
August 21, 2006... "Administrators have taken a wooden view of their rules and obligations and forgotten that they are dealing with real people," Ontario's Ombudsman, Andre Matin charged. In very strong language, his report charges the Family Responsibility...

HRDC to fund 100 early years studies.(CHILDREN, YOUTH & FAMILIES)
August 21, 2006... Human Resources and Social Development Canada will fund up to 100 proposals for research pilot projects. This is the second call for proposals for the Understanding the Early Years initiative. An earlier phase financed 21 projects. The...

Best piece I have read in a very long time.(Letter to the editor)
August 21, 2006... I have just finished reading your article of April 24, 2006 called "Children's Stories" on the state of child welfare in this country. I think it is the best piece I have read in a very long time on Child Welfare and it has "nailed" all the...

No reasonable grounds for apprehension, Man. appeal court rules.(CHILDREN, YOUTH & FAMILIES)
August 21, 2006... The Manitoba Court of Appeal turned down a request by the Child and Family Services of Western Manitoba to overrule a provincial court decision. The lower court judge quashed an apprehension order. The judge had stated he did not find that...

El compassionate care pay expands.(CHILDREN, YOUTH & FAMILIES)(Employment Insurance)(Brief article)
August 21, 2006... The Compassionate Care Benefit of the Employment Insurance program has been expanded to enable eligible workers to take a temporary absence from work to provide care for a sibling, grandparent, grandchild, in-law, aunt, uncle, niece, nephew,...

Family court legal costs rising.(CHILDREN, YOUTH & FAMILIES)
August 21, 2006... While costs of legal actions are rising, Doug Welbanks, former Director of Debtor Assistance and Debt Collection in British Columbia points out that, "There's no place harder hit by excessive costs than the family courts." Welbanks is...

Funding.(List)
August 21, 2006... National Crime Prevention Strategy www.psepc-sppcc.gc.ca Sasgastew Regional Recreation Association, La Ronge: The Mobile "Play" Project. $13,825 306-425 4724 Okanese First Nation Returning the Spirit, Okanese First Nation. $60,000...

Nonprofits make play vital role in Ontario.(VOLUNTARY SECTOR)
August 21, 2006... "The nonprofit and voluntary sector is a vital contributor to our social and economic quality of life in Ontario," state the authors of the report, The Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector in Ontario: Regional Highlights from the National Survey of...

Crime rates down, homicides up in 2005.(VOLUNTARY SECTOR)(Brief article)(Statistical data)
August 21, 2006... Despite increases in serious crimes such as homicide, attempted murder, serious assaults and robbery, Canada's national crime rate in 2005 fell 5%, the Centre for Justice Statistics reports. Based on police reports, the Centre indicates...

Toews wants lower youth justice age gets negative response.(VOLUNTARY SECTOR)(Vic Toews)(Brief article)
August 21, 2006... Federal Justice Minister Vic Toews' proposal to lower the age of criminal responsibility from 12 to ten years of age by amending the Youth Justice Act, met with a negative response from many quarters. He later explained, "Young people who...

Toronto immigrant service sector needs healthy workplaces.(VOLUNTARY SECTOR)
August 21, 2006... "Enthusiasm and commitment will not be sufficient to ensure a strong immigrant- and refugee-serving sector." Despite the enthusiasm, close to half of Toronto's workers in this sector considered leaving the field last year. The report, On the...

Order of Canada awards.(VOLUNTARY SECTOR)(Brief article)
August 21, 2006... Health and social personnel were named to the Order of Canada by Governor General Michaelle Jean. These include: Companions: Frederick Andermann, Hampstead, Que, Health Care; C. David Naylor, Toronto, Health Care and Education; D. Gregory...

Consultants take much of foreign aid, UK group claims.(VOLUNTARY SECTOR)(ActionAid)(Brief article)
August 21, 2006... "Aid needs to help the poorest, not line the pockets of western consultants," a report by ActionAid, a British group, say. They claim that too much aid continues to be identified, designed and managed by donors tied to their countries' own...

IFSW award to Richard Ramsey.(VOLUNTARY SECTOR)(International Federation of Social Workers)(Brief article)
August 21, 2006... Professor Richard Ramsay is the winner of the Andrew Mouravieff-Apostol Award, of the International Federation of Social Workers. The award is given every two years to an individual or organization who made a significant contribution to...

CASW award for Daniel Andreae.(VOLUNTARY SECTOR)(Canadian Association of Social Workers)(Brief article)
August 21, 2006... The Canadian Association of Social Workers 2006 Award for Outstanding Service was given to Dr. Daniel Andreae. Dr. Andreae was the longest serving President in the Ontario Association of Social Workers (1993-2000), and during his presidency he...

UW Victoria and CUPE agree.(VOLUNTARY SECTOR)(United Way of Greater Victoria)(Canadian Union of Public Employees)(Brief article)
August 21, 2006... United Way of Greater Victoria and CUPE Local 50, representing the agency staff, have reached an agreement for the next three years. The new contract provides for: * wage rise 2.5, 2.5, 2.5 and 3 per cent from 2006 to 2009; * 11%...

