Community Action articles from March 2002

Community Action archives from March 2002

A beautiful mind. (Comments).(John F. Nash)(Brief Article)
March 18, 2002... The film, A Beautiful Mind, tells the story of John F. Nash, a man who baffled schizophrenia for many years, managed to continue with scholarly work in mathematical theory, and went on to win a Nobel prize in economics. The film told us...

Cost of dying is biggest item in health care costs, actuaries tell Romanow.(Brief Article)
March 18, 2002... OTTAWA -- The high cost of dying has more to do with soaring health care costs than the aging population does, according to the Canadian Institute of Actuaries. In its submission to the Romanow commission on the future of health care, the...

40 unnamed agencies cited in report on sexual abuse of refugee children.(in West Africa)(Brief Article)
March 18, 2002... GENEVA -- An independent team is investigating allegations of widespread sexual abuse of children by aid workers in West African refugee camps. Non-governmental international aid agencies and African diplomats were highly critical of the...

Bush wants tough new work-welfare rules, spend $300 million to promote marriage.(Brief Article)
March 18, 2002... WASHINGTON -- U.S. President George W. Bush is proposing a tough new set of work requirements for welfare recipients and $300 million to promote marriage, including $135 million for abstinence education. The plan will require that 70 per...

Social worker fired in two deaths.(recommendations of review committee to prevent reoccurrence)(Brief Article)
March 18, 2002... EDMONTON -- A senior social worker was fired after an investigation into the January death of infant twin girls. The girls died while being transported by their grandfather to his home in Ontario. As a result new Alberta standards directing...

Calendar Canada.
March 18, 2002... Mar. 25-26: Workshop: Relapse prevention and community corrections; Canadian Training Institute; Toronto; 416.778.7056 Mar. 25-26: Workshop: Image change; ICA Associates Inc.; Toronto; email ica@icacan.ca Mar. 25-26: Conference: Emotions...

Foreign calendar.
March 18, 2002... Apr. 3-6: International Conference; California Association for Childhood Education; San Diego; 800-423-3563 Apr. 4-13: Organising International Youth Activities; European Youth Centre, Strasbourg; European Youth Centrenina.kapoor@coe.int...

Couples with children less able to absorb economic stresses. (Child & Family).(says Statistics Canada)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
March 18, 2002... OTTAWA -- The net worth of young couples with children has decreased in the last 15 years to the degree that they may have difficulty absorbing economic stresses such as job loss, according to Statistics Canada. Median net worth for all...

New Brunswick ACL concludes inclusion project. (Child & Family).(Brief Article)
March 18, 2002... FREDERICTON NB -- The New Brunswick Association for Community Living announced completion of a project, Keeping the Door Open: Improving and Maintaining the Capacity of Centres to Include Children with Special Needs. The 27 month project...

Schools as hubs for education and community supports -- Saskatchewan plan. (Child & Family).(Brief Article)
March 18, 2002... REGINA -- Saskatchewan public schools will become the delivery hub for child and youth programs under a new model called School Plus. The provincial government has said it will adopt and implement the recommendations for School Plus...

Decline in spousal homicide continues. (Child & Family).(Canadian statistics)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
March 18, 2002... OTTAWA -- The decline seen over the last five years in spousal and other family-related homicides continued in 2000; at the same time, gang-related murders increased. A total of 542 people were victims of homicide, 4 more than in 1999. A...

B.C. grandmother wins new hearing for custody because of poor counsel. (Child & Family).(British Columbia)(grandchildren's care)(Brief Article)
March 18, 2002... VANCOUVER -- A British Columbia grandmother has won the right to a new hearing for custody of her grandchildren because, the B.C. Court of Appeal ruled, she was not effectively represented by her lawyer in the original hearing. The family...

Child-friendly areas for refugee camps. (Child & Family).(UNICEF decision)(Brief Article)
March 18, 2002... NEW YORK -- UNICEF announced it will establish "child-friendly spaces" in newly established camps for internally displaced persons in Liberia, in order to help restore a degree of normalcy for children in the camps and protect them against...

