Canadian Social Research Newsletter
April 5, 2010

Welcome to the weekly Canadian Social Research Newsletter,
a listing of the new links added to the Canadian Social Research Links website in the past week.

The e-mail version of this week's issue of the newsletter is going out to 2,249 subscribers.

---

Haiti Relief - from the CBC
- links to information resources, more organizations accepting donations

Canadian content

Ontario's Minimum Wage Increases
March 31, 2010
Table showing the old (March 31, 2009) and new (March 31, 2010) minimum wage rates for general workers, for students, for liquor servers, for homeworkers, and for hunting/fishing guides.
- also includes more detailed information about conditions that apply to the special (i.e., non-general) categories
[ news release - March 30]
Source:
Employment Standards
[ Ontario Ministry of Labour ]

How does that compare
with other Canadian jurisdictions?

Current And Forthcoming Minimum Hourly Wage Rates For Adult Workers in Canada
(this is the BEST resource for info on current and upcoming minimum wage levels by province/territory)
NOTE: In addition to Ontario, several other jurisdictions have either recently increased their minimum wage level or will be doing so in the coming months.
Click the link above to see who changed when...
Source:
Minimum Wage Database
[ Employment Standards Legislation in Canada ]
[ Labour Program, Human Resources and Social Development Canada ]

Related links:

Back to Scratch
By John Stapleton
March 31, 2010
With the recent increase in Ontario's minimum wage, the gap between the minimum wage and the welfare rate is as wide as it was during the Depression. [ At the time, a single person's maximum welfare payment ("relief packet") amounted to 36 per cent of what someone could make working for minimum wage.]
(...) The yearly difference between the single welfare rate and minimum wage is now $19,500 in gross minimum wages versus $7,020 in basic assistance. So we have the same stark work incentives as we did in the depths of the Great Depression. Who says history doesn't repeat itself?
Source:
The Mark - News and Perspectives Daily
Open Policy - John Stapleton's personal website, incl. links to his other writings

________________________

Related historical snapshots:

Minimum wage vs
cost of living in 1975 and in 2007 (PDF - 251K, 1 page)
How living costs have outgrown the minimum wage
- compares how much work time it would take, working at the prevailing minimum wage in 1975 and 2007, to pay for ordinary purchases such as a loaf of bread or a dozen eggs.
Source:
The Toronto Star

---

Annual Minimum Wage Income* by Province, 1976 and 1995
(constant 1995$)

- Go to the Minimum Wage /Living Wage Links page: http://www.canadiansocialresearch.net/minwage.htm

[ NOTA : le français suit l'anglais ci-dessous. ]

Quebec 2010-2011 Budget : Choices for the Future
March 30, 2010
- main budget page, incl. the following budget papers:

News Releases
- click the link above for access to the following releases (all dated March 30, 2010):
* 2010-2011 Budget: Choices for the Future
* 2010-2011 Budget: Stimulate Job Creation and Economic Recovery
* 2010-2011 Budget: A More Efficient and Better Funded Health-Care System
* 2010-2011 Budget: Staying the Course Towards a Balanced Budget in 2013-2014
* 2010-2011 Budget: Paying Down Our Debt: A Matter of Intergenerational Equity
* 2010-2011 Budget: Building the Québec of the Next 20 Years
* 2010-2011 Budget: Appendix - Table

The Budget Plan (PDF - 1.9MB, 408 pages)

Additional Information on the Budgetary mesures (PDF - 1.3MB, 204 pages)
"(...) 6.1 Plan to combat poverty
In the coming months, the Minister of Employment and Social Solidarity will unveil the new 2010-2015 government action plan to combat poverty and social exclusion. To support that initiative, the 2010-2011 Budget provides for an additional investment of $1.3 billion for the next five years..."

- includes a table showing annual investments to combat poverty over the next five years under each of several new measures:
* introduction of a Solidarity Tax Credit to provide for compensation for planned tax increases
* additional funding to the Fonds québécois d’initiatives sociales (social initiatives fund), to bolster collaborative intervention by the various organizations involved
* 3,000 new social housing throughout Quebec plus 340 new dwellings in Nunavik
* new measures to help seniors with the cost of home supports

