Between
the Laughter: CBC Newsworld, The Lens Tuesday,
Dec 11 at 10 pm, ET/ 7 pm PT Comedy
is an unusual pursuit for someone who is hearing impaired. Stepen O'Keefe must
work as hard on his pronunciation as he does on his jokes. Immersing viewers in
the heard of Stephen's demanding life, the documentary follows along as he spends
time with his young son, runs a business with his wife, prepares to move into
a new home, and nurtures his blossoming comedy career. This is a humour filled
profile-from life in between comedy acts to the realities of being caught between
a hearing world and a silent one. Read More December
8, 2007
The
world premiere of Stories for Hemingway's Havana Written and Performed by Brian Gordon Sinclair (Recipient
of the prestigious Sir
Tyrone Guthrie Award for
acting) When:
July 7, 2007 at 7 pm Where:
OISE (Ontario Institute of Studies in
Education) 7th floor Peace Lounge, 252 Bloor Street West (this
is a FREE event) presented by CAPA (Coalition Against Psychiatric
Assault) This
is a Mad Pride associated event Read
More July
4, 2007
MAD
Pride Day - July 14, 2007 - An International Day Recognizing Mad People’s
Movement in Toronto Survivors!
... Consumers! ... Mad Folks! ... Allies ... Activists ... Help
Celebrate Mad Pride Toronto! Join
the BED PUSH - A pride parade of sorts Gather at 1pm at
the front door of CAMH 1001 Queen Street West at 1pm. We will march to Parkdale
Activity & Recreation Center for a celebration!
Mad
Pride Day, July 14th, an international day recognizing Mad People’s movement
has been proclaimed as such, within the city of Toronto.
Help
recognize and celebrate psychiatric survivors, consumers and mad folks
by getting involved in and supporting Toronto's first ever Mad Pride Bed Push,
a parade of sorts.
The
idea of a Bed Push is inspired by our British counterparts who staged The Great
Escape Bed Push, as a Mad Pride event last year.
Dressed
in Pajamas a group of campaigners pushed a psychiatric bed from Millview Psychiatric
Hospital in Brighton, 60 miles to the original site of “Bedlam” the
Bethlem Asylum in London, all the while being pursued by a giant syringe. The
aim of the stunt was to raise awareness about the poor levels of choice of treatments
and the widening use of force in the psychiatric system.
When:July 14, 2007 at 1:00 pm Where: CAMH, 1001
Queen Street West Speakers: City Counselor
Gord Perks, M.P.P.
Cheri DiNovo, & M.P. Peggy Nash
Call
or email us, let us know that you
care about Mad Pride by getting involved in it. Read
More
ETFO
President Emily Noble acknowledged that the Ontario government quickly responded
to concerns about quality of care by promising to post details of child care inspections
on a government website. However, the issue of unsatisfactory child care continues
to be a serious concern, she said. Read More May
30, 2007
Legal
appeal of Ontario Energy Board decision on low-income energy consumers Low-Income
Energy Network (LIEN) Press Release dd May 29, 2007 Today,
the Low-Income Energy Network
(LIEN) announced it will not be giving up the fight for fair energy prices
for low-income consumers in Ontario, despite a recent decision by the Ontario
Energy Board (OEB) that thwarted the group’s efforts. LIEN served notice
of its appeal to Divisional Court of the Ontario Energy Board’s (OEB) decision
issued April 26, 2007 that it does not have the jurisdiction to implement rate
affordability programs for low-income residential consumers. There was a very
strong dissenting decision in this matter by Gordon Kaiser, Chair of the three-member
Board panel, who found that the OEB does have the “jurisdiction to approve
special rates for low-income consumers in appropriate cases.” Read
More May 29, 2007
Women's
Group Applauds Amnesty International CAEFS
- Canadian Association of Elizabeth Fry Societies Press Release dd May 28,
2007 The Canadian
Association of Elizabeth Fry Societies (CAEFS)emerged from its
Annual General Meeting in Montreal with a clear direction from its membership
to commend Amnesty International for their report on The State of the
World's Human Rights. CAEFS is a federation of 26 local, community based service
providers who work with and on behalf of marginalized victimized, criminalized,
and imprisoned women and girls. Read
More May 29, 2007
WHY
YOU SHOULD ATTEND: This
conference will allow YOU to meet researchers and professionals at the forefront
of stroke rehabilitation and treatment. Read More May
24, 2007
Is
That Legal? http://www.isthatlegal.ca/index.php?name=start.tenant_law This
resource was created by Simon Shields, a lawyer whose goal in creating this site
was to "share his knowledge, experience and research regarding Ontario and
Canadian law with those in our society who most need it". The link is to
a new resource on the site --
an extensive legal
review of the new Ontario Residential Tenancies Act. May
18, 2007
Summary
of Pro Bono Students Canada 2006-2007 ODSP Special Diet Allowance Analysis Our analysis
examined the procedure associated with applying for ODSP Special Diet Allowance
funding, appealing special diet allowance rulings, and the various regulations
associated with this program. Based
upon our findings, we concluded that the ODSP Special Diet Allowance is failing
to meet its stated objectives. In our report we identified the major issues associated
with the current ODSP Special Diet Allowance program and recommended various steps
that maybe taken to properly resolve these issues. May
15, 2007
No
End to Ontario's CHILD TAX BENEFIT CLAWBACK by Michelle Langlois, Rabble, March 23, 2007 There appears
to be some confusion over whether the federal child tax benefit clawback from
Ontario social assistance cheques has been ended by the Dalton McGuinty government
this week. Allow me to clear up the confusion: the clawback is still in full force.
Read full article here:
http://www.rabble.ca/everyones_a_critic.shtml?x=58144 March
24, 2007
With
Women Worldwide: A Compact to End HIV/AIDS Outlines
priority actions for making global HIV/AIDS prevention, treatment, and care strategies
work for women. Developed by a group of women advocates for use in 2006 negotiations
on HIV/AIDS and beyond. ...Read More July 29, 2006
Women
and HIV/AIDS: Select Facts Women are increasingly vulnerable to HIV/AIDS.
Young people, especially young women, are disproportionately at risk.
Women and girls do not have access to comprehensive information and services.
The biggest HIV/AIDS risk
for many women and girls is marriage.
Sexual coercion and violence lead to a greater chance of infection. Read
More July
29, 2006
How
Much Longer? by Eduardo Galeano 07/28/06
"IPS" -- One country
bombed two countries. Such impunity might astound were it not business as usual.
In response to the few timid protests from the international community, Israel
said mistakes were made.
How much longer will horrors be called mistakes?
This slaughter of civilians began with the kidnapping of a soldier.
How much longer will the kidnapping of an Israeli soldier be allowed to justify
the kidnapping of Palestinian sovereignty?
How much longer will the kidnapping of two Israeli soldiers be allowed to justify
the kidnapping of the entire nation of Lebanon?
For centuries the slaughter of Jews was the favorite sport of Europeans. Auschwitz
was the natural culmination of an ancient river of terror, which had flowed across
all of Europe.
How much longer will Palestinians and other Arabs be made to pay for crimes they
didn’t commit? Read More July
28, 2006
The
stigma surrounding abortion continues in New Brunswick - Open Letter from Dr.
Henry Morgentaler The
New Brunswick government continues to deny women access to publicly funded abortions.
Under the current Medical Services Payment Act, to have an abortion covered by
Medicare, women are obliged to have the approval of two doctors in writing and
the abortion must be performed in a hospital by a gynecologist. This leaves women
with no family doctor or an anti-choice doctor no option other than the Morgentaler
Clinic in Fredericton. This discriminatory practice must stop. Read
More July 28, 2006
Specifically, it is possible that
the Government may soon announce the funding it will provide to the human rights
legal clinic it promised to establish. Last February, the Government said it would
eliminate the Human Rights Commission’s core role of investigating human
rights violations, and prosecuting where evidence warrants. The Government said
it would instead provide legal representation for discrimination victims who take
their case to the Human Rights Tribunal. When it introduced Bill 107 last spring,
it made the extravagant promise that each and every human rights complainant would
be given legal representation at the Human Rights Tribunal, regardless of their
income. A new Human Rights legal clinic would do this work.
Read More July 27, 2006
Inflammatory
Breast Cancer (IBC): The Silent Killer Inflammatory
Breast Cancer (IBC)
is an advanced and accelerated form of breast cancer usually not detected by mammograms
or ultrasounds.
Inflammatory breast cancer requires immediate aggressive treatment with chemotherapy
prior to surgery and is treated differently than more common types of breast cancer.
African Americans have
a higher incidence of IBC than do Caucasians and other ethnic groups (10.1%, 6.2%,
and 5.1%, respectively)."
She
hopes the ideas in the report are a joke, calls the report "sloppy",
"sentimentalist", "Rousseau-ian", "sprinkled with neo-Luddite
thinking", "buttressed with Marxist-socialist cant"; that I am
"channeling the founders of the Social Credit party", making the guaranteed
annual income idea seem "ridiculous", doing a "huge disservice"
to the women interviewed, that I "trivialized the desperate needs of the
poor", made a "nonsensical lament about how [low income women] can't
buy organic", put feminism in disrepute and made the rest of Canada see us
as "wigged-out West Coasters." I'm surprised she didn't call me a blood-drinking
vampire as well, but then she wonders if I'm vegan. If she had contacted me, I
would have told her: that's right, I only drink the blood of organic carrots.
Read
More July 24, 2006
A
shameful silence on women's rights Paul
Sheehan asks why Western feminists are mute on the plight of their Islamic sisters
Excerpt:
"... In this cultural clash, the treatment of women is the most hotly
contested terrain. Not just the treatment of non-Muslim women by Muslim men, but
the treatment of Muslim women within Western culture. Many Muslim women live under
constraints that are unacceptable to wider society. For years, a symptom of this
tension, which is largely submerged, has been the distraught young women turning
up at the Australian embassy in Beirut to escape forced marriages.
In
the midst of this cultural and moral struggle one element has been conspicuously
missing - the feminists - the authors, academics and commentators who rose to
prominence as advocates of women's rights. In Australia and Europe, their response
to the growing levels of sexual intimidation, harassment or suppression of women
by Muslim men has either been a deafening chorus of silence, or denial and blame-shifting.
Read
the Full Article July 23, 2006
Peace
in Lebanon Immediately by
Kamala Sarup From
the news, it seems that thousands of innocent people are targeted in Lebanon.
More than 500,000 people, over a third of them children, had been touched in Lebanon
by the conflict and more than 100,000 Lebanese were now in Syria, most of whom
needed assistance. According to news, Israel's 12-day air offensive in Lebanon
has left more than 350 Lebanese and 33 Israelis dead, while more than 100 Palestinians
and one Israeli soldier have died in Gaza.
I
want immediate unilateral cease fire in Lebanon. I want equity and justice for
Palestinians and Israelis, especially for those children. Most of the deaths in
Middle East can be prevented by peace negotiations. Israeli and Palestinians must
accept a political solutions. People from both countries want peace.
I
see only one solution to solving major problems peace power can't be stopped if
it's great and persistent enough. The solution is to serve the needs of all the
people. Our history proves that when enough people act they get results. The greatest
peace gains were gotten by people action. We need that now especially to
end Middle East war. Read More July
23, 2006
She
states: "Far from helping women like them, this report makes the whole
idea [guaranteed income] seem ridiculous." and
"The 72-page report by Cindy L'Hirondelle reeks of a sloppy,
sentimentalist view of nature, a vision of an idyllic, Rousseau-ian rural life
minus the peasants." and "Please,
somebody tell me that the Victoria Status of Women Action Group's recently released
list of benefits of a guaranteed annual income wasn't written for David Letterman."
But
that is not all. She also makes a very damaging mistake about one of the points
listed under the section on "concerns". She thinks we were saying that
we did not want people new to Canada to have a GLI. She got it backwards! We had
the opposite concern. We wanted to ensure that people new to Canada could easily
access getting a Guaranteed Livable Income. Throughout the report it is also noted
that a GLI must happen in every country in the world. Read
More July 23, 2006
R.E.A.L.
Women file complaint against Ontario Chief Justice The
R.E.A.L. Women clan are at it again ... Now they have filed a formal complaint
against Ontario Chief Justice Roy McMurtry with the Canadian Judicial Council,
alleging judicial misconduct.
Excerpt:
Judge
Who Gave Canada Homosexual "Marriage" Had Conflict of Interest Says
Women's Rights Group
TORONTO,
July 19, 2006 (LifeSiteNews.com) – The women’s rights organization,
REAL Women of Canada, has filed a formal complaint against Ontario Chief Justice
Roy McMurtry with the Canadian Judicial Council, alleging judicial misconduct.
McMurtry was the judge who issued a ruling in 2003 on the Halpern case that effectively
ended the traditional definition of marriage in Canada.
McMurtry’s
son, James, revealed in a letter to the editor of a BC newspaper that his sister
is a lesbian in a live-in relationship with another woman. This, says REAL Women,
creates a serious concern that “McMurtry had a personal and familial interest”
in the Halpern case, “which seriously impaired his objectivity and his ability
to adjudicate the case.”
