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Take
Action!
In the
aftermath of the devastating Supreme Court of Canada
decision in the "Auton" case on November 19,
2004, the focus has shifted to the political area to help
get children with autism the medical care they require.
T o
this end a national autism petition campaign has been started
and we would appreciate your support. Please
visit www.canadaautism.com
and tell your colleagues within the autism community
about the petition campaign. The website allows you to download
the petition in either official language. Just get a minimum
of 25 signatures & send it to your MP! It's that easy!
December
14, 2004
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Charter
Challenge of the National Child
Benefit Supplement
Today the Income Security Advocacy Centre (ISAC), the
Centre for Equality Rights in Accommodation (CERA) and the
Charter Committee on Poverty Issues (CCPI), have formally
launched a legal challenge to the clawback of the National
Child Benefit Supplement (NCBS) from families on social
assistance.
NCBS
Backgrounder
December
10, 2004
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Nothing
about Us Without Us
“The annual observance of the International Day
of Disabled Persons, 3 December, aims to promote an
understanding of disability issues and mobilize support
for the dignity, rights and well-being of persons with disabilities.
It also seeks to increase awareness of gains to be derived
from the integration of persons with disabilities in every
aspect of political, social, economic and cultural life.
The theme of the Day is based on the goal of full and equal
enjoyment of human rights and participation in society by
persons with disabilities, established by the World Programme
of Action concerning Disabled Persons, adopted by the General
Assembly in 1982”
December
3, 2004
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Nothing
About Us Without Us In Action! Webcast
"'Nothing About Us Without Us' reflects the true
power and potential of the disability rights movement.
It embodies the philosophy that empowerment is the only
equitable and credible means of overcoming marginalization.
Involving persons with disabilities in active and meaningful
ways in the design and implementation of policies, programs,
and supports is the most effective means of barrier removal.”
December
3, 2004
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World
Bank, Partners Call for Global Co-operation to Unlock Opportunities
for Millions of Disabled People
"As the world celebrated this year's UN International
Day of Disabled Persons on December 3rd, a two-day conference
looked at ways to include the needs of people with disabilities
in the fight against poverty. As part of the international
efforts to fight poverty through more inclusive development
policies, on December 2, 2004, in Washington DC, the World
Bank and its partners called for strengthening global cooperation
and partnerships to 'Unlock' opportunities for the more
than 600 million disabled people worldwide, of whom 400
million live in developing countries."
December
3, 2004
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More
money for health care isn't a panacea
by Phil Upshall, Canadian Alliance on Mental Illness and
Mental Health
As
Canadians wait with some disillusionment to see if our first
ministers can find a health-care "fix for a generation,"
we're going to put a fresh idea on the table: more money
isn't always the way to solve our health-care problems.
That's not to say that our health-care system isn't chronically
underfunded, or that it's capable of sustaining the increasing
pressures placed on it by an aging population and the costs
of new treatments and technologies.But believe it or not,
many health issues can be improved, if not resolved through
the consensus of premiers and the prime minister to establish
common approaches to common health issues right across the
country. Read More
September
14, 2004
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Prisons
are inadequate responses to poverty, homelessness &
mental illness
by
Kim Pate, Canadian Association of Elizabeth Fry Societies
(CAEFS)
The
news is full of stories these days about human rights
violations by Canadian authorities: the apparent Canadian
complicity in the detention, deportation and torture of
Maher Arar and others since 9/11; deadly police mistreatment
of Aboriginal people in Saskatoon; the terrorization and
deaths of young people in state care, like David Meffe.
For me, these abuses provide a stark reminder of why the
Elizabeth Fry Societies three years ago asked the Canadian
Human Rights Committee to conduct a comprehensive review
of human rights violations experienced by women prisoners
in Canada. Read More
September
14, 2004
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Single
moms win 9-year legal battle - Province drops welfare appeal
'Spouse in house' rule demeaning
Tracey Tyler, Toronto Star
A
bitter nine-year legal battle between the Ontario government
and single mothers living in poverty may have come to an
end, with the province's attorney-general dropping efforts
to resurrect the "spouse in the house" rule. The
rule, introduced by the former Conservative government as
part of an attack on welfare abuse, resulted in some 10,000
recipients losing some or all of their benefits after moving
in with someone. The rationale was that their co-habiting
partners were supporting them. Read
More
September
2, 2004
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 In
Memoriam - Tanis Doe, PhD
It
is with deep sadness that I report the passing of Dr.
