Canadian Social Research Newsletter
April 13, 2009

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 2004 subscribers.

IN THIS ISSUE:

Canadian content

1. Redesign of Indian Government Support Programs - Indian and Northern Affairs Canada (January-May 2009)
2. High rent, low income driving homelessness: researcher (The Financial Post) - April 11
3. Alberta Budget 2009 : Building On Our Strength - April 7
4. What's new in The Daily (Statistics Canada):
--- Labour Force Survey, March 2009 - April 9
--- Foreign direct investment, 2008 - April 8
--- 2006 Aboriginal Population Profiles for Selected Cities and Communities: Ontario - April 7
5. What's new from the Childcare Resource and Research Unit (Toronto) - April 8
6. Government of Canada Web Archive
7. Internet Research Tools (University at Albany Library)
8. Poverty Dispatch: U.S. media coverage of social issues and programs (Institute for Research on Poverty - University of Wisconsin-Madison)
9. States Slashing Social Programs for Vulnerable (New York Times) - April 11
10. Australian Policy Online Weekly Briefing - selected recent content:
--- Taking chances: the effect of growing up on welfare on the risky behaviour of young people - Posted 09-04-2009
--- Measuring disparities in health status and in access and use of health care in OECD countries - Posted 08-04-2009
--- She works hard for the money: Australian women and the gender divide - Posted 06-04-2009
--- International human rights law, women's rights and the Intervention - Posted 06-04-2009
--- Homeless people in the Supported Accommodation Assistance Program: National Data Collection annual report 2007-08, Australia - Posted 03-04-2009
11. CRINMAIL (April 2009) - (Child Rights Information Network - CRIN)

Gilles

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Gilles Séguin
Canadian Social Research Links
http://www.canadiansocialresearch.net

Related link:

Indian Government Support Programs
First Nations have assumed primary responsibility for delivering programs and services to their members. Five distinct but related programs contribute toward the ongoing costs of their governments and institutions and toward improving their capacity. These programs are referred to as the Indian Government Support programs.
- incl. links to the following:
* Letter from Chuck Strahl - Indian Government Support Programs
* Backgrounder - Redesign of Indian Government Support Programs
---The Information Sharing Process
--- Schedule for Information Sharing on the Redesign of the Indian Government Support Programs
--- Departmental Letter to First Nation Chiefs
+ Annex 1 - Overview of the Indian Government Support Programs
+ Annex 2 - Redesigning the Indian Government Support Programs: Overview of the Policy Proposal
--- Frequently Asked Questions
* Tribal Council Funding * Professional and Institutional Development * Band Support Funding * Band Employee Benefits * Band Advisory Services

Source:
Indian and Northern Affairs Canada

- Go to the First Nations Links page: http://www.canadiansocialresearch.net/1stbkmrk.htm

From the "Dog Bites Man" news department:

High rent, low income driving homelessness: researcher
April 11, 2009
By Shannon Proudfoot
Homelessness initiatives in Canada that focus on the "usual culprits" of mental illness, family breakdown, addiction, crime and violence are missing the biggest causes, says a Canadian economist. Krishna Pendakur, an economics professor at B.C.'s Simon Fraser University, says the main reasons people end up on the streets are straightforward but often overlooked: low income and high rents. "Those other things -- mental illness, crime, marital breakdown, drugs, crime -- all matter, but they matter a lot more if you're poor and you live in a place that has high rents,"he says.
Source:
The Financial Post

- Go to the Homelessness and Housing Links page: http://www.canadiansocialresearch.net/homeless.htm

Alberta Budget 2009, Building On Our Strength - main budget page
April 7, 2009

Budget 2009 builds on strength to foster growth and support programs for Albertans
Stelmach government has flexibility to deal with difficult times
News Release
April 7, 2009
Budget highlights:
* $23.2 billion over three years to build health facilities, schools, and roads - includes funding for carbon capture and storage, and GreenTRIP.
* 3.7-per-cent increase in operating spending to address population growth and inflation.
* Priority areas of health, education, advanced education, seniors and children services account for 75 per cent of the operating increase.
* Taxes remain lowest in Canada; tobacco tax increases and liquor markup is raised.
* Forecast $36.4 billion in spending in 2009-10; $31.7 billion in revenue.
* $4.7 billion deficit forecast for 2009-10; surplus forecast in 2012-13.
* $2 billion in fiscal corrective actions to be taken in 2010 if situation does not improve beyond forecast.
* New fiscal framework allows for transfers from Sustainability Fund to offset deficits.
Source:
News releases (9), Charts and graphs (17), Audio files (8) <===numbers in parentheses represent how many of each type of info