REAL
Women’s letter alleges that McMurtry’s personal interest biased the
entire process and violated the “fundamental judicial obligations of office.”
REAL Women says that in addition, Justice McMurtry deliberately chose and selected
judges sympathetic to same-sex "marriage" to hear the case. Read
the Full Article July 20, 2006
explains the problems with the Government's process for developing Bill 107.
summarizes how to improve Bill 107, and
for
those interested in far more detailed information, Part
II, the longer part, gives an extensive explanation of each of the 49
amendments we propose. Accompanying this brief are appendices with important background
materials to support our proposals. These include: 1.
A list of the AODA Alliance's 49 recommendations for amending Bill 107 2.
The AODA Alliance's "Fact Check" on Official Statements about Bill 107
3. The AODA Alliances
April 3, 2006 Discussion Paper on Options for Reforming the Ontario Human Rights
Code.Read
More July
19, 2006
Autistic
Children Abandoned by McGuinty Autism Policies Martel
rallies with children, parents, and advocates in Toronto July
12, 2006 - QUEEN'S
PARK -
Shelley Martel, MPP for Nickel Belt and the NDP Health and Long-Term Care Critic,
is calling on Dalton McGuinty to immediately deliver on his two explicit election
promises to Ontario's autistic children.
"The
McGuinty Liberal government needs to honour their promises to autistic children
and their parents during the 2003 election," said Martel. "In addition,
significant funds need to be invested to ensure that all children who need IBI
treatment receive it. That's clearly not happening because, as of March 31, 2006,
753 children were languishing on the wait list, waiting for IBI treatment to begin."
Read More July
19, 2006
NDP
to Dalton McGuinty: Keep Your Promises to Autistic Children July
7, 2006 - QUEEN'S
PARK -
Shelley Martel, MPP for Nickel Belt and the NDP Health and Long-Term Care Critic,
is dismayed by today's Court of Appeal decision but emphasized that, for New Democrats,
this issue has always been a political issue about what Dalton McGuinty promised
during the 2003 election and what he has continually failed to do.
"Dalton
McGuinty made an explicit promise to the parents of autistic children. He promised
IBI treatment for every single child who needs it - regardless of age," Martel
said.
"Mr.
McGuinty should never have dragged parents and their vulnerable autistic children
through the courts, at great expense to taxpayers and the families, just so he
could break a promise. I am calling on the premier to do the right thing for autistic
children and extend IBI treatment to all children who need it -- without delay."
Read More July 19, 2006
Martel
Applauds Autism Rights Ruling June
28, 2006 -QUEEN'S
PARK - NDP Critic Shelley Martel says
a recent ruling by Madame Justice DeGuire is a win for families of autistic
children, who have long argued that the McGuinty government is violating their
children's basic rights. Last
week, the Ontario Human Rights Tribunal ruled that children with autism
- whose provincially funded therapy is denied after age 6 - are now free to proceed
with their argument that the McGuinty government is discriminating against them
on the basis of age.Read More July
19, 2006
Autism
Announcement is a Drop in the Bucket Martel
skeptical about McGuinty's promises to autistic children June 16,
2006 - QUEEN'S
PARK - Shelley Martel, MPP for Nickel Belt and the NDP Health and Long-Term
Care Critic, says
that today's announcement by the McGuinty Liberal government to provide Intensive
Behavioural Intervention treatment to 120 additional children is a drop in the
bucket compared to what is actually needed to address the long wait lists.
Read
More July 19, 2006
Behind
Batwoman's Gayness Today's women are pigeonholed
as either girly girls or lesbians Op-Ed in today's LA Times
Excerpt
... Whatever
the reason, it appears that there are only two ways to go about being female these
days: You are either a midriff-bearing, gum-snapping, engagement ring-chasing
girly girl or you are a probable lesbian.
We
used to think of this dichotomy in terms of "separating the women from the
girls." Perhaps you remember how this went. Teenagers and early twentysomethings
wore nameplate necklaces and waited for the phone to ring, and adult women owned
condos and knew how to unclog a toilet without losing their sex appeal.
But
in a culture that's as allergic to subtlety as it is obsessed with youth, acceptable
versions of womanhood seem to be melting away with the polar ice cap. You either
get the Botox, the boob job, the bikini wax and baby doll dresses, or you take
the radical step of looking and acting like a fully formed, grown-up female. Read
More July 15, 2006
Family
Violence in Canada: A Statistical Profile 2006 Victims Rarely Report Abuse: StatsCan Report
Victimization surveys have
shown that spousal violence frequently involves multiple incidents. However, a
new study examining 10 years of police-reported data shows that most spousal violence
is reported to police on only a single occasion.
The
study, which analyzed spousal violence offenders and their contact with police
using a 10-year data file for 1995 to 2004, was published today in the 2006 edition
of Family Violence in Canada: A Statistical Profile. It found that 8 out of every
10 spousal offenders were reported to police on only one occasion during the 10-year
time frame. Persons accused of repeated spousal violence (those with two to four
police-reported incidents of spousal violence) accounted for 18% of the total.
Only 1% were considered chronic abusers, that is they were involved in five or
more reported incidents.
These
results may be partially explained by the 2004 General Social Survey (GSS) on
victimization that found that only 28% of victims of spousal violence turned to
police for help. Incidents that are reported tend to depend on the severity and
frequency of the violence, and on whether children were witnesses. Other factors
include whether the victim was female, young, Aboriginal or turned to others for
support. Read More July
13, 2006
Kirby
report (2) turns a blind eye to women Despite
the mounting evidence — as well as Canada's many commitments to using Gender-Based
Analysis in policy and program development — federal health studies somehow
remain gender-blind. by
Laila Malik, CWHN Almost
20 years ago, the Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA) issued an in-depth
report calling for action to address mental health concerns facing women in Canada. Women and
Mental Health in Canada: Strategies for Change
warned of the dire mental health effects of the feminization of poverty and violence
against women and drew attention to the disproportionate number of women assigned
with the diagnostic categories of depression and anxiety. It outlined 25 recommendations
for improvement, including the development of affordable, high quality child-care
services, the establishment of pay equity policies, recognition of unpaid caregiving,
and the creation of a national clearinghouse of research and programs on women's
mental health. The report was promptly buried, its recommendations consigned
to oblivion. Read
More July
12, 2006
Few
Canadians hospitalized with a spinal cord injury go back to work shortly after
rehabilitation Spinal cord injury patients have among the longest stays in
inpatient rehabilitation New analysis released today by the Canadian
Institute for Health Information (CIHI) paints a picture of what life
is like during and after inpatient rehabilitation following a traumatic spinal
cord injury. Between 2000 and 2004, Canadians admitted to inpatient rehabilitation
with a traumatic spinal cord injury stayed an average of 59 days, compared to
35 and 14 days for stroke and orthopaedic rehabilitation patients, respectively.
Clients with complete quadriplegia stayed the longest, 101 days, compared to 49
days for patients with partial paraplegia.Read More July
12, 2006
Right
of Choice: It's In Our Hands: Stop Violence Against Women Amnesty International Report 2006 From birth to death, in
times of peace as well as war, women face discrimination and violence at the hands
of the state, the community and the family. Female infanticide deprives countless
women of life itself. Every year, millions of women are raped by partners, relatives,
friends and strangers, by employers and colleagues, security officials and soldiers.
Women, children and men suffer from violence inflicted in the home, but the overwhelming
majority of victims are women and girls. During armed conflicts, violence against
women is often used as a weapon of war, in order to dehumanize the women themselves,
or to persecute the community to which they belong.
Violence
against women is not confined to any particular political or economic system,
but is prevalent in every society in the world. It cuts across boundaries of wealth,
race and culture. The power structures within society which perpetuate violence
against women are deep-rooted and intransigent. The experience or threat of violence
inhibits women everywhere from fully exercising and enjoying their human rights.
Read More July
10, 2006
Aboriginal
Issues - Glossary of Terms The following is a guide
to various terms associated with First Nations people, issues and treaties. Please
note that individual preferences may vary and should be respected when known.
When unsure,
it is polite and appropriate to ask how a person, band or council wishes to be
addressed. July 7, 2006
Uncertain
Futures: Gaining access to publicly funded abortions is not easy in New Brunswick by Chris Arsenault [The
only hospital in New Brunswick that was providing publicly funded abortions stopped
performing the procedure at the end of June.] The decision to have
an abortion is rarely easy, but after the Dr. Everett Chalmers Hospital in Fredericton
stopped performing the procedure at the end of June, and with pro-life groups
rallying to prevent Moncton's George Dumont Hospital from picking up the slack,
many New Brunswickers are wondering about the procedure's future in the province.
Read
the Full Article here July 7, 2006
Abortion:
Ensuring Access Sanda
Rodgers and Jocelyn Downie, Guest Editorial in the CMAJ, July 4, 2006
Access to reproductive
health care is essential to women's health, and for some women, abortion is a
key component of that care. But not all women in Canada have adequate, or in some
cases any, access to abortion.1 It is important for Canadian physicians to know
the facts about access to abortion so that they can better protect and promote
the health of their female patients. Many
of us assume that, in contrast to the United States, women's access to abortion
in Canada is enshrined in law and guaranteed by our health care system. This is
not always true. A brief review of history is needed here. Read the Full Article here July 7, 2006
Remarks
by Stephen Lewis, UN Special Envoy for AIDS in Africa to High- Level Panel on
U.N. Reform in Geneva There
is a crying need for an international agency for women. Every stitch of evidence
we have, right across the entire spectrum of gender inequality suggests the urgent
need for a multilateral agency. The great dreams of the international conferences
in Vienna, Cairo and Beijing have never come to pass. It matters not the issue:
whether it's levels of sexual violence, or HIV/AIDS, or maternal mortality, or
armed conflict, or economic empowerment, or parliamentary representation, women
are in terrible trouble. And things are getting no better. Read
More July 6, 2006
REAL
Women are on the warpath, as I guess I would be too if I were REAListic, Equal,
Active, and for Life. Hey, I am all those things! Oh, they mean "not in your
unREAL way." I think.
REALists
have been quiet for a long time. But they see the Stephen Harper minority government
as their chance to change Canada back to the way they say it used to be. Whatever
that was, I'm sure it was lovely. And frankly, their view of the future does verge
on the dire.
"We
are living in the best of material times. Yet, simultaneously, we are also living
in a time of moral decadence: abortion on demand, the legalization of same-sex
relationships as marriages, the cultural and legal acceptance of homosexuality
despite its destructive ramifications, both psychologically and medically, rampant
sexual promiscuity and euthanasia, legalized drug use and legalized prostitution
just around the corner."
But
I'm for all these things. Not sure about rampant euthanasia (get it in writing,
I say, and point out the drawbacks: "Yer dead") or prostitution, but
perhaps they don't grasp that legal changes regarding prostitution are aimed (by
good men and good women) at saving hundreds of sex workers and other women who
have vanished into the thinnest of air in Canada. Some of them might have been
fed to pigs. Follow
this link to read the rest of this column
Then, please consider writing
to the CBC before all the misogynists get there first! Heather is one of the
few remaining feminist voices left in MSM and could do with some support! Email:
letters@cbc.ca July
2, 2006
Hard
copies of the report (printed with 100% recycled newsprint with a colour cover)
have been distributed to many groups and individuals in across Canada and a few
to the US and overseas. Out of 1000 copies, we have only 200 hard copies left
which we are reserving for those without easy access to the internet.
Note:
This report is not just for women. All the women interviewed want a Guaranteed
Livable Income for everyone; however, they also recognize that women face more
poverty, stress, violence, unpaid and underpaid work, while also carrying primary
responsibility and worry for the well-being of the world's children. Read
More June 29, 2006
A
Direct Attack on Abortion Rights by
Joyce Arthur, Abortion Rights Coalition of Canada On
June 21st, Parliament saw first reading of a private
member’s bill by Liberal MP Paul Steckle to re-criminalize abortion. Bill
C-338, 'An Act to Amend the Criminal Code (procuring a miscarriage after 20 weeks
of gestation), would restrict later abortions performed after twenty weeks.