Update on Federal Transfers - 2009-2010 Budget (PDF - 563K, 24 pages)
"(...) By unilaterally modifying, in recent months, the equalization program, then the Canada Health Transfer allocation formula, the federal government has reneged on its commitments [to review and improve transfers to Quebec) . What is more, for the past ten years, the three provinces that have most greatly benefited from increasing federal transfers are Ontario, Alberta and British
Columbia..."
- includes tables showing:
* Change in the Canada Social Transfer compared to 1994-1995
* Federal contribution to provincial social assistance spending in 2009-2010 (millions of dollars and dollars per social assistance recipient)
* Increase in federal transfers to the provinces since 1999-2000

Source:
Ministère des Finances du Québec (English home page)

Related links:

From CBC Montreal:

Quebec budget slaps lower, middle classes: critics
March 31, 2010
Opposition parties are lining up with interest groups to denounce Quebec's new budget as a cash grab that will bruise the province's majority lower and middle classes. Quebec Finance Minister Raymond Bachand tabled his first budget Tuesday afternoon. It includes a graduated health levy and other public service user fees, two levels of fuel taxes and a higher provincial sales tax. The revenue-generating measures will help pay down Quebec's $4.5-billion deficit, Bachand said, and will help set a new relationship between taxpayers and the province.

Quebec 2010 Budget: Key Points
What the budget measures mean for you
March 30, 201
Staring at a $4.5-billion deficit for 2010-2011 on revenues of $64.5 billion, Quebec Finance Minister Raymond Bachand is asking businesses and individuals alike to pitch in and help line the province's coffers. Quebec's service fees and tax hikes will increase the cost of living:
* A family of four earning $70,000 will pay $650 more in 2011, and $1,250 more in 2012.
* A single person earning $40,000 will pay $365 more in 2011, and $1,250 more in 2012.
* Higher taxes at the gas pump mean it will cost drivers more to fill up. The budget eliminates funding for 28 provincial agencies, and includes measures for program reviews and salary freezes in the public sector. Quebec has more debt than any other Canadian province, equal to 53 per cent of its GDP.

Source:
CBC Montreal

****************************

Version française:

Budget 2010-2011 du Québec
Le 30 mars 2010
Vous trouverez sur cette page principale du budget des liens vers les documents budgétaires suivants, entre autres:

* Plan budgétaire (PDF - 408 pages, 2 Mo)

* Communiqués
Cliquez le lien ci-dessus pour accéder aus communiqués suivants:
* Budget 2010-2011 : Des choix pour l'avenir
* Budget 2010-2011 : Stimuler la création d'emplois et la relance de l'économie
* Budget 2010-2011 : Mieux financer le système de santé et le rendre plus performant
* Budget 2010-2011 : Maintenir le cap sur l'équilibre budgétaire en 2013-2014
* Budget 2010-2011 : Rembourser notre dette : une question d'équité intergénérationnelle
* Budget 2010-2011 : Construire le Québec des vingt prochaines années
* Budget 2010-2011 : Annexe - Tableau

Le point sur les transferts fédéraux - Budget 2009-2010 (PDF - 26 pages, 560 Ko)
"(...) En modifiant de manière unilatérale au cours des derniers mois le programme de péréquation, puis la formule de répartition du Transfert canadien en matière de santé, le gouvernement fédéral est revenu sur ses engagements (touchant la bonification de la péréquation au Québec). En outre, depuis dix ans, les trois provinces qui ont le plus bénéficié de la hausse des transferts fédéraux sont l’Ontario, l’Alberta et la Colombie-Britannique."
Tableaux à noter:
* Évolution du TCPS par rapport au niveau de 1994-1995
* Contribution fédérale aux dépenses des provinces en matière d’aide sociale en 2009-2010 (en millions de dollars et en dollars par bénéficiaire de l’aide sociale)
* Augmentation des transferts fédéraux aux provinces depuis 1999-2000

* Renseignements additionnels sur les mesures du budget (PDF - 220 pages, 1,27 Mo)
"(...) 6.1 Plan de lutte contre la pauvreté:
Au cours des prochains mois, le ministre de l’Emploi et de la Solidarité sociale dévoilera le nouveau plan d’action gouvernemental en matière de lutte contre la pauvreté et l’exclusion sociale 2010-2015. Afin d’appuyer cette initiative, le budget 2010-2011 prévoit un investissement additionnel de 1,3 milliard de dollars pour les cinq prochaines années.
À noter:
Dans ce fichier, vous trouverez un tableau qui présente les crédits budgétaires annuels de 2010 à 2015 pour chaque nouvelle initiative mentionnée ci-dessous:
* Mise en place d'un crédit d’impôt pour la solidarité en compensation pour la hausse éventuelle des taxes
* Un financement additionnel dans le Fonds québécois d’initiatives sociales pour une concertation accrue des interventions du milieu;
* Construction de 3 000 nouveaux logements sociaux au Québec et 340 nouveaux logements à Nunavik
* Nouvelles mesures pour compenser les coûts liés au maintien à domicile d'une personne âgée

