Canadian Social Research Newsletter
August 20, 2006

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 1644 subscribers.
Scroll to the bottom of this newsletter to see some notes and a disclaimer.

Canadian Content

1. 16th International AIDS Conference - August 14-18, Toronto
2. Ontario launches review to strengthen communities (Premier of Ontario) - August 14
3. Federal funding for Supporting Communities Partnership Initiative cut, then restored (National Homelessness Initiative) - August 18
4. Online Consultations on Restoring Fiscal Balance in Canada (Department of Finance Canada) - August 8 to September 8
5. What's New from the Childcare Resource and Research Unit (University of Toronto) - August 18

International Content

6. Poverty Dispatch: U.S. media coverage of social issues and programs

Have a great week!

Time to Deliver:
16th International AIDS Conference
August 14-18, Toronto
- incl. links to : Home - Conference Overview - Conference Programme - Abstracts - Scholarships - Satellites, Exhibitions and Affiliated Events - Registration - Hotel Accommodation - Travelling to Canada - Organization - Sponsors - Volunteers - Governance - Virtual Media Centre - Site Map

Related Links - from Barbara Anello at DisAbled Women's Network Ontario:

Daily Roundup from the 16th International AIDS Conference:

Friday, August 18:
Delegates at the closing of the XVI International AIDS conference in Toronto were reminded that now is the "Time to Deliver."

Thursday, August 17:
The XVI International AIDS Conference began today by addressing the need for a coordinated and comprehensive approach to HIV that includes elements some say are often overlooked, like human rights and youth.

Wednesday, August 16:
On Wednesday, achieving universal access to HIV/AIDS was a major focus of the conference. The World Health Organization released new estimates of global antiretroviral therapy coverage.

Tuesday, August 15:
The latest Daily Roundup includes comments from actor Richard Gere and former U.S. President Bill Clinton.

Monday, August 14:
The Daily Roundup for Monday, August 14 looks at the AIDS 2006 theme – Time To Deliver – and features comments from Bill and Melinda Gates and former U.S. President Bill Clinton.

Women and HIV/AIDS - the International AIDS conference from women's perspective

- Go to the Health Links (Canada/International) page: http://www.canadiansocialresearch.net/health.htm
- Go to the Links to International Sites about Women's Social Issues page: http://www.canadiansocialresearch.net/womeninternat.htm

Premier Launches Review to Strengthen Communities
Province And Municipalities Working Together To Continue To Improve Services For Ontario Families
August 14, 2006
OTTAWA — Premier Dalton McGuinty today announced the province is building on its partnership with municipalities by launching a joint review aimed at improving the delivery and funding of municipal services for Ontario families.

Backgrounders:

o Support For The Provincial-Municipal Fiscal and Service Delivery Review
o McGuinty Government Supporting Municipalities
o Provincial-Municipal Fiscal and Service Delivery Review

Source:
Premier of Ontario

NOTE:
When the Ontario Conservative Party took office under new provincial Premier Mike Harris in the mid-1990s, they commissioned a study of the funding and delivery of education, ambulance services, welfare and other services in the province. For more information on the changes that resulted from this study by David Crombie and the Who Does What panel, read this paper by David Siegel (PDF 50K, 22 pages)

For more information on which level of government (provincial/municipal) pays for and delivers welfare in Ontario,
go to the Guide to Welfare in Ontario page: http://www.canadiansocialresearch.net/onwelf.htm and scroll down to "Service Delivery/Funding" in the left margin. You'll find several overview documents here, including the Siegel paper mentioned above.

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

This past week, both the federal Liberals and the NDP fired off nasty news releases about the cuts that the Harper Government is imposing on its Supporting Communities Partnership Initiative (under the National Homelessness Initiative). Then the evening news talked about funding shortfalls of close to $6 million in Toronto and $1 million in Ottawa, among other cuts. Michael Shapcott of the Wellesley Institute circulated a summary of those cuts, and the next day the Minister of Human Resources and Social Development released a statement denying that there were any cuts - and indeed that there was even an extra $37 million available.

Here are links to most of those bits of info, along with links to other online resources in the area of housing and homelessness

August 16, 2006
Millions of dollars of federal housing funding missing from cities, say activists
Social housing agencies across Canada are being shortchanged millions of dollars in funding under a federal program plagued by "administrative chaos," activists and opposition politicians said Wednesday.
Source:
Macleans

NDP calls on Conservatives to reverse cuts to federal housing funding
August 16, 2006
OTTAWA – As news of widespread cuts to federal funding of housing programs across Canada is revealed, the NDP is calling on the Conservative government to immediately restore all funding to the Supporting Communities Partnership Initiative (SCPI), a federal program that funds the construction of affordable housing. According to the City of Toronto’s Shelter Support and Housing Division, SCPI funding for the city will be cut by $5.8 million and details from the London Housing Coalition confirm that city has lost $513,000. The NDP has also learned of an impending $1 million cut to the City of Ottawa’s and a $416,000 cut in Yellowknife - a city that has been one of the hardest hit by homelessness. Details are currently being sought of potential cuts in other cities across the country.
Source:
New Democratic Party of Canada

