Canadian Social Research Newsletter

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 2,314 subscribers.

Scroll to the bottom of this newsletter to see some notes, a disclaimer
and other stuff that has nothing whatsoever to do with social policy...

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IN THIS ISSUE OF THE
CANADIAN SOCIAL RESEARCH NEWSLETTER:

1. Welfare review panel urges Ontario government to fix welfare rules - August 16
(Toronto Star)

Recommendations for
Short Term Rule Changes For 2010 (PDF - 213K, 11 pages)
Social Assistance Review Advisory Council
Dated February 2010 (submitted as confidential)
Released to the public August 16, 2010
NOTE: Although this paper was just released, Laurie Monsebraaten points out in her Toronto Star article below that the Ontario government-appointed Social Assistance Review Advisory Council made these 13 recommendations respecting short-term changes for quick action in a report this past February.

Related links:

Fix welfare rules, panel urges province
by Laurie Monsebraaten
August 16, 2010
(...) Short-term welfare changes recommended by Ontario's Social Assistance Review Advisory Council:

Proposed changes not yet implemented:

* Ensure people on welfare with earnings don’t face unreasonable hikes in subsidized rent.
* Increase asset limits.
* Extend asset exemptions to RRSPs and tax-free savings accounts.
* Treat Employment Insurance benefits as earnings for people receiving Ontario Disability Support Program payments.
* Allow those who have been disqualified from Ontario's student loan program to receive welfare while attending college or university.
* Do not treat loans as income.
* Do not stop welfare payments for dependent children leaving school.
* Allow single parents to keep partial child support.
* Increase medical transportation rates.

Proposed changes accepted in March 2010:

* Let friends and family give casual gifts to people on welfare as is currently allowed for disabled people on benefits.
* Allow those who receive windfalls to remain eligible for welfare.
* Don't reduce welfare for those sharing accommodation
* Change welfare suspension rules for not participating in job search and other requirements
Source:
The Toronto Star

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Read the Council's
final report:

Recommendations for an Ontario Income Security Review:
Report of the Ontario Social Assistance Review Advisory Council
May 2010
HTML version - table of contents + links to individual sections of the report
PDF version (300K, 33 pages)

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From the
Ministry of Community and Social Services:

Social Assistance Review Advisory Council (SARAC)
SARAC was created by the government of Ontario to recommend a scope and terms of reference for a review of Ontario's social assistance system. The Ontario government committed to conducting a social assistance review as part of its Poverty Reduction Strategy.

[ Social Assistance Advisory Council Members - biographical notes ]

- Go to the Provincial and Territorial Anti-poverty Strategies and Campaigns page: http://www.canadiansocialresearch.net/antipoverty.htm
- Go to the Ontario Government Links page: http://www.canadiansocialresearch.net/onbkmrk.htm

2. Precarious Housing in Canada 2010 - August 16
(The Wellesley Institute)

Precarious Housing in Canada 2010
Precarious Housing in Canada (2010) is a powerful, new research and policy report from the Wellesley Institute. Using the most comprehensive and current data, research and analysis, Precarious Housing sets out a pragmatic, five-point plan targeted to the millions of Canadians who are living in substandard, over-crowded and unaffordable homes – plus those who are living without any housing at all. Housing is one of the most important factors for a healthy life. (...) Federal housing and homelessness investments – adjusted for inflation and population growth – have been shrinking over the past two decades; and, while the federal government announces short-term initiatives from time to time, Canada still doesn’t have a comprehensive, fully-funded and integrated national housing strategy.

Complete report (PDF - 4.4MB, 100 pages)
Executive Summary (PDF - 737K, 9 pages)
Part One: Framing the challenge (PDF - 3.2MB, 49 pages)
Part Two: Vision 2020, toward a national housing plan (PDF - 2.2MB, 40 pages)

Source:
Wellesley Institute Blog
Part of:
The Wellesley Institute
The Wellesley Institute advances the social determinants of health through rigorous community-based research, reciprocal capacity building, and the informing of public policy. ]

- Go to the Homelessness and Housing Links page: http://www.canadiansocialresearch.net/homeless.htm
- Go to the Ontario Municipal and Non-Governmental Sites (D-W) page: http://www.canadiansocialresearch.net/onbkmrk3.htm

3. Welfare benefit levels in Ontario (+ federal benefit levels), July to September 2010
(Ontario Ministry of Community and Social Services)

NOTE : Whether you're from Ontario or elsewhere, please take a few minutes to familiarize yourself with this gem. It's a one-page chart with more information than a long Census questionnaire! Seriously, print out the page and use it as a handy reference to amaze your friends and family.
No thanks to the Ministry that produces it but apparently doesn't like to share it.
[See the note at the bottom.]