Source:
Ministère des Finances du Québec

Liens connexes:

Québec s'en remet aux contribuables
30 mars 2010
Pour retrouver le chemin de l'équilibre budgétaire, le budget du gouvernement Charest confie près de 40 % de l'effort aux contribuables en imposant une taxe santé, ainsi que des hausses de la TVQ, de la taxe sur l'essence et des droits de scolarité.
Source:
Radio-Canada

- Go to the 2010 Canadian Government Budgets Links page: http://www.canadiansocialresearch.net/budgets_2010.htm
- Go to the Québec Links (English) page: http://www.canadiansocialresearch.net/qce.htm
- Rendez-vous à la page de liens de recherche sociale au Québec: http://www.canadiansocialresearch.net/qcbkmrk.htm

Media coverage of the 2010 Ontario Budget
March 30
(An excellent collection of over 30 media links prepared by Jennefer Laidley of the
Income Security Advocacy Centre (ISAC) - thanks, Jennefer!]

---

General coverage:

CBC: http://www.cbc.ca/canada/toronto/story/2010/03/25/ontario-budget-duncan-main.html

Star editorial: http://www.thestar.com/opinion/editorials/article/785491--a-prudent-budget-with-two-missteps

Globe breakdown by sector: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/ontario/ontario-budget-2010/article1510313/

CBC on opposition responses: http://www.cbc.ca/canada/toronto/story/2010/03/25/ont-budget-reaction.html

Progressive Economics response: http://www.progressive-economics.ca/2010/03/25/ontario-budget/

---

The Pundits Corner:

Adam Radwanski: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/with-this-budget-ontario-is-banking-on-the-near-impossible/article1510634/

Jeffrey Simpson: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/opinions/ontario-lifted-canada-up-now-itll-drag-it-down/article1512510/

John Ivison: http://network.nationalpost.com/NP/blogs/fullcomment/archive/2010/03/25/john-ivison-ontario-budget-pledges-to-get-tough-on-spending-later.aspx

---

On loss of Special Diet, plus more in some instances

Star: http://www.thestar.com/news/ontario/ontariobudget/article/785344--poverty-advocates-decry-loss-of-diet-allowance

Small OW / ODSP rule changes coming: http://www.thestar.com/news/ontario/article/786837--welfare-rules-tweaked-after-diet-allowance-axed

Star editorial – poverty missing from budget: http://www.thestar.com/opinion/editorials/article/785482--poverty-missing-in-budget-plans

Kyle Vose of the ODSP Action Coalition on loss of special diet: http://www.thestar.com/news/ontario/ontariobudget/article/785637--diabetic-fears-losing-special-diet-allowance

Toronto Sun on loss of special diet: http://www.torontosun.com/news/torontoandgta/2010/03/25/13360186.html

---

Some letters to editors on Special Diet:

Dr. Gary Bloch letter in the Star: http://www.thestar.com/opinion/letters/article/786115--a-way-to-reduce-poverty-and-health-costs

Letter in the Ottawa Citizen: http://www.ottawacitizen.com/business/Diet+allowance+vital/2738211/story.html

---

Group / org responses to Budget, especially Special Diet:

Canadian Centre Policy Alternatives: http://www.policyalternatives.ca/newsroom/updates/ontario-budget-analysis

Income Security Advocacy Centre: http://www.incomesecurity.org/Budget2010response.htm

25 in 5 : http://25in5.ca/budget-throws-ontarios-poor-in-limbo/

Ontario Association of Food Banks: http://www.newswire.ca/en/releases/archive/March2010/25/c5345.html

Social Planning Network of Ontario : http://www.newswire.ca/en/releases/archive/March2010/25/c5308.html

Registered Nurses Association of Ontario : http://www.newswire.ca/en/releases/archive/March2010/25/c5273.html

Association of Municipalities of Ontario : http://www.newswire.ca/en/releases/archive/March2010/25/c5262.html

Ontario Coalition Against Poverty (OCAP) : http://www.ocap.ca/

---

Responses on Childcare:

Association of Early Child Educators Ontario : http://www.newswire.ca/en/releases/archive/March2010/26/c5573.html