For anyone
who doesn't wish to visit the REAL Women website, DAWN Ontario has copied and
pasted the text from the REAL Women letter to MPs dated April 4, 2006 at this
pinpoint URL: http://dawn.thot.net/real_women.html#rwl
Senate
Committee on Autism Funding for the Treatment
of Autism referred to the Standing Senate Committee on Social Affairs, Science
and Technology for Study and Report After
all this hard work, by so many, it appears that we finally got funding for
autism treatment on the agenda! What happens now is not within our control
obviously, but we can have an impact on the final report and its recommendations
to the government if we all speak up. We need to speak up now more than
ever. This committee must hear what each of us wants them to know. Please take
some time to think of a submission that you would send to them. Read
More June 24, 2006
Sexual
Health for Lesbians: Risks and Realities Canadian Health Network,
2006 Consistent, non-judgmental sexual health care for lesbian women that
supports them to make informed decisions depends on partnership and good communication
with their health care providers. Because this kind of communication is often
lacking, many women who have sex with women are unaware of their individual risk
factors for contracting sexually transmitted infections (STIs). Read
More June
24, 2006
National
Child Benefit / National Child Benefit Supplement - Rate increase July 2006 The provincial government
stopped taking the 2% NCBS increases, as part of the Clawback, a couple of years
ago. Thus, as of July, you get to keep 6% of the increases, which are included
in the amounts above. If
you receive income assistance in Ontario the provincial government reduces your
assistance cheque by 84% of the NCBS you receive, regardless of whether
or not you are working. Read More June
24, 2006
Bill
to End the Long-Gun Registry The
Conservative government has followed up on its one-year amnesty for long-gun owners
by tabling a bill to end the Canadian long-gun registry. With the House of Commons
about to close for the summer, nothing will happen on the bill until the fall,
and even then it's not clear if the government can muster enough votes to get
it passed. While the bill does away with the need to register rifles and shotguns,
it keeps the requirements for registering restricted and prohibited firearms such
as handguns. Some of the current requirements for long-gun owners would also remain
in place, like all gun owners requiring a firearms license, the need for police
safety checks, and safety training. Read
More June 24, 2006
Report:
Are Wage Supplements the Answer to the Problems of the Working Poor?
(PDF 184KB/13p.)
Andrew
Jackson, Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives, 2006 The
idea of addressing poverty through some kind of wage supplementation program has
been around for some time, but has only recently moved to the centre stage of
Canadian social policy. Unlike the more visionary concept of a Guaranteed Annual
Income for all citizens, wage supplements are intended to promote and support
employment in low-paid jobs.
This paper examines different recommendations and finds wage supplements can play
useful supporting roles in assisting the working poor, but should not be seen
as the centerpiece of a new social architecture.
According
to the World Health Organization, Where There Is No Doctor is perhaps the
most widely used health care manual for health workers, clinicians, and others
involved in primary health care delivery and health promotion programs around
the world. The manual provides practical, easily understood information on how
to diagnose, treat, and prevent many common illnesses. With over 90 translations
and adaptations of the book available worldwide, and millions of copies in print,
the book is an essential health resource for individuals and communities around
the world. June
24, 2006
Ontario
Domestic Violence Death Review Committee Releases Annual Report Dr.
Barry McLellan, Chief Coroner of Ontario, announced today the release of the third
annual report of the Domestic Violence Death Review Committee (DVDRC).
The report contains
an overview of domestic violence deaths occurring in 2002, 2003, 2004 and 2005
that were reviewed by the committee, along with the statistical analysis of information
collected. Recommendations arising from the review are also included in the report.
The
DVDRC is an advisory committee and reports directly to the chief coroner. The
committee was created in response to recommendations made by the juries in the
coroner's inquests in the deaths of Arlene May and Randy Iles (1998), and
Gillian and Ralph Hadley (2002), as well as the Joint Committee on Domestic
Violence. The committee members are drawn from the health, justice, advocacy
and social services sectors. Read More
June 20, 2004
Canadians
Rejecting Harper Government Child Allowance, Poll Shows The
results of a poll released today show that Canadians are rejecting Stephen Harper's
plan to distribute a $1,200 child allowance to parents with children under six
years of age. The Environics poll asked more than 2,000 Canadians their views
on child care and the response was clear - 76% of Canadians support a national
affordable child care strategy such as the 2004 federal-provincial agreement that
was cancelled by the Conservative government.
Monica
Lysack, Executive Director of the Child
Care Advocacy Association of Canada(CCAAC) says that Canadians
are not buying into the Harper government's child-care strategy adding, "They
see that this plan isn't going to help them find affordable, quality care for
their children." The poll showed that only 35% of Canadians support the government's
child allowance plan.
What's
most crucial for the minority Conservative government is that many Canadians say
that their opposition to the child allowance is strong enough that it is likely
to influence their vote in the next federal election. This is even true for one
third of Conservative voters, a fact Lysack cautions that Stephen Harper should
be very concerned about. Read More June
20, 2006
CNIB
announces print clarity standards for all Canadians Black and white contrast, Arial or Times Roman, and matte paper finish are
among ten recommendations for improved clarity and readability CNIB,
Canada's primary provider of vision loss support programs and services, today
launched Clear Print, the first formal print clarity standards for making
printed materials more accessible to all Canadians, from fully sighted individuals
to aging and low-vision readers. The standards were developed following an extensive
international review of research into the variables that affect an individual's
ability to easily consume print information. ...
Clear
Print identifies 10 variables that affect print clarity, including contrast (black
and white is always best), most readable fonts (Arial and Times Roman top the
list), paper finish (many readers are highly sensitive to glare), and size of
type (the bigger the better). Other recommendations cover type colour, type heaviness,
letter spacing, margins and columns, and design and simplicity. Read
More June 20, 2006
McGuinty
Government Improves Patient Access to Drugs New Act Will Lead to Better Value for Taxpayer Dollars The McGuinty
government is providing Ontario residents with better access to drugs while ensuring
significant new savings with legislation that received third and final reading
today, Health and Long Term Care Minister George Smitherman announced. "We're
on the side of Ontarians who want and deserve better health care, especially those
who will benefit from better access to medications," said Smitherman. "The
Transparent Drug System for Patients Act will allow our government to deliver
better value for money to the taxpayers of Ontario."... "Bill
102 brings the most significant change to Ontario's public drug system,"
said Marc Kealey, CEO of the Ontario Pharmacists' Association. Read
More June 20, 2006
Monica
Lansing Monica
Lansing was a terminally ill mother who had her three children taken away from
her on the night she died Monica
Lansing’s entire life was centered around her three children. She worked
very hard to support them and provide them with a safe and loving home. Monica
and her ex-husband, had a joint custody agreement, in regards to their children,
but Monica had primary guardianship of all three children and they lived with
her full time.
4
years ago, she fled from her husband, who continued to harass her even though
she had moved to another province. He employed members of his family, specifically
a brother-in-law, to watch her house and enter into her home when she was at work.
His brother-in-law is a former police officer and paramedic and is now the subject
of a complaint filed with the Alberta College of Paramedics.
For
three years Monica was granted day-to-day care and was the primary guardian of
the children until she became sick. When Monica was diagnosed with Leukemia he
took her children away from her and cut off his support payments. Contrary to
what he told the courts and the newspapers, he uprooted the children from their
schools and friends and relocated them to British Columbia without notification
or her consent. Read More June
19, 2006
It
sets out growing concerns over Bill 107, the government's human rights reform
legislation, and condemns the Premier's plan to hold public hearings on the legislation
in the summer when people are less able to attend and boards are unable to meet
to approve submissions. The groups are calling on the Premier to hold the hearings
in the fall and be prepared to make the necessary changes. Read
More June 15, 2006
Creating
Job Opportunities for People on Social Assistance Innovations
Fund Encourages Ontario Businesses to Get Involved TORONTO,
June 14, 2006 - The McGuinty government is calling on the Ontario business community
to help social assistance recipients get into the workforce and on the path to
a brighter future, Madeleine Meilleur, Minister of Community and Social Services,
announced today.
The
government is launching a new Employment Innovations Fund to engage employers
in expanding employment opportunities for people on social assistance, including
people with disabilities. Organizations such as employer associations, municipalities
and not-for-profit organizations are invited to submit proposals for new programs
that will create sustainable job opportunities and help businesses tap into this
pool of willing, job-ready people. Read More June
14, 2006
Launch
of 'Failing the Homeless' report on Barriers to ODSP Access: June 20th Street Health - Release Over the past year and
a half Street Health, a community-based health care organization working
with homeless and underhoused people in downtown Toronto, has been working on
a research project exploring the barriers to accessing ODSP for our clients, while
at the same time helping them to secure benefits.
The
report, entitled: “Failing the Homeless: Barriers
in the Ontario Disability Support Program (ODSP) for Homeless People with Disabilities”,
identifies key barriers and delays in the ODSP system for homeless people. It
also makes recommendations for how to improve access to ODSP benefits for homeless
people with disabilities. Read More
June 14, 2006
OHRC
Fact Sheet In
response to recent inquiries and to help provide additional information for the
discussion on Bill 107 and how best to improve and rebalance Ontario’s Human
Rights System, the Commission has prepared a Fact Sheet highlighting cases the
Commission has been involved in over the years that have received decisions from
higher courts. Please
go to www.ohrc.on.ca/english/news/e_june-06-facts.shtml.
Fiche
de renseignements du CODP
En réponse aux enquêtes que nous avons reçue et pour donner
desrenseignements additionnels pour l’entretien sur le projet de loi 107
et le sujet des meilleurs moyens d’améliorer et de rééquilibrer
le système des droits de la personne en Ontario, la Commission a mis au
point une fiche de renseignements qui souligne des causes dont la Commission a
participé qui ont reçu une décision d'une cour supérieure.
Veuillez visiter www.ohrc.on.ca/french/news/f_june-06-facts.shtml.
June 14, 2006
Report:
Count Us In! Inclusion and Homeless Women in Downtown
East Toronto - June 2006 Project Partners:
Ontario Prevention Clearinghouse, Ontario Women's Health
Network, Toronto Christian Resource Centre and Toronto Public Health The
purpose of this project was to investigate how health and social services in Toronto,
and in the province of Ontario, can be made more inclusive, and in turn, promote
the health and well-being of marginalized groups. Homeless and underhoused women
who live in Downtown East Toronto led the research and were actively engaged in
all stages of the project, from collecting and analysing the data to developing
the final recommendations.
They
facilitated 11 focus groups with 58 women who are homeless or underhoused.(4)
The researchers collected feedback on the health and social services that women
use as well as the participants’ ideas about how policies and services could
be improved. Count Us In! aims to influence how governments and service
providers plan, deliver and fund services for populations that are marginalized.
As one participant said, this is an opportunity for the service providers to "step
back and take a good look at what is needed."
This report summarizes
what the women said. It describes many of the barriers they face, and then highlights
their solutions for making services more inclusive. Read
the key
recommendations
Count Us In!
highlights the importance of marginalized women being actively involved in every
part of the process, to ensure that their voices are heard, that they are "at
the table," and that the appropriate actions are taken to meet their needs.
Read
More
Support
Falun Gong Peaceful 24-hour Appeal Site In front of the Vancouver Chinese Consulate
Add Your Voice to the Petition On
June 8, Vancouver Mayor Sam Sullivan ordered local Falun Gong practitioners to
dismantle the appeal site they've maintained outside the Chinese Consulate 24/7,
rain or shine, for the past five years. Mayor Sullivan said the group's signs
and booth erected by the consulate contravene a city bylaw.
The
Falun Gong practitioners say they were initially given verbal permission to hold
a constant vigil at the site in order to raise awareness of the persecution
against Falun Gong in China, now in its seventh year. They
say the site bears witness to the thousands of practitioners who have been
tortured and killed as a result of the persecution, and believe they should
be allowed to remain until the persecution comes to an end.
It would also
be very helpful and much appreciated if you would write an email or letter to
Mayor Sullivan asking him to
re-think his stance on the bylaw, as the site is not a safety hazard, and previous
city councils were not averse to it. Letters should be sent by Friday, June 16
which is the date the site is to be dismantled.
Daily
Bread’s Who’s Hungry Report Illustrates Depth of Hunger Crisis Survey examines
hunger in the GTA and Daily Bread advances solutions TORONTO,
June 6, 2006 - Food bank use across the GTA has risen a dramatic 79% since
1995, according to the report Who’s Hungry: 2006
Profile of Hunger in the GTA released
today at BCE Place. The results of Daily Bread’s annual survey paint a picture
that cannot be ignored of the struggles and financial plight of the diverse population
relying on food banks. The 894,017 people who accessed emergency food services
last year through GTA food banks, 38% of whom were children, would not go hungry
if the issue of poverty were addressed. So, in conjunction with the report, Daily
Bread advances the Blueprint to Fight Hunger.
Read More June
12, 2006
STOP
Ryerson from honouring homophobia Please
lend your support by forwarding this communication widely and signing the on-line
petition at:http://www.PetitionOnline.com/5087MCT/petition.html
Excerpt: Ryerson
Students' Union, representing all full-time and graduate students at Ryerson and
RyePRIDE, representing the queer and Trans voices of Ryerson, are extremely concerned
about the University's decision to award MARGARET SOMERVILLE an honourary
degree on June 19, 2006 at 9:30am, as part of Ryerson's convocation ceremonies.
...
... Although Ryerson claims to respect and celebrate
diversity in all its forms and the right of individuals to live free of discrimination,
their actions to uphold this decision speaks louder than these words. Homophobia
is not honorary in any form and no individual should be rewarded for propagating
hate and intolerance in our communities.