Tanis Doe, advocate and educator. Tanis passed away
in her home in Victoria, British Columbia late Wednesday,
August 4, 2004 due to a pulmonary embolism. Doe is survived
by her daughter, Ann Marie, and a loving community of
friends, colleagues, mentees, lovers, dance partners and
family in every sense of the world.
Read More: |
Obituary
| Pictures
| About
Tanis
August 9, 2004
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Ontario
Needs a Raise: Vigil and Rally
In
Memory of Kimberly Rogers
When:
Wednesday
August 11th from 12 Noon to 1 pm
address
change! 900 Bay St. M1-57 Macdonald
Block
- Toronto
Join with others on August 11th
to remember those who have suffered under inadequate conditions,
and to demand an immediate raise to social assistance
rates.
Sponsored
by: Ontario Needs a Raise Campaign
For more Information contact:
call: 416-516-1422, ext. 222. or email: ocsj@ocsj.ca
August
4, 2004
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The
Left Must Stand With the Haitian People by
Yves Engler
Four
& a half months ago the Liberal government sent troops
to a foreign country without the legally elected host government's
permission. Since Feb. 29, Haiti has been occupied by foreign
troops & a pro-U.S. government has been installed. The
Canadian media, & the rest of us, have been nearly silent.
At the end of Feb., Haiti was front-page news. The Globe
& Mail's Paul Knox was there and CanWest's 11 daily
papers ran stories from the Montreal Gazette’s once-progressive
Sue Montgomery. Both reported on President Jean-Bernard
Aristide's authoritarianism, drug connections and “thuggish”
supporters, known as the chimères. Neither gave much
credence to other side of the story and now that Aristide
is in exile in South Africa, the Canadian media have lost
all interest. So, what's going on? Read
More
August 3, 2004
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Recent
Newcomers Earn Less
Immigrants who came to Canada in the 1980s and 1990s earn
approximately one-third less than immigrants who arrived
in the 1960s, according to data released by Statistics Canada.
Read More
July
25, 2004
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Seniors
Housing Affordability
Statistics Canada recently released a report looking at
housing costs experienced by elderly families. It found
that two-thirds of seniors are homeowners, 90% of whom have
paid off their mortgages. Read More
July
25, 2004
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Additional
Resources for Community Support Services
In
early July, the province announced just over $100 million
in new funding for community support services, home care
& supportive housing. These new investments are designed
to increase the capacity of Ontario’s health care system
to provide care & service at the community level and
allow more people to get care in their own homes, thus reducing
strain on hospitals & freeing them up to focus on acute
care. Read More
July
25, 2004
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Child
Care Announcement Signals Policy Shift
Ontario
recently announced funding to support the creation of 4,000
new subsidized child care spaces. The $58 million investment
comes from federal transfers, and will be flowed to municipalities
for local child care initiatives aimed at children under
five years of age. Read More
July
25, 2004
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New
Housing Study Documents Growing Need
The Ontario Non-Profit Housing Association and the Co-operative
Housing Federation of Canada – Ontario Region recently
released a comprehensive study of housing conditions and
unmet needs in Ontario. Where’s Home 2004 provides
a detailed housing profile of 21 separate Ontario communities.