YMCA: http://www.newswire.ca/en/releases/archive/March2010/25/c5280.html

YWCA: http://www.newswire.ca/en/releases/archive/March2010/29/c5736.html

---

On freezing public sector wages:

CBC: http://www.thestar.com/news/ontario/ontariobudget/article/785340--budget-ontario-vows-freeze-on-public-sector-wages

Globe: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/ontario/ontario-government-moves-to-contain-public-sector-wages/article1510546/

CBC: http://www.cbc.ca/canada/toronto/story/2010/03/26/duncan-municipalities.html

Hudak says, More!: http://www.thestar.com/news/ontario/ontariobudget/article/785343--hudak-cut-wages-deeper

Unions speak out: http://www.cbc.ca/canada/toronto/story/2010/03/26/ont-budget-health-care.html

[Thanks to Jennefer Laidley of the
Income Security Advocacy Centre (ISAC) for the above media links.]

NOTE : Yes, there *is* a disproportionate number of links on this website to Ontario budget analysis, and Ontario poverty reduction plans, and Ontario everything else. This because I (Gilles) have been an Ontario resident since the mid-1950s and this website is my way of fomenting rev - never mind.
(;-D

- Go to the 2010 Canadian Government Budgets Links page: http://www.canadiansocialresearch.net/budgets_2010.htm
- Go to the Ontario Government Links page: http://www.canadiansocialresearch.net/onbkmrk.htm

Newfoundland and Labrador Budget 2010:
The Right Investments – For Our Children and Our Future
March 29, 2010
- main budget page, incl. the following budget papers:

Budget Speech

Budget Highlights
"(...)Investments in Poverty Reduction:
* Total investment of $134 million this year, a total of $482.7 million since 2006.
* $2.5 million to increase the income thresholds under the Newfoundland and Labrador Prescription Drug Program Access Plan, a total investment of $139.6 million.
* $310,000 to enhance the Family Justice Services Division.
* $519,000 for the continuation of the Family Violence Intervention Court.
* $2.4 million in funding for the Supportive Living Community Partnership Initiative, doubling the amount of $1.2 million provided last year.
* $125,000 to provide community-based supports for Inuit women in Labrador to receive guidance on how to make the most of the Poverty Reduction Strategy, the Aboriginal Training Initiative, Victim Services and emerging economic activities.
* $100,000 in sustaining funding for the Newfoundland Aboriginal Women’s Network.
* Investment of $6.8 million this year in the federal-provincial Affordable Housing Program to build an additional 230 rental housing units for seniors, persons with disabilities and persons requiring supportive services.
* $17.6 million and leveraging additional federal funds to modernize more than 2,300 housing units.
* An additional $1.4 million to raise the Housing Corporation’s annual maintenance budget to $10.2 million.
* Providing $1.2 million to raise the heating allowance for the Housing Corporation’s low-income tenants.
* $70,000 in additional funding for transitional employment support services for victims of violence and $44,000 in additional funding for Women’s Centres.
* $200,000 for the continuation of the Home Heating Oil Tank Storage Replacement Assistance Program."

Estimates

The Economy

News Releases - click this link to access the following releases:
* Budget 2010: The Right Investments – For Our Children and Our Future
* Strengthening the Economy for a Prosperous Future: $1 Billion Slated for Infrastructure Spending in Budget 2010
* A Secure Future through Education: Budget 2010 Invests in Our Children and Youth
* Business Expansion and Positive Dividends for Future Generations Targeted in Budget 2010
* Budget 2010: The Right Investments to Strengthen Provincial Healthcare
* For Children, Youth and Families – Budget 2010 Positions New Department for Change and Revitalization
* Building a Solid Foundation: Budget 2010 Continues Substantial Investments in Education Infrastructure
* Managing Our Natural Resources – For Our Children and Our Future
* Seniors, Small Business and Others to Benefit from Tax Relief Measures
* Long-Term Care and Community Supports Strengthened Through Budget 2010
* Making the Right Investments to Support Self-Reliance
* Securing Labrador’s Future through the Northern Strategic Plan

Budgets for previous years

Source:
Department of Finance

Related links:

Newfoundland and Labrador cuts taxes in deficit budget
March 29, 2010
Newfoundland and Labrador will run a deficit in the coming fiscal year, even though it will also cut taxes for many wage earners, the finance minister said Monday. Tom Marshall unveiled a budget that increases spending in many government programs, including an ambitious infrastructure program designed to shore up the province's economy against the ravages of the international recession. The broad-ranging budget includes record spending on health care and a new focus on child welfare. On the business side, it boasts tax cuts that the government says are necessary to lure new professionals and stay competitive with the other Atlantic provinces.
Source:
CBC Newfoundland and Labrador

- Go to the 2010 Canadian Government Budgets Links page: http://www.canadiansocialresearch.net/budgets_2010.htm
- Go to the Newfoundland and Labrador Links page: http://www.canadiansocialresearch.net/nfbkmrk.htm
- Go to the Provincial and Territorial Anti-poverty Strategies and Campaigns page: http://www.canadiansocialresearch.net/antipoverty.htm

Welfare conditions spur complaint to province
March 26, 2010
The quality of life on social assistance in Manitoba has triggered an ombudsman complaint against the Manitoba government. "There were a number of items on the complaint, such as people not getting information about what they're eligible for," said Paula Keirstead, spokesperson for the Community Employment and Income Assistance Education Program. "[And] people being detracted from applying for EIA, when everyone has the right." Keirstead was one of the signatories of the complaint.
Source:
CBC Manitoba

- Go to the Manitoba Links page: http://www.canadiansocialresearch.net/mbkmrk.htm

Disability Community Stunned by Provincial Cuts to Crucial Medical Goods and Services
March 5, 2010
VANCOUVER – People with disabilities who are already struggling to manage on provincial disability benefits have been told by the Province it will no longer pay for some of the medically essential items and services they depend on. Beginning April 1st, the Province will no longer fund a range of health items including pre-made foot orthotics, diabetic glucometers and a bottled water supplement of $20 a month for people with conditions such as HIV/AIDS.
[NOTE: After clicking the link above, you'll have to scroll to the bottom of the page to read the entire news release. The first part of the page is a more detailed list of the cuts.]
Source:
BC Coalition of People with Disabilities
For over 30 years, the BC Coalition of People with Disabilities (BCCPD) has been a provincial, cross-disability voice in British Columbia. Our mission is to raise awareness around issues that affect the lives of people who live with a disability.

Related link:

Employment and Assistance for Persons with Disabilities Regulation
- amendments made under BC Regulation 67/2010 appear in red text.

- Go to the BC Government Links page: http://www.canadiansocialresearch.net/bcbkmrk.htm
- Go to the Non-Governmental Sites in British Columbia (A-C) page: http://www.canadiansocialresearch.net/bcbkmrk2.htm
- Go to the 2010 Canadian Government Budgets Links page: http://www.canadiansocialresearch.net/budgets_2010.htm

Social Policy Cafe
Personal blog of Havi Echenberg, social policy analyst with the Library of Parliament.
Havi has worked in social policy for 30 years, at the municipal and federal level, with governments and non-government (civil society) organizations. Her interests within that sphere are broad, and she is "most interested in passing on what I read, hear, and know, so that others can share and challenge my observation."

Recently featured on Social Policy Cafe:

Triage: Homelessness and more
April 2, 2010
- includes links to, and Havi's thoughts about, three items on homelessness and two other items - one on planned federal spending, and one on optimal tax rates.
1. The US Interagency Council on Homelessness has engaged in an extensive consultation on new ideas to end homelessness.
2. A report from the US Department of Housing and Urban Development looks at costs associated with first-time homelessness for singles and families.
3 . The Ottawa Alliance to End Homelessness recently released a report card for the year 2009, including data on shelter usage.
4. The team at Inside Ottawa at the Globe and Mail has done an analysis of planned spending for each of the next three years, based on reports by 97 departments and financial agencies. The resulting document lists these departments and agencies and associated projections based on greatest reductions in absolute spending and greatest reduction as a percentage of budgets.
5. “The optimal size of government is a partisan issue. The optimal tax mix isn’t” - a recent entry in an economics blog entitled Worthwhile Canadian Initiatives.
Click the "Triage" link above to access these five items and related links...

Social policy: into the future
March 31, 2010
Two reports released recently focus on social policy moving into the future.
1. ACSW Social Policy Framework 2010: Visioning a More Equitable and Just Alberta, from the Alberta College of Social Workers (ACSW), explicitly recommends a shift from individualism to a more collective approach, to reduce what it describes as growing disparity in Alberta
2. Canada at 150: The Social Agenda, is a speech by Sherri Torjman of the Caledon Institute of Social Policy on Emerging Pressures and Approaches in Social Policy at the Canada@150 Conference (Liberal policy conference) held in Montréal, March 26, 2010.