For those of you who do
not know Margaret Somerville, she is a McGill University ethicist and is widely
known for her controversial views on same-sex marriage. In both the public and
academic spheres Somerville has argued that same-sex marriage, "compromises
the right for all children to be raised by both genders and to know their biological
parents". Read More June
9, 2006
Toronto
gets rolling! Rick Hansen Wheels In Motion to raise funds and awareness for people
living with spinal cord injury On
Sunday, June 11, people from across Toronto will participate in the 4th
annual Rick Hansen Wheels In Motion presented by Scotiabank. The national
fundraising event aims to raise awareness and funds to help improve the quality
of life of people living with spinal cord injuries (SCI), and to support research
that will ultimately lead to a cure. People of all ages and abilities are encouraged
to wheel, walk or run in support of SCI. Read
More June
9, 2006
When
skepticism is needed, most media outlets let us down
Security sting of terror suspects seems a bit too pat and may well be by
Ish Theilheimer, Editorial June 6, 2006, Straight Goods
Excerpt: Last weekend, federal and Toronto authorities swooped down
on and arrested 17 Canadian Muslim youth and young men for allegedly plotting
to bomb landmarks and public buildings. It is alarming to think that "home-grown"
acts of terror are likely or inevitable, as many reporters and sources are convinced.
It is just as alarming when an ideologically-driven government uses an event to
drive support for itself and a harsh agenda of pro-American foreign policy and
repressive American-style policing and legislation at home.
No
country is immune from terrorism, but neither is any country safe from politically-motivated
and heavy-handed police operations that are intended to scare the public as much
as to protect them. We should wonder about the credibility of a sting operation
and media circus headed up by Stockwell Day, whose penchant for hyperbole is well
known. (His partner in ideology is Justice Minister Vic Toews). We should also
wonder why the media is not more cautious. Read More June
8, 2006
Take
Action: Support for Feminist
Voices in Public Places Read
Heather Mallick's
column, Protect
all women while they're alive published June 2nd on CBC news viewpoint
regarding the "fetal homicide"
bill.
Heather
Mallick is one of the very few feminist voices left in public places ... her CBC
column generated a lot of negative responses (they appear below her column). Hence,
we are calling for emails to: letters@cbc.ca
in Heather's defence.
It
must be incredibly frustrating for Heather Mallick to continue being one of the
few feminist voices left in MSM ... Please write and show solidarity with Heather
while countering the voices of the misogynist types who have responded to date.
June
8, 2006
The
New Bully on the Block: Cyber Bullying
Womyn's Voices The Internet has created a whole new world
of social communications for young people. They are using e-mail, Web sites, instant
messaging, chat rooms and text messaging (STM) to stay in touch with friends and
make new ones. While most of the interactions that these kids engage in are positive,
increasingly kids are using these communication tools to antagonize and intimidate
others. This has become known as cyber bullying.
The
Internet has facilitated the creation of an interactive world that is away from
adult knowledge and supervision. Because bullies tend to harass their victims
away from the watchful eyes of adults, the Internet is the perfect tool for reaching
others anonymously from any where at any time. This means that home, for children
who are victims of bullying, is no longer a refuge from the cruel peer pressures
of school. Read
More June
8, 2006
NOTHING
NEW FOR CANADA...Terror & Religious Conflict Is Old Hat Edward Pickersgill, Passing Times, Guelph, Ontario, 7 June 2006
Excerpt: Back
in the dawn of the white man's creation known as Canada and many steps along the
way we've had terror, violence, religious conflict and attempts at cultural genocide.
Acknowledging this reality should not be taken as any indication I support any
of that. It's just a simple statement of fact.
Today's
conflicts between "Christians" and "Islam" is, for me, just
more of the same old, same old. Having witnessed the history of conflict between
Catholics and Protestants it is impossible to see the current conflicts as any
worse. English and Irish combatants shed as much blood and blew up as many of
each others things as anything happening today between ruffians and desperados
carrying copies of the bible or qur'an. Both gangs purport to carry the direct
word of God. Neither seem to carry much spirit of forgiveness or peace and both
seem to have large sections of their books with the pages glued shut. Read
More June
8, 2006
None
of Our Business - Canada's role in the world and the business press by Dru Oja Jay
Hugo Chavez: makes the news when he affects the bottom line. Did you know that
Royal Bank (RBC), Bell Canada Enterprises (BCE), Alcan and SNC-Lavalin all share
board members? Or that Yves Fortier, Canada’s former ambassador to the UN,
sits on the boards of RBC and Alcan? Where does one go for the plain facts about
Canada’s tiny, interconnected corporate and political elite? Read
More June
7, 2006
Residential
care facilities, 2002/2003 and 2003/2004 Women
outnumbered men by a ratio of more than two to one in Canada's residential care
facilities for seniors in 2003/2004. Data for all provinces and territories, except
Quebec, show that nearly 103,500 women lived in homes for the aged, compared with
just under 42,400 men.
Soliciting
Endorsements from Individuals & Organizations Sign
on to the Open Letter to Premier McGuinty re: Bill
107, the Human Rights Code Amendment Act, 2006 Excerpt:
As individuals and
community organizations who believe Ontario needs a strong human rights system,
we are writing to urge your government to take a balanced and genuinely open approach
in reforming the human rights system.
Bill
107, the Human Rights Code Amendment Act, 2006, sets out to reform the process
for enforcing human rights in Ontario. We agree reform is long overdue, but Bill
107 is not the solution we are looking for.
We
understand that, prior to the introduction of the Bill, the Attorney General's
office has engaged in some private dialogues with select human rights and legal
clinic lawyers, all of whom are very skilled, but are not the people who are in
need of the assistance afforded by the human rights system. Many communities -
including racialized, disabled, GLBT, aboriginal and women's communities - of
which we are a part, were never consulted by this Government on what is truly
needed to improve the system. Read More June 2, 2006
Campaign
to End Poverty in Canada The
NDP launched a national “End Poverty in Canada”
campaign yesterday vowing to engage Canadians and their politicians to deciding
what the fairest way forward is for all Canadians. The NDP Social Policy Caucus
cited recent United Nations and Ontario-based reports documenting the crisis which
found: Over half of Canadians receiving social assistance
still need food banks to survive.
Working
with their civil society allies, the NDP will engage Canadians in dialogue on
the Canada Social
Transfer which transfers billions of dollars to provinces and territories
with no accountability nor monitoring of its adequacy. “We
will travel to communities to hear from Canadians about what their principles
of fairness, justice and equity say about what they want for themselves, their
neighbours and all Canadians. It is time for a fair deal for all” said Tony
Martin (MP Sault Ste Marie).
As
part of the campaign, Martin introduced a motion in Parliament today to increase
the federal minimum wage to $10 an hour for federal jurisdiction workers, and
to implement recommendations from the Pay
Equity Task Force Final Report.
Nouveau
rapport du YWCA : La violence contre les femmes : une honte nationale La violence contre les femmes : Une
honte nationale dont il faut faire une priorité nationale YWCA
Canada présente les résultats alarmants d'une étude nationale
qui indiquent qu'un haut pourcentage des femmes qui cherchent refuge dans les
maisons d'hébergement risquent d'être tuées. Des 368 femmes
interviewées à dix sites de recherche dans l'ensemble du pays, 77
pour cent étaient en extrême ou grave danger de mort.
«
Le public, en général, n'a pas idée de la peur et de la déchéance
que vivent les femmes victimes des mauvais traitements de leur partenaire intime,
explique la professeure Leslie Tutty, chargée de recherche. Il s' agit
de terrorisme continuel pour ces femmes. »
Les
femmes qui font appel aux refuges ont maintes fois tenté de faire cesser
les violences à leur égard, mais elles n'ont aucun contrôle
sur les actions de leur conjoint violent. Quand elles ont épuisé
leurs ressources et sont à leur plus vulnérable, les refuges leur
fournissent la sécurité. Les
femmes de l'étude ont indiqué que les maisons d'hébergement
étaient pour elles le moyen d'appui le plus efficace, mais cela ne suffit
pas. Read More June
1, 2006
New
report from YWCA: Violence against women is a national shame Violence Against Women is
a National Shame: Now it Must Become a National Priority
YWCA Canada
releases a national study that indicates an alarmingly high percentage of women
coming to shelters are at risk of being murdered. Of the 368 women interviewed
at ten research sites across Canada, 77 percent were at extreme or severe risk
of homicide.
"The
general public has little understanding of the fear and degradation commonly experienced
by women abused by their intimate partners", explains researcher Professor
Leslie Tutty, "it is an ongoing secret terrorism for these women."
The
women who seek shelter have made many attempts to stop the abuse, but they cannot
control the abuser's actions. When they have exhausted their resources and are
most vulnerable, shelters provide safety. The women in the study indicate that
shelters are the most effective support available to them; but it is not enough.
Read More June
1, 2006
Ontario
Gov't Invests in Services for Ontarians who are Deaf or Deafblind Ministry of Community &
Social Services Press Release dd June 1, 2006 The
McGuinty government is investing in more services for Ontarians who need intervenors
or sign language interpreters to assist them with daily activities. "For
someone who is deafblind or has a hearing disability, communication barriers can
seriously limit their access to things that most of us take for granted, such
as going to the bank or visiting their doctor," said Community and Social
Services Minister Madeleine Meilleur. "By breaking down these communication
barriers, we are building greater independence for people with disabilities."
The
government's 2006 Budget includes nearly $11 million for interpreter and intervenor
services, an increase of nearly 65 per cent over existing funding levels. The
funding will help to provide more service to people who need it, improve the quality
of services and improve wages to attract and keep people who provide interpreter
and intervenor services. The government will also explore opportunities to increase
the availability of French sign language interpreters and intervenors in the coming
year. Read More June
1, 2006
New
Toll free number connects children with disabilities Launch of first integrated,
coordinated care model for children with special needs bridges service gaps
and shortens waitlists For the first time,
families of children with multiple disabilities in York Region and Simcoe County
have a single point of contact to access an integrated plan of care. Today marks
the official launch of the Children's Treatment Network of Simcoe York's new
toll-free number. By dialing 1-866-377-0286 parents of kids with special
physical, developmental and communications needs connect to the first service
delivery model that links regional healthcare, recreation, education, social and
community resources from over 25 agencies and organizations.
The
Network provides a single plan of care and coordinates services from many agencies
through all stages of a child's development from birth through to age 19. There
are over 4,500 children with multiple disabilities in Simcoe and York whose families
are currently challenged with battling waitlists and navigating and coordinating
services for their children as they mature. Read
More June
1, 2006
Bill
107 will take away rights now entrenched in the code Commentary by Mary Woo Sims, former
chief of the B.C. Human Rights Commission Excerpt: ...
If
you're having difficulty in understanding why these reforms are a big deal, let
me draw this analogy. Many victims of crimes are unhappy with the justice system.
Imagine if the government responded to these concerns by eliminating the police
who investigate crime and Crown prosecutors who bring the matter before the courts.
Imagine the government saying that, since investigating and prosecuting crime
takes too long, you can now bring your charge directly to the courts. I can't
imagine Canadians would agree that this is an effective fix for our problems with
the criminal justice system. So why would we believe that this type of system
would work for human- rights administration?
Ontario
isn't the first province to move in this direction. British Columbia and Nunavut
have also gone down this road, saying these reforms would improve human-rights
delivery. Indeed, these reforms have been seductively referred to as “direct
access.” But, as we've learned in B.C., “direct access” does
not mean direct access to justice, nor does it mean direct access to a hearing
on the merits or substance of a complaint. What it means, in practical terms,
is only direct access to a tribunal. Read More
June
1, 2006
Help
Support the Canadian Breast Cancer Network by Participating in their first Online
Auction on June 1st On
June 1, 2006, the Canadian Breast
Cancer Network (CBCN) launches its first-ever online auction to raise funds
for the Canadian Breast Cancer Network! From
June 1-30, 2006, more than 170 items will be up for auction; new items will be
listed almost daily, so be sure to check back regularly - find theatre, dinner
theatre, comedy club and sports tickets, get a great deal on hotel packages, buy
some new tunes or reading materials. On Mondays and Thursdays, log on to see the
newest selection of books and other items. Visit
the auction website tomorrow at http://www.realauction.ca/cbcn/en/and start surfing for items to bid on. Read
More May
31, 2006
Ontario
Gov't Eliminates 4 Month Retroactive Payment Rule Ministry
of Community and Social Services (MCSS) Press Release dd May 31, 2006 As
part of its plan to restore integrity to Ontario's social assistance program,
the government has eliminated the four month limit on retroactive ODSP payments.
Now, an individual who is approved for ODSP after submitting an application will
receive retroactive payments for the full amount of time that they have been waiting
for approval. Under the previous rule, this person would only have been eligible
for up to four months of retroactive support.
