Human
Rights Redress --
Seeking your
support in calling for a humanitarian parole for a federally
sentenced native woman prisoner We
are seeking your support in calling for a humanitarian parole
for a federally sentenced native woman prisoner, Sandy
Paquachon, who has served over twenty consecutive years
in prison -- an extraordinary length of time, in light of
the "crimes" for which she was convicted. Sandy
Paquachon is presently hospitalized in the ICU at the Royal
University Hospital in Saskatoon, after being "committed,'
and involuntarily transferred to the Regional Psychiatric
Center (RPC) in Saskatoon. <sniped> Sandy
has been illegally restrained both with shackles and
with medication during her hospitalization at the ICU.
It took legal intervention to force the CSC to have the
shackles removed, despite the fact she is heavily sedated
at the time of this writing. It isillegal to
shackle a patient in an ICU ward without cause, a situation
Sandy has been faced with many times before. Read
More - Take Action July 10, 2005
ODSP
Research Study Seeks Participants in the London area
A
McMaster University Student is seeking participants
for a study on the Ontario Disability Support Program
(ODSP) and the advocacy process. The study is seeking
people to participate in a study to learn about their
experiences at the ODSP hearing. In particular, the
study hopes to determine how the role of advocates influences
the ODSP appeals process. Read
More
New
era of accessibility begins in Ontario - Legislature
Approves New Accessibility Law
The
Ontario legislature today passed a historic law that
will make Ontario a world leader in breaking down barriers
for people with disabilities. "This landmark legislation
marks the start of a new era of accessibility in Ontario,"
said Minister of Citizenship and Immigration Dr. Marie
Bountrogianni. "The Accessibility for Ontarians
with Disabilities Act will create an accessible, inclusive
society where every Ontarian has the opportunity to
work, play, learn and otherwise participate to their
full potential." The act will take effect on
royal assent and will require government to work with
partners to jointly develop standards to be achieved
in stages of five years or less, leading to a fully
accessible Ontario in 20 years. Standards will be set
in both the public and private sectors to address the
full range of disabilities - including physical, sensory,
hearing, mental health, developmental and learning.
Read More
May 10, 2005
Allergies
are an exploding phenomenon: the incidence of food allergy
alone has tripled in five years and today affects 1.3
million Canadians. Now some good news for the millions
coping with allergies - a new national magazine, Allergic
Living, launches today. In its debut issue,
Allergic Living features articles on: the quest
for a peanut vaccine; dating and allergic teens; spring
allergies; the mystery of sulphite reactions; and the
lobby for a unique law to protect anaphylactic students
in Ontario.
Read
More May
10, 2005
A
Mother's Day Message to Parliament from Canadian Women Doing
Politics Differently As
women of Canada, grandmothers, mothers, daughters and sisters,
many of us have remained silent far too long. It is time
to speak. Mother's Day, May 8, 2005 seems a most appropriate
day to start. We are calling attention to the appalling
behaviour that dominates the Parliamentary Sessions, especially
Question Period. Mr. Valeri, Honourable Leader of the
House, and Mr. Belanger, Minister Responsible for Democratic
Reform, and all Party leaders, we find the conduct in
the house is acrimonious, disrespectful and ultimately counterproductive.
The House is dysfunctional and is not an effective forum
for expressing Canadian interests. The lack of respect for
diversity within The House makes many wonder how members
regard the concerns of their diverse constituents. Read
More May
7, 2005
An
Open Letter to Stephen Harper & Peter MacKay - by Marjaleena
Repo You ceaselessly point your fingers at
the Liberal government members in the House of Commons and
pontificate about their ethical misdeeds, alleged and real.
You demand that they come clean, confess to their malfeasance
and accept punishment, long before the Gomery Commission
is able to present its recommendations and sanctions. Now
you want to force the whole country through an early and
expensive election because of the ethical failures of the
Paul Martin government! But who are you two to talk about
ethics and "moral authority"? Are you not staring
yourself blind at the speck in the government's eye, while
ignoring — and hoping that no one else would notice
either — the beam in your own? Let's take a quick look
at your own documentable lack of ethics: ... Read
More April 27, 2005
Coalition
for Women’s Equality Applauds Committee Efforts &
Urges Action The
Coalition for Women’s Equality (CWE), a strategic
alliance of national equality-seeking groups, commends
the Standing Committee on the Status of Women for its
historic report on Gender-Based Analysis (GBA). The federal
government adopted a Gender based analysis strategy in
1995 in order to meet its equality commitments under the
Beijing Platform for Action. Despite the government’s
commitments to GBA, the committee found that- a decade
later - its application was, at best, uneven. Read
More. April 22, 2005
La
CÉF applaudit les efforts du comité et préconise
une action immédiate
La
Coalition pour l’égalité des femmes
(CÉF), alliance stratégique de groupes nationaux
qui revendiquent l’égalité, applaudit
le Comité permanent de la condition féminine
pour son rapport historique sur l’analyse comparative
entre les sexes (ACS). Le gouvernement fédéral
a adopté, en 1995, une stratégie sur l’analyse
comparative entre les sexes, afin de répondre à
ses engagements en matière d’égalité
selon le Programme d’action de Beijing. Malgré
les engagements gouvernementaux envers l’ACS, le
comité a souligné que, une décennie
plus tard, sa mise en œuvre avait été,
au mieux, irrégulière. Read
More le
22 avril, 2005
This
article started as a request from a friend who is an Educational
Psychologist. She wanted me to write something from a
parent's perspective as an opening piece to a presentation
she was giving on ADHD to teachers. She wanted them to
remember that these are someone's children - not just
data. ~
Michelle
Excerpt: He
flashes me one of his big, beautiful, bright smiles and
he's gone - another 5 laps around the yard. He's a great
runner - lots of energy and loves to be outdoors. Some
kids from the neighbourhood come by and join in the fun.
You can look closely but you won't find anything. There
are no telltale signs, no physical markers. He looks just
like everyone else. My second child is so full of life.
He's very creative, sensitive, resourceful and independent.
He loves to wear costumes and play "pretend".
One minute he's "Mr. Incredible" and the next,
he's a zombie from the "Scooby-Doo " movie.
My second child loves music - and loves to sing in the
car - at full volume. Oh, someone fell down - he rushes
over to help him up. I smile. Most people don't expect
that but I have seen him do this many times. He asks if
the boy is hurt. The other shakes his head "no"
and all is well.
Read
More April
21, 2005
McGuinty
Government to Help Small Business Grow and Succeed
Government
Launches New Agency to Give Voice to Small Business
The Ontario government is establishing the Small Business
Agency to allow small business owners to focus their
energy and resources on the work of running a business.
The agency will help small businesses grow and succeed by:
Including small business representatives to give them an
opportunity to speak directly to government decision-makers;
Looking at ways to cut down on paperwork required to run
a small business, saving owners time and money; Reviewing
key existing regulations as well as examining proposed new
regulations with the goal of making compliance as easy as
possible, while protecting health and safety; Making sure
government is aware of how each new regulation could affect
small business costs and competitiveness. The agency will
also work with small business groups such as the Ontario
Chamber of Commerce and other community business organizations
to see where improvements need to be made. Read
More April 21, 2005
Emergency
Contraceptive Pill (ECP) Public Awareness Initiative
The Ontario
Women's Health Council (OWHC) is funding a public awareness
initiative with Planned Parenthood Federation of Canada
(PPFC) in support of Health Canada's decision to
make Plan B, an emergency contraceptive pill (ECP), a non-prescription
drug.... The public awareness initiative, ECP-INFO
Ontario, will provide information about ECP in a confidential
and respectful way, using tools and resources commonly used
by Ontario women - such as print materials, toll-free phone
lines and web information. The project will also help women
understand the change in regulatory status of Plan B and
identify where they can access the drug.Read
More April
20, 2005
Ontario
Gov't to launch pilot program to help people leave Welfare
for Work
TORONTO,
April 20
- The McGuinty government is launching an innovative pilot
project that will help people move from working for welfare
to working for a living, Minister of Community and Social
Services Sandra Pupatello announced today. JobsNow
will provide ongoing, individualized employment counselling,
job placement and retention support to help people find
jobs so that they can leave welfare for good. ... WCG
International, in cooperation with municipal Ontario
Works offices, will run the JobsNow pilot in six pilot communities:
Peel Region, Durham Region, Hamilton,
Windsor, Ottawa and Nipissing.
Through their employment partnership with the government
of British Columbia, WCG has helped 30,000 social assistance
clients return to the workforce by providing one-on-one
support and leveraging partnerships with local businesses
and employers. Read
More April
20, 2005
Women
Enabling Health Services: A National Workshop
for Urban Women with Disabilities
by Gail Lush, National Network on Environments
and Women’s Health (NNEWH) Excerpt: ...
In
the past decade, research related to the health status of
women with disabilities has been carried out by the women
themselves, and is beginning to bring to light the ways
in which health care providers and policy makers can meet
the full range of their needs & concerns. Women with
disabilities living in urban environments are particularly
concerned about how the organization of city spaces (where
they live, work & seek services) affect their health
and wellbeing. While well-populated communities can offer
greater options for employment, entertainment, education
& health services, discriminatory attitudes toward women
with disabilities have a disappointing impact on their ability
to benefit from these opportunities and fully participate
in urban life. In a recent consumer survey by the Council
of Canadians with Disabilities, Canadian women with disabilities
indicate that they face a range of physical, environmental,
attitudinal, communication and structural barriers to health
services. Read More April 20, 2005
Canadian
Women's March Committee 2005
Event Update for May 1st
- 7th, 2005 Exciting
progress has been made by the Canadian Women March Committee
to celebrate the reception of the Global Charter
for Humanity. Events are planned in Vancouver, Yellowknife,
Winnipeg, Ottawa, Moncton and Quebec City as the Charter
travels across Canada.Read More April
20, 2005
Patricia
Deegan: A Day On Recovery & Its Practice
Where: Metro
Hall Council Chamber, 55 John Street
|| When: May 10th
from 8:30 am to 4:30 pm
Hosted by the Leadership Project, Patricia Deegan
speaks from the view of an activist in the consumer/survivor/ex-patient
movement in the US. She will give two morning lectures.