ED to repay $100,000.(VOLUNTARY SECTOR)
August 21, 2006... New York State's Attorney General, Eliot Spitzer, in a hard driving campaign to uncover misdeeds among charities, forced the executive director of a not-for-profit corporation to return $100,000 to the Business Training Institute Inc. of Utica,...

Publications.(Bibliography)
August 21, 2006... The publications listed below are for information purposes only. To obtain copies contact the publisher. The entries in this section are listed free of charge and are limited to material published in Canada and by Canadian authors. Publishers...

Periodicals received.
August 21, 2006... at work, Spring 2006, Institute for Work and Health, Toronto. at work, Summer 2006, Institute for Work and Health, Toronto. Canadian Social Trends, Summer 2005, Statistics Canada, Ottawa. Communicate, Spring 2006, Children's Aid...

Wait times are a symptom of a larger problem, 'champions' recommended.(HEALTH)(Brief article)
August 21, 2006... The report proposes a national network of wait time champions (one per province) to lead the development of best practices throughout provincial health systems. It also proposes that the Canadian Health Services Research Foundation implement a...

Study says lower income Canadians in better health than Americans.(HEALTH)
August 21, 2006... Lowest income Americans are more likely than Canadians in the same earnings group to be in poor health, according to a report in the journal Health Affairs. However, the higher income groups in both countries are roughly equal in health status....

Adherence to anti-retroviral therapies not a problem in sub-Saharan lands.(HEALTH)
August 21, 2006... A review by a multi-national team of researchers (including Canadians) found that favourable levels of adherence to anti-retroviral therapy can be achieved in sub-Saharan African settings, but it also found that that adherence remains a concern...

"Hybrid files" not completely open to auditors--Alberta appeal court.(HEALTH)(Innovative Health Group Inc.)(Brief article)
August 21, 2006... When Innovative Health Group Inc. of Calgary was asked to open its "hybrid files" to auditors of the Calgary Health Region, it went to court. These files in question belong to those patients who received publicly funded services and also...

Medical marijuana shown at AIDS meet.(HEALTH)
August 21, 2006... An exhibit on the therapeutic use of marijuana (cannabis) appeared at the XVI International AIDS Conference in Toronto. This was the first time that a display on the medical uses of marijuana has been presented at an AIDS conference. The...

Robert Strang gets CMA award.(HEALTH)
August 21, 2006... Dr. Robert Strang of Halifax received the Canadian Medical Association's Sir Charles Tupper Award for Political Action. This award recognizes his work to advance CMA's anti-smoking policies and his efforts to educate the government, the public...

Less suicide detail in UK press.(HEALTH)
August 21, 2006... "When reporting suicide, care should be taken to avoid excessive detail about the method used," the Press Complaints Commission of the United Kingdom advises in its amended Editors' Code of Practice for reporters. The guideline was adopted...

Medical tyros challenge CMA.(HEALTH)(Canadian Medical Association)(medical students' petition)(Brief article)
August 21, 2006... Younger members of the medical community are challenging the leadership of the Canadian Medical Association. Medical students and residents have raised questions about the policies of the CMA. The Professional Association of Residents of BC...

Manitoba expands WBC coverage.(GENERAL)
August 21, 2006... Manitoba's Labour and Immigration Minister, Nancy Allan, announced that the province is extending the number of industries covered by the Workers Compensation Board effective Jan. 1, 2007. The changes bring Manitoba in line with other...

Test temp foreign workers units.(GENERAL)
August 21, 2006... Monte Solberg, Minister of Citizenship and Immigration, announced the creation of temporary foreign worker units in Calgary and Vancouver on a pilot basis, effective September 1st. The aim is to help facilitate the entry of temporary foreign...

Aboriginal employees noted diamond mining project report.(GENERAL)
August 21, 2006... "We've established Aboriginal employees as the highest hiring priority and we are seeing results," said a De Beers Canada official. The diamond-mining cartel released its Snap Lake Socio-Economic Report for 2005, as required by its agreement...

Mental health training positions in Alberta to increase.(GENERAL)
August 21, 2006... More positions for mental health research trainees are opening under a program backed by the Alberta Mental Health Board and the Alberta Heritage Foundation for Medical Research. The AMHB is contributing up to $450,000 over a five-year term to...

Birth rate down.(GENERAL)(Brief article)
August 21, 2006... Canada's crude birth rate (the number of live births for every 1,000 people in the population), edged downward to another record low in 2004--despite a second straight increase in the number of live births. The crude birth rate declined from...

CNIB promotes print clarity standards, announces new name.(GENERAL)(Clear Print)(Brief article)
August 21, 2006... CNIB announced Clear Print, international print clarity standards for printed materials and web sites, to make reading material more accessible to all Canadians from fully sighted individuals to aging and low-vision readers. The Clear Print...

Australian child care group purchases 74 more U.S. centres.(GENERAL)
August 21, 2006... Australian ABC Learning Centres purchased Texas-based provider Children's Courtyard, for $US 66 million. Children's Courtyard operates 74 centres in Texas with the capacity for 12,000 children. ABC operates in the United States as the...