Highlights (PDF - 167K, 2 pages)
Government has a 4-point plan that will help position Alberta for a strong economic recovery.
Emphasis will be placed on:
* keeping a close eye on government spending;
* drawing down our savings to protect the programs and services Albertans depend on;
* continuing to invest in public infrastructure to support jobs and the economy; and
* promoting Alberta to a global market.

Related links:

Alberta budget to eliminate health-care premiums by 2009
April 7
Saying the time has come for Albertans to reap added benefits from the province's prosperity, Premier Ed Stelmach's government unveiled a budget Tuesday that promises to eliminate health care premiums on Jan. 1, 2009. (...) Government figures suggest the change will save the average family $1,056 a year, with total savings to Albertans and businesses estimated at $1 billion. The 2008-09 financial plan also calls for record spending of $37 billion, up 9.7 per cent over last year, fuelled by $11 billion in energy revenues and a growing tax base. Included in that is $22.2 billion over three years to build roads, schools, health-care facilities and other critical infrastructure.
Source:
CBC Edmonton

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Alberta gov't tables budget with $4.7B deficit
April 7, 2009
The 2009 Budget unveiled on Tuesday has a dubious claim: it marks the biggest deficit in Alberta history. After 15 years of delivering balanced budgets, the Province announced it expects to be $4.7 billion in the red by the end of the fiscal year, followed by projected deficits of $2.4 and $1.8 billion for 2010 and 2011. The province will also once again begin borrowing money. Finance Minister Iris Evans believes going into debt is worth it if it will keep Albertans working.
Source:
CTV Edmonton

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Alberta to post the biggest deficit in its history
April 7, 2009
EDMONTON — Alberta expects to post a $4.7-billion deficit this year — the largest in provincial history — as the former darling of the Canadian economy sinks into the red over four consecutive years. The resource-rich province has been brought to its knees by collapsing energy prices, a slumping stock market and declining corporate investment. But despite all the problems, the province introduced a 2009-2010 budget yesterday that has adopted a status quo fiscal plan that signals a major departure from other Canadian jurisdictions. Governments across the country have either slashed corporate taxes or injected money into infrastructure programs to save jobs and kick-start the troubled economy.
Source:
The Globe and Mail

- Go to the Alberta Links page: http://www.canadiansocialresearch.net/abkmrk.htm
- Go to the 2009 Canadian Government Budgets Links page: http://www.canadiansocialresearch.net/budgets.htm

What's New in The Daily [Statistics Canada]:

April 9, 2009
Labour Force Survey, March 2009
Employment declined by 61,000 in March, all in full-time work. This decrease pushed the unemployment rate up 0.3 percentage points to 8.0%, the highest rate in seven years.
- includes four tables:
* Labour force characteristics by age and sex
* Employment by class of worker and industry (based on NAICS)
* Labour force characteristics by province (NL to QC)
* Labour force characteristics by province (ON to BC)
[ See Labour Force Information, March 15 to 21, 2009 : HTML version - PDF version (426K, 57 pages)]

Related link:

StatCan Tables by subject: Labour
- includes links to hundreds of StatCan statistical reports on the following topics under Labour:
* Commuting to work
* Employment and unemployment
* Employment insurance, social assistance and other transfers
* Hours of work and work arrangements
* Industries
* Non-wage benefits
* Occupations
* Unionization and industrial relations
* Wages, salaries and other earnings
Source:
All StatCan tables by subject

April 8, 2009
Foreign direct investment, 2008
Canadian direct investment abroad rose by 24% in 2008, largely the result of the substantially weaker Canadian dollar's effect on the value of foreign currency-denominated direct investment positions. The largest gains were on investments in the United States, which increased to $310.7 billion.