The announcement builds
on previous initiatives to cut the amount of time it takes to process an application,
including investments in new technology and the hiring of additional staff. It
also responds to a major recommendation made by the provincial Ombudsman in his
report released today. Read More May
31, 2006
Ontario’s
most vulnerable are losing out: says Ontario's Ombudsman André Marin Ombudsman Ontario Press
Release dd May 31, 2006
Ontario’s
disabled have lost out on disability benefits to the tune of at least
$6 million, as a result of delays in processing their applications
for support by the Ministry of Community and Social Services’ Ontario Disability
Support Program and the impact of a provincial regulation, which limited retroactive
benefit payments to four months. “Thousands of Ontario’s most vulnerable
citizens have become losers in a cruelly insensitive and intensely bureaucratic
waiting game” Mr. Marin notes in his latest report titled “Losing
the Waiting Game.”
The
Ontario Disability Support Program provides income support, health and other benefits
for people with disabilities who are in financial need. The Ombudsman’s investigation
was launched after the office received 71 complaints of delays of up to 10 months
at the Ontario Disability Support Program’s Disability Adjudication Unit,
which is charged with determining whether or not an applicant for financial support
meets the stringent definition of a “person with a disability” as set
out in the Ontario Disability Support Program Act, 1997. During the Ombudsman’s
investigation, an additional 74 complainants came forward and upon reviewing Ministry
statistics it was found that at least 4,630 individuals and probably many more,
were affected during the period from April 1, 2004 to December 31, 2005 alone.
To
add insult to injury, Mr. Marin found that once an applicant was deemed to be
entitled to financial support, they were limited by regulation, to receiving four
months of retroactive benefits, regardless of how long it may have taken for the
Ministry to process their application and even though the delay was through no
fault of their own. Read More May
31, 2006
A
coalition of women's advocates and anti-violence & income security groups
have come together to create an avalanche of support to demand real change.
We are calling on all women to raise our collective feminist
voices - TOO LOUD TO BE IGNORED
AND TOO ANGRY TO BE APPEASED - until real changes
are made.
On
June 7, plan on attending one of the simultaneous protests in Toronto and Ottawa
and/or help spread the word! Read More
Demands:
A
40% increase
in social assistance rates
End
the clawback
of the National Child Benefit Supplement
Reinstate
the Special Diet supplement
Time:
12:00 - 2:00 pm
Toronto: Picket
outside Minister Meilleur's office at the Ministry of Community & Social Services,
Hepburn Block, 80 Grosvenor St.
Toronto
Ottawa: Picket outside Minister Meilleur's constituency office at
237 Montreal Rd., Vanier
End
Violence Against Women & Children
With the increased cost of living, women can not afford to pay
rent & feed their children
Child
Welfare Workers call '1-800 number' idea "an Accident Waiting to Happen" The union representing
frontline workers in child welfare agencies across the province says a planned
1-800 number to replace on-call services is an accident waiting to happen. The
Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) says the Department of Community
Services plans to use its own employees to answer calls about cases from across
the province - and then have them make crucial decisions about cases that may
be hundreds of kilometers away. Read More May
31, 2006
ADHD
& Medication Practical Education for Canadian
Healthcare Professionals Due
to a shortage of child and adolescent psychiatrists more pediatricians and family
doctors are being asked to diagnose and treat Attention
Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) creating a need for knowledge
on current research and the latest information on ADHD medication. Recently Health
Canada has up-dated the prescribing information for all drugs indicated for the
treatment of ADHD in adults and children. The changes affect the Contraindications,
Warnings and Precautions, Dosing recommendations, and Information for the Patient.
Many parents as well as adult patients will be asking for clarification on this
newly released information and will need reassurance that medication is still
a safe choice. Read More May
31, 2006
What
are the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs)? The
Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) set a powerful agenda for a global partnership
to fight poverty, offering a shared vision of a better world by the year 2015.
They
aim to cut extreme poverty by half, ensure every child has the chance to go to
school and live a long and healthy life, and bring discrimination against women
to an end. The risks of dying as a result of childbirth are to be dramatically
reduced, deadly diseases brought under control, the environment better managed,
and the benefits of progress more equally shared by all the nations of the world.
Together, the aspirations set out in the MDGs and their associated targets and
indicators represent a powerful framework for action.
Goal
3 challenges discrimination against women, and seeks to ensure that girls
as well as boys have the chance to go to school. Indicators linked to this goal
aim to measure progress towards ensuring that more women become literate, have
more voice and representation in public policy and decision making, and have improved
job prospects. But the issue of gender equality is not limited to a single goal
— it applies to all of them. Without progress towards gender equality and
the empowerment of women, none of the MDGs will be achieved. Read More Plain language guide to MDGs May
30, 2006
Colourful
paper dolls billowed in the warm spring breeze as hundreds rallied on Parliament
Hill (May 25th) to push the Harper gov't to build a real child care program.
Child care advocates brought thousands of paper dolls & stuffed animals
to symbolize the 7,000 Ottawa children who are stuck on child care waiting lists
under misguided Conservative child care policies.
The rally attracted
hundreds of Ottawa child care workers, parents and kids who were joined by hundreds
more CUPE Ontario members in town for their annual convention. Speakers called
for public, quality, not-for-profit early learning and child care programs across
the country. Read
More View
photo gallery of Child Care Rally May 25th 2006 at Parliament Hill May
30, 2006
Bill
107 needs to come with some assurances: Sandi Ellis As
someone who works for the Canadian Labour Congress and who has been a member of
the Ontario Federation of Labour Human Rights committee for over a decade, I quite
understand the positioning of Michael Bryant and the provincial government on
changes to the Human Rights Commission and the Code under Bill 107.
The
labour movement in Ontario has been lobbying for changes to the Human Rights Commission
for many years. There is no question that the current system for resolving violations
in Ontario is in need of reform, with two primary problems:
A
delay in the process with some investigations taking over a year to be assigned.
The
fact that some complaints are dismissed without ever being referred to the tribunal,
when it is believed they do not need to be.
Bill
107, as it is presented, seemingly alters the process of resolving human rights
complaints, stripping the commission of its responsibilities and transferring
the entire system to the tribunal.
Jamaican
Women Learn to Use CEDAW as a Tool for Change Workshops Teach Women About Their Rights Several
local women's groups in Jamaica have come together to address women's rights through
a series of five training workshops. While
talking to the women being trained at the first of five workshops recently, independent
gender issues consultant Dr. Glenda Simms said that many women do not know
what their rights are, and the workshops are a good place to start.
"You
have a role to play. Use your privilege to empower the less privileged,"
she told the organisers, which comprised the Women's Resource and Outreach Centre
(WROC), the Coalition for Community Participation in Governance, Development Alternatives
with Women for a New Era and the Friedrich Ebert Stiftung organisation.
The
workshops, designed to teach Jamaican women about the UN Convention on the
Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (UN CEDAW), attracted
65 participants from all over the island. "CEDAW
is a serious treaty document and the government should be held accountable for
what it does or does not do for you," Dr. Simms said. Read
More May 29, 2006
A
Women’s Gathering In Honour of Lyallen Hayes Hosted
by Minwaashin Lodge, the Aboriginal Women’s Support Centre - August 4 - 6,
2006 Minwaashin
Lodge, the Aboriginal Women’s Support Centre is hosting a Women’s Gathering
in a country setting just 40 minutes from Ottawa. The
gathering will begin on Friday, August 4th (evening), Saturday, August 5th and
end on Sunday, August 6th, 2006.
All women (aged 16 and over) are invited
to join us in a two-day healing weekend, featuring traditional Native teachings,
as well as women’s teachings from around the world. We
have chosen “Truth Survives” as
our theme because the truth of women’s power as healers and keepers of our
traditions will never be destroyed. This will be a camping weekend in the country
not far from Ottawa. Come and share your gifts as a healer or learn from others.
Read More May
29, 2006
Under
the direction of professor André Marette (Laval University), Nicole Beauchemin
(McGill University), Martin Oliver (McGill University Health Centre) and Katherine
Siminovitch (University of Toronto) were part of a Canadian and American team
which published an article in the May issue of Nature Medicine that explains the
role of SHP-1 in the control of blood glucose.
The
researchers already knew that SHP-1 played a role in regulating the immune system.
However, no one had previously taken the time to verify if this protein was involved
in the regulation of metabolism. This is precisely what this team of Canadian
and American researchers did, thanks to a series of mutant or genetically modified
mice producing little or no SHP-1. Read More
May 29, 2006
Increased
Support for Students With Disabilities at Ontario's Colleges and Universities
Ontario
Government Press Release dd May 29, 2006 TORONTO,
May 29, 2006 - The McGuinty government has expanded support for students with
disabilities to ensure they have the opportunity to study and succeed at postsecondary
institutions, Chris Bentley, Minister of Training, Colleges and Universities,
announced today.
"We
are on the side of hard working Ontario families who want their children to find
opportunity through access to postsecondary education," Bentley said. "That's
why our government is committed to ensuring that all Ontarians, including students
with disabilities, have the opportunity to reach their full potential."
The government
provided $28.2 million in 2005-06 to help universities and colleges provide services
for students with disabilities to help them succeed. This funding is used to support
a wide range of services provided through offices for students with disabilities.
Read More
May 29, 2006
Women's
Economic Justice Report on Guaranteed Livable Income released On
April 29, 2006, the "Women's Economic Justice Report on Guaranteed Livable
Income" was released. This
72-page report documents over 40 interviews held with women between September
2005 to April 2006 to examine these questions:
What
would the benefits of Guaranteed Livable Income be to women? To family and community?
To children?
How would it impact health, equality, spirituality, politics, peace and the environment?
How do the
benefits of GLI compare with the impacts of poverty?
How does GLI compare with the goal of jobs as a solution to poverty?
What are the barriers and strategies to achieving a GLI?
What
are the concerns about what could go wrong?
What
community initiatives would complement a GLI?
This
report also contains the article The Strong Case for a Guaranteed Livable Income;
data on women's income specially acquired for the project from Revenue Canada;
and where to learn more or get involved. This project was funded by Status of
Women Canada BC/Yukon Region. Read More
May 28, 2006
UN
Committee Criticizes Canada for Persistent Poverty in the Midst of Wealth - Notes
Discriminatory Impact on Women FAFIA
& NAWL Press Release - May 23, 2006 In Concluding Observations
released yesterday in Geneva, the United Nations Committee on Economic, Social
and Cultural Rights expressed great concern about persistently high
rates of poverty among women, Aboriginal peoples, African Canadians, people with
disabilities, youth and single mothers. The Committee reviewed Canada's
4th and 5th periodic reports on its compliance with the International Covenant
on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights during its 36th session, which ended in
Geneva on Friday.
"The
Committee concluded that Canada is failing to fulfill the rights in the Covenant,
including the right to an adequate standard of living, despite Canada's wealth
and economic prosperity," said Shelagh Day, who was at the review
to represent FAFIA, a broad alliance of women's
and human rights groups, and the National Association
of Women and the Law. Read More May 23,
2006
Bill
C-291 -- the 'fetal homicide' bill Bill
C-291 is a private members' bill that would make it a separate offence to kill
or injure a fetus while committing a violent crime against its mother. Introduced
and given first reading May 17th by MP Leon Benoit, Bill C-291 would recognize
two "persons" in crimes such as the murder last year of Liana White
in Edmonton, or Lacey Peterson in California.
In
both cases, the women killed were pregnant. California law allows for murder charges
in the deaths of both the mother and her unborn child in such cases, but Canadian
law does not. There
is an article in the Toronto Star -- "MP
unveils fetal homicide bill" that quotes Mary Eberts, co-founder
of LEAF about the implications of Bill C-291 for the abortion debate. Read
More May
22, 2006
The
Harper Government: Towards A New Social Order? by
Prof Ann Porter - May 22, 2006 - Socialist Project e-bulletin No, 21 The
election of Stephen Harper's Conservative government on January 23, 2006 has significantly
shifted the terms of the social policy debate in Canada. While in some respects
the Harper government represents a continuation of the market-based neo-liberal
trajectory that has been set over the last 20 some years, in other respects it
represents a turn of a kind that we haven't seen before at the federal level in
Canada. Many aspects of the Conservative agenda are likely to alter both the framework
and nature of social policy discussions. This ranges from specific program proposals
in areas such as childcare and healthcare, to the federal-provincial decentralization
agenda; from proposals to enshrine property rights in the constitution, to changes
in the process of Supreme Court judge selection that could have long run implications
for court challenges and equality-based claims. Of particular concern, however,
and permeating through specific policy proposals, is a reformulation of what the
"social" itself means, both in terms of how we understand the role and
nature of "social" policy, and more fundamentally, how we do or should
constitute ourselves as social beings.Read More May 22, 2006
Bill 107 sets back human rights protection. It seriously weakens the Ontario
Human Rights Commission, the public agency responsible to enforce your right not
to suffer illegal discrimination. We appreciate both the opposition Conservative
and New Democratic Parties voicing our concerns with Bill 107 in the Legislature.
