Community Action articles from October 2007

Community Action archives from October 2007

Harper's drug problem.(COMMENTS)(Stephen Harper's National Drug Strategy )
October 15, 2007... Prime Minister Harper has a drug problem of his own and seems ready to make it worse. The government's National Drug Strategy announcement tells us that they are going to "help the victims and punish the sellers." He promises more treatment...

Budget surplus.(COMMENTS)(Brief article)
October 15, 2007... According to current reports, the federal and provincial governments have finished the fiscal year with "unexpected" budget surpluses and it is possible that this situation will continue into the next few years. What to do about these...

Medical tourism gaining new respectability.(HEALTH)
October 15, 2007... Medical tourism is receiving a new respectability as overseas health care providers, health insurance, management firms and academics prepare a conference on medical offerings in other countries, to be held in Washington in early December. ...

Non-profits overloaded by funder requirements.(NON-PROFITS)
October 15, 2007... Over-stretched non-profit agencies are routinely subjected to complex reporting and grant application processes by a multiplicity of funders, a study by Lynn Eakin for the Wellesley Institute concludes. The study examined 66 grants in three...

Need big spending to school homeless.(GENERAL)
October 15, 2007... "At least 2,000 homeless children in Toronto are needlessly at risk of slipping through the cracks of the education system every year," according to a report prepared by the Community Social Planning Council of Toronto and Aisling Discoveries...

Protection of children trumps privacy interests, CAS can have police records.(CHILDREN, YOUTH & FAMILIES)
October 15, 2007... "The public interest in protection of children trumps any privacy interest in the documents," Justice Gladys Pardu of the Ontario Superior Court of Justice stated as she rejected an appeal by the Ontario Attorney General of a motions judge. ...

Calendar Canada.(Calendar)
October 15, 2007... Oct. 26: Workshop: Dr. Paul Foxman--The Worried Child: Treating Anxiety Disorders in Children and Adolescents; Toronto; www.leadingedgeseminars.org Oct. 26-27: Neuroscience for Non-Medical Practitioners; TAPE Educational Services; Toronto;...

Foreign calendar.(Conference news)(Calendar)
October 15, 2007... Oct. 21-24: World Congress: World Association of Social Psychiatry; Prague, CZ; www.wasp2007.cz Oct. 28-31: Conference: International Community Corrections Assoc. (ICCA); San Diego, CA; www.iccaweb.org Nov. 3-7: Meeting: American...

Ontario's adoption disclosure plan declared unconstitutional.(CHILDREN, YOUTH & FAMILIES)
October 15, 2007... Ontario's new Adoption Information Disclosure Act lasted only two days. The end came with Ontario Superior Court Justice Edward Belobaba's ruling that the law is unconstitutional. The Act was passed alter a decade-long effort by open...

Alberta extends child prostitution services to age 22.(CHILDREN, YOUTH & FAMILIES)
October 15, 2007... Alberta's Protection of Children Involved in Prostitution Act passed in 1999 will be amended to provide more support to children and youth who are sexually exploited through prostitution. The proposed changes will extend supports to youth...

Judge turns town appeal by traditional family advocates in the 3-parent case.(CHILDREN, YOUTH & FAMILIES)(Alliance for Marriage and Family, lesbian partners as both mothers of a child)(Brief article)
October 15, 2007... A request that the Alliance for Marriage and Family (a coalition of five organizations that support traditional forms of marriage and family) to appeal a judgment of the Ontario Court of Appeal, was turned down by Supreme Court Justice Louis...

Homeless kids in Fort McMurray but no shelter for minors.(CHILDREN, YOUTH & FAMILIES)(Brief article)
October 15, 2007... Booming oil production centre, Fort McMurray, AB, has uncovered another important social problem--homeless kids, ages 11-17. While the city has shelters for the homeless and abused adults, it has no facility for minors. A survey by...

Make child soldiers a top priority--French diplomat.(CHILDREN, YOUTH & FAMILIES)
October 15, 2007... Over 250,000 child soldiers have been pressed in service and this situation should be a top priority, according to Rama Yade, France's deputy foreign minister for human rights, who called on U.N. member states to "break the vicious circle of...

Canada needs children's commissioner.(CHILDREN, YOUTH & FAMILIES)(National Children's Commissioner to Protect Children's Rights)(Brief article)
October 15, 2007... UNICEF Canada calls for a National Children's Commissioner to Protect Children's Rights. "Canada's 9.6 million children and young people--that's a quarter of our population--have no say and no mandated representation in our federal government,"...

