Community Action articles from March 2003

Community Action archives from March 2003

Can money buy health? (Comments).(cost effective ways to spend healthcare dollars)
March 17, 2003... All of us welcome the increased spending on health care in the current federal and provincial budgets. Most professionals in the field see this flow of money as a beginning, and argue that much more is and will be needed because of the growing...

Waiting times for surgery not affected by socio-economic status.(discusses the study Equity in Canadian health care: does socio-economic status affect waiting times for elective surgery?)(Brief Article)
March 17, 2003... OTTAWA -- "In a universal health care system such as Canada's, it is important to determine if waiting times vary by socio-economic status", according to the authors of a study on waiting times. The system met the criteria of Canadians in the...

Kids not affected as U.S. "welfare to work" rules force mothers to take jobs.
March 17, 2003... BETHESDA, MD -- U.S. preschoolers experienced no negative effects when their mothers were required to leave welfare and enter the labour force, according to a joint study by researchers at Northwestern University, John Hopkins University and...

Voluntary sector's IT is "far behind", catch-up plan proposed.
March 17, 2003... OTTAWA -- The voluntary sector "is far behind the private and public sectors in making effective use of information management/ information technology", the Voluntary Sector Initiative's Information Management/ Information Technology Joint...

Social sector jobs rise.(Brief Article)
March 17, 2003... OTTAWA -- Nearly one of six new jobs in Canada in the past 12 months has been in the health and social assistance sector, according to Statistics Canada's Labour Force Survey, Feb. 2003. The industry added 108,000 jobs (+6.9%) in this period....

Our error.(Brief Article)
March 17, 2003... I just wanted to alert you to a mistake in the Feb 17 edition of Community Action. The article, "Ontario's disability support program castigated by disabled women", cites DAWN as the authors of the report Denial By Design. The report was...

Calendar Canada.(Calendar)
March 17, 2003... Mar. 21-24: Conference: Immigration and diversity; Prairie Centre of Excellence for Research on Immigration and Integration and Metropolis Centres; Edmonton; pcerri@ualberta.ca Mar. 21-30: Madness & arts world festival; Toronto;...

Foreign calendar.(Calendar)
March 17, 2003... Mar. 27-29: International Conference: Positive behavior support; Orlando, FL; chipple@fmhi.usf.edu Mar. 29-Apr. 1: Conference: Jewish Funders Network; San Jose, CA; www.pnnonline.org/article.php?sid= 4210 Mar. 31-Apr. 5:...

Supreme Court asked to rule EI violates rights of parents who work part time. (Children, Youth and Families).(employment insurance)(Brief Article)
March 17, 2003... EDMONTON -- Nurse Kelly Lesiuk asked the Supreme Court of Canada to rule that employment insurance rules are biased against women, because EI rules exclude thousands of mothers who work part-time to care for their children. The case has been in...

`The right decision' when CAS workers seized seven children, Judge says. (Children, Youth and Families).(children's aid society )
March 17, 2003... ST. THOMAS -- Parents' rights under the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms were not violated and the actions of child welfare workers were lawful says Ontario Superior Court Justice Eleanor Schnall in the highly publicized case between...

Ontario to open 61 more child centres. (Children, Youth and Families).(Brief Article)
March 17, 2003... TORONTO -- The Ontario government plans to open 61 new Ontario Early Years Centres, Brenda Elliott, Minister of Community, Family and Children's Services announced. The centres offer families with pre-school children the opportunity to explore...

Wage supplements for low pay jobs lead to search for better jobs. (Children, Youth and Families).(Brief Article)
March 17, 2003... OTTAWA -- People who receive wage supplements are initially more likely to accept a low wage job and then continue to search for a better paying job while working than those who do not, according to a Canadian study on self-sufficiency...

Gender gap in the quality of work. (Children, Youth and Families).
March 17, 2003... OTTAWA -- A gender gap exists between men and women with post secondary education in the new knowledge-based economy says a recently released report from the Canadian Policy Research Networks. Unlike workers who have a high school education...

