Community Action articles from January 2008

Community Action archives from January 2008

Who needs charities?(COMMENTS)
January 23, 2008... After all the usual fund-raising rituals are done, we sometimes remind ourselves that a modest rise in taxes could easily and efficiently bring in the same amount that charities now collect. We open with this assertion because we are...

Outsourcing to India eggs and foetuses.(HEALTH)
January 23, 2008... Outsourcing of services for Canadians, Americans and Europeans took a new turn in 2002. That year the government of India permitted surrogate motherhood and a new industry was created. Though no central statistics, the industry appears to...

Metis population doubles in decade.(JUSTICE)
January 23, 2008... Canada's Aboriginal population passed the one million mark in the 2006 Census. However, the big growth story is with the Metis group whose number almost doubled since 1996. A total of 1,172,790 people identified themselves as American...

Supreme court upholds Jewish divorce agreement as valid in civil law.(CHARITIES)
January 23, 2008... The Supreme Court of Canada has upheld an agreement of a husband to grant a religious divorce according to Jewish law as a valid and binding contract under Quebec Civil Law. Seven of the justices agreed while two dissented. The case...

Doctor shortage and wait times growing, CMA calls for action, more privatization.(GENERAL)
January 23, 2008... The Canadian Medical Association has launched to put the growing physician shortage on the federal political agenda. "The shortage of health care professionals affects wait times and hurts patients," said President Brian Day. There are "not...

Calendar Canada.(Calendar)
January 23, 2008... Feb. 6-7: Victim Services Sarnia Lambton Traumatology Conference; Sarnia, ON; www.victimservices.on.ca Feb. 19-22: Nonviolent Crisis Intervention Workshop; Crisis Prevention Institute (CPI); Halifax, NS; 1-800-558-5976 or register at...

Foreign calendar.(Calendar)
January 23, 2008... Feb. 20-23: International Conference: Aging, Disability and Independence; St. Petersburg, Fl; www.icadi.phhp.ufl.edu Feb. 25-27: National Conference: Child Welfare League of America; Washington, DC; www.cwla.org Mar. 10-12: Dubai...

Targeted child program miss most vulnerable kids.(CHILDREN, YOUTH & FAMILIES)
January 23, 2008... Over 70% of vulnerable children are missed by "targeted" early childhood education care and care programs who need them, Gillian Doherty concludes in her review of ECEC programs in Canada, US, and other countries. In a paper, Ensuring the...

Nova Scotia unveils child, youth and family strategy.(CHILDREN, YOUTH & FAMILIES)
January 23, 2008... Nova Scotia Community Services Minister Judy Streatch released a new child and youth strategy in a new report, Our Kids Are Worth It. She promised that over the coming months, her department will be implementing the pilot programs and...

Expert aid in child abuse case did not work.(CHILDREN, YOUTH & FAMILIES)
January 23, 2008... Expert aid in child abuse case did not work: "The idea of using expert assistance in child welfare cases is intuitively attractive," writes Sydney Duder in a review of an expert-assisted case management system in Germany, Child Abuse & Neglect,...

Alberta child care standards may cost.(CHILDREN, YOUTH & FAMILIES)
January 23, 2008... Will Alberta's new child care standards cause the closing of day care spaces as operators are forced to higher more staff to meet the lower staff ratios? Weslyn Mather, Liberal critic for Children's Services, claims that the new...

Bullying bigger at home than school?(CHILDREN, YOUTH & FAMILIES)
January 23, 2008... Bullying at home is a bigger problem than it is at school, says psychologist and expert on bullying Izzy Kalman. At the same time, parents are demanding that the schools protect their children from bullies and have succeeded in enacting...

Citizenship and Immigration Canada.(FUNDING)
January 23, 2008... 613-954-1064 Catholic Social Services Red Deer, Alberta. $483,989 Catholic Social Services Red Deer, Alberta. $2,046,043 Centennial College, Toronto. $1,932,915 Central Alberta Refugee Effort (C.A.R.E.) Committee Red Deer,...

National Crime Prevention Centre, Ottawa.(FUNDING)
January 23, 2008... 613-991-3301 Family Services of Thunder Bay, Prevention of Child Abuse by creating "Caring Dads" the Development and Implementation of a Northern Model. To decrease incidents of child abuse by increasing the capacities of fathers at-risk....