The first, "Recovery: The Experience, the Evidence,
and the Practice." The second "A
300 Year History of Consumer/Survivor Advocacy."
Finally, Pat will offer a workship entitled "A
Recovery-Based Approach to Client Choice and Shared Decision-Making."
Fees are on a sliding scale. The facility is wheelchair
accessible. Sign interpreters will be present throughout.
Contact: Brian McKinnon at Alternatives. (416) 285-7996,
extension 227, bmckinnon@iprimus.ca April 19, 2005
TIME
TO PUT EQUALITY BACK ON CANADA’S AGENDA Press
Release: April 14, 2005 - On
the 20th anniversary of section 15 of the Charter, equality
rights groups are urging politicians and judges to renew
their commitment to achieving equality in Canada. On April
17, 1985, the equality guarantee in Canada’s new Charter
of Rights & Freedoms came into force. “The constitutionalization
of this equality guarantee was a huge step for Canada,”
said Andrée Côté, speaking for the 20th
Anniversary Committee, a broad coalition of equality-seeking
organizations. “Many equality-seeking groups contributed
to the wording of this section – through parliamentary
hearings – making it a model worldwide for constitutional
equality guarantees. For example, it was one of the first
to include a guarantee of equality for persons with disabilities.
This is something to be proud of,” said Côté
at a news conference on Ottawa’s Parliament Hill today. April
14, 2005
L’ÉGALITÉ
DOIT ÊTRE AU CŒUR DU DÉBAT NATIONAL Communiqué
- le 14 avril, 2005 - À
l’occasion du 20e anniversaire de l’article
15 de la Charte, des groupes qui travaillent en faveur
de l’égalité exhortent les leaders
politiques et les juges à réitérer
leur engagement en faveur du respect et de la promotion
des droits à l’égalité. C’est
le 17 avril 1985, que la clause garantissant l’égalité
de la Charte canadienne des droits et libertés
est entrée en vigueur. L’enchâssement
de la garantie à l’égalité a
marqué un point tournant pour notre pays »,
a déclaré Andrée Côté,
au nom du Comité du 20e anniversaire, une coalition
de groupes travaillant en faveur de l’égalité.
« Plusieurs de nos membres ont contribué
à la rédaction de cette clause, grâce
à leur participation aux comités parlementaires,
et en ont fait un véritable modèle universel
pour le droit fondamental à l’égalité.
Par exemple, ce fut l’une des premières constitutions
à garantir les droits des personnes souffrant déficiences
», a dit Madame Côté au cours d’un
point de presse sur la colline parlementaire d’Ottawa
aujourd’hui. April
14, 2005
Every
minute a woman in Canada is abused That
is why Canadian Women's Foundation, Hudson's Bay Company
(Hbc) and Rogers are asking Canadians not to wait another
minute. These three organizations have joined forces in
a national partnership of unprecedented scope to launch
the Start to Stop Violence Against
Women campaign supporting the violence prevention work
of the Canadian Women's Foundation and 274 shelters for
abused women across Canada. Read
More April
12, 2005
Al
and Tipper Gore to help raise $1 million for women's health
research At
one of Toronto's largest fundraising events of the year,
the Honourable Al Gore, former Vice-President of the USA,
and Tipper Gore will address more than 1,500 of Canada's
business and opinion leaders in a talk entitledA
Nation Divided: Global Implications. Organized
by the Sunnybrook & Women's Foundation in support
of The Centre for Research in Women's Health, An
Evening with Al and Tipper Gore
will be held on Tuesday, April 12, 2005 at the Metro Toronto
Convention Centre. The event hopes to raise $1 million for
women's health research. Read
More April 12, 2005
Disabled
should be banned before TV watershed: The Caydare Centre by
Ouch! staff (BBC)) dd Friday 1 April, 2005 Excerpt: A leading think
tank has concluded that disabled people should not appear
on
our TV screens before the 9.00 pm watershed. In a paper
published today, The Caydare Centre outlines a 10 million
pound plan which recommends that "instances of disability"
are not positive images fit for our living rooms. In
a press launch this morning, the chairman of the group,
Lord Swaleside, shot a warning signal across the bows of
broadcasters who may be thinking of including disabled people
in their TV programmes. "Almost
76 per cent of people surveyed felt that the grittiness
and dirt of a handicapped existence has no place on television
during family viewing time. "If
a child were to see images of dribbling, gurning, mania
or sensory loss regularly, it could lead to disrupted sleep
and behavioural difficulties in the playground. We urge
all broadcasters to look at our code and make sure that
they uphold taste and decency for the sake of our children."
Read
More April 12, 2005
Disability
Tax Credit benefits Canadians with diabetes
Some
Canadians who use insulin to manage their diabetes may be
eligible for a federal tax credit worth up to $1,055
when they file their 2005 tax returns next year, the
Canadian Diabetes Association announced today. Since
May 2004, Canadians using an insulin pump have been eligible
for a tax credit. Announced as part of the recent federal
budget, the criteria for the Disability Tax Credit will
be expanded for 2005 to include Canadians with diabetes
who inject their insulin, in addition to those who use an
insulin pump.(1)
The Association expects these amendments to allow those
Canadians living with diabetes, particularly children, who
spend at least 14 hours per week testing their blood glucose
levels and taking multiple daily insulin injections or programming
an insulin pump to be eligible for the disability tax credit.
Read More Disability
Tax Credit and People with Diabetes Frequently Asked Questions
April 11, 2005
Religious
Coalition to Present Multi-Faith Statement In Support of
Same-Sex Marriage Legislation Representatives of a broad range of faith groups,
including Buddhists, Christians, Hindus, Jews, Muslims,
Quakers, Sikhs, and Unitarians, will meet with reporters
on Monday, April 11th at 10:00 a.m. to present a joint statement
in support of equal marriage rights for same-sex couples.
Tomorrow's news conference will follow a weekend of events
happening in cities across Canada, organized to demonstrate
faith-based support for same-sex marriage. It will also
precede the anticipated vote in the House of Commons on
Tuesday, April 12, 2005 of an amendment toBill
C-38 [The Civil Marriage Act], which has
been proposed by Conservative party leader, Stephen Harper.
Read More April
10, 2005
Save
the Women, Save Ourselves - Terror, inside and out by Michael Ledeen, contributing editor, National Review
Online writes on Iran & Women Excerpt:Two summers ago, a middle-aged Iranian-Canadian
journalist named Zahra Kazemi was arrested in Tehran while
taking photographs of regime hoodlums beating up young people
who were demonstrating for freedom. A few days later she
turned up dead in a local military hospital. The regime
denied requests from the family and the Canadian government
to examine the body, insisted that she had fallen in her
prison cell and died of injuries to her head, denied that
anyone had beaten her, and hastily buried her without any
proper autopsy.Read
More April 8, 2005
Terri
Schiavo: It's Not Just About Terri Any More A perspective from a 17-year
survivor of ALS
by David Jayne, CEO - Homebound Solutions LLC, www.RespiteMatch.com
"... The tragedy
of Terri Schiavo should scare the Hell out of all Americans,
because our courts have now established what level of human
impairment is worth living.
Mark my words, this benchmark will not remain static."Read More
April 7, 2005
Conservative
Response to McGuinty Government's Appeal of Autism Court
Ruling
Frank
Klees, MPP Oak Ridges: Statement in the Ontario Legislature Excerpt:
Speaker, Dalton McGuinty made this unqualified promise to
autistic children and their parents: "The Ontario
Liberals support extending autism treatment beyond the age
of six." That same Dalton McGuinty said, and
I quote "I…believe that the lack of government-funded
IBI treatment for autistic children over six is unfair and
discriminatory." Those promises were made while
Dalton McGuinty was scratching for votes in every corner
of the province and behind every issue. So desperately did
he want to be Premier, that no promise was with-held, and
no issue was beyond his political ambition.
Read More April 6, 2005
The
Tragedy of Terri Schiavo: A Nurse's View
by Sheila M Blanchet RN Excerpt:
...
As if these things were not bad enough, a trip to the
American
Nurses' Association (ANA) website shows just how
much support Ms. Schiavo received from so-called nursing
leaders. The association states, falsely, that this was
an "end of life" issue, when any nurse
would know that prior to the withdrawal of enteral nutrition
and hydration Ms. Schiavo was nowhere near the "end
of life". In fact, just the opposite was true and
that was the problem so far as the husband was concerned.
She wouldn't die on her own. Her
death had to be brought about by starvation.
... The ANA did have good news to share on its site,
though. It seems the girls have received a letter from
Donald Rumsfeld regarding their concerns about the nursing
care of prisoners in Iraq. Poor Terri Schiavo. Her
plight would have garnered more sympathy and attention from
the American Nurses' Association if
she had only been an imprisoned terrorist.
But, no. Terri Schiavo's
"crime", in the eyes of the ANA, was to be profoundly
disabled and unwanted by her guardian. For that
she got the death penalty, with the blessings of the ANA.
Despicable. Read More April
4, 2005
People
with disabilities have their say Canadians
with disabilities who use augmentative and alternative communication
devices (AAC) to communicate will be in Toronto from April
8 -10 to attend the second ICE Canada Conference.