April 7, 2009
2006 Aboriginal Population Profiles
for Selected Cities and Communities:
Ontario
- presents a demographic and socio-economic profile of the total Aboriginal population living in census metropolitan areas, census agglomerations and communities across Canada with a large Aboriginal population; includes demographic data as well as information on living arrangements of children, education, labour, income, mobility, housing, and health are highlighted.

- includes links to 2006 Aboriginal Population Profiles for the following cities:
* Toronto * Ottawa * Kenora * London * Sault Ste. Marie * Sudbury * Timmins * Thunder Bay

The Daily Archives - select a year and month from the drop-down menu to view releases in chronological order
[ Statistics Canada ]

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

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 sites in 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)

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

Dead Federal Government Websites Links : An Update

Regular readers of this newsletter may recall in early February when I was lamenting the federal government's website new "Common Look and Feel Standards for the Internet (CLF 2.0)." --- in the matter of a few months, over 4,000 links on the Canadian Social Research Links website went "404" (i.e. dead) when federal websites started changing their URL structure.
[ more info on "CLF 2.0":
http://www.canadiansocialresearch.net/fed_clf.htm ]

How to find "old" content
that's been deleted from federal government websites:
If you click on a link to a report on a federal government website and the next page is an error page, use your browser's Back button to return to the page where you clicked the broken link. Then, select (highlight) the title of the report and use Google.ca or the departmental search engine (if one is provided on the error page). If your search is unsuccessful, you can send an email message to the "Contact Us" link for the Department to request an electronic version of the report, or you can use the federal government's own web archive (the link immediately below) to peruse old versions of its websites where you can still find that old content, although the archive does have its limitations, including the fact that it goes back only to the end of 2005. As a complement to the federal website archive, I recommend The Wayback Machine, whose link also appears below. It's a broader Internet archiving initiative where you can find links to old federal govt. website content going back to 1996, but it's also a hit-and-miss affair, from my experience.

Government of Canada Web Archive
Since the Fall of 2007, Library and Archives Canada has been harvesting the web domain of the Federal Government of Canada (starting in December 2005).Client access to the content of the Government of Canada Web Archive is provided through searching by keyword, by department name, and by URL. At the time of its launch in Fall 2007, approximately 100 million digital objects (over 4 terabytes) of archived Federal Government website data were made accessible via the LAC website. The GC WA currently contains over 170 million digital objects and more than 7 terabytes of data.
Source:
Library and Archives Canada

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The Wayback Machine
Located in San Francisco, the Internet Archive ("Wayback Machine") was founded in 1996 as a non-profit that to build an Internet library, with the purpose of offering permanent access for researchers, historians, and scholars to historical collections that exist in digital format.
- direct link to the search box and the links collections

* How The Wayback Machine can help you beat 404 fury
- a practical example using a Govt. of Ontario report that had disappeared from the provincial govt. website

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Related link:

International Internet Preservation Consortium
In July 2003 the national libraries of Australia, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Iceland, Italy, Norway, Sweden, The British Library (UK), The Library of Congress (USA) and the Internet Archive (USA) acknowledged the importance of international collaboration for preserving Internet content for future generations. This group of 12 institutions chartered the IIPC to fund and participate in projects and working groups to accomplish the Consortium’s goals. The initial agreement was in effect for three years, during which time the membership was limited to the charter institutions. Since then, membership has expanded to include additional libraries, archives, museums and cultural heritage institutions involved in Web archiving. For a complete list visit our members page.

- Go to the Reference Links page: http://www.canadiansocialresearch.net/reference.htm

Internet research tools 

Below, you'll find a selection of links to Internet tutorials that I highly recommend to anyone from the "newbie" to the seasoned veteran researcher - anyone who wants to improve their ability to find things online. The date of the latest revision appears at the bottom of each tutorial.