We urge everyone
to act now to help with our campaign to fix Bill 107 so it makes things better,
not worse. This Kit:
AODA
Alliance - Talking Points - Queen’s Park News Conference - May 19, 2006 Read
what the AODA Alliance had to say today at their Queen's Park's news conference
announcing our strong
opposition to the McGuinty Government's Bill 107, the proposed Human Rights
Code Amendment Act, now before the Legislature for Second Reading.Read
More May 19, 2006
The
words that sank Harper's Mr. Clean - Toronto Star Link to the Toronto Star article published May 17, 2006 Gwyn Morgan's
views on ethnic Canadians virtually killed his chances of becoming the PM's federal
watchdog
This
is a speech [Getting Beyond the Symptoms to Root Causes:
What Politicians are Afraid to Say] by Gwyn Morgan, president
and CEO of EnCana Corp., made Dec. 2005 to the Fraser Institute. Morgan's previous
statements on immigration were cited as one of the reasons Liberals, New Democrats
and Bloc Québécois refused to confirm the Prime Minister's pick
as head of public appointments on Tuesday. The theme of Morgan's speech was that
political correctness was preventing politicians from solving some of Canada's
problems.
Canadian
privacy advocates are pushing the federal government to back away from any moves
to extend legal protection to digital rights management technology through copyright
reform.
Excerpt:
"More than a dozen organizations, including the Electronic
Frontier Foundation (EFF), the Canadian Federation of Students (CFS)
and the Canadian Association for Open Source signed a pair of open letters
that were sent to Ministers of Canadian Heritage and Industry earlier this week.
The letters were complemented with the launch of a Web site, Intellectualprivacy.ca,
which provides more background and context to the privacy risks they claim are
associated with digital rights management (DRM).
Federal privacy commissioner Jennifer Stoddart, along with her Ontario and British
Columbia counterparts Ann Cavoukian and David Loukidelis, endorsed the letter
and sent letters of their own."
Bill
109: Residential Tenancies Act Hearings will be held Only in Toronto Hearings on the
new Residential Tenancies Act will be held only in Toronto on May 29,
31 and June 5th. Tenants in other Ontario cities will have to travel to
Toronto or submit a written submission to the Committee. Hearings could
wrap up by June 8th and the Bill can then proceed to Third and final reading.
Tenants who waited 2 ½ years for the new Act can only watch as
the Bill is rammed through the legislature... Bill 109 could become law
before the Legislature rises for the Summer on June 22nd.
Read More May 19, 2006
Supreme
Court of Canada to Rule on Access Rights of Persons with Disabilities Council of Canadians with Disabilities (CCD) Press Release
dd May 17, 2006 The
leadership of Canada's disability community will be in the Supreme Court of
Canada at 9:30 am on May 19th, where the community's access rights will be
interpreted by the country's highest court for the first time. In October 2003
the Canadian Transportation Agency[CTA] ordered VIA Rail to make
its recently purchased rail cars accessible to persons with mobility and vision
disabilities. In March 2005 the Federal Court of Appeal overturned this
decision, saying people with disabilities who can't use the new trains will have
to find other means of transportation.
Before
the trains were purchased, using 100% taxpayer money, former Liberal Transport
Minister David Collenette promised the trains would meet the CTA's train
accessibility standards. When told the trains were inaccessible Collenette washed
his hands of the matter, suggesting VIA seek the CTA's guidance on the issue.
VIA refused. Faced with Canada being the only developed country in the world where
new inaccessible trains could be brought into service, and with the CTA unable
to act on its own initiative, the Council of Canadians with Disabilities (CCD),
on behalf of it broad membership, applied to the CTA for a ruling on whether or
not the trains were legal. Read
More May
18, 2006
Bill
102 Transparent Drug System for Patients Act, 2006 Ontario Health
Coalition - Urgent Update The
drug industry and the pharmacy chains are descending on Queen’s Park regarding
a piece of legislation that will likely work to control the costs of drugs. The
OHC has been calling on government to take action to control the cost of drugs
for years. Now we need to act to support the initiatives in Bill 102 that will
work to control drug costs.
We
strongly encourage local coalitions, member groups and affiliated organizations
and individuals to sign up for standing at the committee hearings on this Bill.
Please note the deadline is next Tuesday, May 23rd, to email or call in to book
a spot. Please call or email in to book your spot now.
A
briefing note on the issues which you can use for
the hearings is below. A full submission from the OHC will be sent out early next
week for your use. Read More
May 17, 2006
Working
families want withdrawal from Afghanistan The
Canadian Labour Congress calls for the withdrawal of Canada’s troops
in Afghanistan and an increase of our commitment to the reconstruction and development
of that country.
At its regular spring meeting earlier this week, the Executive Council of the
Canadian Labour Congress commended the courage and bravery of all the men and
women serving in Afghanistan. The Executive Council, which brings together the
senior leaders of the country’s largest unions along with the presidents
of the provincial and territorial federations of labour, adopted a statement that
also denounces the fact that our federal government “has moved beyond the
NATO mission of humanitarian relief and peacekeeping to an active combat role
in support of the US military mission in Afghanistan. In so doing, our government
has put Canadian troops in harm’s way in an unprecedented manner.”
The Executive Council
of the Canadian Labour Congress does not “accept the argument that Canadian
presence is intended to bring democracy to the people of Afghanistan. Nor do we
accept the premise that our presence is intended to put Afghanistan on the road
to sustainable development or improve women’s equality in that country.”
Read More
May 17, 2006
Funding
for Treatment of Autism Autism in the Senate - Debates
of the Senate (Hansard) May 16, 2006 Hon.
Terry M. Mercer: Honourable senators, it is an honour for me to support my
colleague, the Honourable Senator Munson, in his ongoing effort to raise awareness
of a problem in Canada with regard to our children. I will, no doubt, echo many
of the thoughts and feelings of those here today. I can only hope that we will
do our best to continue to raise awareness of autism and solve the issues surrounding
it.
The Autism
Society Canada estimates the number of children with autism has grown by more
than 150 per cent in the last six years. This statistic is startling. These sufferers,
with compulsive behaviours and speech disorders, become alienated from their family
and friends, those who care about them so deeply. According to most research,
the disorder affects approximately 190,000 Canadians. Three out of every 1,000
children are being diagnosed - up from four in every 10,000 in 1986. Read
More May 17, 2006
Neither the AODA
Alliance (whom the Attorney General appears to have confused with its predecessor,
the Ontarians with Disabilities Act Committee), nor anyone speaking for it, has
asked the Government to hold off debating reforms to the Human Rights Commission
for twenty years. To the contrary, we have agreed that reform is needed and called
for prompt, time-limited public consultations. However we have opposed the specific
weakening of the Human Rights Commission that the Government announced on February
20, 2006 and enshrined in Bill 107. Read More
May 16, 2006
DAWN
Ontario has grave concerns
about the direction this document suggests for people with developmental disabilitiesin Ontario and are in the process of contacting other stakeholders
to see if we might be able to develop a common understanding on the issues and
a common response to these plans.
The
government is inviting public comments on Opportunities and Action --
note the deadline for feedback/comments is June 30, 2006.
Poverty:
Enough is Enough by
Jacquie Chic, Toronto Star Opinion-Editorial, May 16, 2006 No
matter the model, income security reform must reflect the actual cost of living
in each community, says Jacquie Chic Excerpt: "The dire poverty in which social assistance recipients and minimum
wage workers live is attributable to the inexcusable state of our income security
system.
No
amount of bickering about how to measure poverty and therefore how widespread
it is changes the fact that it exists and that the gap between rich and poor is
widening.
Recent
immigrants, Indians, women and people living with disabilities are most likely
to be poor. [please note: the text for this
Op-Ed was submitted by Jacquie Chic as "Aboriginal people" and was edited
by the Star to read "Indians"].
Governments
don't make the choices they do because they are blind to the existence of poverty
or its effects. On the contrary, choices that reduce or minimally increase low
income are favoured despite the peril that causes for the poor because they create
increased profit margins and allow CEO salaries to soar...."
Action
Alert: Equal Marriage Vote Stephen
Harper has confirmed he’ll hold a vote on re-opening equal marriage.
So the only issue is when. How long will he delay that vote? Until he thinks he
has the votes to win? Until after the next election? Although
we’re ahead in the vote count, opponents of equal marriage are pressing for
a delay so they can take advantage of what they call “a window of opportunity”
to pressure MPs to vote for re-opening the divisive marriage debate.
Equal marriage opponents are using this “window” to actively
target MPs in Ottawa. They’re even hosting receptions for “supportive
and persuadable” MPs!! One was hosted on Parliament Hill just a few weeks
ago by Pat O’Brien’s group, Vote Marriage Canada.
It’s
critical that MPs hear not only from equal marriage opponents, but from supporters
as well. We know 2/3 of Canadians are against rolling back the clock on equality,
but MPs may not believe that, if all they hear are calls to “restore traditional
marriage.” Read More & Take Action May
16, 2006
Bill
109: Will the Legislative Committee for Bill 109 travel outside the GTA? The New Residential
Tenancies Act is well into Second Reading and the government has given no
indication as to whether Committee hearings will be held throughout the province
or only be held in Toronto. Issues surrounding the Tenant Protection Act and
the Housing Tribunal are finally being addressed in Bill 109, The Residential
Tenancies Act. It is vital that all groups that wish to give a presentation to
the Committee have the chance to do so. This Bill could be rushed through committee
and passed by June 22nd when the Legislature rises for the summer. Read
More May
15, 2006
'Time
For A Fair Deal' The Task Force to Modernize Income
Security for Working-Age Adults Releases its Final Report - May 2006
Bill
C-225 Pesticide Ban -- Sign Petition Please
add your support for this petitionand forward to your friends, networks and family; to all ecologically minded
citizens. There is a paid business lobbyist working for pesticide companies in
London - The "grassroots" of Canada can certainly meet this challenge
to the integrity of our children's health, not to mention the birds, bugs and
squirrels that cannot read the warning signs either. Irene
Mathyssen (London-Fanshawe MP) and Bill Armstrong (Ward 4 London City
Councillor) have created an online petition in support of Bill C-225. The bill
would place a moratorium on the cosmetic use of pesticides until products are
proven safe and approved by a committee of Parliament.
CRIAW
is a national non-profit research institute whose work centres on making the
links between feminist research, action and social change. Its main objective
is to advance social justice and equality for all women.
Rethinking
Mainstream Approaches to Questions of Social and Economic Policy: Intersectional
Feminist Frameworks (IFFs) follow
this link to CRIAW
Intersectional Feminist Frameworks: An emerging
vision CRIAW's
critical reflection piece on Intersectional Feminist
Frameworks (IFFs) is the result of over
two years of conversations with community activists and academics on the intersectionality
experienced by historically marginalized groups. IFFs examine how factors including
socio-economic status, race, class, gender, sexualities, ability, geographic location,
refugee and immigrant status combine with broader historical and current systems
of discrimination such as colonialism and globalization to simultaneously determine
inequalities among individuals and groups.
Disentangling
the Web of Women’s Poverty and Exclusion!
This information tool reveals that the issues affecting women’s poverty and
exclusion are deeply interconnected in creating a web of economic insecurity and
marginalization. The lens of Intersectional feminist frameworks (IFFs) is crucial
in disentangling this web and in bringing about social change. Disentangling the
web is not enough. Solutions and strategies to achieve social and economic justice
must be explored and implemented if we are to build stronger movements to strengthen
civil society’s capacity to influence policy. This information tool is about
making the voices of activists and advocates being at the forefront of the work
for social change and women’s substantive equality.
Free copies: Phone:
613-563-0681 ext 221, Email: info@criaw-icref.ca (There is a charge
for posting and handling if you order 10 copies or more) May
14, 2006
Bill
208, the Protection of Fundamental Freedoms (Marriage) Statues Amendment Act FOTF / IMFC Watch:
Focus
on the Family (FOTF) Canada / Institute of Marriage and Family Canada (IMFC) (Hold
your nose ... as you read and get ready to mobilize around the issues facing us
as a nation vis a vis the fundamentalist desire for political supremacy)
Women’s
Health Institute Project - Consultation Update Bulletin 2, Spring 2006 The
Women’s Health Institute Project Team has been busy meeting with individuals
and groups from throughout the province. The feedback gathered from these sessions
has been very useful and will inform the ongoing recommendations and reports made
to the Minister of Health and Long Term Care over the coming year.
Read
More May
13, 2006
Special
Diet Allowance Update The
Ministry has issued two new bulletins and an instruction sheet for physicians
and health professionals clarifying that in situations where recipients have been
granted a special diet allowance to help them reach a healthy body weight, the
allowance should be continued to help them maintain their weight.Read More May
13, 2006
Expose
and Oppose P3s and Private Hospital The
OFL’s campaign to expose and oppose privatization and Public-Private Partnerships
(P3c) has been traveling across the province in April and May conducting workshops
for union members and engaging local media in the debate around the issue of building
and rebuilding public services. Read
more in the latest issue of FOCUS! May
12, 2006
Senate
Debates of May 11, 2006 - Autism! Hon. Jim Munson rose pursuant
to notice of April 27, 2006: That he will call the attention of the Senate
to the issue of funding for the treatment of autism. He said: Honourable
senators, there is an urgent health issue in this country and that issue is autism.