ICE
Canada 2005 is the much-anticipated follow-up to the
inaugural ICE Canada Conference in 2002, which brought together
users of augmentative devices together to learn from each
other, share ideas and create new friendships. "For
those who rely on AAC devices, the ability to simply connect
and communicate with others can be challenging," says
Angela VanAlstine, recreation and integration services manager
with Ontario
March of Dimes, whose organization is helping organize
the conference. "This event promises to be a life-changing
experience where participants will gain important information
and make lasting friendships." Read
More April
4, 2005
Ontario
providing more autism therapy to young children according to Ministry of Children & Youth Services
The
Ontario government has expanded its autism program for preschool-age
children by more than 25 per cent in the past year, Children
and Youth Services Minister Marie Bountrogianni reported
today. "With over 110 new therapists hired, our autism
program is providing behavioural therapy to more than 25%
more preschool-age children than one year ago," said
Bountrogianni. "We exceeded our 20% target since announcing
our new autism strategy in March 2004, and continue to improve
the supports the government provides to children with autism."
As a result of the govt's new initiatives, the number of
children with autism waiting for assessment has decreased
by 72% - from more than 1,000 in March 2004 to 287 in March
2005. Read More April
4, 2005
Court
Rules Treatment for Autistic Children a Provincial Government
Responsibility In
her ruling today, Madam Justice Frances Kitely identified
the Ontario Provincial Government
as the body responsible for the provision of treatment for
autistic children, not school boards. The Government
must now determine its course of action in response to the
judgement before any action can occur at the School Board
level. In February of this year, the Ontario Human Rights
Commission (OHRC) decided that school boards are not responsible
for providing autistic children with costly intensive behavioural
intervention therapy. The decisions signed by chief commissioner
Keith Norton, the human-rights agency said it will not allow
the matter to proceed to a public hearing before a tribunal
because the treatment falls under the jurisdiction of the
education, health and long-term care, and children and youth
services ministries, not under the jurisdiction of the school
boards. Read
More April
4, 2005
Groundbreaking
report on health care wait times released Seven
national medical organizations have united to release an
interim report examining the problem of wait times for health
care in Canada and to establish new benchmarks for medically
acceptable wait times for care. The Wait Time Alliance
of Canada (WTA) released an interim
report today.
The Report outlines evidence-based benchmarks for medically
acceptable wait times for access to care in: heart, cancer,
diagnostic imaging, joint replacement and sight restoration.
The report is a direct response to the commitment made by
First Ministers in September 2004 (10-Year Plan to Strengthen
Health Care) to establish evidence-based benchmarks for
medically acceptable wait times in the five priority areas.
With the deadline fast approaching (December 31, 2005),
Federal-Provincial-Territorial governments have commissioned
research on this issue, but have yet to come forward with
a process to develop national benchmarks. Read
More April
3, 2005
No
Guts No Glory
by Ingrid V. Tischer
[This piece by Ingrid Tischer,
first published in Oct. 2003, still says it best!] "The
women's movement doesn't know how to be revolutionary anymore." Excerpt:
I
suspect most women, however enlightened, do not accept Terri
Schiavo is a woman. Not really. Her medical condition too
easily eclipses her humanity. I can certainly understand
(and share) the deep emotions and fears this case raises.
What I cannot understand is the silence. The unwillingness
of nondisabled women to try to see beyond their own narrow
perspective on what constitutes a "meaningful life."
So much for that cornerstone of the women's movement, prizing
the voice of the person with the experience. Don't ask me,
a woman who's been disabled all of her life. By all means,
ask a doctor. I'm waiting to hear from long-time feminists
who told male doctors that radical mastectomies weren't
the answer to every lump, that hysterctomies weren't the
cure for the common cold; who told male police officers
that no means no, even when it isn't spelled out in a contract.
I'm waiting to find out to know why they're so quiet now,
the women who kept hammering the message that women's lives
are valuable even when they aren't gestating a child, pleasing
a man, or wrapped in skin of a certain color. Is it because
you see Schiavo less as a woman and more as a disability?
Read More
April
2, 2005
Kimberly
Nixon v Rape Relief: the appeal The
B.C. Court of Appeal will hear the appeal in Nixon v
Rape Relief on April 4, 5, and 6 in Vancouver.
At issue in the appeal are two questions. Can and should
a women’s service organization decide who is a woman?
And whether there is a new and more stringent test for proving
discrimination in human rights cases. The
case has attracted attention at every step of the previous
three hearings. Women’s organizations across the country
have followed the case closely. Vancouver Rape Relief
is in a minority among B.C. women’s organizations in
turning away a transwoman. A 2002 study found that most
B.C. women’s organizations have developed trans-inclusive
policies. Read More April
1, 2005
You
Too Can Lose Weight & Keep it Off: the Terri Schiavo
Success Story by Zeynep Toufe -- If
it hadn't been for that moment when the potassium imbalance
brought about by her bulimia caused Terri's heart to stop,
she might have been the woman in the television ad I just
watched, selling the latest weight-loss method. "I
lost a hundred pounds," declares the svelte looking
woman on TV, "you too can lose weight and keep it off."
If we had any amount of decency in our culture, weight-loss
ads would have been hastily pulled off the air this week,
as Terri Schiavo's body died from lack of water. There is
much to be angry about the indignant, callous manner the
right-wing has exploited the plight of this family. They
have taken hypocrisy to new levels, and much ink has been
spilt on that. But I am disappointed that the progressive
community has not seized upon the publicity generated by
this tragedy to do more on two very important moral issues.
Read More April
1, 2005
Parkinson's
disease: more than just tremors Parkinson's
disease is generally associated with tremors. In most cases,
this is not an untrue assumption. However, this disease
is characterized by several other symptoms. Parkinson
Society Quebec (PSQ) is using the Parkinson's Disease
(PD) Awareness Month to demystify this hardship which
affects approximately 25,000 Quebecers, 20% of whom are
under 50 years old, 5 to 10% of whom have not yet celebrated
their 40th birthday, and some of whom are in their 20s.
Read
More April
1, 2005
Stem
Cell Network appoints new leaders Renowned scientists Dr. Michael Rudnicki and Dr. Janet
Rossant to lead national network of stem cell researchers.
The Stem
Cell Network brings together more than 70 leading
scientists, clinicians, engineers, and ethicists from universities
and hospitals across Canada with a mandate to investigate
the immense therapeutic potential of stem cells for the
treatment of diseases currently incurable by conventional
approaches. Headquartered
at the University of Ottawa, the Stem Cell Network is one
of Canada's Networks of Centres of Excellence funded through
Industry Canada and its three granting councils.Read
More April 1, 2005
Terri's
Death was Euthanasia rather than Natural Death April 1, 2005by Alex Schadenberg, Executive Director,
Euthanasia Prevention Coalition
The death of Terri Schiavo - Euthanasia or Natural Death?
The
tragic death of Terri Schiavo has reignited the Euthanasia
debate in the United States and Canada. Everyday we witnessed
new media reports about Terri Schiavo. We heard conflicting
commentary from bio-ethicists, physicians, & religious
leaders as to whether dehydrating Terri was euthanasia or
simply allowing natural death to occur. To intentionally
dehydrate and starve Terri Schiavo to death was euthanasia
and I will clearly explain why. Read
More March
31, 2005
New
book on history of blindness in Canada sure to open eyes It
wasn't easy for Euclid Herie to write objectively
about the proposed sterilization of blind married couples
in the 1930s. The first-time author who lost his vision
to congenital cataracts when he was 16 was understandably
angered at the suggestion presented to The Canadian National
Institute for the Blind (CNIB) that steps should be taken
to ensure blind couples could not bear children. Nor was
it easy to withhold bias to chronicle the struggle for information
materials in alternative formats, the struggle for gainful
employment with visually impaired workers moving from sheltered
workshops to mainstream offices, and the struggle for changes
in government policy. But his goal in writing Journey
to Independence: Blindness - The Canadian Storywas
not to criticize or judge, but clearly tell the history
of blindness in Canada.Read
More March 30, 2005
Lady
Liberty dying with Terri Schiavo by Chuck Baldwin
How
is it possible? How could it happen in the United States
of America? We could understand it if this happened in Nazi
Germany or in Stalin's Russia or in Mao's China, but how
could it happen in America? How can a nation whose core
principles protect the rights of life and liberty for every
citizen allow (even condone) a woman to be slowly and painfully
starved to death? This is beyond comprehension. There are
so many elements to this story that it is very difficult
to deal with them all, especially in one column. Let me
try to highlight a couple of the more glaring lessons that
come out of this tragic story. Read
More March
28, 2005
A
new approach to Violence against Women & Girls Overcoming
Violence against Women and Girls: The International Campaign to Eradicate a Worldwide
Problem by
Michael L. Penn and Rahel Nardos [Book Review] Why is it
that although women compose half the world's population
and put in nearly two-thirds of the world's work hours,
they receive just one-tenth of the world's income and own
less than one-hundredth of the world's property? It does
not take much reflection to realize that part of the answer
to this question boils down to the capacity and willingness
of men, throughout history and into modern times, to use
violence to enforce and uphold their superior position.