Read More
July
25, 2004
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New
Funding to Restore Community Use of Schools
The McGuinty government has announced $20 million of annual
funding to ensure Ontario schools will once again be accessible
for community use at nominal fees. This new funding will
address a problem created by the education funding formula
introduced by the former government, which excluded the
cost of community use and forced many School Boards to dramatically
increase user fees. Read More
July
25, 2004
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World
Health Organization Supports Domestic Violence Prevention
Interpersonal violence devastates lives and families,
and it also imposes major economic costs on societies around
the world. Some nations spend more than four percent of
their Gross Domestic Product (GDP) on violence-related injuries,
and low-income nations may be hardest hit. Those are among
the conclusion of The Economic Dimensions of Interpersonal
Violence, which was released in June by the World Health
Organization (WHO). Read
more
July
20, 2004
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Genocide
in Canada
BC United Church source confirms program
to systematically destroy documents related to crimes against
First Nations including rape, torture, murder, sexual sterilization,
organ removal, and an organized pedophile and sex slavery
network. Read More
July 17, 2004
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Call
for Solidarity - Maher Arar
The
public inquiry into what happened to Maher
Arar is underway, and the Maher Arar Support
Committee has issued a call for solidarity.
Maher has launched a website at www.maherarar.ca
which provides summaries of transcripts from the inquiry,
news releases from the Maher Arar Support Committee, and
information on how to support his struggle for the truth.
The site also includes a section called "Have
your say" which encourages the public to
submit their thoughts on what is happening.
July 16, 2004
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In
defence of freedom of speech: disability activist
by
Barbara Anello
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The
Canadian Radio-Television and Telecommunications Commission
(CRTC) decided yesterday to pull the license of Quebec City's
most popular radio station, CHOI FM, because morning hosts,
Jeff Fillion and André Arthur, repeatedly
offended "Canadian values". This
is the first time the CRTC has revoked a license for the
conduct of radio hosts. ... At the end of the day, it's
my view that the CRTC, an unelected body, is not the appropriate
body to determine what constitutes "acceptable Canadian
values" -- that's a job for Canadians and our elected
representatives.
July
15, 2004
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$20M
to fix welfare pay delay
Glitch in welfare computer program has
Liberals, Tories playing blame game
670,000 people in Ontario must wait for 3 per cent increase
(Toronto Star)
It could cost another $20 million to fix the Queen's Park
computer problem that has Liberals and Tories pointing the
finger of blame at each other.
July 7, 2004
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Louise
Arbour Takes Up Mandate of High Commissioner
Mrs. Arbour was, until June 2004, a member of the Supreme
Court of Canada. She served as chief prosecutor for the
International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia
and Rwanda from 1996 to 2000, during which time she indicted
former Yugoslav and Serbian President Slobodan Milosevic,
among others, for war crimes and crimes against humanity
for his part in atrocities committed in Kosovo.
July 6, 2004
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Amnesty
International (AI) to Investigate Disappearances of Aboriginal
Women in Canada
by
Marlene Westfall
Our
aboriginal sisters have experienced what I am going to
term a genocide in our own country. The word 'Genocide'
was termed by Raphael Lemkin after WWII as he and others
were horrified at witnessing Nazi terror although they
were considered "rumours" at the time. 'Genotype'
denotes a biological type determined by the genetic characteristics
common to a group. 'Cide' is a suffix signifying killer;
destroyer; or a killing. Lemkin was almost single handedly
responsible for getting the United Nations to adopt genocide
as a criminal atrocity in the political evolution of a
nation. Read
More
July 4, 2004
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Surviving
on Hope is Not Enough: Women's Health, Poverty, Justice
& Income Support in Manitoba Respect,
better benefits, information and advocacy will reduce stress
& enhance independence. Women’s health is harmed
by stress created by the welfare system, according to
a study sponsored by the Prairie Women’s Health
Centre of Excellence. The report will be launched on
May 28 in Winnipeg. According to principal investigator
Rhonda Wiebe, “In our
study the women described the stress of being dependent
on a system that shames and scrutinizes them, withholds
significant information from them, is inaccessible at critical
times in their lives, and blatantly expresses no interest
in understanding the day-to-day factors in their lives.”
May 28, 2004
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Canadian
elections: we all have a short memory
by Jonathan Nzouankeu - Christie
Blatchford, Globe & Mail and CFRB commentator is venting
this morning: how can the Liberals dare to think that they
are the only party to know what Canadians really need. I
usually don't get too involved into Canadian internal politics.