York cop receives youth justice award.(CHILDREN, YOUTH & FAMILIES)
October 15, 2007... Constable Sarah Riddell, a Youth Coordinator with the York (Ontario) Regional Police, won the eighth annual Minister of Justice National Youth Justice Policing Award. Appointed as a Youth Coordinator in 2006, Constable Riddell worked as...

Youth in care web at Ottawa CAS.(CHILDREN, YOUTH & FAMILIES)(Children's Aid Society of Ottawa)(Brief article)
October 15, 2007... The Children's Aid Society of Ottawa launched a website dedicated to the children and youth in care. The website was developed in collaboration with the Society's Youth Advisory Council and the Children's Aid Society Teens Group. The...

Emancipated youth homeless & healthy.(CHILDREN, YOUTH & FAMILIES)
October 15, 2007... Youths 17 or 18 years of age, "emancipated" from foster care, had high rates of homelessness, according to a report in the Archives of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine (Oct. 07). The sample of young people in Illinois, Iowa, and Wisconsin...

Citizenship and Immigration Canada: 613-954-1064.(FUNDING)(funds of civic organizations and social services)(Brief article)
October 15, 2007... Ontario Inc., Toronto. $662,048 Accessible Community Counselling and Employment Services, Scarborough. $524,078 Adult Language and Learning, Chatham. $208,251 Afghan Association of Ontario, North York. $823,418 Afghan Women's...

National Crime Prevention Centre, Ottawa: 613-991-3301.(FUNDING)(Brief article)
October 15, 2007... International Centre for the Prevention of Crime. Montreal, QC. $404,102 Centre de sante Marie-Paule-Sioui-Vincent, Wendake, QC. $256,550 Burrows Central Residents Council, Winnipeg, MB. $112,134 Centre d'orientation paralegale et...

Human Resources and Social Development.(FUNDING)
October 15, 2007... Aboriginal Human Resource Development Council of Canada, Saskatoon, SK. $2,250,000 Alberta College of Speech-Language Pathologists and Audiologists, Edmonton, AB. $132,182 Alberta Employment Immigration and Industry, Edmonton, AB....

Social Science and Humanities Research Council: 613-992-0691.(FUNDING)
October 15, 2007... Daniel Grace, Aileen D. Ross Fellowship to pursue his doctoral work at the University of Victoria on women's social networks in South India, which are destigmatizing issues such as HIV/AIDS. $10,000 Augmentative Communication Community...

Canadian Heritage, Regina: 204 983-4367.(FUNDING)(North Central Family Centre)(Brief article)
October 15, 2007... North Central Family Centre, Regina. For its Youth Empowerment Program which will provide accessible, community-based programs and services that address the issues and needs of Aboriginal young people. It is designed to eliminate major barriers...

Trillium Foundation, Ontario: 800-263-2887.(FUNDING)
October 15, 2007... Community Living Iroquois Falls/L'Integration Communautaire. To purchase a wheelchair-accessible van that will help transport people with mobility difficulties to day programs, medical appointments, and recreational and social events. $66,000...

Disability savings plan set for parliament.(EMPLOYMENT & INCOME)
October 15, 2007... The federal Finance Ministry released draft legislative proposals to implement the Registered Disability Savings Plan announced in Budget 2007, based on the recommendations of the Minister of Finance's Expert Panel on Financial Security for...

Manitoba acts on international qualifications.(EMPLOYMENT & INCOME)(Fair Registration Practices Act )(Brief article)
October 15, 2007... Manitoba's Fair Registration Practices Act aims to recognize international qualifications in the province, Labour and Immigration Minister Nancy Allan said after introducing the bill in the legislature. The proposed legislation would: ...

Ontario's projected labour shortage will affect every aspect of society.(EMPLOYMENT & INCOME)(Brief article)
October 15, 2007... Ontario faces a labour shortage of more than 360,000 people, which threatens many sectors of the economy from manufacturing_ to social services, according to a Conference Board of Canada report released by a coalition of business, education and...

Anti-begging by-law violates right of expression, ethicist says.(EMPLOYMENT & INCOME)(Arthur Shafer)(Brief article)
October 15, 2007... "It is perplexing that in 21st century Canada it could be a punishable offence for one person to say to another, peacefully, in a public place, I'm in trouble and need help," says University of Manitoba ethicist Arthur Shafer. He was responding...

Education for 52% in charities audit.(EMPLOYMENT & INCOME)
October 15, 2007... In the first year of the enhanced audit program Canada Revenue Agency's Charities Divisions, the CRA sent out "education letters" to 52 percent of the charities examined to explain the rules and suggest appropriate corrective actions. In these...

