Community Action articles from November 2006

Community Action archives from November 2006

Give and take.(COMMENTS)(Stephen Harper)(Viewpoint essay)
November 20, 2006... Prime Minister Stephen Harper's government gives and takes. In May 2006, the government eliminated the capital gains tax on publicly-traded stocks and bonds donated to charity. The government was highly praised by many voluntary sector leaders...

Manitoba review calls for commitment to child welfare system.(FAMILY & CHILD)
November 20, 2006... A Manitoba Ministry of Family Services and Housing review team is calling upon the government to demonstrate its commitment to the child welfare system in the province by providing new resources. Minister Gord Mackintosh's first response is...

"Public interest" in new English charities law could be contentious.(VOLUNTARY SECTOR)
November 20, 2006... The Charities Bill, the most significant charities legislation since the reign of Elizabeth 1, has worked its way through the UK House of Commons and is now set for final debate and approval in the House of Lords. The new law requires...

Poverty at lowest levels in history, Fraser Institute says.
November 20, 2006... Poverty levels in Canada have fallen to the "the lowest level in history," says a report by the Fraser Institute of Vancouver. The report, Poverty in Canada." 2006 Update, was prepared by Chris Sarlos, a senior fellow with the Institute and...

Religion and charity go together.(VOLUNTARY SECTOR)
November 20, 2006... People who have strong religious beliefs tend to volunteer their time to organizations and donate more than those who aren't religious, says Ryerson University Professor, Ida Berger, who recently published a study on the influence of religion...

Calendar Canada.(Calendar)
November 20, 2006... Oct. 30-Nov. 1: Mental Health Research Showcase; Alberta Mental Health Board and BC Mental Health and Addictions; Banff, AB; www.amhb.ab.ca Nov. 2-3: Dimensions of Suicide; Waterloo Region Suicide Prevention Council;...

Foreign calendar.(Calendar)
November 20, 2006... Nov. 4-8: Annual Meeting and Exposition: Public Health and Human Rights; American Public Health Association; Boston; www.apha.org. Nov 9-12: Annual Training Conference and Exhibit: National Rehabilitation Association; Orlando, Florida;...

Ontario extends family medical leave to those "like a family member".(FAMILY & CHILD)(Brief article)
November 20, 2006... Ontario's Family Medical Leave has been expanded to cover a wider range of family caregivers, including "a person who considers the employee to be like a family member." An employee can take up to eight weeks of job-protected, unpaid leave...

Agency director charged with sex assault 30 years ago.(FAMILY & CHILD)
November 20, 2006... Bill Lee, Executive Director of Metis Family Services in Surrey, B.C., has been charged with sexual assault in alleged incidents involving two children in Toronto about 30 years ago. The two alleged victims were ages 6 and 11 at the time. ...

Ontario CASs testing new IT system.(FAMILY & CHILD)
November 20, 2006... Ontario's Children's Aid Societies will test a new integrated information technology system early in 2007. Working with the Ontario Association of Children's Aid, IBM and Curam Software are developing a Web-based system to improve...

Kid's fitness tax credit rules proposed.(FAMILY & CHILD)
November 20, 2006... The federal government's proposed Children's Fitness Tax Credit may get kids "hooked on being active." Headed by Dr. Kellie Leitch, the panel came up with a set of recommendations to enable parents to qualify for support of their children's...

UK court upholds SDS expert ban.(FAMILY & CHILD)(Sudden Infant Death Syndrome)(Roy Meadow)(Brief article)
November 20, 2006... U.K. physicians as expert witnesses are not immune from disciplinary action by the General Medical Council. Sir Roy Meadow, a distinguished pediatrician and expert in Sudden Infant Death Syndrome evidence, was struck off by the doctors'...

BC hires 100 protection staff.(FAMILY & CHILD)(Brief article)
November 20, 2006... More than 100 social workers have been hired by British Columbia's Ministry of Children and Family Development, completing the first phase of its social worker recruitment campaign with additional front-line child protection workers. ...

Funding.
November 20, 2006... Ontario Health and Long-Term Care 416-327-4327 Sherbourne Health Centre, Toronto: For the new facility nearing completion: To provide both primary health care and community mental health services to populations with complex needs...

CRA offers funding to educate charitable organizations.(VOLUNTARY SECTOR)
November 20, 2006... The Canada Revenue Agency is looking for project proposals to deliver education and training on Canada's Income Tax Act to registered charities. The aim is to ensure that charities are thoroughly educated on their legislative and regulatory...

International Cooperation awards presented.(VOLUNTARY SECTOR)(Annual Canadian Awards for International Cooperation)(Brief article)
November 20, 2006... Canadian Manufacturers & Exporters and CIDA presented the Annual Canadian Awards for International Cooperation, recognizing the work of Canadian businesses and organizations in developing countries and countries in transition. The awards given...

Aga Khan sets up pluralism centre in Ottawa.(VOLUNTARY SECTOR)(Global Centre for Pluralism)(Brief article)
November 20, 2006... The Aga Khan Foundation, backed by the government of Canada, will establish the Global Centre for Pluralism in Ottawa. It will be an international centre for research, education and exchange about the values, practices and policies that...

Lung Association of Nova Scotia.(APPOINTMENTS)
November 20, 2006... Louis Brill, President and CEO, Lung Association of Nova Scotia. Halifax.

Canadian Centre on Substance Abuse.(APPOINTMENTS)
November 20, 2006... Rita Notarandrea, Deputy Chief Executive Officer and Director of Research and Policy, Canadian Centre on Substance Abuse. Ottawa.