After 4 years, I still consider myself "new" in
this country and I like to actually "know" what
I'm talking about. I just felt like sending a quick note
from someone observing with amusement the political makeup
and wondering what all this commotion is about. The mailing
list is short and so will be my point: Christie is worried
about how much money the Liberal government is planning
on taking out of our pockets for Health care, hinting that
the Conservatives would do a better job. Read
More
May 25, 2004
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Earle's
Story - A Call for Endorsements
Earle Rheaume has an interesting and compelling
story to tell. While it deals with an ugly
experience he had with the Ministry of Community, Family
and Children's Services, the issue is a systemic one in
that it extends to many others across the province on any
given day.
May
19, 2004
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Canadians
for Equal Marriage (CEM)
This federal election will determine if equal marriage legislation
is passed & whether a number of very anti-gay candidates
are elected to Parliament. Please visit www.equal-marriage.ca,
and see how easy it is to make a difference in this crucial
human rights battle.
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Canadian
labour believes pay equity is mandated by Charter of Rights
and Freedoms
The
Canadian Labour Congress will be in the Supreme Court of
Canada tomorrow, Wednesday, May 12, 2004, to argue that
the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms also apply to
governments when they prepare their budgets. The case is
a long-standing pay equity dispute between the Newfoundland
government and its employees. At issue is whether a law
that repeals pay equity payments that are owed to women
workers, to redress wage discrimination, violates equality
rights under the Charter. In resolving this issue, the Court
will be asked to examine the government’s duty to consider
Charter equality obligations in their budgeting process.
en francais
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Women's
Equality Rights Are Not For Sale
Women's
Legal Education and Action Fund (LEAF) to Argue at the
Supreme Court of Canada for Women's Right to Equal Pay
for Work of Equal Value
On
Wed, May 12th the
Women's Legal Education and Action Fund (LEAF)
will appear before the Supreme Court of Canada
in the case of NAPE (Newfoundland Association of Public
Employees) v. Newfoundland. At
issue in this case is whether the Newfoundland government's
reneging on an agreement to compensate its female employees
for discriminatory wages violates the equality rights
guaranteed to women under the Canadian Charter of Rights
& Freedoms. The question is, can Newfoundland pay
women less than men for work of equal value? This case
affects 5,300 female employees of the Newfoundland government,
and has the potential to set a precedent for female employees
across Canada. Read
More
May 11, 2004
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2nd
National Disability Rights Conference
The Canadian Labour Congress is proud to announce
that our Second National Disability Rights Conference, “Doing
MORE – Moving FORWARD” will be held Nov. 11 to Nov.
14, 2004 (registration desk opens at 4 p.m. on the 11th)
in Montréal, Québec. The
Conference will do MORE to build the voice of activists
with disabilities and our allies. We will do MORE
to build our political agenda. We will do MORE to
build our understanding of issues impacting on the lives
of disabled activists. We will do MORE to build on
the work done since the first conference. Read
More
May 5, 2004
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Additional
Funding for Autism
In
late March the Province announced it will double the funding
for autism initiatives in the 2004-2005 fiscal year but
funds will continue to be focused primarily on meeting the
needs of children under 6 years of age.
April 30, 2004
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Report
Finds Domestic Homicides Predictable and Preventable
In its first annual
report, the Domestic Violence Death Review Committee (DVDRC)
found common risk factors were often present that could
have led professionals experienced in domestic violence
to predict a domestic homicide.
April
30, 2004
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New
Provincial Rent Bank and Energy Emergency Fund
The
Province has announced one-time funding of $10 million
to establish rent banks that will provide low-income tenants
with short-term assistance to deal with rent arrears.
In recent years, rent banks have been created in a number
of Ontario communities, and have proven successful in
reducing evictions.
April
30, 2004
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Legislation
to Curb Sixty-Hour Work Week
In
late April, the provincial government introduced amendments
to the Employment Standards Act to reduce the legal workweek
from 60 hours to 48 hours. If passed, the legislation
will require employers to apply to the Ministry of Labour
and obtain the employee's written consent to work more
than 48 hours per week. To make the process as simple
as possible, employers will be able to apply without fee
and on-line.