From the University at Albany Library's Internet Tutorials:

Over a dozen current guides and other resources in all - here are just a few:
[click the link above to access the complete list of guides]

Understanding the World Wide Web
A discussion of Web basics, including links, major Web protocols, the makeup of URLs, and Web programming

Multimedia on the Web
A guide to the multimedia phenomenon

The Web and You
A guide to the social Web and how you can participate

RSS Basics
What it is, why you need it, and how to use it

Alphabetical list of Search Engines

Alphabetical list of Subject Directories - incl. * Academic & Professional Directories * Commercial Directories & Portals * Directory Archives

How to Choose a Search Engine or Directory
A chart listing numerous features and the search engines & directories that support them

The World of Search Engines
Covers search engine basics, including general search engines, meta search engines, concept categorizing search engines, and vertical search engines

The World of Subject Directories
A guide to collections of Web resources organized by people

Source:
SUNY University at Albany

- Go to the Reference Links page: http://www.canadiansocialresearch.net/reference.htm

Poverty Dispatch (U.S). ===> the content of this link changes twice a week
IRP compiles and distributes Poverty Dispatches twice a week. Each issue of the dispatch provides links to U.S. web-based news items dealing with topics such as poverty, welfare reform, child welfare, education, health, hunger, Medicare and Medicaid, etc.
Each Dispatch lists links to current news in popular print media.

April 9, 2009
* Economic Stimulus Funding for Jobless Benefits
* Economic Stimulus Funding for Medicaid
* Early Childhood Education
* Aging out of Foster Care
* Tribal Foster Care and Adoptions
* Privatization of Social Services Systems - Texas
* Reports: Health Insurance Coverage and the Uninsured
* State Minimum Wages - Nevada, Alaska
* Food Sales Tax - Alabama
* Informal Employment Levels Worldwide

April 6, 2009
* Joblessness and Unemployment
* Homelessness and Housing
* Kids Count Report - Rhode Island
* Poverty, Stress, and Children's Brain Development
* Grandparents Raising Grandchildren - Montana
* Child Care Subsidies - Michigan
* Increasing Need for Assistance Programs - New York
* Economic Stimulus and Energy Efficiency Projects
* States and Economic Stimulus Aid
* Public Defenders and Caseloads - New York

Past Poverty Dispatches
- links to two dispatches a week back to June 2006

Search Poverty Dispatches

If you wish to receive Poverty Dispatches by e-mail,
please send a request to rsnell@ssc.wisc.edu

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

States Slashing Social Programs for Vulnerable
By Erik Eckholm
April 11, 2009
PHOENIX — Battered by the recession and the deepest and most widespread budget deficits in several decades, a large majority of states are slicing into their social safety nets — often crippling preventive efforts that officials say would save money over time. President Obama’s $787 billion stimulus package is helping to alleviate some of the pain, providing large amounts of money to pay for education and unemployment insurance, bolster food stamp programs and expand tax credits for low earners. But the money will offset only 40 percent of the losses in state revenues, and programs for vulnerable groups have been cut in at least 34 states, according to the Center for Budget and Policy Priorities, a private research group in Washington.
NOTE : The article contains over a dozen embedded links to related news or outside websites
Source:
The New York Times

Related links:

President Obama’s $787 billion stimulus package
- from Wikipedia

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From the Center for Budget and Policy Priorities:

AN UPDATE ON STATE BUDGET CUTS:
At Least 34 States Have Imposed Cuts That Hurt Vulnerable Residents, But the Federal Economic Recovery Package Is Reducing the Harm
March 18, 2009

STATE BUDGET TROUBLES WORSEN
March 13, 2009

- Go to the Links to American Non-Governmental Social Research (A-J) Links page: http://www.canadiansocialresearch.net/us2.htm

APO Weekly Briefing
The content of this page changes each week, and it includes links to a few book/report reviews, about two dozen new reports, a few job ads and 60 events (mostly conferences) of interest to social researchers...
Source:
Australian Policy Online (APO) - home page
With nearly 120 member centres and institutes, Australian Policy Online offers easy access to much of the best Australian social, economic, cultural and political research available online.

NOTE: the APO home page includes links to the five most popular reports on the APO website, and this list is updated each week.