The Autism Society of Canada estimates that the number of children with autism
has grown by more than 150 per cent in the last six years and now affects one
in 200 children. Autism affects people in different ways, isolating its sufferers
with compulsive behaviours and speech disorders that close people off from their
family, friends, teachers, neighbours and society as a whole. Read
More May
12, 2006
Senator
Munson Launches an Inquiry into the Treatment of Autism - Senate Wakes Up! OTTAWA, May
11, 2006 – The Honourable Jim Munson, Senator (Ottawa – Rideau
Canal) rose in the Senate today to launch an inquiry on the plight faced by parents
of children with autism. “It is heartbreaking to see what families with autistic
children have to deal with,” said Senator Munson. “Where is the universality
in health care that Canadians are so proud of? It’s not to be found if you
have autism,” continued the senator from Ontario. “The Canada Health
Act does not specify autism treatment as an Insured Health Service.”
“Autism knows no borders. It is time for the Government of Canada to
show leadership – in the same way that we have shown leadership with Canada’s
Drug Strategy or our Diabetes Strategy. We need a National Autism Spectrum Disorder
Strategy.” Senator Munson hopes that with the support of his colleagues that
this inquiry may become the focus of a study of a Standing Senate Committee. Read
More & en français May 11, 2006
New
Human Rights Bill Hurts Those Who Need It Most On
April 26, the McGuinty Liberals introduced Bill 107, An Act to Amend the Human
Rights Code. Unions, community groups and the NDP all condemned the Bill as a
disaster for Human Rights in Ontario, and called on the government to hold public
hearings to give a say to those who will be affected.
OFL
Executive Vice-President Terry Downey said the legislation “will only
make matters worse for the very people the Commission was set up to help. Under
the guise of ‘direct access’ to a Human Rights Tribunal this legislation
only allows access to a court – not justice,” said Downey. “It’s
privatization of a publicly-funded human rights system. The amendments serve to
Americanize the system.” .... Read More May 11, 2006
Task
Force for Income Security Launches Report & Recommendations Media Advisory: Toronto
City Summit Alliance - May 11, 2006
The Task
Force on Modernizing Income Security for Working-Age Adults
(MISWAA) will release its report addressing the urgent need
to reform Canada's income security policies. The report will detail specific recommendations
that will transform the country's income security system into a more effective
one for working age adults. The proposals constitute a multi-faceted set of solutions
aimed at the federal government, the provincial government, municipal governments,
and other parts of civil society than can ultimately contribute to the solutions.
Read More May 11, 2006
Satire:
Canadian Politics: What's The U.N. Know Anyway? by
Richard Marcus - a must read! Excerpt: ... The government spokesperson at these hearings, Allan Kessel a
legal advisor to the Foreign Affairs Ministry, pointed out to those do-gooders
on this committee that most Canadians "have access to housing of acceptable
size and quality at affordable prices." I mean goodness; it's only $800.00
a month for a one-room apartment in Toronto. Only a malcontent would make
a fuss over the fact that a single person only receives $540.00 a month on
welfare.
Look
at all the geared-to-income housing units we have in the province of Ontario alone
for these people on welfare and disability support payments. It's only on average
a five-year wait for one of those apartments and after that you're set for
life. A couple gets a 750 square foot one bedroom apartment in a low rise complex
filled with other couples and families just like them. It's a regular community.
Mr.
Kessel said Canada was "proud of its record of achievement in the promotion
of economic, social and cultural rights." and has been at the forefront of
promoting human rights both internationally and domestically. Just look at our
new policy for day care as an example of economic and social rights. A couple
with only one person working and whose income is over $175,000 a year can claim
a $1200.00 tax credit at the end of the year. Of course the less money you
make the less of a credit you get because you don't need to deduct as much
from your taxable income now do you?
Of
course we are proud of our record regarding human rights domestically. Just look
at the wonderful work we are doing with our native populations.Twice
in the last two months we have successfully airlifted whole communities off their
reserves when the water systems have failed and they were threatened with e-coli
infestations. They all got to have a nice trip out of town at government expense
and nobody got sick.
Oh
sure there has been some belly aching because the new government hasn't honoured
the Kelowna Accord's commitments for funding housing, education, and employment,
but they still got $1.5 million dollars this year. They didn't really think they
would get the $8 million that all the provinces and the previous government agreed
to, now did they? ...
Read More May 11, 2006
Call
for a National Autism Strategy To
date no province has offered autism treatment under the Medicare umbrella. Those
provinces that offer autism treatment programs under the Social Services departments
are often plagued with unconscionable waiting lists or discriminatory age-based
cut-offs.
It
is time for the federal government to demonstrate leadership and develop a
National Autism Strategy that would see fedeal budget surplus dollars
transferred to the provinces specifically for autism treatment along with corresponding
standards so that no child with autism will be left behind.
We
are calling on all parents, family and friends of children with autism to write
their MPs, Senators, and the Health Minister, to:
*
Ask them for the corresponding study results in Canada and what are they doing
about it.
* Ask them what they're doing about the lack of Federal funding for the treatment
of autism.
* Call for the new Conservative government to develop a National Autism Strategy.
End
the clawback
of the National Child Benefit Supplement
Reinstate
the Special Diet supplement
Time:
12:00 - 2:00 pm
Toronto: Picket
outside Minister Meilleur's office at the Ministry of Community & Social Services,
Hepburn Block, 80 Grosvenor St.
Toronto
Ottawa: Picket outside Minister Meilleur's constituency office at
237 Montreal Rd., Vanier
End
Violence Against Women & Children
With the increased cost of living, women can not afford to pay
rent & feed their children
Most of those receiving social assistance are single mothers
Basic necessities can ensure women & children's health & safety
It
is not a surprise that many women decide to return
to abusive relationships in order
to survive economically! May 10, 2006
Mr.
Harper, on Mothers Day, women want more that just flowers: we want real equality
now! The
National Association of Women and the Law released a Mother's Day Statement
that has been endorsed by over 100 local, provincial and national organizations
across the country. While more fathers have been getting involved, women still
do the lion's share of the work of caring for children and the home. Most mothers
do a double day's work and pay a steep economic price for raising young children.
Motherhood often leads to impoverishment for women, to overwork, exhaustion and
guilt. The Mothers Day Statement calls on the Harper government to take concrete
measures toward the social and economic equality of mothers. Read
More May 10, 2006
Globally,
the media shows little interest in women's issues by Kamala
Sarup, May 10, 2006, LA Chronicle reprinted with permission
of the author Excerpt:
The International Federation of Journalists, the world's largest journalists'
group, says that stereotyping of women in media and the restricted entry of women
into the charmed circle and largely male world of management in journalism are
key obstacles to gender equality in the media industry. "Around
the world the struggle for equality in media is a constant battle for recognition
of women's rights. The issue is always there whether it is in discrimination over
jobs and pay or in the diet of sexist and titillating journalism that still contributes
to the difficulties faced by women in all sections of society," the IFJ said.
Read the full article
May 10, 2006
Where
Are the Women? Kirby Report is hit and miss, advocates for women's mental health
say Working Group Releases Background
Overview of Women, Mental Health, Mental Illness and Addiction in Canada Women’s
mental health, mental illness and addictions experts and advocates from across
Canada applauded the call for a Mental Health Transition Fund by the Standing
Senate Committee on Social Affairs, Science and Technology, but expressed deep
concern over the absence of any gender analysis in the Committee’s final
report on mental health, mental illness and addiction in Canada, released yesterday.
Read More May 10,
2006
FAFIA
- Update & Invitation: May 17 - CEDAW 25th Anniversary Event ...
FAFIA is hosting
an event onParliament Hill on Wednesday, May 17th between 5:15 and 6:30
p.m. entitled “25 Years: Ready or Not?”.
This gathering is intended to give Parliamentarians more information regarding
Canada’s obligations under CEDAW. It also offers FAFIA members an opportunity
to talk with Parliamentarians regarding our efforts to ensure Canada’s full
accountability for its human rights commitments to women.
Our primary
objective for the event is to convey our confidence that with the right approach,
the current session of Parliament can potentially be a positive and productive
one for the advancement of women’s rights in Canada. We also intend to demonstrate
FAFIA’s commitment to working with all Parliamentarians and parties willing
to go the distance on the UN recommendations. Read More May 10, 2006
Announcing
National Elizabeth Fry Week / Annoncé
la semain e nationale elizabeth fry National
Elizabeth Fry Week: May 8 - 14, 2006 Theme:
Women in Community Purpose
of National Elizabeth Fry Week: The
Canadian Association of Elizabeth Fry Societies (CAEFS) celebrates National
Elizabeth Fry Week annually. Elizabeth Fry societies across the country organize
public events in their communities throughout the week.
Our
goal is to enhance public awareness and education regarding the circumstances
of women involved in the criminal justice system, especially those who are criminalized.
We hope to challenge and gradually break down the negative stereotypes that exist
about women who are victimized and criminalized.
National
Elizabeth Fry Week is always the week preceding Mother's Day. The majority of
women in prison are mothers. Most of them were the sole supporters of their families
at the time they were incarcerated. When mothers are sentenced to prison, they
and their children are also sentenced to separation. Many women find this the
most severe punishment. We try to draw attention to this reality by ending Elizabeth
Fry Week on Mother's Day each year. Read More en français May
8, 2006
AODA
Alliance Releases Preliminary Response to the McGuinty Government's Human Rights
Bill Accessibility
For Ontarians With Disabilities Act (AODA) Alliance Update
dd May 8, 2006 Summary: On
Wed., April 26, 2006, the McGuinty Government introduced into the Legislature
for First Reading Bill 107, the proposed "Human Rights Code Amendment Act,
2006." That bill is aimed at reforming the process for enforcing human rights
in Ontario. By
introducing this bill at that time, the Government rejected the widespread claims
from the AODA Alliance and many others, that it should not introduce a bill on
this topic until it held a proper, open accessible public consultation on how
to reform the Human Rights Code. The
bill itself is a substantial rejection of major concerns about the Government's
plans that have been raised by so many voices in the disability community such
as the AODA Alliance, racialized communities and by other sectors of our community.
Shortly we will
make available the important documents from the Government concerning this bill.
However, today as quickly as it can, the AODA Alliance is releasing its preliminary
response to Bill 107. We
have to act as quickly as we can, because unfortunately the McGuinty Government
is rushing to proceed with this bill in the Ontario Legislature. We learned late
last week, though not from the Government itself, that the Government is bringing
Bill 107 forward for the first day of Second Reading Debates in the Legislature
this evening from around 3:30 to 6:00 p.m. By rushing this bill forward to Second
Reading debates just 12 days after the bill got First Reading on April 26, 2006,
the Government is giving the public far too little time to digest all the bill's
complicated provisions. It also is eliminating the possibility of sending the
bill out for public hearings before the bill reaches Second Reading. Had this
Government sent the bill out for hearings over the summer before Second Reading,
we would have had a broader opportunity to have input into the bill before the
Legislature voted on it at Second Reading. At Second Reading the Legislature votes
whether to give the bill "approval in principle." Read
More May 8, 2006
UN
Experts question Canada’s inaction on poverty, housing, aboriginal rights GENEVA - “Many
of the issues our committee raised in 1993 and 1998 are unfortunately still live
issues today,” said Ariranga Govindasamy Pillay, a member of the UN Committee
on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights during the committee’s review of
Canada’s performance. “Years later, the situation appears to be unchanged,
and in some respects worse. There is continuing homelessness and reliance on food
banks, security of tenure is not still not enjoyed by tenants, child tax benefits
are still clawed back, (...) the situation of aboriginal peoples, migrants and
people with disabilities doesn’t seem to be improving.” ... Several
committee members were disturbed by the lack of investment in social programs
and by continuing high poverty rates of the most marginalized (women, aboriginal
peoples, people of colour and immigrants) [editor's
comment: What about people with disability???] and wondered why this
has happened when the government is enjoying budget surpluses year after year.
Read More May 8, 2006
Interview
with Circle of Women with Disabilities (CIMUDIS) in the Dominican Republic The Association
for Women's Rights in Development (AWID) kindly provided this transcript (Rochelle
Jones) of the recent interview they conducted with Cristina Francisco from
Circle of Women with Disabilities (CIMUDIS)
in the Dominican Republic about the intersection of feminism, discrimination and
disability. Read More May
8, 2006
Take
Back Mother's Day March & Protest May
14, 2006 at 2:00 pm - 15 Huntley Street (Sherbourne & Bloor)
- Toronto For most
Canadians, Mother’s Day is a time when families honour their mother’s
hard work. But for many of low income families find that on Mother’s Day,
peace and joy is in very short supply, especially now that more than 30,000 of
their youngsters languish in foster homes. We did not lose our children because
of abuse, rather we lost our children because of poverty, lack of affordable adequate
housing, being single, being young, having a child with special needs, being in
recovery from substance abuse issues, having survived an abusive partner, or having
worked in the Adult Entertainment Industry. Silenced for decades by shame
and guilt, we suffered alone with our grief, believing that we were the only ones.