- Go to the Non-Governmental Organizations Links page: http://www.canadiansocialresearch.net/ngobkmrk.htm

Selected content from
The Daily [Statistics Canada]:

March 31, 2010
Payroll employment, earnings and hours, January 2010
In January, total hours worked by payroll employees increased by 0.3%. At the same time, non-farm payroll employment was virtually unchanged.
- includes two tables:
* Average weekly earnings (including overtime) for all employees
* Number of employees

Related subjects:
* Labour
* Employment and unemployment
* Hours of work and work arrangements
* Industries
* Wages, salaries and other earnings

---

March 31, 2010
* College graduates, 2006/2007
* College enrolment as of October 31, 2006
Data on college enrollees for the academic year 2006/2007 and on students receiving qualifications from colleges for academic years 2005/2006 and 2006/2007 are now available. Click either link above and then follow the CANSIM link to create a customized dataset --- but you must pay for it. If you don't even know what CANSIM is, though, you'll likely be quite satisifed with the free data that's available on the Summary tables page in each case.

Related subjects
* Education, training and learning
* Fields of study
* Educational Attainment
* Students

---

March 29, 2010
Study: Self-employment in the downturn (October 2008 to October 2009)
Self-employment rose substantially during the recent economic downturn, while paid employment declined. Layoffs among paid workers might account for some of the increase in self-employment, but not all of it. Between October 2008 and October 2009, self-employment in Canada increased by more than 100,000, or 4.3%. At the same time, paid employment fell by 480,000, or 3.3%.

Related article in the
March 2010 online edition of
Perspectives on Labour and Income:

Self-employment in the downturn
March 2010
HTML
PDF (143K, 9 pages)

Related subjects:
* Labour
* Employment and unemployment
* Occupations
* Wages, salaries and other earnings

Also from the same edition of Perspectives:

Minimum wage
March 2010
* HTML
* PDF (170K, 9 pages)
Abstract: All provinces and territories set minimum wages in their employment standards legislation. This update uses the Labour Force Survey to examine the characteristics of those who work at or below the minimum wage for experienced adults in each jurisdiction. The incidence of working for minimum wage has increased each year since 2006 but remains concentrated among youth, particularly young women.

---------------------------------

The Daily Archives
- select a month and click on a date for that day's Daily

Source:
The Daily
[Statistics Canada]

- Go to the Federal Government Department Links (Fisheries and Oceans to Veterans Affairs) page: http://www.canadiansocialresearch.net/fedbkmrk2.htm

What's new from the
Childcare Resource and Research Unit (CRRU):

April 5, 2010

What's new online
This section archives documents that have been featured on the CRRU homepage. Items are in chronological order by posting date from the most recent to the least recent. Follow the title link for details.

Joining up and scaling up: A vision for early childhood education and care
31 Mar 10
- Article by Martha Friendly in Education Canada discusses the full day early learning program in Ontario and how to create an ECEC system in Canada by "joining up" the existing patchwork of programs and "scaling" them up to reach more children.

Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood, Volume 11, number 1
31 Mar 10
- Recent volume of Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood features articles by Peter Moss and Rachel Langford, and a study of privatization in New Zealand.

Mending Canada's frayed social safety net: The role of municipal governments
31 Mar 10
- Report from the Federation of Canadian Municipalities says cities are filling gaps in the social safety net left by federal and provincial governments.

State of learning in Canada: A year in review
31 Mar 10
- Report from the Canadian Council on Learning "provides the most up-to-date information available on Canada's learning landscape."

Ontario budget 24 Mar 10 - Ontario government says the budget will fill $63.5 million gap in child care funding.

More What's New Online

Child care in the news
This section features interesting and noteworthy news about ECEC and related issues in Canada and internationally. Items are listed in chronological order by publication date from the most recent to the least recent. Follow the title link for excerpts.

· Childcare subsidy cuts hurt students
31 Mar 10

· Ottawa to test for toxic dust in daycares
31 Mar 10

· Kindergarten expansion expected to cause space shortages
30 Mar 10

· Day care operator might try to have guilty plea thrown out
[CA-ON] 28 Mar 10

· Kids' stuff- childcare money appears
26 Mar 10

· Ontario pumps billions into education
25 Mar 10

more CC IN THE NEWS »

-------------------------------------------------------------------------

Subscribe to the CRRU email announcements list
Sign up to receive email notices of updates and new postings on the CRRU website which will inform you of policy developments in early childhood care and education, new research and resources for policy, newly released CRRU publications, and upcoming events of interest to the child care and broader community.