Social Assistance, Pension and Tax Credit Rates, July to September 2010 (PDF - 160K, 2 pages)
Prepared by the
Ontario Ministry of Community and Social Services
Recommended reading/saving/printing!
All in two pages, (just about) everything you ever
wanted to know about federal and provincial social program benefit levels in Ontario.
[This factsheet is mostly benefit levels and rates - to find corresponding program information, do a Google search using any program name from the list below...]

This factsheet contains current rate information (benefit levels)
for the following federal and Ontario programs:

* Federal Income Security and tax benefit programs
----- Old Age Security, Guaranteed Income Supplement, the Allowance (formerly Spouse's Allowance)
----- Canada Pension Plan
----- Harmonized Sales Tax Credit
----- Medical Expense Tax Credit
----- War Veterans Allowance
----- Employment Insurance
----- Canada Child Tax Benefit (incl. the Basic Child Tax Benefit, the National Child Benefit Supplement, the Child Disability Benefit and the Universal Child Care Benefit)

* Ontario income assistance programs
----- Ontario Works - Social Assistance rates + earnings exemptions and incentives
----- Ontario Disability Support Program - Social Assistance rates
----- Ontario Guaranteed Annual Income System (provincial top-up for Ontario seniors receiving the Guaranteed Income Supplement under the federal Old Age Security program)
----- Ontario Child Benefit
----- Ontario Child Care Supplement for Working Families
----- Ontario Sales and Property Tax Credits
----- Assistance for Children with Severe Disabilities

Found in:
Tip Sheet List - (check this link for more recent updates)
[ Community Advocacy & Legal Centre - a non-profit community legal clinic
serving low income residents of Hastings, Prince Edward and Lennox & Addington counties.]

Kudos to the Community Advocacy & Legal Centre for posting this valuable resource on their website.
A Bronx Cheer to the Ontario Ministry of Community and Social Services for NOT posting this valuable resource on its own website.

- Go to the Ontario Government Links page: http://www.canadiansocialresearch.net/onbkmrk.htm
- Go to the Key Provincial/Territorial Welfare Links page: http://www.canadiansocialresearch.net/welfare.htm

4. THE CENSUS LONG FORM QUESTIONNAIRE : still kicking.

#1 Recommended Census issue resource:

datalibre.ca
datalibre.ca is a blog that's maintained mostly by Tracey Lauriault.
It's inspired by civicaccess.ca, which believes all levels of Canadian governments should make civic information and data accessible at no cost in open formats to their citizens.

Latest Census-related
blog posts from datalibre.ca:

* Thursday Census Media Roundup - August 20 (7 links)
* Wednesday Census Media Roundup - August 18 (22 links)
* Census Actions - August 17 (Ten things YOU can do to help the cause.)
* Lots of Census Media! - August 16 (76 links)
* Census humour - August 12 (7 links to editorial cartoons)
* 2 days – Census Media Roundup - August 12 (41 links)
* Tuesday Census Media Roundup - August 11 (24 links)
* Monday Census Media Roundup - August 10 (34 links)

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A Country Founded On Statistics
With all the current wrangling over the fate of the long-form census,
we should recall the vital role stats has played in Canada's history.
By John Stapleton, Social Policy Consultant
August 16, 2010
(...) In 1871 the [Census] questionnaire covered a variety of subjects, and asked 211 questions on area, land holdings, vital statistics, religion, education, administration, the military, justice, agriculture, commerce, industry and finance. Not every household answered all 211 questions. In 1867, it was unthinkable that we would not want to know more about each other. (...)Today, our national narrative is not defined through print statistics the way it was back then. We have moved to new forms of media that tell different truths and lies about ourselves. There is now much more information available than we could ever hope to watch, read or listen to. But if we do lose our statistical base, we will have to face the fact that we will know less about ourselves than did Globe readers on July 1, 1867. It's hard not to think that that's just a bit sad.
Source:
The Mark

[ Open Policy - John Stapleton's website ]

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The economist in Harper knows exactly why he's decimating the census
By Frances Russell
August 18, 2010
Industry Minister Tony Clement's tweets aside, Stephen Harper's Conservatives know that changing the 2011 long-form census from compulsory to voluntary makes it useless for public and private Canadian decision makers. That's exactly why they're doing it. An economist, the prime minister understands the value of statistics. He appreciates that authoritative statistics on the relative social and economic well-being of individual Canadians empower the disempowered to demand government programs (higher taxes) to reduce poverty and disparity and promote upward mobility. He also appreciates the need to dumb them down to facilitate stripping government back to its core functions: a strong military to defend the nation abroad, more police, prisons and tougher justice to defend the citizen at home and an unfettered free market to create wealth and employment through ever-lower taxes, especially on business and the well-to-do. Addressing social and economic inequality should be left to individual initiative and private charity.
Source:
rabble.ca

- Go to the Census 2011 questionnaire links links page: http://www.canadiansocialresearch.net/2011_census_questionnaire.htm