Canadian International Development Agency.(FUNDING)(Brief article)(List)
January 23, 2008... 819-953-6534 Canadian Coalition for Global Health Research, Ottawa, ON. 4th Summer Institute for New Global Health Researchers. $50,000 Canadian Feed the Children Gonalves, Haiti, Better Living Conditions and Higher Incomes for...

Human Resources and Social Development.(FUNDING)(Brief article)(List)
January 23, 2008... Saskatchewan Community Resources and Employment, Regina, SK. $8,139,456 School District No. 36, Surrey, BC. $40,625 Seniors Resource Centre Association of NL Inc., St. John's, NL. $62,738 Snuneymuxw First Nation, Nanaimo, BC....

Trillium Foundation, Ontario.(FUNDING)(List)
January 23, 2008... 800-263-2887 Anishinabe Shooniyaawakamik c/o Wasaya Wee-Chee-Way-Win Inc. c/o Wasaya Group. To pilot a credit union in Bearskin Lake First Nation and provide financial education in Oji-Cree. Once evaluated, the model may be replicated in...

New members appointed to the Order of Canada.(CHARITIES)(List)
January 23, 2008... Among those named to the Order of Canada by the Governor General are: Joanne MacDonald, St. John's, NL, for her contributions as an elite wheelchair athlete, and for her efforts as a social activist committed to improving accessibility for...

CRA suspends charity, tax shelter audit planned.(CHARITIES)
January 23, 2008... The charitable status of the International Charity Association Network has been suspended by the Canada Revenue Agency. The CRA alleges that ICAN failed: * to maintain and/or provide access to books and records relating to receipts...

New sabbatical for non-profit CEOs.(CHARITIES)(chief executive officers, Carold Institute)(Brief article)
January 23, 2008... The Alan Thomas Fellowship will support a sabbatical for an executive in the non-profit sector. The fellowship has been established by the Carold Institute in Harrowsmith, ON, and is intended for a leader who would not normally have access...

UK private schools must prove "public interest" or lose charity status.(CHARITIES)
January 23, 2008... Britain's private schools must prove that children who cannot afford their services will also benefit, the English Charity Commission has instructed. Otherwise, they will loose their charitable status--along with 100m [pounds sterling] in tax...

Canada's core non-profit sector.(CHARITIES)
January 23, 2008... Canada's core non-profit sector accounted for an estimated 2.5% of the nation's economic activity in 2004; almost three times the contribution of the motor vehicle manufacturing industry. The core non-profit sector is made up of a range of...

224 immigrant camps in EU.(CHARITIES)
January 23, 2008... The European Union now has 224 detention camps that host migrants who have journeyed to the Continent in search of a better life. In most cases, the migrants face months or years of confinement and obscurity before even getting a chance at...

One in five in Canada are foreign-born, highest rate in 75 years.(CHARITIES)
January 23, 2008... The 2006 Census enumerated 6,186,950 foreign-born people in Canada. They accounted for virtually one in five (19.8%) of the total population, the highest proportion in 75 years. Between 2001 and 2006, Canada's foreign-born population...

ONESTEP.(APPOINTMENTS)
January 23, 2008... Lorraine Katanik, Interim Executive Director, ONESTEP, Toronto.

Ontario Long Term Care Association.(APPOINTMENTS)
January 23, 2008... Janet Lambert, Executive Director, Ontario Long Term Care Association, Toronto.

Social Services Network.(APPOINTMENTS)
January 23, 2008... Nilda Patey, Executive Director, Social Services Network, York Region.

Manitoba Youth Volunteer Opportunities Program.(APPOINTMENTS)
January 23, 2008... Anneli Rosteski, Coordinator of the Manitoba Youth Volunteer Opportunities Program, Winnipeg.

Canadian Mental Health Association.(APPOINTMENTS)
January 23, 2008... Carmen Tsin, Human Relations Manager, Canadian Mental Health Association, Toronto.

Letter.(Letter to the editor)
January 23, 2008... I just wanted to comment on your column in the Nov 19th issue--"In the Public Interest." The analysis of the Sub-Prime crisis from the Community Service point of view was right-on and interesting. The point that Community Service will not...

Publications.(List)
January 23, 2008... 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.
January 23, 2008... Canadian Social Trends, Winter 2007, Statistics Canada, Ottawa, ON. Community Report, Fall 2007, West Park Healthcare Centre, Toronto, ON. Deaf Manitoba News, December 2007, Deaf Resource Centre, Winnipeg. MB. making waves, Autumn...