Harper Government Reneges on Funding for the Homeless
August 17, 2006
Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s government must immediately reverse course and pledge to help the homeless rather than hurt them by cutting funding for homelessness programs across Canada, Liberal Party Finance Critic John McCallum and Social Development Critic Bonnie Brown said today. “I’m dismayed but not surprised by this move,” said McCallum. “We have to remember that this is the same Finance Minister Jim Flaherty who pledged to make homelessness illegal in 2002. It is unfortunate that extremist views like his always tend to hurt society’s most vulnerable.” McCallum first called on the Finance Minister not to cut funding for the homeless during question period last May when the Conservatives tabled their first budget which indicated that homelessness programs might be on the chopping block. The budget chastised the previous government for the “Use of the Federal Spending Power in Areas of Provincial Responsibility,” and outlined three such areas: early childhood development, childcare and housing and homelessness. McCallum pointed out the first of those two have already been eliminated and now it appears that they are moving on to the third.
Source:
Liberal Party of Canada

Federal homelessness cuts: Bad now, worse to come (PDF file - 45K, 1 page)
August 17, 2006
Summer 2006 cuts: Homeless funding cuts in 7 communities (so far) - The federal government committed $134.8 million in funding in fiscal 2006 for its national homelessness program (called the Supporting Community Partnerships Initiative). Most of the money is assigned to 10 large communities; with the rest shared among more than 50 other areas. To date, cuts to 2006 funding have been reported in: Peel (Ontario) - $144,000 cut • Guelph (Ontario) - $22,000 cut
• London (Ontario) - $367,000 cut • Windsor (Ontario) - $187,000 cut • Ottawa (Ontario) - $1,000,000 cut • Yellowknife (NWT) - $416,00 cut. The single biggest 2006 cut is $5,890,000 in Toronto. Federal officials committed $17.29 to Toronto for fiscal 2006. As of this week, the actual allocation is $11.4 million. Winter 2006 cuts: Entire $134.8 million program to be shut down. The homelessness program, launched in 1999, will die in March of 2007 unless it is renewed by the federal government. If the funding is not renewed by the fall of 2006, then services across Canada will start to wind down programs and lay off staff. Hundreds of valuable services delivered by thousands of experienced staff people will be terminated. It will be a bleak winter for the homeless.
Services / programs funded by federal homelessness program:
Source:
The Wellesley Institute

Statement by the Honourable Diane Finley, Minister of Human Resources and Social Development
August 17, 2006
OTTAWA — In light of some recent misinformation in the media concerning the availability of funds for the Supporting Communities Partnership Initiative (SCPI) under the National Homelessness Initiative (NHI), I'd like to set the record straight and state the Government of Canada's commitment. (...) This Government will continue working with communities to address homelessness across Canada. I agree very much with people like Phil Brown in the City of Toronto, and others, who have said this is a program which generates real results on the ground for people in need. That is why Canada's new government chose to proceed with a one-year extension of the program, in the amount of $ 134.8 million, for 2006-07. (...) Further to the full 2006-07 allocation, I understand that there may be additional needs over and above the $134.8 million committed for this year. I am pleased to confirm that this government is making the $37 million from 2005-06 available for programming this year.

Federal government decides to fund homeless projects (Winnipeg)
August 18, 2006
The federal government did an about-face Friday on funding programs to help the homeless. Ottawa has decided to fund 15 new projects in Winnipeg that were under the Supporting Communities Partnership Initiative, reversing a decision that upset agencies that house and help homeless people in the city. The money is significant — $4.2 million. (...) [o]n Friday afternoon, federal Human Resources Minister Diane Finley, whose portfolio includes the National Homelessness Initiative, reversed the decision. Now, a $37-million surplus in last year's housing budget will be made available to homelessness projects across the country, including $4.2-million earmarked for the 15 Winnipeg projects.
Source:
CBC News Manitoba

Related Links:
NOTE - Because the denouement of this story occurred on Friday afternoon, not much of this news was posted to housing advocacy websites by the  time people left the office for  the weekend. As of Sunday August 20, the only link below (including the official Canadian government homelessness initiative website) where I could find any info about this situation is the Canadian Housing and Renewal Association. I expect that more information will be posted on other sites now that the immediate crisis is past..