August 20, 2010
Consumer Price Index, July 2010
Consumer prices rose 1.8% in the 12 months to July, following a 1.0% increase in June. On a seasonally adjusted monthly basis, consumer prices rose 0.6% from June to July. Consumer prices were affected by changes in consumption taxes in Nova Scotia, Ontario, and British Columbia.
- includes links to three tables:
* Consumer Price Index and major components, Canada
* Consumer Price Index by province, and for Whitehorse, Yellowknife and Iqaluit
* Consumer Price Index and major components

The Consumer Price Index, July 2010
PDF version (521 K, 67 pages)
HTML version - Table of contents with links to each of the following sections of the report:
1. Highlights 2. Briefing notes 3. Analysis 4. Tables 5. Charts 6. Data quality, concepts and methodology 7. Appendices 8. User information 9. Related products

August 19, 2010
Leading indicators, July 2010
The composite leading index slowed to a 0.4% increase in July, after a gain of 0.7% in June. Most of the slowdown originated in the household sector, where three components fell. None of the seven other components decreased.

August 18, 2010
Employment Insurance, June 2010
In June, 691,600 people received regular Employment Insurance (EI) benefits, up slightly (+8,400) from May and the third consecutive month of small increases.Despite these recent gains, the number of beneficiaries has fallen by 137,700 (-16.6%) since the peak in June 2009.
- includes three tables:
* Employment Insurance: Statistics by province and territory
* Beneficiaries receiving regular benefits by age group, sex, province and territory
* Beneficiaries receiving regular benefits by census metropolitan areas

Employment Insurance Statistics Maps, June 2010
- change in number of people receiving regular Employment Insurance benefits in the last 12 months, by Census Metropolitan Areas and Census Agglomerations.
(Intro to maps + link to June 2010 maps)

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

What's new online:
[This section archives documents that
have been featured on the CRRU homepage..]

ECE Link: Summer 2010
18 Aug 10
- Latest issue of the Association of Early Childhood Educators Ontario's periodical features a series of articles on the unionization of ECEs in the full-day early learning program.

child care in the news
[This section features interesting and noteworthy
news about ECEC and related issues in Canada and internationally.]

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.

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.

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.

August 19:
Funding for Medicaid Programs - Alabama, Nebraska
Infant Mortality Rate - Alabama
Federal Funding for Housing Aid and Homelessness Prevention
Initial Jobless Claims

August 18:
Funding Formula for Homeless Programs - Las Vegas, NV
Funding for Health Centers
Food Stamp Program Delivery - Texas

August 17:
Milwaukee Parental Choice Program
Evaluating Teachers - Los Angeles, CA
Effects of Childhood Stress on Adult Health

August 16:
High School Graduation Rates - Atlanta, GA
Achievement Gap - New York City
Unemployment Safety Net - Denmark
Medicaid Waiver for Developmental Disabilities - Indiana

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 (see below)
appear in a dark box in the top right-hand corner of each page.

1.Who'll win, and by how much
2. Increasing Indigenous economic opportunity: a discussion paper on the future of the CDEP and Indigenous Employment Programs
3. A new approach to Indigenous training
4. Leaving Care and Homelessness: A CHP Sector Forum
5. Tell us 2010

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

1. Leaving Care and Homelessness: A CHP Sector Forum
2. Tell us 2010
3. Indicators used internationally to measure Indigenous justice outcomes
4. Belonging, being and becoming - the early years learning framework for Australia
5. Shock of the new

Now it's personal: Learning from welfare-to-work approaches around the world
August 2010
Edited by Dalia Ben-Galim and Alice Sachrajda
Personalisation – tailored support offered to help people (back) into work – has become a dominant feature of many welfare regimes around the world. The role of the personal adviser is an important aspect of offering more flexible, tailored support into work. While the language may differ from country to country, the challenges that many governments face, such as reducing their welfare bills and improving cost effectiveness, are similar, as is the move towards a focus on getting people into decent jobs that they then retain.
- includes a chapter

18 August 2010, issue 1188
In this issue:
- UN Committee on the Rights of the Child: session 55
- Stateless Roma: no documents - no rights
- Slovakia commits to ending segregation in education
- Contribute to UN report on human rights and HIV and AIDS
- Malaysia's reservations to UN disability rights convention
- Germany takes action to promote right to play
- The International Year of Youth
- Southern Africa Youth Conference on Climate Change
- Also includes:
* World news * Reports * Events * Laws * Issues
* Advocacy * Challenging breaches * Take action * Campaigns * Toolkits

Links to Issues of CRINMAIL
- links to hundreds of 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.
NOTE: see http://www.canadiansocialresearch.net/chnrights.htm for the table of contents for, and links to, several months' worth of issues of CRINMAIL.

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 ]

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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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