Shelter allowance violates rights. (Children, Youth and Families).(Brief Article)
March 17, 2003... TORONTO -- Carrie Steenburgh and several other women are filing a claim at the Ontario Human Rights Commission that the current maximum shelter allowance discriminates against women and children. The legal challenge is an unprecedented move for...

Human Resources Development Canada. (Funding).(Brief Article)
March 17, 2003... 819-994-5559 John Howard Society of Kingston and District: for the employment resource centre and employment counselling services for former inmates, families and friends, to help unemployed individuals prepare for, obtain and maintain...

Ontario Problem Gambling Research Centre. (Funding).(Brief Article)
March 17, 2003... 905-271-4699 Dr. P. Ferentzy. "Exploring Mutual Aid Pathways to Recovery from Gambling Problems and Co-occurring Gambling and Substance Abuse Problems." $132,132 Dr. N. Turner. A Controlled Study to Evaluate the Effects of Acupuncture...

Trillium Foundation Ontario. (Funding).
March 17, 2003... 800-263-2887 Owen Sound & Area Community Foundation. To provide operating support to enable this community foundation to significantly expand its outreach and marketing activities in order to increase its endowment base and secure...

The National Crime Prevention Strategy, National Crime Prevention Centre. (Funding).
March 17, 2003... 613-954-1721 Big Sisters & Big Brothers (BSBB) of Edmonton & Area. For T.E.A.M., its Group Mentoring Program. Studies indicate that mentoring has a positive impact on youth. The BSBB has a waiting list for boys seeking a mentor and this...

National Homelessness Initiative. (Funding).(Brief Article)
March 17, 2003... 819-953-5646 Native Men's Residence of Toronto (Na-Me-Res): To purchase, renovate and operate Tumivut, a 52-bed Aboriginal youth shelter. $1.4 million. Native Friendship Centre of Montreal. This project will organize a homelessness...

Social Science and Humanities Research Council. (Funding).
March 17, 2003... Kirsten MadAen, Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto. Debra Pepler, York University. Susan Dion, York University in partnership with Dilico Ojibway Child and Family Services, Thunder Bay. Talking back: First Nations girls telling their stories....

Winnipeg Foundation. (Funding).(Brief Article)
March 17, 2003... 204-944-9474 Canadian Centre on Disability Studies. Bridge funding to be used by CCDS to support its efforts towards a smooth transition to new leadership after the founding Executive Director, Dr. Henry Enns died. 204-287-8411 $20,000 ...

Sports role in international development examined at meeting in Switzerland. (General).(Brief Article)
March 17, 2003... BERN -- U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan's efforts to bring sports institutions into development and aid work, received support from a UN meeting on sports and development in Switzerland. International sports and other agencies call on...

Second secure unit for women offenders opens in Edmonton. (General).(Edmonton Institution for Women)(Brief Article)
March 17, 2003... EDMONTON -- A new secure unit for women offenders opened at the Edmonton Institution for Women in Alberta. This is the second of four secure units that are being established in federal women's institutions across Canada. The first opened...

International team looks at costs of aging. (General).(Brief Article)
March 17, 2003... OTTAWA -- Getting at the real costs of aging and improving support services for seniors and their families is the aim of a project headed by Janet Fast of the University of Alberta. The project brings together sociologists, gerontologists,...

What is "reasonable"? (Letter).
March 17, 2003... We agreed with your column of Feb. 17.03 on Canada health care except for the last two lines which offered that privatization was acceptable when there were no reasonable alternatives. Our problem is with the word "reasonable" and who...

Shift some Aboriginal spending from reserves to cities, report urges. (General).(Brief Article)
March 17, 2003... CALGARY -- "Many Aboriginal issues are in reality urban issues," says a report, published by the Canada West Foundation. It calls for a redirection of some of the federal government's Aboriginal program spending from reserves to urban areas,...