UNICEF sets child soldier project. (Child & Family).(Burundi)(Brief Article)
March 18, 2002... GENEVA -- A regional grant from the Belgian government enabled UNICEF to launch a child-soldier demobilization and reintegration project in Burundi early this year. The grant also enabled the agency to hire a consultant to assess the...

National strategy on community safety and crime prevention: 613-954-1721. (Funding).(Brief Article)
March 18, 2002... Alerte Centre-Sud, Montreal. For its Projet d'intervention de milieu, which involves co-ordinating the efforts of four organizations in downtown Montreal that work directly with sex trade workers, youth in difficult situations, substance...

Office for disability issues: 819-994-5559. (Funding).(Brief Article)
March 18, 2002... A Community Investment Fund for Entrepreneurs with Disabilities, the Affirmative Industry Association of Nova Scotia will develop the infrastructure for a fund and a best practice "mentored ownership" model to overcome business financing...

Ontario children's secretariat early years challenge fund: 416-326-2800. (Funding).(Brief Article)
March 18, 2002... Dairy Farmers of Ontario. To ensure students 6 and under have access to nutritious foods during their school day. To provide nutrition education to parents and their children. To provide resources to assist schools in participating in the...

Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation external research program ($20,000 each): 613-748-2249. (Funding).
March 18, 2002... Manon Boulianne, Universite Laval. Sainte-Foy QC. La cohabitation intergenerationnelle dans les banlieues de Quebec. R.L. Cane, Douglas Electric. Baseboard retrofit in Multi-Caneta Research Inc. family buildings. Mississauga ON. ...

Canada International Development Agency: 819-994-4267. (Funding).(Brief Article)
March 18, 2002... Victoria University, Victoria: for Early Childhood Development Virtual University, for increased effectiveness and competency in planning and implementing early childhood development programming in selected countries and regions in Anglophone...

Office of Learning Technologies, HRDC. (Funding).(Brief Article)
March 18, 2002... Federation de la jeunesse canadienne-francaise, Moncton: for zerolimite.ca - Le reseau des habiletes de vie. $300,000 St. Christopher House, Toronto. For the Bang the Drum project to create an interactive community learning network that...

CIBC donations programs: 416-861-7655. (Funding).
March 18, 2002... Phoenix Youth Programs. To be able to reach out to more young people who need emergency shelter or who have fallen victim to crime, prostitution, drugs, alcohol or violence. $50,000

Sears Canada Inc.: 416-941-4426. (Funding).(Brief Article)
March 18, 2002... Boys and Girls Clubs of Canada, Toronto. For distribution to local Boys and Girls Clubs in 2002 as After School Program Enhancement Grants to support children aged 6-14 for their physical and emotional safety during after school hours....

Quebec and federal government set target for 6500 affordable units. (Shelter).(Brief Article)
March 18, 2002... QUEBEC -- An agreement between the federal government and Quebec is expected to produce 6,500 affordable rental housing units in Quebec in 2002 and 2003. The agreement foresees a total contribution of $323.3M which includes $161.65M from...

ON cities can protect rental units. (Shelter).(Brief Article)
March 18, 2002... TORONTO -- The Ontario Divisional Court has upheld the authority of municipalities to pass bylaws aimed at protecting and encouraging rental housing. The cities of Toronto, Hamilton and Ottawa, with support from the Association of...

Housing agreement for Yukon signed. (Shelter).(Brief Article)
March 18, 2002... YELLOWKNIFE -- The governments of Canada and Northwest Territories have signed an Affordable Housing Agreement with $45 million in new funding from the two levels of government. The funding -- a maximum $7.5 million from Canada Mortgage and...

Kelowna shelter funded. (Shelter).(Brief Article)
March 18, 2002... KELOWNA -- The Kelowna Servants Anonymous Society will purchase and renovate a nine-bedroom home to provide shelter for women and children who are homeless. Operating as the The Alexandra Gardner Women and Children Safe Center, and supported by...

NPB looks at victim statements. (Shelter).(Brief Article)
March 18, 2002... OTTAWA -- The National Parole Board issued a statement in March assuring victims that their impact statements are considered by Board members in their decision-making. The board is required by law to take into account all available, relevant...