Now we find that we are not alone. Mother’s Day began as a day to honor the
public activism of mothers. It began in 1870 because mother’s declared that
they would not lose their children as casualties of war. On
Sunday May 14th 2006, let's “Take
Back Mother’s Day" by joining with Mothers across Toronto as
we rally in front of the Children’s Aid Society at
15 Huntley Street at 2:00pm to demand... Read
More May 7, 2006
Express
Line to Injustice Ontarians
want a strong and effective Commission, one that is both comprehensive and flexible;
not one that merely achieves a case management efficiency by the slashing and
burning of human rights.by
Lorne Foster, May 5, 2006 -
from rabble
news The
Ontario Liberals recently announced in the Legislative Assembly a proposal to
create a new human rights system. Bill 107 effectively guts the Ontario Human
Rights Commission, eliminating the entire enforcement provision. By voiding the
investigation and compliance functions of the Commission, complainants will be
expected to navigate the process on their own or hire a lawyer. Read
the full article on rabble news May 6, 2006
AUTISM:
Latest Prevalence Rates in USA - Now 1 in 175 Below
is the latest bombshell in the USA about the prevalence rates for autism. Clearly,
this is getting media attention in the USA. We need to capitalize on this and
send this information to all MPs
and Senators,
especially Tony Clement, the Minister
of Health, and ask them for the corresponding study results in Canada and what
are they doing about it?
Clearly,
this would support our case that the government needs to mandate the Public
Health Agency with monitoring what the heck is going on and using this data to
feed into policy development.
Native Women's Association of
Canada (NWAC) Native
Women's Association of Canada President Beverley Jacobs disappointed with the
lack of clear financial commitment the Conservative Gov't has committed to Aboriginal
people in its 2006 Budget
Canadian
Union of Public Employees (CUPE) Harper's
first budget: tax cuts trump child care, public services - Conservatives hoodwinking
Canadians in quest for majority
Ontario
Ministry of Finance Ontario
Still Seeking Fairness From Federal Government - Harper's
First Budget "Leaves More Questions Than Answers," Bountrogianni Says
Certified
Management Accountants of Canada (CMA Canada) First Conservative
Budget Falls Short in Boosting Canadian Productivity - Measures ignore growing
information and communications technology where greatest gains can be achieved
Federal
Budget short-changes Canadian Children Reaction
to the Federal Budget by the Presidents of: Ontario Public School
Boards' Association (OPSBA); Elementary Teachers' Federation of Ontario (ETFO);
Ontario Secondary School Teachers' Federation (OSSTF); Canadian Teachers Federation
(CTF); Ontario Federation of Home and School Associations (OFHSA)
CCD
- Council of Canadians with Disabilities Online Consultation The
International Development Committee of the Council of Canadians with Disabilities
(CCD) invites disability rights advocates and human rights advocates to join
us for an on-line discussion about the proposed UN Convention
to Protect and Promote the Human Rights of Persons with Disabilities.
Last year, Mary Ennis,
CCD Vice-Chair, and International Development Committee Member, conducted an on-line
consultation for women with disabilities about how the proposed Convention should
address gender. During this consultation, participants expressed a preference
for the Convention to address the issues of women with disabilities in both a
separate article and throughout the various articles of the convention, where
appropriate. This approach has been supported by the Canadian delegation at the
Ad Hoc Meetings, and at present, all indications are that it will prevail.
This
year, Steven Estey, Chairperson of our International Development Committee
will conduct another on-line consultation about the Convention. This year, we
will be using Dis-IT’s “ACollab,” an accessible web-based
collaboration tool (see below for more details).
The
consultation will provide an opportunity to dialogue more generally with others
who are interested in the development of the United Nations’ first international
convention specifically addressing human rights and people with disabilities.
... Read
More
Agenda
for the online forum: added
May 6, 2006 May
8: Receive documents on 1st item (definition of disability) May 9-12: Discussion
on definition of disability May 13: Receive documents on last discussion (monitoring)
May 14-17: Discussion on monitoring May 18: Close process and provide summaries. Read More May
4, 2006
Apostle
of transparency: Harper developing into most secretive PM in history
by Geoffrey Stevens, StraightGoods.com, May 2,
2006 Prime Minister Stephen Harper campaigned
for election on the twin principles of transparency and accountability. A Conservative
government would be an Open Government yes, sir. No more sweeping of corruption
under the Privy Council carpet no, sir. Open Government that's the ticket.
If there is any lingering doubt about the hollowness, the emptiness, the cynicism
the sheer hypocrisy of the Harper campaign promises, it is swept away by the devastating
report released on Friday by Information Commissioner Reid. Reid is a servant
of Parliament, not of the government. It is his duty to defend the publics access
to information about what government is doing and how it is doing it, so that
the people may judge whether their representatives are competent or incompetent,
honest or dishonest, well-motivated or mean-spirited.
Read the full article on StraightGoods May
4, 2006
FAFIA
Budget Wrap Up(updated
document dd May 5, 2006) There
is little evidence that this federal budget was subjected to a gender analysis
during its development. Many of the issues that preoccupy millions of women, including
access to childcare, language training and mentorship programs for employment
(for new Canadians in particular), skills development and training, as well as
income support programs (eg. social assistance, employment insurance) are not
meaningfully addressed in this budget. For the third consecutive year, FAFIA has
commissioned Armine Yalnizyan to provide a gender based analysis of the federal
budget which will be available in the coming weeks. In advance of this, to help
our members, partners and friends understand what the implications of this budget
are, we have compiled the following responses from a range of sources. Read
More updated
May 5, 2006
No
Child-Care Clawback for Manitoba Families: Melnick News
Release: Manitoba Family Services and Housing Families with children
under age six in Manitoba receiving employment and income assistance (EIA) will
receive the full federal Universal Child Care Benefit and their income assistance
levels will not be affected, Family Services and Housing Minister Christine Melnick
announced today. "The
incomes and the quality of life for low-income Manitobans who are participating
in the EIA program will not be affected," said Melnick. "We are committed
to helping people achieve their full potential and providing children with the
right start in life." Read More
May 3,
2006
The
15 cent per hour increase to Quebec's minimum wage
This article appeared in The Gazette yesterday about the 15 cent/hr increase to
Quebec's minimum wage ... Note the figures quoted from Stats Canada ... "According
to Statistics Canada data for last September, almost
two-thirds of minimum wage workers in Canada are women. One in three
teenagers age 15 to 19 work for minimum wage - accounting for nearly half of the
minimum wage earners in the country, StatsCan says. ... Another 17 per cent of
minimum wage workers are age 20 to 24, and nearly half
of them are students."
Minimum
wage hike is peanuts critics: Hourly pay jumps
today by dime, nickel; 'Please. Fifteen cents? Where can I go with that? Multiply
that by eight hours a day' by Natalie Goldenberg-Fife, Freelance,
The Gazette, Monday, May 01, 2006 Excerpt: "Quebec's
minimum wage increases by 15 cents an hour today, but many workers who will benefit
are not exactly jumping for joy. The rate goes to $7.75, up from $7.60 an hour.
For those receiving tips, it will be $7 - up from $6.85. ... Jean-Pascal Bernier,
a spokesperson for Labour Minister Laurent Lessard, said as many as 118,000 Quebecers
will benefit from the increase. "We are talking about those in the service
industry, single mothers and young people," he said. The increase is part
of a provincial plan - adopted in 2004 - to reduce poverty, Bernier said.
"Increasing the minimum wage on a regular basis
will help to make poverty disappear." ??? Read
the Full Article May 2, 2006
Ken
Dryden, Liberals - "Thinking big" just won’t cut it by
Arthur Weinreb, Associate Editor, Canada Free Press Excerpt:
A day after he formally announced his candidacy for the leadership of the Liberal
Party of Canada, a column penned by Ken Dryden appeared in the National Post.
Titled "Canada needs to think big",
Dryden outlined what he would like to see happen in the next ten years. He wrote,
"Within ten years, let
us: * Cut child poverty in half. * Become one of the top five most productive
countries on earth. * Lead the world in alternative energies and energy efficiency.
* Finally and forever make Aboriginal peoples full participants in the success
of Canada. * Build a truly inclusive, accessible country for Canadians with disabilities."
<sniped> ...
These grand visions of reducing child poverty (where have we heard
that before?) and making Aboriginals full participants in the success of Canada,
whatever that means are nothing more than wishes and dreams. We need a leader
who can set realistic and achievable goals and then carry them out. Or in the
words of Nike; someone who can "just do it".Read
the full article May 2, 2005
A
Call to End Women's Poverty May
1st, 1pm-3pm at the 519 Church Street Community Centre
Join us on
May 1st from 1 to 3pm to organize a mass delegation of women (to take place
in the later part of May) to demand that the government:
implement a 40%
increase in the social assistance rates,
end
the clawback of the National Child Tax Credit, and
reinstate
the Special Diet supplement.
The
meeting will take place at The 519 Church Street Community Centre (Wellesley Subway)
Child Care will be provided upon request. ASL interpretation will be provided
upon request. Contact: Ginny Santos at 416-392-3138 (TTY: 416-392-3031) or justice@metrac.org Read More May
1, 2006
Canada
Must Re-Invest in Women, Groups tell United Nations in Geneva Ottawa
- Today in Geneva, women’s organizations and other social justice groups
from Canada will report on Canada’s disappointing performance under the International
Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights. The United Nations Committee
is due to review Canada’s compliance under this Convention in the coming
week. FAFIA,
a broad alliance of women’s organizations and human rights groups, and the
National Association of Women and
the Law (NAWL) are submitting a joint report to the UN
Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights that demonstrates
how past federal budgets have starved many crucial social programs between 1995
and 1998. As a result, welfare rates are at levels that the National Council
on Welfare calls “punitive and cruel”, civil legal aid for family
law and poverty law matters is in a state of crisis, and deep cuts have been made
to front line services for women fleeing violence. Despite eight years of federal
budget surpluses since then, monies for these programs have never been restored.en
français --
Read More May 1,
2006
Canada
fails to meet economic and social rights obligations, United Nations told Canada is going
backwards on its commitments to implement the International Covenant on Economic,
Social and Cultural Rights, a network of Canadian non-governmental organizations
say in presentations they will make to a UN Committee on May 1. Though
Canada is one of the wealthiest nations in the world with low unemployment and
record Federal budget surpluses, too many people are being denied the human rights
guaranteed by the Covenant, such as the rights to an adequate standard of living,
to social security, to housing, to food, to health, and fair working conditions
including fair wages. Disproportionate numbers of Aboriginal people, women, people
with disabilities, people of colour, refugees and youth experience poverty and
other rights violations in Canada today. Read More May 1, 2006
Blue
Social Policy and the Speech from the Throne: Evaluating the Four Top Social Policy
Priorities of the Conservative Government In keeping
with its focus on the pursuit of social justice, the Canadian Association of
Social Workers (CASW) announces the publication of
Blue Social Policy and the Speech from the Throne: Evaluating
the Four Top Social Policy Priorities of the Conservative Government.
The report provides a comprehensive analysis of the four social priorities of
the Conservative government and concludes that, while it is good news that four
of the five priorities of the Conservative government are related to social policy,
the bad news is that some of the policies are likely to lead to a widening gap
between high and low-income families. For example, reductions in the GST will
benefit the poor but disproportionately benefit high-income families, and the
real value of the proposed children s allowance to most families will be less
than $1,200 because of tax-backs and possible cutbacks in other children s benefits.en
français -- Read More May
1, 2006
Statement
by Canada and Quebec's Child Care Coalitions Unprecedented joint
effort to win Parliamentary support for child care funding in budget La Coalition des services
de garde et des services aux familles and the Child Care Advocacy Association
of Canada are joining forces to pressure federal politicians of all parties to
deliver multi-year funding for child care in the federal budget. We are doing
so in an effort to ensure that Canada's Parliament acts to fulfill its responsibilities
to young children and their parents. Prime Minister Stephen Harper's decision
to cancel promised funding to the provinces and territories will strike a blow
to families in Quebec and the rest of Canada. The decision ignores the reality
of Canadian families who need flexible quality child care whether they are in
the workforce, at home or in school. It also flies in the face of extensive research
and experience here and internationally that demonstrates the benefits of quality
early learning and child care for children, families and society at large. Read
More May 1, 2006
CODE BLUE for CHILD CARE A Canada wide campaign to protect
child care
Click on the image for more information To sign on to the open letter,
click
here Pour signer la lettre ouverte, cliquez
ici
CLEONet
is an online clearinghouse for community legal education in Ontario
... For organizations that produce, use, or need community legal education
materials, CLEONet is a tool to find resources, share information,
and work together online.
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
Mad
Pride Day, July 14th, an international day recognizing Mad People’s movement
has been proclaimed as such, within the city of Toronto.
Women are increasingly vulnerable to HIV/AIDS. 
(6:00) 
warned of the dire mental health effects of the feminization of poverty and violence
against women and drew attention to the disproportionate number of women assigned
with the diagnostic categories of depression and anxiety.