April
30, 2004
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Consultation
Launched on Rental Housing
Ontario's
Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing has begun consultations
aimed at reforming the Province's laws and regulations governing
the relationship between landlords and tenants. A consultation
paper has been published to help guide the process and frame
some of the key issues.
April
30, 2004
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Tenant
Action Group (Belleville) Puts Grocery Stores on notice
TAG Press Release - April 22, 2004 - If the provincial
government forces welfare and Ontario Disability recipients
to scrape out an existence on starvation level benefits
then we are left with little choice but to steal food for
our children to survive. When it comes to providing the
basic necessities for your household honesty in Belleville
is a privilege. Read
More
April 22, 2004
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March
for Dignity - Rally for a Raise
On
Thursday, April 29th, a courageous group of seniors,
people with disabilities and people on social assistance
will arrive in Toronto after walking 150 MILES from Sarnia,
through Woodstock, London, Kitchener and Hamilton to Toronto
on a March for Dignity
to protest provincial government policies that force
them to live thousands of dollars below the poverty line.
Read More
April
19, 2004
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March
for Dignity from Sarnia to Queen's Park!
Thursday April 29th at
11:00 am - Rally at Queen's Park, Toronto
Ontario voted for REAL
change, not SPARE change and we need YOUR voice to make
sure it happen. Show that you support dignity for all people
in Ontario.
The March starts in Sarnia on April 24th enroute to Queen's
Park. Read More
April
8, 2004
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City's
minority women face tough struggle
A hidden story in the poverty report by
Royson James, Toronto Star, April 7/04
Multiple
marginalization. Erasure. Counted out. Democratic and social
fissure. Social isolation near epidemic proportions.
These
are a few of the words and phrases found in the first seven
paragraphs of a 110-page report from 2003 that told us exactly
what this week's United Way report on poverty says —
only in more direct and compelling language. The release
of the United Way's "Poverty by Postal Code"
sent me scurrying back to last year's study — a call
for validation and recognition that received hardly a mention.
"If Low-income Women of Colour Counted in Toronto,"
prepared by Punam Khosla, is at once riveting and revolting.
In powerful language, it adds flesh and gives voice to the
women who bear the brunt of oppressive poverty in the city's
neighbourhoods. Read More http://tinyurl.com/2945t
April
7, 2004
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Recent immigrants, aboriginals & single-parent families
are at the highest risk for low income.
* The
percentage of recent immigrants with low income was 35%
in 2000, compared with 17.7% in the general population.
In 1980, 23% of immigrants had a low income.
* Among Aboriginals in cities, 41.6% lived in low income
in 2000, more than double the national average.
* For
single-parent families, the rate of those with low incomes
dropped across the country to 46.6% in 2000 from 54.2% two
decades earlier.
* Among
individuals with low incomes in 2000, 51.1% of their income
came from government assistance, compared with 42.7% in
1980.
April 7, 2004
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Fast
Food Calorie Disclosure Bill (C-398) Advances; Legislation
would also require Better Ingredient Lists on Food Labels
& Nutrition Info for Fresh Meat
The
House of Commons sent to the Health Committee, private member’s
legislation requiring fast food chains to disclose calorie
information on menus. The bill would also require large
full-service chain restaurants to disclose additional nutrition
information on menus, food manufacturers to improve ingredient
lists on processed food labels, and meat packers to put
nutrition information on all fresh-meat labels. The Committee
is required to report back to the House by September 30,
2004. Read
More
March 31, 2004
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Killing
The Messenger: Op/Ed by tOM Trottier
The
new legislation to protect whistle-blowers wouldn't have
protected Gary Lovett. He got fired for telling the media
that Canada's base in Afghanistan didn't have adequate fire-fighting
gear. Though his pay came from the Canadian government,
it flowed through a contractor, SNC Lavelin, so the generals
could get him fired by snapping their fingers. Read
More
March
31, 2004
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Responses
to Federal Budget 2004:
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Stop
Violence Against Aboriginal Women
Join
the Native Women's Association of Canada's (NWAC)'s Sisters
in Spirit Campaign,
a pan- Canadian initiative supported by a broad coalition
of organizations, intended to draw public and political
attention to the disappearances and murders of more than
500 Aboriginal women across Canada
March 22, 2004
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Campaign
to Stop Violence Against Women
Amnesty International - An Open Letter To
The Women’s Movement ...