For if all men had somehow restrained themselves, if wife
beating, rape, and other forms of violence against women
had been inconceivable from the start, is it likely that
half the human race would have for so long remained in an
inferior position? Overcoming Violence against Women
and Girls: The International Campaign to Eradicate a Worldwide
Problem outlines the vast scope of this continuing
problem -- and also offers a new and insightful interdisciplinary
approach to remedying it. Read More
March 28, 2005
Vancouver
Status of Women launches updated Welfare Resource Guide
for Women - 2nd edition Press
Release dd March 24th, 2005: "Vancouver Status
of Women (VSW) launched its 2nd Edition of the Welfare Resource
Guide for Women this week. This guide provides updated general
information to women about British Columbia's welfare system
or Employment and Assistance Regulations within a feminist
framework. This Guide is meant to help women apply for welfare,
disability, and child benefits, and offers guidance in application
or appeal processes. The Guide especially focuses on the
needs of single mothers." Welfare
Resource Guide for Women in BC http://www.vsw.ca/EntireWelfareBooklet.pdf(565
kb, 57 pgs)
March 25, 2005
Beijing + 10: Position Paper on Women with Disabilities Disabled Peoples' International -
There are at least 300 million disabled women living in
all countries of the world. 82% of these live in the developing
world. Disabled women and girls are much more marginalizes
and mostly invisible to policy makers. Read
More March 24, 2005
An
Interview with Dinah Radtke Disabled
women's rights are women's human rights: Dinah Radtke reminds
the Commission for the Status of Women & international
women's movements
"Our
most urgent goal is to make disabled women and girls visible,
heard, respected and included in all the critical areas
of Beijing plus ten, the CSW and the Beijing Platform for
action. Until now, disabled women were said to be mainstreamed
within these agendas. But we have become increasingly invisible
through mainstreaming. In part this is because disabled
women are not seen as women first and foremost." [Dinah
Radtke is the Vice Chair of Disabled Peoples International
(DPI - www.dpi.org)
and the chair of the DPI Women's Committee.] March 24, 2005
From
the Ashes of My Dreams - by Ed Smith
... a frank critique of spinal
cord injury rehabilitation
"If
you have ever pondered what it's like when bad things happen
to good people this is the book for you. The unimaginable
happened to Ed Smith, a prominent Newfoundland educator,
columnist and humourist. The aftermath, described in his
words and also those of his wife and youngest daughter who
survived unscathed the car accident that left Ed a quadraplegic,
makes fascinating reading. This story is a testament to
the triumph of the human spirit over the kind of adversity
most of us meet only in our worst nightmares. Ed's humour,
Marion's courage and their family's determination to have
their father back shine in the face of tragedy, bureaucratic
stupidity & often callous disregard for humanity displayed
by people in our stressed and overworked Canadian health
system. I laughed, I cried, I got angry but most of all
I felt better about my status as a human being after I finished
this book. Read this, you'll be glad you did!" ~ Review
by Carrol Ann SmithRead More
March
23, 2005
Against
the killing of the light
by Ed Smith: "Given the politicization of the Terri
Schiavo case it's easy to lose sight of the real issue,
which is that a determination has been made that a brain-damaged
person does not deserve to go on living. A judgment has
been made on the quality of this person's life, and since
that quality does not meet the standards of those involved,
it has been decided she should cease to be." Read
More March
22, 2005
Inquiry
Into Psychiatry - 2005 : Historic Public Hearings On
or been on psychiatric drugs? Undergone
electroshock? Do you have concerns? Come
give personal testimony. Make an appointment to testify
or just turn up Where:
Council Chambers, City Hall, 100 Queen St. W.Toronto Psychiatric Drugs Public
Hearings:
April 2 and 3, 2005 -- 1:00 pm
to 5:00 pm Panel: Dr. Bonnie Burstow, Leah Cohen, Dr. Ernie Lightman,
Dr. Shahrzad Mojab, Michael Valpy Electroshock Public Hearings:
April 9 and 10, 2005 -- 1:00 pm to 5:00
pm Panel: Don Weitz, Cathy Crowe, Catherine Dunphy, Dr.
Roy Moodley, Chris Rahim Read
More March
22, 2005
Name
Change: National
Federation of the Blind: Advocates for Equality (NFB:AE)
is now Alliance for Equality of Blind Canadians (AEBC)
"Our
new name better reflects our distinctly Canadian advocacy
organization," says John Rae, AEBC president. "People
confuse us with a US-based advocacy group and we've even
been mistaken for the National Film Board of Canada."
The not-for-profit group of blind, deaf-blind and partially
sighted people wants the Canadian government to install
technology for independent voting, provide more audible
signals at intersections and would like both government
and businesses to build more accessible web sites, bank
machines and household products. Read
More March
22, 2005
Welfare-to-work
reform didn't help children, study shows Welfare
reforms have made no substantial difference to the development
of Canadian pre-school children living in poverty, according
to a new University of Alberta study. While the study confirmed
previous research findings that impoverished children do
better developmentally when their family income comes from
the labour market rather than from social assistance, the
University of Alberta study also showed that the
school readiness of pre-school children living in poverty
did not improve at all after the introduction of welfare
reforms in the mid-1990s, said study author Dr. Deanna Williamson,
professor of human ecology. "It suggests that mandatory
welfare-to-work initiatives that were implemented are not
sufficient to improve the development of these children,"
Dr. Williamson said. "Poverty itself matters at
least as much as the parents' source of income."
Read More March 21, 2005
Disability
Advocates Support and Thank Tom Harkin - Schiavo Case is
About Disability Rights
The "right
to life" movement has embraced Terri Schindler-Schiavo
as a cause to prove "sanctity of life." The "right
to die" movement argues that people in guardianship
should have no protection against private family decisions
to kill them. Yet the life-and-death issues surrounding
Terri Schindler-Schiavo are first and foremost disability
rights issues -- issues which affect tens of thousands of
people with disabilities who, like Ms. Schindler-Schiavo,
cannot currently articulate their views and so must rely
on others as substitute decision-makers.
Read More March 21, 2005
Oscars
for the Culture of Death - A "Disability Vendetta"
Surfaces in Hollywood
The recent
Academy Awards saw the triumph of two films that promote
a favorable view of euthanasia. "Million Dollar
Baby," a story about a female boxer severely wounded
in a bout, won four of the top Oscars, including that of
best director for Clint Eastwood. Hilary Swank won for best
actress for her portrayal of Maggie Fitzgerald, who ends
up prostrated with a spinal injury. Her pleas to be helped
in seeking release from suffering by death are fulfilled.
The
Oscar for best foreign film went to "The Sea Inside,"
which depicts the real-life case of Spaniard Ramón
Sampedro, who ended up a quadriplegic after a diving accident.
His requests to put an end to his life met were turned down
after legal battles, but he committed suicide by drinking
a cyanide-laced mixture. The
awards won by the films have focused attention on the situation
of severely injured or handicapped people, with many protesting
that the cinematic versions so popular in Hollywood are
both dangerous & demeaning. Read
More March 20, 2005
Federal
Court of Appeal Tells Canadians with Disabilities Separate
is Equal
Council of Canadians with Disabilities (CCD) Press Release
dd March 15, 2005
"Canadians
with disabilities have been told that they cannot have full
access, Canadians with disabilities have been told by the
Court that it does not matter if the Renaissance cars are
inaccessible, as long as some part of the system is accessible.
One judge even suggests that an accessible train once or
twice a week may be okay. Is this equality of opportunity?
Would this be considered acceptable for any other group?
What if women or Aboriginal people were told they could
only travel on certain trains once a week, would we consider
that acceptable?" asked Marie White, CCD National Chairperson.
Read More March
15, 2005
THE
POLITICS OF RAPE by 'Jane Doe' Presented by the Anti-Violence Network & McMaster's
Women's Studies Programme
'JANE DOE'
...A
woman who challenged the police, justice system and the
stereotypes about rape - and won! Speaking onTHE POLITICS OF RAPE Wed. March 23, 2005
from 5:30 pm - 7:00 pm (snow date: March 30,
same time & location)
The Michael De Groote Centre for Learning (MDCL) Room 1105,
McMaster University, Hamilton
This is a FREE event, BUT registration is required:
Please call 905-525-9140, Ext. 23112 or
send an email to: ois@mcmaster.ca
| Light refreshments will be served. Discussions
about sexual violence can be difficult. Members
of the Sexual Assault Centre (Hamilton & Area) will
be available to provide immediate support if necessary.
Read More March
14, 2005
Federal
Court of Appeal decision in VIA Rail
Ruling for VIA Rail disappoints
disabled - Court quashes order to modify 139 cars
By Paul Waldie,
Toronto, Globe and Mail, March 11, 2005 Via Rail has had a legal victory in a battle with
a disabled group over whether the railway must modify
nearly one-third of its cars to make them more accessible
to disabled passengers. The case involves 139 Renaissance
cars Via bought in 2000 for $140-million. Federal transport
regulators ordered the railway to modify the cars, at
a cost of about $50-million, after it received a complaint
from the Council
of Canadians with Disabilities. Via appealed the
order to the Federal Court of Appeal and in a ruling this
week, the court said Via shouldn't be required to make
the modifications because it can accommodate disabled
passengers elsewhere in its network. Read
More March 12, 2005
Ways
to get close to a nice shiny ring
By JO SUTTON, The Globe and Mail, Page A18,
dd Tuesday, March 8, 2005 Despite
our best efforts to shield the kids, the same-sex marriage
debate appears in many forms in and around our family. The
kids are listening. Read
More March
11, 2005
Stop
the deportation of Wendy Maxwell (Nzinga) URGENT
CALL for LETTERS & FAXES A
deportation date has been set for Wendy. Without intervention
from the Minister she will be removed from Canada on a
flight back to Costa Rica Mon.
March 14th CALL
/ FAX MINISTER VOLPE; CALL / FAX REMOVALS OFFICER KOSICHEK
- Take
Action March
11, 2005
On
International Women's Day, Canadian Women's Groups Seek
Greater Accountability from their Government At
a global conference currently underway at the UN in New
York, over 25 women's groups from Canada are presenting
their views on Canada's progress on a major international
platform of action for women's equality signed ten years
ago in Beijing. One hundred and eighty-eight countries,
and thousands of women are in attendance at the conference.