Links to child care
sitesin Canada and elsewhere

CRRU Publications - briefing notes, factsheets, occasional papers and other publications
ISSUE files - theme pages, each filled with contextual information and links to further info

Source:
Childcare Resource and Research Unit (CRRU)
The Childcare Resource and Research Unit (CRRU) is a policy and research oriented facility that focuses on early childhood education and child care (ECEC) and family policy in Canada and internationally.

- Go to the Non-Governmental Early Learning and Child Care Links page: http://www.canadiansocialresearch.net/ecd2.htm

Poverty Dispatch (U.S.)
- the content of this link changes several times a week
- scan of U.S. web-based news items dealing with topics such as poverty, welfare reform, child welfare, education, health, hunger, Medicare and Medicaid, etc.

Latest issues of Poverty Dispatch:

April 1:
Application Process and Delivery of Benefits - Texas, Hawaii, Indiana
State Medicaid Expansions
Medicaid Reform - Florida
Home Weatherization Program - Texas
Increasing Need for Assistance - Colorado, Ohio

March 31:
Study: Homelessness in Minnesota
Proposed Cuts to State TANF Program - Minnesota
Drug Testing of TANF Participants
Conditional Cash Transfer Program - New York City

March 30:
Post-Earthquake Haiti
Special Diet Allowance Food Assistance Program - Ontario, CA
State Budgets and the Recession

March 29:
Free and Reduced-Price Lunch Program
Kids Count Report - Maine
Foster Care Cuts - Indiana

---

Past Poverty Dispatches
- links to dispatches back to June 2006

Search Poverty Dispatches

---

To subscribe to this email list, send an email to:
povdispatch-request@ssc.wisc.edu?subject=subscribe

---

Source:
Institute for Research on Poverty (IRP)
[ University of Wisconsin-Madison ]

- Go to the Links to American Government Social Research page: http://www.canadiansocialresearch.net/us.htm
- Go to the Links to American Non-Governmental Social Research (A-J) page: http://www.canadiansocialresearch.net/us2.htm
- Go to the Links to American Non-Governmental Social Research (M-Z) page: http://www.canadiansocialresearch.net/us3.htm
- Go to the Poverty Measures - International Resources page: http://www.canadiansocialresearch.net/poverty2.htm

United States

Barely Hanging On: Middle-Class and Uninsured (PDF - 512K, 10 pages)
http://www.rwjf.org/files/research/58034.pdf
In recent times, the ability of middle-class persons to secure adequate health care insurance has been compromised by a number of factors. These are the findings of a report from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation released in March 2010. The work chronicles state-by-state health coverage trends since 1999, and it was prepared by the State Health Access Data Assistance Center (SHADAC) at the University of Minnesota. The report notes that the total number of uninsured, middle-class people increased by more than 2 million since 2000 and that the average employee's cost for health insurance rose 81 percent from 2000 to 2008. Visitors can peruse the 10-page report's various charts and tables at their leisure, and the report is of particular interest to those in the fields of public health and health care management.
Reviewed by:
The Scout Report, Copyright Internet Scout Project 1994-2010.

Related links:

Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
The mission of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation is to improve the health and health care of all Americans. Our goal is clear: To help Americans lead healthier lives and get the care they need.

State Health Access Data Assistance Center
The University of Minnesota's State Health Access Data Assistance Center (SHADAC) is funded by The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation to help states monitor rates of health insurance coverage and to understand factors associated with uninsurance.

- Go to the Health Links (Canada/International) page: http://www.canadiansocialresearch.net/health.htm
- Go to the Links to American Non-Governmental Social Research (M-Z) Links page: http://www.canadiansocialresearch.net/us3.htm

Australian Policy Online (APO)
APO is a news service and library specialising in Australian public policy reports and articles from academic research centres, think tanks, government and non-government organisations. The site features opinion and commentary pieces, video, audio and web resources focussed on the policy issues facing Australia.
[ About APO ]
NOTE : includes links to the latest APO research; the five most popular downloads of the week
appear in a dark box in the top right-hand corner of each page, and the downloads vary depending on the topic you select.