APO TOP FIVE 2 - 8 April 2009
1. Superannuation: Not so super
2. A different approach to a charter of rights
3. What price the clever country? The costs of tertiary education in Australia
4. Australian social trends, March 2009
5. The economy: Breaking the cycle
( Follow the the APO link to access any of these five reports.)

Selected content from the latest APO Weekly Briefing:

Taking chances: the effect of growing up on welfare on the risky behaviour of young people
Posted 09-04-2009
By Deborah A. Cobb-Clark, Chris Ryan and Ana Sartbayeva
Centre for Economics Policy Research
This paper analyzes the effect of growing up on welfare on young people's involvement in a variety of social and health risks.

Measuring disparities in health status and in access and use of health care in OECD countries
Posted 08-04-2009
By Michael De Looper and Gaetan Lafortune
OECD Directorate for Employment, Labour and Social Affairs
This paper assesses the availability and comparability of selected indicators of inequality in health status and in health care access and use across OECD countries, focussing on disparities among socioeconomic groups.

She works hard for the money: Australian women and the gender divide
Posted 06-04-2009
By AMP and the National Centre for Social and Economic Modelling
The report focuses on women today and how their social and economic status has changed and evolved over time, and what differences can be seen between them and their male counterparts.

International human rights law, women's rights and the Intervention
Posted 06-04-2009
By Megan Davis
Indigenous Law Centre (University of New South Wales)
This report discusses the importance of an intersectional race and gender approach when it comes to understanding special measures in international law.

Homeless people in SAAP: National Data Collection annual report 2007-08, Australia
Posted 03-04-2009
Australian Institute of Health and Welfare
This is the Series 13 annual report of the Supported Accommodation Assistance Program National Data Collection, and provides an overview of assistance given to clients and their children by the Program in 2007-08.

APO Archive
The APO archive is grouped into 23 subject areas, with entries appearing in reverse chronological order.
* Ageing *Asia and the pacific * Citizenship and the law * Disability * Economics and trade * Education * Employment and workplace relations * The environment * Foreign policy and defence * Gender and sexuality * Health * Housing * Families and households * Immigration and refugees * Income, poverty and wealth * Indigenous * Media, communications and cultural policy * Politics and government * Population, multiculturalism and ethnicity * Religion and faith * Rural and regional * Science and technology * Social policy * Urban and regional planning * Youth

- 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):

9 April 2009 - CRINMAIL 1074
* SOUTHERN SUDAN: First ever Child Act launched [news]
* SLOVAKIA: Ombudsperson condemns police action against Roma children [news]
* COUNCIL OF EUROPE: The protection of children in European justice systems [publication]
* UNITED KINGDOM: Doncaster child violence media coverage fuels discrimination [news]
* RUSSIAN: A to Z of child rights launched in Russian [publication]
* ZIMBABWE: Religion and poverty force girls into early marriages [news]
* MEDIA: Oscar van Leer Fellowships for journalists covering children's issues [news]
**FROM THE FRONTLINE** Omar Sial [interview]

7 April 2009 - CRINMAIL 1073
* CORPORAL PUNISHMENT: Inter-American Court confirms obligation to prohibit all corporal punishment [news]
* INTER-AMERICAN COMMISSION: Report on 134th session [publication]
* PAKISTAN: Flogging probe begins [news]
* EU: Developing indicators for the protection, respect and promotion of the rights of the child in the European Union [publication]
* AFRICA: 1st Child Focused Civil Society Forum on and around the African Committee of Experts on the Rights and Welfare of the Child [event]
* EMPLOYMENT: Save the Children Côte d'Ivoire [job posting]
**NEWS IN BRIEF**

Earlier issues of CRINMAIL
- links to 300+ earlier 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 and the Convention on the Rights of the Child.

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

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

Disclaimer/Privacy Statement

Both Canadian Social Research Links (the site) and this Canadian Social Research Newsletter belong solely to me, Gilles Séguin.

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

You can unsubscribe by going to the same page or by sending me an e-mail message [ gilseg@rogers.com ]

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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 Language Trivia & Useless Facts!

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And, in closing...