The
Canadian
Feminist Alliance for International Action (FAFIA)
is a coalition of women's and human rights organizations
which monitors Canada's activity on its international obligations
to women. We have prepared several reports that document
the status of women at the national and regional levels
in Canada. Read More March
9, 2005
NWAC
- Sisters in Spirit Campaign - Call for Letters As
a result of an impromptu meeting some groups from Canada
held after the presentation in New York by
the Native Women’s Association of Canada (NWAC)
regarding the
Sisters in Spirit campaign, a call for letters is being
requested. Please take time to send a letter to
Anne McLellan, Deputy Prime Minister & Minister
of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness asking her to
facilitate the immediate establishment of the $10 million
Sisters in Spirit fund which NWAC has been working towards
for over a year now. Read
More Take Action
- letter in English|| lettreenfrançais
March
9, 2005
LGBTTQ
Women's Support Group - Winter/Spring 2005
Are you
in a relationship with someone recovering from a mental
health issue? Do you want peer support in the area of: Self-Care?
Boundary Setting? Stress Management? Understanding Anger?
Effective Communication? Read
more March
9, 2005
Running
Dry: Is It Documentary or Corporate Propaganda? Statement by Wenonah Hauter, director
of Public Citizen's Water for All Campaign How
would you characterize images of impoverished people in
developing nations struggling with a lack of drinking water
and sanitation services and suffering from life-threatening
water-borne diseases? "Gut-wrenching?" "Tragic?"
Try "good marketing." In "Running Dry,"
a newly released film by James Thebaut aimed at winning
support from well-meaning politicians, a multinational company
with no less a mission than privatizing the world's water
for profit is masking its real agenda behind a blizzard
of powerful footage of the world's least fortunate. Read
More March
9, 2005
Women’s
Health in Canada: Beijing and Beyond Prepared
by Olena Hankivsky, PhD with The Canadian Women’s Health
Network
This
document was prepared as a Health Section for Canada’s
“NGO” report to the UN’s Commission on the
Status of Women’s upcoming meeting in March 2005.
Although ‘health’ is not a specific area of discussion
at the meeting, a selective commentary on this area, using
the Women’ Health Strategy as an analytic lens, is
timely not only because the Strategy has now passed its
fifth anniversary but also because health remain a priority
at meetings of the Commission on the Status of Women. The
document is intended for both a Canadian and international
audience.
Read
More March
8, 2005
More
Promises to Women not Kept CAEFS,
NWAC, SIS & W4J Press Release dd March 8, 2005 - En
Français March
8, 2005 (Ottawa)–
The Canadian Association of Elizabeth Fry Societies (CAEFS),
Native Women’s Association of Canada (NWAC), Strength
in Sisterhood Society (SIS) and Women 4 Justice
(W4J) are alarmed at what they consider
to be tacit acceptance by the Canadian Human Rights Commission
of the relative inaction of the Correctional Service of
Canada. Four years ago today, CAEFS and NWAC, supported
by more than 25 other national and international organizations,
urged the CHRC to conduct a systemic
review and issue a special report regarding the discriminatory
treatment of federally sentenced women at the hands of the
Canadian government.The complaint was filed
on behalf of all women serving federal terms of imprisonment,
on the grounds that the manner in
which the women prisoners are treated is discriminatory,
contravening s. 3(1) of the Canadian Human Rights Act.Read
More March
8, 2005
NUPGE
and NAPE join forces to fight for Pay Equity The
National Union of Public and General Employees (NUPGE)
and the Newfoundland and Labrador Association of Public
and Private Employees (NAPE) are mobilizing forces
to lobby for long-overdue pay equity settlements that
the province owes to 6,000 health care workers. The two
unions have intentionally picked March 8, International
Women's Day, to launch the campaign. Read
More
TAKE ACTION: Sign
the Online
petition urging Newfoundland to honour Pay Equity
Settlement with 6,000 provincial health care workers
March
8, 2005
Seeking
Women who are HIV positive to Participate in Research Study This
research is being done so thatwe can learn about
living with HIV from a woman's perspective. We want
to gain a better understanding of some of the challenges
that are unique to you as an HIV positive woman and what
sorts of things help you to live better. We areinterested
in your ability to work, live and cope with HIV on a day
to day basis. By increasing our understanding of important
influences on your daily living we hope to provide recommendations
to health and social service providers about ways to improve
the quality of life of women living with HIV. Read
More March 8, 2005
Searching
for Female Mentors for Women in Politics and Government
Career Learning Days
In
our efforts to provide informative & educational career
experiences for youth, Youth
in Motion is once again offering career learning
days for young women this spring! "Your Government...Your
Voice!" is an event that provides unique opportunities
for young women in high school to interact with women working
in various areas of government and politics. Read
More March
8, 2005
March 8, 2005
- International
Women's Day (IWD) Established in 1977 by the
United Nations, International Women's Day provides
an opportunity: to reflect on the progress made... toadvance women's equality, to assess the challenges
facing women in contemporary society, to consider future
steps to enhance the status of women and, to celebrate
the gains made in these areas. March
6-12, 2005 - International
Women's Week (IWW) The Canadian themefor this year's International Women's Week is
“You
Are Here: Women, Canada and the World” March 8, 2005
International
Women's Day - March 8, 2005 Message
from the UN Secretary-General on Int'l
Women's Day This year marks a milestone in the movement for gender
equality and the advancement of women - the ten-year review
of the Beijing Conference and Platform for Action. In
1995, women gathered in Beijing and took giant step forward
on behalf of humankind. As a result, the world recognized
explicitly, as never before, that gender equality is critical
to the development and peace of every nation. Ten years
on, women are not only more aware of their rights; they
are more able to exercise them. Read
More Backgrounder:
Gender Equality Beyond
2005: Building a More Secure Future March
8, 2005
Celebrating
International Women's Day:
Progress is Slow, and Inconsistent and Unreported
National Council of Women of Canada - Press
Release - March 8, 2005
This year women can celebrate a small but significant victory
because the Declaration affirming support of the Beijing
Platform for Action is being accepted by all states attending
the 49th session of the UN Commission on the Status of Women.
The ill-conceived American amendment to limit women's reproductive
rights was withdrawn late last week. The opposition to this
backward step was firm, and did not waiver. Read
More March
8, 2005
International
Women's Day - March 8, 2005: Celebrating Our Gains, Accelerating
Change
Statement by Noeleen Heyzer, Executive Director,
UNIFEM
International
Women's Day 2005 marks a crossroads for women. In the decade
since Beijing, the signs of progress are many. There
is growing recognition that gender equality is a prerequisite
for eradicating poverty and promoting sustainable development,
as stated in the Millennium Declaration. The spread of HIV/AIDS
has been recognized as a gender issue, as well as a health
issue, and the impact of war on women and women's role in
peace-building is recognized and validated by Security Council
resolution 1325. Women's human rights is monitored and upheld
by the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of
Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW), and ratified by
179 countries are now on every major agenda, national, regional
and international. Read
More March
7, 2005
World's
Women Worse Off in Past Decade: Report
By Deborah Zabarenko - UNITED
NATIONS (Reuters) - Life for many of the world's women
has become tougher in the decade since a global U.N. conference
in Beijing agreed to push for equality and economic development,
a grass-roots group said on Thursday. The
report, released as some 6,000 women's activists converged
at the United Nations, blamed governments for failing
to act on pledges to improve conditions for women in the
final document from the 1995 Beijing conference, known
as the Platform for Action. The
current U.N. meeting is meant to assess how far women
have come in areas such as economic development and the
ending of gender discrimination since the Beijing meeting
and a follow-up conference five years later. "Governments
are...failing to mobilize the political will and leadership
needed to carry out the commitments made to women at Beijing,"
said June Zeitlin of the Women's Environment and Development
Organization, which wrote the report. "As a result,
many women in all regions are actually worse off now than
they were 10 years ago. Read
More March
7, 2005
Women's
Rights & Freedoms: 20 Years (IN) EQUALITY West
Coast Legal Education and Action Fund (West Coast LEAF)
and the National Association of Women and the Law (NAWL)
are hosting a national conference in Vancouver from April
28 to May 1, 2005 at the Hilton Vancouver Metrotown Hotel.
The Conference will be bilingual and will strive towards
accessibility. The focus of the
Conference will be the 20th anniversary of the equality
requirements ("section 15") of the Canadian Charter
of Rights and Freedoms.
Section 15, which is part of the supreme law of Canada,
prohibits discrimination by Government on the basis of race,
national or ethnic origin, colour, religion, sex, age, disability,
sexual orientation, and other grounds. The Conference will
include discussions on how the Charter affects women and
our rights. The Conference is expected to provide information
on the law and discrimination, as well as a unique opportunity
to meet, strategize and share information with activists,
community workers, lawyers, and others from across the country
about what actions we can take to advance women's rights. March
7, 2005
American
Initiative at United Nations Greeted with Shock & Anger,
States National Council of Women of Canada On
Friday, the United States proposed an amendment to the draft
declaration that would reaffirm the Beijing platform and
declaration but only "while reaffirming that they do
not create any new international human rights, and that
they do not include the right to abortion," according
to the text obtained by The Associated Press. "It
is absolutely outrageous to have the Government of the United
States, self-named as the world's foremost democratic state,
the champion of Human Rights and Freedoms, usurp the right
to make personal moral decisions for all women who are half
of the world's population," said Catharine
Laidlaw-Sly, president of the National Council of Women
of Canada (NCWC). Read More
March
4, 2005
Ten
Thousand Roses: The Making of a Feminist Revolution by Judy Rebick
-Speaking
as a proud third-wave feminist, I'm embarrassed to admit
that, until very recently, I knew way more about the pioneers
who fought for women's rights stateside than the history
of the movement in my very own country. I have Judy Rebick
to thank for raising my consciousness. In her new book,
Ten Thousand Roses, the famed feminist and publisher
of the excellent rabble.ca
webzine of progressive thinkers offers a comprehensive history
of just over 30 years of second-wave feminism in Canada,
from 1960 to 1995. Book
Review by Sarah Liss March
4, 2005
Disability
Activist, Joanne Nother NOTHER,
Joanne (nee Dula) - It
is with great sadness that her family announces the sudden
passing of Joanne, in her 48th year, at her home in Sudbury,
on Sunday, February 27th, 2005.