Small groups do not get their share of voluntary sector funding, VSI report. (Voluntary Sector).(Brief Article)
March 18, 2002... OTTAWA -- Small organizations make up the largest part of the voluntary sector but do not receive a proportional share of the resources available, says a report from the Voluntary Sector Initiative. VSI, a five-year project of the federal...

B.C. appoints trustee to replace rebellious legal aid board. (General).(Brief Article)
March 18, 2002... VANCOUVER -- The provincial government was penny wise and pound foolish when it imposed more than a 38% cut over three years on the legal aid budget, said the Law Society of British Columbia. It condemned the government's decision to sack...

McGill aging info suspends service. (General).(Brief Article)
March 18, 2002... MONTREAL -- The McGill Info-Service for Seniors has suspended operations because of lack of funding. The service was part of the McGill Centre for Studies in Aging. 514-766-1009

Mon Sheong opens. (General).(Brief Article)
March 18, 2002... RICHMOND HILL -- Mon Sheong, a new 192-bed non-profit long-term care facility, opened. These planned beds are part of the Ontario government's commitment to build 20,000 by 2004.

Agency benefited from Enron role. (Voluntary Sector).(director of a cancer institute also on Enron's board; legal sanctions possible)(Brief Article)
March 18, 2002... NEW YORK -- A unique way to raise money: have an agency's chief executive join a corporate board. But f it is the Enron corporation, it could lead to problems. One Enron director headed a cancer institute which received more than $1...

MBA students as summer interns. (Voluntary Sector).(University of Alberta School of Business)(Brief Article)
March 18, 2002... EDMONTON -- The University of Alberta's School of Business' MBA Summer Internship Program provides over a sixteen-week period (May to August) practical work internships for MBA students with local nonprofit, private or public organizations....

Youth justice law in place. (General).(Youth Criminal Justice Act)(Brief Article)
March 18, 2002... OTTAWA -- Youth Criminal Justice Act has received Royal Assent and replaces the Young Offenders Act. The federal government has committed $1 billion over five years for cost-sharing agreements that will help provinces and territories...

Publications.
March 18, 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...

Periodicals received.
March 18, 2002... CPCViewpoint, Canadian Pensioners Concerned Inc., Ontario Division, Toronto, February 2002 Community Report, West Park Healthcare Centre Foundation, Toronto, February 2002 Connections, Ontario Association of Credit Counselling...

Canada's workaholics happy with jobs but less happy with rest of life.(says Statistics Canada report)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
March 18, 2002... OTTAWA -- Workaholics are as less likely to feel happy or satisfied with their lives -- even though they are just as likely to enjoy their jobs, as compared with other Canadians, according to a Statistics Canada report. The reports...

Navigators tested for N.S. health authorities. (Health).(Nova Scotia cancer treatment)(Brief Article)
March 18, 2002... HALIFAX -- Three Nova Scotia health authorities have hired navigators to steer patients and their families through the maze of cancer treatment, follow-up and support services. Cancer Care Nova Scotia introduced the one-year pilot Patient...

Telephone health used by half a million. (Health).(Telehealth Ontario)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
March 18, 2002... TORONTO -- More than half a million calls have been made to Telehealth Ontario since the 24-hour, seven-days-a-week service was launched in February 2001. About 14 per cent of callers were referred to a hospital emergency department as...

Nurse practitioners should be first point of contact, British medical association says. (Health).(Brief Article)
March 18, 2002... LONDON -- Nurse practitioners, not family doctors, would be the first point of contact for patients under a new proposal from the British Medical Association. The plan is intended to free up doctors to deal with serious ailments. A BMA...

Last six months of life biggest cost factor in health care. (Health).(Brief Article)
March 18, 2002... OTTAWA -- The high cost of dying has more to do with soaring health care costs than the aging population does, according to the Canadian Institute of Actuaries. In its submission to the Romanow commission on the future of health care, the...

Ontario tests detailed cost statements for patients. (Health).(Brief Article)
March 18, 2002... TORONTO -- Ontario will spend $3.7 million on a six-month pilot project in which 50 family physicians will provide patients with detailed statements of the cost of services they have received. The project addresses both patients' right to...