This campaign is designed to sound the alarm about violence
against women as a human rights crisis, educate the broader
public about the issues, mobilize both women and men to
work to counter violence and to use the power and persuasion
of the human rights framework in the efforts to stop violence
against women.
March
18, 2004
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Courts
Upholds Charitable Property Tax Exemption
The
Ontario Court of Appeal has ruled that a non-profit supportive
housing provider with charitable status is exempt from
property taxes. The case, involving Ottawa Salus Corporation,
was being closely monitored by other charitable organizations,
particularly those providing supportive housing...
March 18, 2004
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Municipalities
Empowered to Hike Property Taxes on Businesses
The
province has temporarily restored the power of 36 municipalities
to increase property taxes for businesses and landlords
of rental properties with 7 or more units. Regulatory
changes will allow subject municipalities to increases
tax rates for businesses and residential landlords during
the 2004 tax year. However, any such increases will be
limited to half the rate of increase for residential homeowners
...
March 18, 2004
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New
Money for Children’s Aid
The province will allocate an additional $64 million
to Ontario’s Children’s Aid Societies to
enable them to deal with increased service demands. In
making the announcement, Marie Bountrogianni, Minister
of Children and Youth Services, also signaled her intention
to make significant improvements to Ontario’s child
welfare system ...
March 18, 2004
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New
Public Policy Resource for Non-profits and Charities
The Volunteer Sector Initiative (VSI) is a five-year
federal initiative aimed at improving the quality of Canadian
life by strengthening the relationship between the voluntary
sector and government, and augmenting the capacity of the
sector. To enhance the capacity of the sector to participate
in public policy development, the VSI Capacity Joint Table
recently released Participating in Federal Public Policy:
A Guide for the Voluntary Sector...
March 18, 2004
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Province
Beefs up Family Responsibility Office
The
province has announced a series of changes to improve the
functioning of the Family Responsibility Office.
These include: freeing up enforcement officers to implement
more court orders, better tracking and more rigorous pursuit
of deadbeat parents, and a public awareness and outreach
campaign aimed at employers, MPPs and clients. A series
of roundtables is also being held with people using the
system
...
March 18, 2004
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Report
Calls for New Investment in Non-Profit Agencies
A
coalition of more than 30 Ontario-based social service agencies
and unions has launched a campaign aimed at raising awareness
and increasing funding for community-based non-profit services.
As part of its efforts the coalition released a report,
Building Strong Communities: A Call to Reinvest in
Ontario Non-profit Social Service
...
March 18, 2004
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Hospital
Funding to Come With Accountability
In
late February Ontario’s Minister of Health and Long-Term
Care, George Smitherman announced an additional $385
million in funding to help cash-strapped hospitals cover
their operating deficits and hire more nurses. Mr. Smitherman,
however, warned hospitals there will be no future bail-outs
...
March 18, 2004
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Social
Factors Drive Health Outcomes
A
new study by the Canadian Institute for Health Information
confirms that factors beyond the health care system have
a significant impact on our health and life expectancy.
Improving the Health of Canadians examines the influence
and impact that income, obesity, and early childhood development
initiatives have on health, and looks at the health of
Canada’s aboriginal population...
March 18, 2004
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FOUND
- Nelly Botelho
The Botelho Family would like to thank all of you for
the love, help and support you have shown them through the
horrible ordeal of Nelly's disappearance. Nelly has been
found and is being re-united with her family. Thank you.
~ Beth
Jordan for the Botelho/Medieros Family
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(PDF) 