A tireless defender for the rights of the disabled, Joanne
lived her life with independence, courage, dignity and a
great sense of humour.
Her passing will be mourned by her family; parents Anne
and Alex Dula of Hamilton, brothers Ted of Hamilton, Mike
of Burlington, Chris of Dundas and sister Tracy of Hamilton,
as well by many in laws, aunts, uncles, cousins, nephews
and nieces. Joanne will also be missed by many friends and
by her former colleagues at Cambrian College and Revenue
Canada. As per her wishes, cremation will take place at
Park Lawn Crematorium, Sudbury, with her immediate family
present. In lieu of flowers, donations in memory of Joanne
to the Multiple Sclerosis Society would be appreciated.
(Funeral arrangements entrusted to Lougheed Funeral Home,
252 Regent St., Sudbury.) Read
the Northern Life article March 3, 2005
National
Council of Women of Canada Press Release on Budget 2005
“Once
again our Government has produced a balanced budget that
offers something for everyone. The commitment to the armed
forces and the tax relief measures for business are not
the priorities of National Council of Women of Canada. It
looks like an election budget,” said Catharine
Laidlaw-Sly, NCWC President. NCWC
is dismayed that there is not any mention of improved programmes
for housing the homeless. Canada still has a serious deficit
of safe affordable housing for lower-income Canadians.
Read
More
February 25, 2005
National
Anti-Poverty Organization Statement on Budget 2005
Budget
2005: Missed Opportunity
to Move Forward on Poverty Reduction Given
the large surpluses the Finance Minister had to work with,
NAPO expected more from this government and poor Canadians
deserved much more than the Liberals delivered.Read More February
25, 2005
Le
budget ne tient pas compte des femmes!
La
Coalition canadienne pour l’égalité des
femmes (CEF) est extrêmement déçue
de voir que le gouvernement canadien a présenté,
encore une fois, un budget qui ignore ses engagements envers
les femmes. À plusieurs reprises, les membres du
gouvernement libéral ont promis à la CEF que
le budget tiendrait compte des «facteurs favorisant
l’égalité entre les sexes ». En
fait, ces paroles ont été prononcées
par le ministre Goodale à la Chambre des communes
le 8 février dernier. Notre analyse semble indiquer
qu’il n’en est rien. Plus February
25, 2005
Budget
Lets Women Down! The
Canadian Coalition for Women's Equality
(CWE) is extremely disappointed that the federal
government has once again released a budget which ignores
its commitments to women. Despite
Minister Goodale's promise in the House of Commons on February
8th that he would take "gender factors" into account,
this budget has once again let women down.
Read More February
25, 2005
Hands
Off Now Campaign - Take Action! Ending
the clawback of the National Child Benefit Supplement
(NCBS) would make a big difference in the lives of families
on social assistance. When you’re already living
below the poverty line, being able to keep the approximately
$115 you get every month for each of your children would
go a long way towards paying your bills. But that’s
not what happens. Every month the federal gov't allows
the Ontario gov't to clawback the NCBS from 163,726 children
across the province – simply because their parents
are on social assistance. It’s not right. Get involved
in the Hands Off! Campaign.
Tell the federal and provincial governments to end the
clawback immediately. TAKE
ACTION February
25, 2005
Legal
Challenge to the NCBS Clawback from Families on Social
Assistance Since
the implementation of the Canada Child Tax Benefit
(CCTB) by the federal government in July 1998, the
province of Ontario has deducted the National Child
Benefit Supplement (NCBS) portion of this benefit
from income assistance paid to families with children
who are receiving social assistance. ISAC
is representing three individuals in a Charter challenge
to this deduction (commonly referred to as the NCBS
Clawback) that was filed in December 2004 . . .
Read moreon the
Charter
challenge to the deduction of the National Child Benefit
Supplement (NCBS) February
25, 2005
Fact
Sheet - Changes to OW/ODSP Rules
Are you on Ontario Works or the Ontario Disability
Support Program? On
Dec. 15th, the Liberal Gov't announced new changes to OW/ODSP
rules. The Income Security Advocacy Centre (ISAC), which
is a province-wide legal clinic specializing in anti-poverty
issues, has created a fact sheet that explains the new
rules so you're aware of what you're entitled to or
how the changes might impact you.Read
More February
24, 2004
Families
for Early Autism Treatment
An AUTISM Rally was held on Parliament Hill Feb-23-2005,
and FEAT of Ontario (Families for Early Autism Treatment)
have a scheduled press conference Feb-24-2005 at
12:30 PM Please
contact your MPs to lend
your support
to
END the discrimination
against children with autism, and to
FUND autism treatment within
Canada's medicare. February
24, 2004
Stephen
Harper loves Martin's budget PASSING
TIMES, in Guelph with Edward Pickersgill
23/02/2005: Prime Minister Paul Martin and Finance
Minister Ralph Goodale hit a high fly into right field
this afternoon. Stephen Harper sauntered over and made
an easy catch. Unlike baseball this means Martin is safe
and Goodale is awarded a homerun. Such is the world of
Canada's orphan government. February 24, 2004
Canadians
with Disabilities Once Again Left Without Supports
Council of Canadians with Disabilities' Response to Budget
2005 Today's
federal Budget improves tax fairness for Canadians with
disabilities but does nothing to improve the situation of
those most in need," said Marie White Chairperson of
CCD. "The improved tax measures are a positive step
in the right direction in addressing the need for investment
in supports, but, they are of no benefit to the vast majority
of Canadians with disabilities who live in poverty and have
no taxable income," said White. Read
More February
23, 2004
Training:
Prison, Homelessness & Harm Reduction "Out
of the Joint, Onto the Street"
Increasing Community Access for Homeless
Ex-Prisoners
An interactive, multimedia presentation
- Presented by: The
John Howard Society of Toronto &
The Prisoners' HIV/AIDS Support Action Network February
23, 2004
Federal
election on the horizon
PASSING
TIMES, in Guelph with Edward Pickersgill On Wednesday Mr. Dithers presents his make it or break
it budget and signs indicate he might just be joining
Joe Clark in the interesting but strange category of Canadian
history. Not surprisingly many European decision makers
have lost confidence in our Canadian prime minister. "Paul Martin has been nicknamed "Mr. Dithers"
by a prestigious international magazine, which slammed
the prime minister for being indecisive in his first 14
months in office." Read More http://www.mytown.ca/passingtimes/
February
20, 2005
New
Worm Alert!
A new version of the Mydoom worm is now in circulation.
W32.Mydoom.AX@mm is a mass-mailing worm that uses
its own SMTP engine to send email to addresses that it retrieves
from the Windows Address Book on the infected computer.
It affects all versions of Windows. Read
More February
18, 2005
Jeri Wine was a well-known feminist, psychologist
and early supporter of DAWN. Jeri
died of an asbestos- related cancer this winter.
This Sunday a memorial service is being held at the Ontario
Institute for Studies in Education (OISE) in the afternoon.
Read More
February 4, 2005
Launch
of Disability Policy website The
E-Democracy theme of the Dis-IT Research Alliance,
in collaboration with any of Canada's national disability
advocacy organizations, is launching a website called Disability-Related
Policy in Canada today. http://www.disabilitypolicy.ca
Email
comments/suggestions to Lindsey at troschuk@ms.umanitoba.ca February
1, 2005
Women's
Health Care Study
BLACK WOMEN AND WOMEN OF COLOUR NEEDED
Five
Community Health Care Centres in Toronto are seeking research
participants for individual interviews on the barriers Black
Women and Women of Colour face when accessing Primary Health
Care. Read
More Enquête
sur les soins de santé des femmes
Nous Recherchons Des Femmes
Noires Et Des Femmes De Couleur
Cinq centres de santé communautaires de Toronto recherchent
des femmes à interviewer individuellement dans le
cadre d'une recherche sur les obstacles que rencontrent
les femmes noires et les femmes de couleur lorsqu'elles
tentent d'avoir accès à des soins de santé
généraux. Read More
February 1, 2005
Advancing
the Inclusion of Persons with Disabilities 2004
Advancing the Inclusion of Persons with Disabilities 2004
is the Government of Canada’s second comprehensive
progress report on disability in Canada. In providing
this report, the Government hopes to help Canadians better
understand the answers to four related questions: *
What does inclusion mean, and what are its key elements?
* How
close is Canada to fully including persons with disabilities
in society?
* How
can progress toward inclusion be measured?
* How
does the Government of Canada help advance inclusion?
January 2005
Canadian
Attitudes Towards Disability Issues
The Office for Disability Issues (ODI) commissioned
a national study of public awareness and attitudes towards
disabilities in Canada. The purpose of this research is
to gauge Canadians’ attitudes towards persons with
disabilities and awareness of disability-related issues,
and in particular identify how these compare between individuals
with and without disabilities. The study was conducted
in two parts: a)
a national public opinion survey of Canadians (quantitative);
& b)
in-depth focus groups with selected groups of Canadians
in four locations (qualitative) January 2005
The
Disability Tax Credit: Evaluation Report
This evaluation assesses whether the DTC is achieving its
policy intent of contributing to tax fairness for persons
with disabilities. The evaluation shows that:
* The
DTC improves tax fairness for over 400,000 Canadians with
severe and prolonged disabilities, as well as their supporting
families.