BC unclaimed property to be managed by the Vancouver Foundation. (General).(Brief Article)
March 17, 2003... VICTORIA -- An agreement between the BC government and the Vancouver Foundation will see management of unclaimed property transferred out of government. The province's Unclaimed Property Act was amended to enable the transfer. The...

Non-profits do well on training. (General).(Brief Article)
March 17, 2003... OTTAWA -- The non-profit sector compares well with the for-profit sector where training is--concerned according to a report, Skills and Training in the Non-profit Sector, by researchers Kathryn McMullen and Grant Schellenberg, published by the...

Internet access centres set. (General).(Brief Article)
March 17, 2003... OTTAWA -- Industry Canada announced the launch of a network of six public Interact access centres in Toronto, hosted by Toronto Free-Net Development. Industry Canada's Community Access Program has contributed $102,000 toward these centres. ...

Tamil info & support set. (General).(Brief Article)
March 17, 2003... TORONTO -- The Tamil Eelam Society is developing an information and support group campaign for Tamil speaking women in Scarborough who had or have gestational diabetes. This initiative is being developed with the support of the Self Help...

Publications.
March 17, 2003... 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.
March 17, 2003... abilities, Canadian Abilities Foundation, Toronto, Spring 2003 dimeline, Ontario March of Dimes South Region, Thorold ON, Winter 2002-2003 Connections, Ontario Association of Credit Counselling Services, Fall/Winter 2003 CPC...

U.K. offers safe houses for women imported for sex trade. (General).(Brief Article)
March 17, 2003... LONDON -- As part of the government plan to combat international trafficking of women and girls in the sex trade, a small number of women will be accommodated in "safe houses" provided by the charity Eaves Housing for Women. The shelters...

Phone tax filing for seniors. (General).(Brief Article)
March 17, 2003... OTTAWA -- Elinor Caplan, Minister of Revenue, announced that the Canada Customs and Revenue Agency is piloting a new, simple electronic filing service to allow seniors to file their tax returns using a touch-tone telephone. The new service will...

Ontario quietly raises MD's earnings cap. (Health).(medical doctors)(Brief Article)
March 17, 2003... TORONTO -- Without any initial public announcement the Ontario government raised its limits on doctors' incomes, except in cases where a physician earns more than $455,000 a year. Health Minister Tony Clement was wary about making the...

Amounts spent show little difference in outcomes for U.S. medicare patients. (Health).(Brief Article)
March 17, 2003... For U.S. Medicare patients, living in a region with high Medicare spending is not necessarily associated with lower death rates, better functional status, or higher satisfaction with care, according to a study. "The Implications of Regional...

Senate committee begins review of mental health issues. (Health).(Brief Article)
March 17, 2003... OTTAWA -- Mental health and mental illness are the next targets of the Senate Committee on Social Affairs, Science and Technology. The Committee, chaired by Liberal Senator Michael Kirby has been reviewing major health care issues since...

Ontario okays private scan, critics claim they skim off easier cases. (Health).(approves Independent Health Facilities)
March 17, 2003... TORONTO -- "Queue jumping will not be tolerated", an Ontario government press release states, as Premier Ernie Eves announced contracts for private companies to provide five MRI and five new CT scan services throughout Ontario. The government...

Romanow gets Atkinson award. (Health).(Roy J. Romanow)(Brief Article)
March 17, 2003... TORONTO -- The Atkinson Charitable Foundation awarded Roy J. Romanow with the Atkinson Economic Justice Award to enable him to participate in strategic activity designed to foster a sustainable universal system of health care. Romanow was...

Ottawa layoffs cancelled. (Health).(Royal Ottawa Hospital)(Brief Article)
March 17, 2003... OTTAWA -- The Royal Ottawa Hospital's plan to lay-off full-time and three part-time staff at its psychiatric rehabilitation unit, have been cancelled. The 20-bed unit is the only rehabilitation service for people with serious mental...