Modernization and Inuit suicide tied, 3-country study shows, rate now falling.(SUICIDE ISSUES)
January 23, 2008... Modernization was accompanied by rising suicide rates among Inuit in Alaska, Greenland and Nunavut in Canada, sociologist Jack Hicks reports in Indigenous Affairs, Jan. 08. However, he also reports that suicide rates might be on the down slope....

Over 96% of Canadians have access to primary care--health council study.(HEALTH)(Canadian Survey of Experiences with Primary Health Care 2006-2007 )(Brief article)
January 23, 2008... Though Canadians complain about difficulty in gaining access to primary care when they need it, the Canadian Survey of Experiences with Primary Health Care 2006-2007 indicates that 96% of Canadians aged 18 and older had either a regular medical...

Disability rates highest in east.(DISABILITY)(Brief article)
January 23, 2008... Disability rates are up in Canada and are higher in the eastern parts of the country, according to the latest Participation Activity Limited study. Disabilities related to mobility were present in less than 2% of people between the ages of...

1st nations suicide prevention team set for northern BC.(SUICIDE ISSUES)
January 23, 2008... A new suicide awareness team, the First Nations Action and Support Team, has representatives from 15 aboriginal communities in northern British Columbia and has been created to address youth suicide in the region. FAST will move into...

EMBA health course set for UBC.(SUICIDE ISSUES)(executive master of business administration at the University of British Columbia)(Brief article)
January 23, 2008... Sauder School of Business at the University of British Columbia has opened an Executive MBA program in healthcare for senior managers from all sectors of the health delivery continuum with at least eight years of experience. These include...

Manitoba expands optometrists' scope.(SUICIDE ISSUES)
January 23, 2008... Health Minister Theresa Oswald today introduced new a legislation that would expand Manitoba optometrists' scope of practice and provide improved access to optometry services. The change will enable patients to obtain prescriptions for eye...

Airlines ordered to collect on one ticket only for disabled travelling with aides.(HEALTH)
January 23, 2008... The Canadian Transportation Agency has ordered Air Canada, Air Canada Jazz and West Jet to adopt a one-person-one-fare policy for persons with severe disabilities who travel within Canada by air. The airlines have one year to implement the...

One Roof opens in Midland, ON.(DISABILITY)(One Roof Midland Local Team Site, Ontario)(Brief article)
January 23, 2008... The One Roof Midland Local Team Site was opened by Ontario Lt. Governor David Olney. The facility will provide integrated services to people with disabilities in the area. One Roof is a meeting point for local therapists and professionals...

NS cuts youth court processing.(JUSTICE)(Nova Scotia)(Brief article)
January 23, 2008... Youth Court processing in Nova Scotia was reduced to 101 days in 2006-07, down from 108 days in 2005-06. The Department of Justice has a goal of 98 days. To achieve this target, the province provided almost $500,000 to enable the IWK...

Family meals cut eating ills for girls.(JUSTICE)(Brief article)
January 23, 2008... Regular family meals (at least five times a week) appear to lower the risk of disordered eating behaviours, but does not appear to have the same impact on teenage boys, a 5 year study at the University of Minnesota reports. The study,...

Manitoba plan rewards work.(JUSTICE)
January 23, 2008... Manitoba introduced its Rewarding Work program, a four-year action plan to move 4,200 Manitobans from welfare to work. Three new measures were initiated on Jan. 1. These include: * doubling the earning exemptions to $200 net month and 30%...

Number of adults behind bars grows longer, remands to blame.(JUSTICE)
January 23, 2008... The number of adults incarcerated rose for the first time in 10 years after a decade of steady decline. The growth was driven by the growth in the number of adults being held in custody while awaiting trial or sentencing as of 2005/2006, the...

Youth justice act has impact, reduces numbers in custody.(JUSTICE)
January 23, 2008... Fewer young offenders were in sentence custody in 2005/06 than the year before. It was an even steeper decline from 2002/2003 when the Youth Criminal Justice Act came into effect. These changes reflect the fact that the numbers of youth...

Canada young among developing nations.(JUSTICE)
January 23, 2008... Canada's population continues to age, but it is still one of the youngest of the world's developed nations, according to new preliminary estimates. As of July 1, 2007, the population's median age was estimated at 39.0 years. In 2002, it...

Capilano College offers ABA for autism treatment.(JUSTICE)
January 23, 2008... Capilano College will offer Canada's first applied behaviour analysis (ABA) bachelor's degree program in 2009. The course program has been put together by psychologists Ellen Domm and Cara Zaskow. Advocates of the ABA theory claim that the...