Staff stress putting pressure on home care staffing. (Health).(Brief Article)
March 18, 2002... OTTAWA -- Massive changes in Canadian health care are putting increasing pressure on home care services, including staff shortages and high turnover rates, according to the Canadian Home Care Human Resources Study. The two-year study is...

Auditor general reports shortcomings in Health Canada grants. (Health).(Canadian Institutes of Health Research)(Brief Article)
March 18, 2002... OTTAWA -- The Canadian Institutes of Health Research has a rigorous peer review system for selecting projects to fund but does not systematically track the results of the research, according to the federal auditor general. The organization...

Poor lands can manage AIDS drugs. (Health).(Brief Article)
March 18, 2002... SEATTLE -- The argument that multiple HIV/AIDS therapies could do more harm than good in the developing world because they are too difficult for poor countries to implement was contradicted by research papers delivered at a conference in this...

BC may permit privatization. (Health).(health services in British Columbia)(Brief Article)
March 18, 2002... VANCOUVER -- New regulations will permit the privatization of health services such as respiratory therapy, speech pathology, CT scans and MRI, says the Health Services Association of BC. The union met with the health services minister...

27% of teens in peril from dieting. (Health).(National Eating Disorder Information Centre report says)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
March 18, 2002... TORONTO -- Over 27% of Ontario adolescents are engaged in dangerous weight-loss practices, according to Merryl Bear, Director of the National Eating Disorder Information Centre. The organization reports that: * 80% of teen girls are...

No choice but to strengthen and support medicare, Saskatchewan premier says. (Commission On The Future Of Health Care).(Brief Article)
March 18, 2002... REGINA -- There is no choice but to strengthen and sustain medicare, Saskatchewan Premier Lorne Calvert told the Romanow Commission at its first public hearing in March. Saskatchewan is the birthplace of Canada's medicare system. The only...

Values are not changing, underfunding makes many want "money back". (Commission On The Future Of Health Care).(medicare)(Brief Article)
March 18, 2002... When Commissioner Roy Romanow raised the issue of changing values underlying medicare, Council of Canadians spokesperson Maude Barlow said people are not changing when underfunding leads them to say, "Give me my money back and I'll take care of...

Existing public and private care a partnership and model for health care. (Commission On The Future Of Health Care).(health care)(Brief Article)
March 18, 2002... MARKHAM, ON -- Some of the best solutions for health care may come from a better understanding and recognition of what already exists, says the Ontario Long Term Care Association. Long term care is an example of how public, private and...

Sask. physicians have diverse views. (Commission On The Future Of Health Care).(medicare)(Brief Article)
March 18, 2002... REGINA -- Within the Saskatchewan Medical Association, there is a diversity of opinion about medicare's future but agreement that a crisis exists, said Executive Director Dr. Brian Sharfstein. The SMA greeted medicare with a province wide...

Appointments.(briefs)(Brief Article)
March 18, 2002... Derek J. Jones, JD, Executive Director of the Secretariat on Research Ethics by the federal granting agencies (CIHR, NSERC and SSHRC), Ottawa. David Kelly, Executive Director, Ontario Federation of Community Mental Health and Addiction...

Turn globalization into a tool to reduce poverty, ILO planning group. (Commission On The Future Of Health Care).(International Labour Organization)(Brief Article)
March 18, 2002... GENEVA -- An International Labour Organization commission will look at ways to turn globalization into a tool for reducing poverty and unemployment, while fostering growth and sustainable development. Canada is not represented on the...

10 young people go to Bulgaria. (Commission On The Future Of Health Care).(work experience training)(Brief Article)
March 18, 2002... OTTAWA -- Ten young Canadians, aged 18 to 30, complete a nine-month work term with companies in Canada and Bulgaria through a project sponsored by the Conseil d'affaires Canada-Bulgarie. Human Resources Development Canada is providing...

CIDA fund Russian women's project. (Commission On The Future Of Health Care).(Canadian International Development Agency)(Brief Article)
March 18, 2002... Moscow -- The Canadian International Development Agency has increased its support for a project to help improve gender equality in the Russian labour market by $600,000 for a total of $2.6 million. The Canadian and Russian partners are working...