Lee Rose, Communications Manager, HR Council for Nonprofit/Voluntary Sector.(APPOINTMENTS)
November 20, 2006... Lee Rose, Communications Manager, HR Council for Nonprofit/Voluntary Sector.

Microsoft donates software to NPs.(VOLUNTARY SECTOR)
November 20, 2006... Microsoft Canada's I CAN Software Donation Program will provide an expanded software donation program to all eligible Canadian charities and non-profit agencies. It will enable them to have access to management programs. Microsoft is working in...

VSF seeks info on government cuts.(VOLUNTARY SECTOR)(Voluntary Sector Forum)(Brief article)
November 20, 2006... The Voluntary Sector Forum is attempting to assess the impact of the recent government announcement to cut back $1 billion. The cutbacks have affected programs such as the Court Challenges Program, the Law Commission of Canada, Status of Women...

Mel Lloyd Centre opens in Shelburne.(VOLUNTARY SECTOR)(Ontario)(Brief article)
November 20, 2006... The Mel Lloyd Centre opened in Shelburne, ON. The $4.2 million Centre, sponsored by the County of Dufferin, provides housing, health and outreach services to the town. The project includes: * McKelvie Village, a housing facility that...

Publications.
November 20, 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.
November 20, 2006... at work, Fall 2006, Institute for Work & Health, Toronto. Justice Report, Fall 2006, Canadian Criminal Justice Association, Ottawa. making waves, Summer 2006, The Canadian CED Network, Port Alberni, BC. network, Fall 2006,...

Obesity the cost of prosperity, multi-level action required.(OBESITY)
November 20, 2006... Obesity is the cost of economic prosperity, McMaster University Professor Sonia Anand offers in a comment article, Canadian Medical Association Journal, Oct. 24, 2006 issue. She says action at all levels of government is required to deal with...

Urban redesign won't make people thin.(OBESITY)(Brief article)
November 20, 2006... Does urban sprawl cause weight-gain and are residents of suburban neighbourhoods more likely to experience weight related illness? Can compact land use planning make a difference? This widely held belief has been challenged by a 3-nation study,...

Prosperity blamed for 60 million obese in China.(OBESITY)
November 20, 2006... Approximately 60 million Chinese, equal to the population of France, are obese. Xinhua News Agency claims that obese and prosperity is to blame. An official with the State Food and Nutrition Consultant Committee, points to worsening diets...

EU worries about overweight children.(OBESITY)
November 20, 2006... The European Union is seeking to reverse Europe's widening girth and promote physical fitness at a time when the number of overweight children in the EU is rising by 400,000 a year. European Union Public Health Commissioner Markos Kyprianou...

Health giving up in U.S. and Canada.(OBESITY)(Brief article)(Statistical data)
November 20, 2006... Charitable contributions to health care facilities and organizations rose by a record 16 percent in the U.S. to $7.01 billion, and by 11 percent in Canada to $1.2 billion, according to a report on giving issued by the Association for Healthcare...

Canada's prescription drugs an issue in U.S. elections.(HEALTH)
November 20, 2006... While Iraq dominated the debate, Canada's prescription drugs were a secondary issue in the recent congressional election in the United States. The victory of the Democrats in the House of Representatives is causing some concern about the...

Unions want safety needles in Ontario health facilities.(HEALTH)
November 20, 2006... Three unions representing about 130,000 Ontario health care workers have given their support to a bill in the Ontario legislature to make the use of safety-engineered "sharps" mandatory in the province's health-care facilities where workers are...

Secondary SARS 20% of cases.(HEALTH)
November 20, 2006... A study of the severe acute respiratory syndrome, which attacked residents of Toronto in 2003, indicates that household transmission occurred in about 20% of the cases. A study published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal, Nov. 7,...

OPSEU health units form council.(LABOUR)(Ontario Public Service Employees Union)(Health Care Divisional Council)(Brief article)
November 20, 2006... Ontario Public Service Employees Union has created a Health Care Divisional Council to provide a forum for sharing information on issues that affect more than one Division. The Divisional Council will serve as an umbrella for OPSEU's six...

First contract for Toronto Housing.(LABOUR)
November 20, 2006... Toronto Community Housing and the Canadian Union of Public Employees Local 79 concluded a Collective Agreement. This is the first two-party agreement reached by the local and Toronto Community Housing since the organization was created in 2002....

Ont. home nurses get 10.75 raise.(LABOUR)
November 20, 2006... The new three-year for Ontario Nurses' Association members employed in nursing homes includes a wage increase of 10.75 per cent and some health and welfare benefits, premium and vacation improvements. The contract covers approximately 1,200...

90 home care workers in CUPE.(LABOUR)
November 20, 2006... Ninety home care workers from Links2Care, a non-profit home support agency, voted to become members of the Canadian Union of Public Employees. The agency provides support and care to seniors and disabled people in their homes. It also...

Ontario tries to fix ER problems.(LABOUR)(emergency room)(Brief article)
November 20, 2006... The Ontario government is committing over $142 million in new resources through a three-point Emergency Department Action Plan, Health and Long-Term Care Minister, George Smitherman, announced. Smitherman said the government recognizes that...

Review of the Immigration and Refugee Board coming.(GENERAL)
November 20, 2006... Monte Solberg, Minister of Citizenship and Immigration, has asked the Public Appointments Commission Secretariat for an independent review of the selection process for making appointments to the Immigration and Refugee Board. The request comes...

Edmonton SPC outlines social health indicators.(GENERAL)(Social Planning Council)(Brief article)
November 20, 2006... An Edmonton Social Planning Council report, Focus on social health key to a more inclusive city, outlines social health indicators that measure whether Edmonton is becoming a more inclusive city. The report is part of Edmonton's contribution to...