MB youth volunteer awards continue.(NON-PROFITS)
October 15, 2007... Up to 200 students will be eligible to receive Youth Leadership Scholarships as the Manitoba government continues its program for young volunteers, education, citizenship and youth, Minister Peter Bjornson announced. The program is open to...

Oxfam UK sells donors gifts online.(NON-PROFITS)
October 15, 2007... Oxfam UK opened Britain's first online charity shop, which is expected to bring in 2m [pounds sterling] ($2m CAD) a year to support its work in combatting poverty around the world. The shop will initially sell donated items including clothes,...

Fertility rates rise in Canada.(Brief article)
October 15, 2007... Canada recorded its highest number of births, and its highest total fertility rate, in seven years in 2005, thanks mostly to women in their 30s. However, the total fertility rate is still far below the replacement level fertility. Alberta...

Health care workers move, more leaving rural areas and small towns faster.(HEALTH)
October 15, 2007... Health care workers move around more than others in the Canadian labour force, a report by the Canadian Institute of Health Information shows. In the period from 1996 to 2001, most of the migration occurred between communities within the...

Veterans Affairs will open five more stress clinics.(HEALTH)
October 15, 2007... Veterans Affairs Canada will open five additional Operational Stress Injury Clinics in Canada, making a total of 10 operated by the Ministry. The clinics will provide specialized services to Veterans, members of the Canadian Forces and RCMP who...

Bednets cut malaria.(HEALTH)
October 15, 2007... Using insecticide-treated bednets can nearly halve deaths from malaria among children aged under five, according to a study in Kenya published in the British medical journal, Lancet. A KEMRI-Wellcome Trust Research team in Kenya investigated...

Montreal needs fluoridated water.(HEALTH)(lack of fluoride to water supply)(Brief article)
October 15, 2007... The Montreal Coalition for Healthy Teeth filed a complaint against the city of Montreal and the Quebec Ministry of Health for failure to add fluoride to the city's water supply. The Montreal Children's Hospital reports that since January,...

Treatment and enforcement in government's anti-drug strategy.(SUBSTANCE ABUSE)
October 15, 2007... Prime Minister Stephen Harper announced a two track approach to drug addiction in Canada that is "tough on drug crime and compassionate for victims." The announcement was made at the Salvation Army in Winnipeg. The government's National...

1st nations addiction centre opens in Qu'Appelle area.(SUBSTANCE ABUSE)
October 15, 2007... Leading Thunderbird Lodge is a First Nations youth addiction treatment centre located at Fort San, SK. Established by the File Hills Qu'Appelle Tribal Council and the Touchwood Agency Tribal Council, the treatment centre offers addiction...

Insite gets six month extension.(SUBSTANCE ABUSE)(safe injection clinic)(Brief article)
October 15, 2007... Insite, Vancouver's safe injection clinic, had its license to operate extended to the end of June 2008. Health Minister Tony Clement has advised the Vancouver Coastal Health Authority, which operates the clinic, that their exemption under...

Non-profit housing savings not reinvested as required.(SHELTER)
October 15, 2007... Savings in affordable housing costs, achieved by expired nonprofit agreements and declining mortgage rates, are not being reinvested as required by the Parliament. Instead annual funding for affordable housing has declined by $700 million,...

New affordable housing developments, private developers more involved.(SHELTER)
October 15, 2007... The YMCA of Greater Toronto opened the YMCA Sprott House, a new affordable and supported housing program for young adults aged 16 to 24 as part of its plan to a comprehensive Youth Foyer Program. steven.heipel@ymcagta.org A new six-bed...

Small number of Toronto youth committed many delinquent acts.(GENERAL)(Brief article)
October 15, 2007... A relatively small proportion of middle school students in Toronto were responsible for a high number of repeated delinquent acts, a study based on answers provided by the students themselves, finds. The survey found that the vast majority...

Trillium raises capital grant awards.(GENERAL)
October 15, 2007... Ontario Trillium Foundation's funding limit for its capital grants will be raised on Nov. 1, 2007 to $150,000 from $75,000 in most parts of the province. The Foundation awarded more than $160 million in 4,200 capital grants for non-profit...

Urban insecurity hits world's poor.(GENERAL)(urban areas' problems)
October 15, 2007... The world's poor are the worst affected by urban crime and violence, insecurity of tenure and forced eviction, and natural and human-made disasters, regardless of their geographical location, a UN-HABITAT publication on human settlements says....