Supporting Communities Partnership Initiative
[part of the National Homelessness Initiative: Working Together]
[part of Human Resources and Social Development Canada]

Canadian Housing and Renewal Association
Alliance to End Homelessness - Ottawa
Raising the Roof
Shared Learnings on Homelessness
Toronto Disaster Relief Committee
Housing Again
Centre for Equality Rights in Accommodation

And then there's always trusty ole Google.ca, where you'll find the latest content :

Google Web Search Results:
"Supporting Communities Partnership Initiative, cuts"
Google News Search Results:
"Supporting Communities Partnership Initiative, cuts"
Source:
Google.ca

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

Canada’s New Government Launches National Web-Based Consultations on Fiscal Balance
News Release
August 8, 2006
"The Honourable Jim Flaherty, Minister of Finance, on behalf of Canada’s new government, today launched online consultations to give Canadians the opportunity to provide their views on restoring fiscal balance."

-----
HINT to Finance Canada Web team: the honeymoon's over - you can stop calling yourself "Canada's New Government".
It's getting to sound less like a proud statement than an excuse for what's going wrong and what's not going right in Ottawa.
-----

The Consultations page:

Online Consultations on
Restoring Fiscal Balance in Canada
- The fiscal balance consultation will be open until September 8, 2006

Related Links:

Restoring Fiscal Balance in Canada - from the 2006 federal Budget (May 2)

Consultation on Post-Secondary Education and Training in Canada - (from Human Resources and Social Development Canada)
- The post-secondary education and training consultation will be open until September 8, 2006

Restoring Canada’s Fiscal Balance: Consultations on Immediate and Long-Term Funding Support for Infrastructure
- from Infrastructure Canada
- The funding for infrastructure consultation will be open until September 8, 2006

- Go to the Canada Assistance Plan / Canada Health and Social Transfer / Canada Social Transfer Resources page: http://www.canadiansocialresearch.net/cap.htm
- Go to the Education Links page: http://www.canadiansocialresearch.net/education.htm
- Go to the Canadian Universities and Colleges Links page: http://www.canadiansocialresearch.net/univbkmrk.htm
- Go to the Federal Government Department Links (Agriculture to Finance) page: http://www.canadiansocialresearch.net/fedbkmrk.htm

What's New - from the Childcare Resource and Research Unit (CRRU) - University of Toronto

Each week, the Childcare Resource and Research Unit disseminates its "e-mail news notifier", an e-mail message with a dozen or so links to new reports, studies and child care in the news (media articles) by the CRRU or another organization in the field of early childhood education and care (ECEC). What you see below is content from the most recent issue of the notifier.

18-Aug-06

-----------------------------------------------
DUELING VIEWS ON EARLY LEARNING AND CHILD CARE:
TWO TORONTO NEWSPAPERS
-----------------------------------------------

Last week, the Globe and Mail and the Toronto Star both had considerable coverage of early learning and child care. These represented radically different perspectives.

The Globe and Mail’s coverage began with a news article about a commentary released by the CD Howe Institute making the proposal that child care funding should be targeted to “at-risk” children. This was followed by an editorial making the same point; the editorial was then followed by a number of Letters to the Editor and responses to the commentary and the editorial in other venues.

The Star’s coverage included an opinion piece by Roy Romanow, followed by a Star editorial supporting his position that Canada should have a publicly-funded universal early learning and child care system.

The Childcare Resource and Research Unit presents the components of both
of these below.

The Globe and Mail’s coverage:

1. News article

>> Forget universal child care, report urges; At-risk preschoolers need money most, governments told
by Caroline Alphonso
SOURCE: Globe and Mail, 11 Aug 06
http://action.web.ca/home/crru/rsrcs_crru_full.shtml?x=90930

2. The CD Howe report

>> Let's walk before we run: Cautionary advice on childcare
by Richards, John & Brzozowski, Matthew
SOURCE: CD Howe Institute, 10 Aug 06
http://www.cdhowe.org/pdf/commentary_237_english.pdf

3. The Globe editorial

>> For focused child care: Editorial [CA]
by Globe and Mail, 12 Aug 06
http://action.web.ca/home/crru/rsrcs_crru_full.shtml?x=90948

4. Letters to the Editor in response

>> Daycare debate 1
Letter to the Editor re: For focused child care
by Bloom, Kathleen / Globe and Mail, 14 Aug 06
http://action.web.ca/home/crru/rsrcs_crru_full.shtml?x=90947

>> Daycare debate 2 [CA]
Letter to the Editor re: For focused child care
by Pascal, Charles / Globe and Mail, 14 Aug 06
http://action.web.ca/home/crru/rsrcs_crru_full.shtml?x=90949

>> Daycare debate 3 [CA]
Letter to the Editor re: For focused child care
by Sullivan, Ann / Globe and Mail, 14 Aug 06
http://action.web.ca/home/crru/rsrcs_crru_full.shtml?x=90950

5. Response from HELP (UBC)

>> When walking hasn't worked, it's time to run
SOURCE: Human Early Learning Partnership, University of British
Columbia, 18 Aug 06
http://action.web.ca/home/crru/rsrcs_crru_full.shtml?x=91028