* An
aggregate comparison suggests that the DTC is reaching its
target population-Canadians with severe and prolonged disabilities.
Employment
Assistance Programs in Ontario Works & ODSP - Ontario
Disability Support Program by Deb Matthews, M.P.P.
“This report is the result of a series of discussions
across Ontario with hundreds of people who have an interest
in social assistance, it attempts to consolidate the multitude
of suggestions into one document and offers recommendations
that, if implemented, will deliver better results for the
money we spend and provide people with the supports they
need to move toward economic independence.” January 2005
Improving
Ontario's Social Assistance Programs
The McGuinty government is delivering on its commitment
to treat social assistance recipients with dignity and
respect, help people move to employment, and make the
welfare system more efficient and effective." Some
of changes that will directly effect people with disabilities
are:
* The government has established a new Overpayment
Recovery Unit to collect overpayments in the Ontario Disability
Support Program, so that taxpayer dollars are used as
they were meant to be used and the system is more accountable.
* The government will provide drug cards to social
assistance recipients with serious health conditions who
may be temporarily ineligible for support due to non-compliance
with employment participation rules. This was a key recommendation
resulting from a Coroner's
Inquest into the tragic death of a social assistance recipient.
* The government is increasing the exemption for gifts
and voluntary payments given to Ontario Disability Support
Program participants from $4,000 to $5,000 per year per
person. January 2005
New
Executive Director Announced For Manitoba's Disabilities
Issues Office
The appointment of a new executive director for Manitoba’s
Disabilities Issues Office and funding of over $300,000
to create more accessible housing with special design features
for people with disabilities were announced today by Christine
Melnick, minister responsible for persons with disabilities.
. . The announcement also marks the completion of a successful
housing project, including substantial renovations, creating
10 apartments at 125 Carriage Rd. in Winnipeg. The two-storey,
98-unit housing facility is owned by the Manitoba Housing
and Renewal Corporation and is managed by the Manitoba Housing
Authority. January 2005
Restoring
Financial Governance & Accessibility in The Employment
Insurance Program: Part One
Since
the middle of the 1990s, the cumulative balance in the Employment
Insurance (EI) Account - commonly referred to as the EI
reserve - has steadily increased and today is regarded by
most as excessive. . . The government’s unwillingness
to limit the size of the cumulative balance in the EI Account
and, more importantly, to reduce it, has caused a great
deal of consternation among employers and employees who
contribute to EI. The growing importance of this issue was
also part of a proposed amendment to the recent Speech from
the Throne. The Standing Committee on Human Resources, Skills
Development, Social Development and the Status of Persons
with Disabilities, which broached this subject on several
occasions in the 37th Parliament.
January
2005
Technical
Advisory Committee Recommendations on Disability Tax Measures
Minister of Finance Ralph Goodale and Minister of National
Revenue John McCallum today welcomed the final report of
the Technical Advisory Committee on Tax Measures for Persons
with Disabilities, entitled Disability Tax Fairness. ‘The
committee’s recommendations will provide useful guidance
to the Government on how best to make the tax system fairer
for persons with disabilities and those who care for them,’
said Minister Goodale. ‘I will take the committee’s
advice into account while putting together the 2005 budget’."
http://www.disabilitytax.ca/
Report
January
2005
Canada
has a long way to go to achieve full participation &
equality for citizens with disabilitiesNUPGE
(National Union of Public and General Employees)
The reality
is that Canadians with disabilities have been forced to
take a step backwards in the last decade in their struggle
to gain full participation and equality. We only need to
look at recent Statistics Canada data to see that the levels
of unemployment and poverty for persons with disabilities
have increased in the last decade. * Only
41.5% of working-age adult Canadians with disabilities have
jobs;
* Working-age disabled Canadians report average household
income of $21,308 vs. $29,556 for the non-disabled population,
a 28% gap;
* More than 55% of adults with disabilities live below the
low income cut-off (LICO) as compared to 19% of adults without
disabilities.
January
2005
Government
Links Business And Disabled Persons
A new
interactive job site is one of several new tools announced
today by Human Resources Minister Susan Brice to make it
easier for businesses to recruit the employees they need
and provide employment opportunities for British Columbians
with disabilities who want to work.
January
2005
80%
Back Right to Die
More than 80 per cent of disabled people
questioned about euthanasia said they should be allowed
to choose to die, according to a survey commissioned by
the Voluntary Euthanasia Society (VES). The poll, involving
more than 500 disabled people, was carried out by the organisation
YouGov. In October, DN ran a debate in which disabled people
spoke for and against the right to die with assistance.
This was prompted by complaints, including from Scope's
chief executive Tony Manwaring, that DN should not have
accepted an advertisement postcard from a group of disabled
people affiliated to VES. January
2005
Disability
Complaints Increase - Human Rights Panel Reviews More Cases
by David Schmeichel, The Winnipeg Sun
Complaints to the Manitoba Human Rights Commission based
on physical or mental disabilities have more than doubled
during the past decade, according to the organization's
annual report. In 1993, the percentage of complaints filed
under disability was about 19%, and in 2003 the figure reached
more than 40%, executive director Dianna Scarth said yesterday. January 2005
ElectionAccess.org
IFES'
'ElectionAccess.org' is a clearinghouse for information
on the participation of people with disabilities in the
electoral process. The International Foundation for Election
Systems (IFES) is committed to extending the reach of
democracy through technical assistance and support to
governmental and nongovernmental organizations in new
& emerging democracies. The website's 5 sections:
*
Laws and Regulations
*
Rights and Standards
*
Best Practices
*
Publications
*
Contacts and Links
January 2005
Remembering
The Spotted Owl: Activism And Terri Schiavo
by Dave Reynold, Ragged Edge
During
the 1980s in the Pacific Northwest, the spotted owl became,
for environmentalists, the symbol of everything wrong with
the timber industry. For the timber industry, the speckled
bird became the symbol of everything wrong with environmentalism.
In the economically depressed, timber industry region where
I lived, I often saw bumper stickers suggesting, 'Save a
logger: Eat a spotted owl'. I asked a friend who was close
to the environmental movement what was so darned special
about this bird. She patiently explained that there are
a whole host of creatures that need untouched old-growth
forests in order to hunt, nest, lay eggs - to survive. January 2005
Global
Television Commits to 100% Closed Captioning of its Programming
The Global
Television Network Inc. announced today a new policy that
will increase closed captioning levels for the deaf, deafened
and hard-of-hearing communities of Canada to all its programming,
24 hour a day and seven days a week. The policy will also
apply to all Global owned television stations. January 2005
Engineers
develop assistive technologies for the blind
UCSC
researchers are developing new assistive technologies for
the blind based on advances in computer vision that have
emerged from research in robotics. A ‘virtual white
cane’ is one of several prototype tools for the visually
impaired developed by Roberto Manduchi, an assistant professor
of computer engineering, and his students. January 2005
Tech
devices aid blind
- by Ann Geracimos, The Washington Times
A number
of products are made to help the disabled cope with their
daily lives, but the best to date are the electronic devices
that came along with the computer revolution in the 1980s
and are still undergoing development. However, the cost
of some of these devices is beyond the means of some of
the 10 million blind and vision-impaired Americans, just
30 percent of whom, Mrs. Relton says, are employed; far
fewer, she adds, work at jobs that would enable them to
afford the new equipment. January 2005
Disability
News Ticker undergoes MAJOR Changes, Adds RSS Feeds
The Disability News Ticker has recently undergone
major navigation and content changes with the redesign of
the entire section. New headlines will now be listed on
a page that will show all new entries, as opposed to the
previous format which listed countries on one page. This
new format will give you a quick and easy chance to scan
through the new headlines instead of having to sort through
each individual country. I have moved the country listings
to 6 new continent pages: The Americas, Europe, Asia, Africa,
Oceania and a section called 'Special' which contains the
International and Technology Disability-related news. Archives
still exist from each country listing. In addition to the
re-design I have added an 'RSS XML' feed for those that
use the 'News Aggregator' Internet technology. January 2005
Disability
Rights Activist Paul Longmore To Receive 2004 Henry B. Betts
Award The American Association of People with Disabilities
(AAPD) proudly announces that The Henry B. Betts Award
Committee has selected Paul Longmore, Ph.D., an intellectual
force and passionate spokesperson for all disabled people’s
right to dignified supports for independent living and self-determination,
to receive the 2004 Henry B. Betts Award. Longmore is an
internationally recognized disability rights activist historian,
and spokesperson for the rights of people with disabilities.
He has committed himself to change the lives of disabled
people who want meaningful work but fear loss of public
benefits that pay for healthcare, disability equipment and
personal assistance. January 2005
Helping
Disabled People Out of the Shadows- AAPD
Disabled people are not only the most deprived human beings
in the developing world, they are also the most neglected.
It is important to acknowledge that more than 600 million
people in the world live with some form of disability. More
than 400 million of them live in developing countries, often
amidst poverty, isolation and despair. Not only are they,
typically, the poorest of the poor, but they also need more
money and help than able-bodied people to overcome their
handicaps, and attempt to live normal lives. January 2005
Living
Life, Just With a Disability
- by Leslie Milk, Washington Post
I was deeply disturbed by the story about Richard Turner
Jr., the young man born with Erb's palsy as the result
of a birth injury ['In Delivery Room, Baby and Doctor
at Risk,' front page, Nov. 27]. Who were the 'experts'
who predicted that Mr. Turner would face a lifetime of physical
and psychological disability so severe as to make him 'unable
to fully participate in the job market' and incapable of
a normal life? I am grateful that they weren't around when
I was born with Erb's palsy. January 2005
No
Handicapped In Heaven?