Most viewed this week:

1. National cultural policy: discussion framework
2. A mess? A shambles? A disaster? (Australian govt. home insulation controversy)
3. Building social enterprise through social procurement
4. Ahead of the game: Blueprint for the reform of Australian Government administration
5. Canberra Policy Analysts (looking for a job in Australia?)
[Click the APO home page link above to access these reports.]

-------------------------------------------------------

New Research : Social Policy | Poverty
- topics include:
* Community * Cultural diversity * Families & households * Gender & sexuality * Immigration & refugees * Population * Poverty * Religion & faith * Social problems * Welfare * Youth

Most viewed this week:

1. National cultural policy: discussion framework
2. Building social enterprise through social procurement
3. Canberra Policy Analysts
4. The digital world of young children: emergent literacy
5. Labour supply in Australia: a comparison of the behaviour between partnered and single males and females
[Click the New Research link above to access these reports.]

- Go to the Social Research Links in Other Countries (Non-Government) page: http://www.canadiansocialresearch.net/internatngo.htm

From the Child Rights Information Network (CRIN)

Latest issues of CRINMAIL (children's rights newsletter):

1 April 2010 - CRINMAIL 1162
* GLOBAL: Death Sentences and Executions in 2009 [publication]
* ASEAN: No hope in sight for NGO participation [news]
* CHILDREN AND ARMED CONFLICT: A Guide to International Humanitarian and Human Rights Law [publication]
* AFGHANISTAN: Assessment of Juvenile Justice [publication]
* JAPAN: Racism and discrimination common, says UN envoy [news]
* COURSES: Human Rights Distance Learning
* FROM THE FRONTLINE: Edmund Foley, Institute for Human Rights and Development in Africa [interview]
**NEWS IN BRIEF**

30 March 2010 - CRINMAIL 1161
* INTER-AMERICAN COMMISSION: Report on session 138 [publication]
* COUNCIL OF EUROPE: Consultation with experts on the prevention of sexual abuse of children [publication]
* UNITED KINGDOM: Differential treatment in the youth justice system [publication]
* CAMBODIA: Foreign adoptions by 2011 [news]
* DR CONGO: Trail of Death: LRA Atrocities in Northeastern Congo [publication]
* COURSE: Utrecht Summerschool – International Juvenile Justice (12-22 July 2010)
* EVENT: Aflatoun“ChildFinance” expert meeting on 7-9 June 2010 in the Netherlands
* EMPLOYMENT:UNICEF and International Catholic Child Bureau (Bice)
**NEWS IN BRIEF**

------------------------------------------

Links to Issues of CRINMAIL
- links to 200+ weekly issues, many of which are special editions focusing on special themes, such as the 45th Session of the Committee on the Rights of the Child, the Convention on the Rights of the Child and the launch of the EURONET Website.

Source:
CRINMAIL(incl. subscription info)
[ Child Rights Information Network (CRIN) ]

- Go to the Children's Rights Links page: http://www.canadiansocialresearch.net/chnrights.htm

I am solely accountable for the choice of links presented therein and for the occasional editorial comment - it's my time, my home computer, my experience, my biases, my Rogers Internet account and my web hosting service.

I administer the mailing list and distribute the weekly newsletter using software on the web server of the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE).
Thanks, CUPE!

If you wish to subscribe to the e-mail version of newsletter, go to the Canadian Social Research Newsletter Online Subscription page:
http://lists.cupe.ca/mailman/listinfo/csrl-news
...or send me an email message.
You can unsubscribe by going to the same page or by sending me an e-mail message [ gilseg@rogers.com ]

------------------------

The e-mail version of this newsletter is available only in plain text (no graphics, no hyperlinks, no fancy bolding or italics, etc.) to avoid security problems with government departments, universities and other networks with firewalls. The text-only version is also friendlier for people using older or lower-end technology.

Privacy Policy:
The Canadian Social Research Newsletter mailing list is not used for any purpose except to distribute each weekly issue.
I promise not share any information on this list, nor to send you any junk mail.

Links presented in the Canadian Social Research Newsletter point to different views about social policy and social programs.
There are some that I don't agree with, so don't get on my case, eh...

To access earlier online HTML issues of the Canadian Social Research Newsletter, go to the Newsletter page:
http://www.canadiansocialresearch.net/news.htm

Please feel free to distribute this newsletter as widely as you wish, but please remember to mention Canadian Social Research Links when you do.

Cheers!
Gilles

E-MAIL:
gilseg@rogers.com

More Classified Ads

And, in closing...