Toronto Star's coverage:

1. Mr. Romanow’s piece

>> Affordable child care benefits us all [CA]
by Romanow, Roy
SOURCE: Toronto Star, 11 Aug 06
http://action.web.ca/home/crru/rsrcs_crru_full.shtml?x=90933

2. The Star’s editorial

>> Put child care back on agenda: Editorial [CA]
SOURCE: Toronto Star, 12 Aug 06
http://action.web.ca/home/crru/rsrcs_crru_full.shtml?x=90951

3. Letter to the editor

>> Families learn true cost of Tory cash handouts [CA]
Letter to the Editor re: Affordable child care benefits us all
by Smith, Crystal
SOURCE: Toronto Star, 13 Aug 06
http://action.web.ca/home/crru/rsrcs_crru_full.shtml?x=90952

---------------------------------------------------
What’s New
---------------------------------------------------

>> SMALL TOWN, BIG BENEFITS: THE RIPPLE EFFECT OF $7/DAY CHILD CARE
by Albanese, Patrizia
Article from the Canadian Review of Sociology and Anthropology "assesses the impact of Quebec's $7/day child care program on an economically disadvantaged community near the Quebec/Ontario border."
http://action.web.ca/home/crru/rsrcs_crru_full.shtml?x=91014

>> NEW ZEALAND - CONTRIBUTIONS OF EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION TO AGE 14 PERFORMANCE:
EVIDENCE FROM THE 'COMPETENT CHILDREN, COMPETENT LEARNERS' PROJECT
Report from major New Zealand longitudinal provides “findings that show how differences in ECE experience are reflected in differences in performance at age 14.”
http://action.web.ca/home/crru/rsrcs_crru_full.shtml?x=91015

>> NEW ZEALAND - ADDRESS TO THE EARLY CHILDHOOD COUNCIL ANNUAL CONFERENCE
Speech by New Zealand’s Minister of Education, Hon. Steve Maharey, sets out the government’s vision for early childhood education in 2012.
http://action.web.ca/home/crru/rsrcs_crru_full.shtml?x=91013

>> COMMENTARY ON THE EPPI CENTRE REVIEW OF THE ECONOMIC IMPACT OF
CENTRE-BASED EARLY CHILDHOOD INTERVENTIONS
Commentary by Dr. Gordon Cleveland, University of Toronto responds to EPPI-Centre Early Years Review; expresses serious reservations about the interpretation of results.
http://action.web.ca/home/crru/rsrcs_crru_full.shtml?x=90959

--------------------------------------------------
Child Care in the News
---------------------------------------------------

>> Opinions sought on child-care policy [CA-AB]
Calgary Herald, 17 Aug 06
http://action.web.ca/home/crru/rsrcs_crru_full.shtml?x=91024

>> Child care group plans message for PM [CA-YT]
by Little, Matthew / Whitehorse Daily Star, 16 Aug 06
http://action.web.ca/home/crru/rsrcs_crru_full.shtml?x=91012

>> City looking to help out with day care shortage [CA-AB]
by Crush, Kevin / Grande Prairie Daily Herald-Tribune, 16 Aug 06
http://action.web.ca/home/crru/rsrcs_crru_full.shtml?x=91021

>> Involve women in farm policy [CA]
by Hall, Angela / Regina Leader Post, 15 Aug 06
http://action.web.ca/home/crru/rsrcs_crru_full.shtml?x=91017

>> Ontario opens spending study with cities [CA-ON]
by Kom, Joel / Ottawa Citizen, 15 Aug 06
http://action.web.ca/home/crru/rsrcs_crru_full.shtml?x=91018

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
This message was forwarded through the Childcare Resource
and Research Unit e-mail news notifier. For information on the
CRRU e-mail notifier, including instructions for (un)subscribing,
see http://www.childcarecanada.org
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Related Links:

What's New? - Canadian, U.S. and international resources
Child Care in the News - media articles
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

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

Poverty Dispatch - U.S.
- links to news items from the American press about poverty, welfare reform, child welfare, education, health, hunger, Medicare and Medicaid, etc.
NOTE: this is a link to the current issue --- its content changes twice a week.

Past Poverty Dispatches
- links to two dispatches a week back to June 1 (2006) when the Dispatch acquired its own web page and archive.

Poverty Dispatch Digest Archive - weekly digest of dispatches from August 2005 to May 2006
For a few years prior to the creation of this new web page for the Dispatch, I was compiling a weekly digest of the e-mails and redistributing the digest to my mailing list.
This is my own archive of weekly issues of the digest back to August 2005, and most of them have 50+ links per issue. I'll be deleting this archive from my site gradually, as the links to older articles expire and "go 404"...

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

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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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

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