- by Johnny Crescendo, Ragged Edge
Have
you ever been to a funeral of a disabled friend? I've
been to lots recently. Here's a warning to us all. There
you are lying in your coffin in a church/ mosque/synagogue/temple.
Maybe it's only the second time in your life you've been
there. A person you have never met - the vicar/priest
/rabbi/imam - is eulogizing about your faith, which you
never had. He or she has got some notes from the one member
of you family who gets religion, the one you had a row
with 15 years previously and have never seen since. They
play music that in life made you reach for the vomit bucket
-- something like 'Ruby Don't Take Your Love To Town'
-- and hymns you've never heard of. You've been an activist
who is totally anti-charity, who has been locked up campaigning
against the patronising attitudes peddled by fading 'F'
list star. Yet mourners are being told now, 'No flowers.
All donations to the Jerry Lewis Telethon'. January 2005
Overcome:
David Blunkett is disabled now - by Damon
Rose, Ouch
In 1987, when he took the seat for Sheffield Brightside,
Blunkett was referred to as 'the blind MP'. And that's how
we thought of him. Now, if I remember correctly, Blunkett
let it be known that he wanted to be defined by his achievements
not his impairments, and there was a bookmarkable moment
when suddenly no one called him blind any longer. But now,
as of last week, we're all talking about it again and he's
the great 'overcomer' of disability! January 2005
Pasadena,
California Wins National Organization On Disability’s
Pasadena,
California has won the fourth annual Accessible America
Contest, the National Organization on Disability (N.O.D.)
announced today. Pasadena is being heralded as a national
model for its focus on disability issues and its successful
design of programs, services and facilities that are accessible
for citizens and visitors who have disabilities. According
to the U.S. Census, more than 18 percent of the city’s
133,936 residents have one or more disabilities. January 2005
BCODP
in the Balance
The future of the British Council of Disabled People
(BCODP) hangs in the balance after members at two separate
meetings discussed whether to leave. Members in north west
England gave up their membership, while disabled people
from across the UK attending a crisis meeting run by the
Southampton Centre for Independent Living (SCIL) said they
needed more time to debate concerns. At the December annual
general meeting of the Greater Manchester Coalition of Disabled
People (GMCDP), members voted to withdraw from the BCODP. January 2005
How
healthy are Canadians? Annual report 2004
This year’s report from Statistics Canada - Focus
on Mental Health - features articles based on data
from the first nationwide survey of mental and emotional
health: The Canadian Community Health Survey (CCHS), cycle
1.2 - Mental Health and Well-being. The purposes of this
survey were:
* to
provide timely, reliable estimates of selected major mental
disorders;
* to
describe the physical health and personal and socio-demographic
characteristics associated with mental disorders;
* to estimate the burden of illness and degree of disability
associated with selected mental disorders;
* to compare access to and use of mental health services
with the perceived need for such services. http://www.statcan.ca/english/freepub/82-003-SIE/2004000/pdf/82-003-SIE2004000.pdf January 2005
NICE
issues guideline to prevent falls in elderly people
(UK) Elderly people should be asked about falls and those
at risk should be offered multifactorial assessment and
appropriate interventions, a clinical guideline published
this week for the NHS in England and Wales recommends. The
guideline, developed by the National Institute for Clinical
Excellence (NICE), and the National Collaborating Centre
for Nursing and Supportive Care (based at the Royal College
of Nursing), makes recommendations about the care of elderly
people in the community or extended care for those either
who have had a fall or who are considered at risk of falling. Guidelines: http://www.nice.org.uk/page.aspx?o=233609 January 2005
Panic
DisorderStatistics Canada
Just under 1 million people aged 15 or older have suffered
from panic disorder (recurrent, unexpected panic attacks)
at some point during their lives, according to a new report
that highlights the complex set of problems these people
face. Moreover, people who suffer from panic disorder tend
to have poor coping strategies. . . .Based on data from
the 2002 Canadian Community Health Survey (CCHS), the study
estimated that about 3.7% of the population aged 15 or older
has suffered from panic disorder. January 2005
Pharmacare
and the Health Care Communiqué
by Tom McIntosh, CPRN
In an updated opinion piece that first ran in the National
Post, the new Director of CPRN's Health Network, Tom McIntosh,
argues that there are some difficult steps still to be taken
by federal and provincial governments before we can put
in place a sustainable national pharmacare program. January 2005
Spinal
Cord Injury and Obesity
After living with a spinal cord injury for 10 years, Mark
Pascoe knows he needs to work hard to keep his weight down.
'I continue to gain weight and have to be careful with my
diet. I was very active and strong before the injury and
now it’s limited those abilities,' says Pascoe, 46,
who broke his neck when he fell off a jet ski and hit a
rock in the water. Pascoe is not alone in his weight worries.
As the nation fights a growing obesity epidemic, the problem
is even more dramatic for people with spinal cord injury.
Researchers at the University of Michigan Health System
are looking at how people with spinal cord injury burn calories
and how that is affected by their muscle mass and body weight.
The goal is to make better recommendations to people with
spinal cord injury, but the research will also translate
into greater understanding of obesity in the general population
as well.
January
2005
Family
Medicine In Canada - Vision For The Future
by the College of Family Physicians of Canada
Canada is facing a crisis. Timely access to health care
services is getting progressively worse for Canadians. The
single biggest reason for this is a severe shortage of health
professionals. High on the list of those in short supply
are family doctors. More than 4 million Canadians cannot
find family physicians to care for them; compared to people
with family physicians, those that have no family doctors
are more vulnerable to prolonged wait times throughout the
system and are less satisfied with the performance of all
other health professionals, institutions, and governments.
. . In discussing underserved populations (as distinct from
underserved regions), a Health Canada report stated that
‘…individuals who belong to a certain population
(and people can belong to more than one) may experience
difficulties in obtaining needed care, receive less care
or a lower standard of care, experience different treatment
by health care providers, receive treatment that does not
adequately meet their needs, or that they will be less satisfied
with health care services than the general population,’
and lists ‘people who do not speak either of Canada's
official languages, people with alternate sexual orientation,
immigrants, refugees, ethnically or racially diverse populations,
people with disabilities, the homeless, sex trade workers,
and people with low incomes’ as populations that meet
this definition. January 2005
News
Diabetes And Chronic Disease Prevention Initiative Announced
Manitoba is tackling chronic disease illness head on with
a new prevention initiative, the provincial government announced
today. As noted in the speech from the throne, chronic disease
is a major cause of illness, disability and death in Manitoba,
especially among First Nations. As a result, the provincial
government today revealed a Chronic Disease Prevention Initiative.
The initiative was announced today by Health Minister Tim
Sale and Healthy Living Minister Theresa Oswald. January 2005
Research
Aims To Restore Amputee Limb Function
An MIT professor and colleagues from Brown University and
the Providence Veterans Affairs Medical Center have begun
a five-year, multidisciplinary research project to restore
arm and leg function to amputees. The work will receive
$7.2 million in funding from the Department of Veterans
Affairs (VA). At the end of the project, the scientists
hope to have created 'biohybrid' limbs that will use regenerated
tissue, lengthened bone, titanium prosthetics and implantable
sensors that allow an amputee to use nerves and brain signals
to move the arm or leg. January 2005
Theory
that could help to cure diseases including cancer
An Open University science student has astonished the world
of medicine with a theory that could help to cure diseases
including cancer. The 40-year-old project manager Gary Smith
was learning about inflammation as part of an OU course
Molecules in Medicine when he struck on a hypothesis so
extraordinary that it could have implications for the treatment
of almost every inflammatory disease - including Alzheimers,
Parkinson’s, rheumatoid arthritis and even HIV and
AIDS. January 2005
BAA
told to pay up for wheelchair assistance
- by Paul Marston, Telegraph
The airports company BAA was found guilty of discrimination
against disabled passengers yesterday and ordered to pay
a half share of the cost of providing wheelchair assistance
at Stansted. The Court of Appeal overturned a county court
decision that the no-frills airline Ryanair should bear
the whole £18 charge, and said the two companies should
also split the £1,336 compensation awarded at an earlier
hearing to a cerebral palsy sufferer, Bob Ross, who was
made to pay for a wheelchair before taking a flight to France
last year. January 2005
Local
man files disability suit against Amtrak Service dog banned
from dining car - by Kevin Murphy, The
Capital Times
A Madison
man who travels extensively by train with his service dog,
'Trooper,' is claiming in a federal lawsuit that Amtrak
violated the Americans With Disabilities Act when it prevented
him from taking Trooper into the dining car on a trip to
California. John Nelson, who has back problems and suffers
congestive heart trouble, has taken eight lengthy train
trips with his wife and Trooper. The three were traveling
on the California Zephyr in December 2002, from Chicago
to San Francisco, when a conductor told Nelson he couldn't
bring his dog into the dinning car. January 2005
Nationwide
Disability Discrimination Lawsuit Filed Against Developer
Archstone-Smith, One Of America’s Largest Residential
Apartment Developers
The
Washington Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights and Urban
Affairs announced today the filing of a lawsuit against
one the nation’s largest residential apartment developers,
the Archstone-Smith Trust (NYSE:ASN), alleging discrimination
against persons with disabilities. The complaint, filed
in federal court in Maryland today, charges Archstone
with continuous and systematic violations of the civil
rights of disabled people in the design and construction
of more than 100 apartment complexes in 18 states and
the District of Columbia. January 2005
You
can helpput an end toglobal
poverty. The time to act
is now. Add yourvoice
to MakePoverty History.
Yes I want to Make Poverty
History.
Make Poverty
History Platform
Online
petition urges Newfoundland
to honour Pay Equity Settlement
with 6,000 provincial health care workers
OISE/UT,
252 Bloor St. W., Room 2-214 
