Canadian Social Research Newsletter
April 23, 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 1591 subscribers.
Scroll to the bottom of this newsletter to see some notes and a disclaimer.

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IN THIS ISSUE:

Canadian Content

1. 2,000+ Ontario welfare clients helped by JobsNow pilot program to find and keep a job (Ontario Community and Social Services) - April 21
2. Key Links to Provincial and Territorial Welfare Information Updated April 23 (Canadian Social Research Key Welfare Links)
3. What's New from Community & Neighbourhood Services? (City of Calgary)
4. New Alberta Assured Income for the Severely Handicapped (AISH) Act to provide more flexibility to respond to client needs (Alberta Seniors and Community Supports) - March 9
5. Choice in Child Care Allowance releases, address (Prime Minister of Canada) - April 18, 19
6. What's New from Statistics Canada:
--- Study: Cracking the RRSP Nest Egg, 2001 and 2002 - April 21
--- Consumer Price Index, March 2006 - April 20
7. What's New from the Childcare Resource and Research Unit (University of Toronto) - April 21
8. Poverty Dispatch Digest : U.S. media coverage of social issues and programs --- April 20
9. Public Agenda Issue Guides (U.S.)
10. Social Security Programs Throughout the World: The Americas, 2005 (Social Security Online) - March 2006
11. Human Rights Watch World Report 2006 (Human Rights Watch) - January 18, 2006
12. SPEaR Bulletin - March 2006 Issue (Social Policy Evaluation and Research Committee - New Zealand Government)

Have a great  week!

JobsNow Pilot Program Is Helping People Find And Keep Jobs:
More Than 2,000 Social Assistance Recipients Start On The Path To Financial Independence
News Release
April 21, 2006

Related Link:

JobsNow Ontario

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

The Alberta and British Columbia sections of the Key Welfare Links page of this website have been updated to link to new welfare policy manuals just posted this spring in both provinces, to the new Alberta Income Supports, Health and Training Benefits (welfare) Regulation, to a new Alberta welfare rate table (dated May 2006), to information about the Assured Income for the Severely Handicapped (AISH) program etc...

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

Community & Neighbourhood Services --- [City of Calgary]
"Community Strategies supports fledgling community issues and initiatives, works with The City of Calgary's not-for-profit partners and provides research, planning and marketing for community vitality and protection-related services at The City."

Perspectives - Calgary's Window on Social Issues
Perspectives is a publication of The City of Calgary, Community & Neighbourhood Services and is published four times per year.

Recent issues of Perspectives
(only the top two are hyperlinked below - click on the link in the line above to access the links to the older issues)
- Inclusive Communities: What it Means to People With Disabilities - Winter 2005 (PDF file - 575K, 12 pages)
- Prospoverty: on Being Without in the Land of Plenty - Fall 2005(PDF file - 476K, 12 pages)
- Beyond Feathers and Beads - Spring 2005
- Homelessness in a Prospering City (Fall 2004)
- The Face of the New West (Spring 2004)
- Strengthening Our Communities (Winter 2004)
- Community Safety (Spring 2003)Research on Homelessness
2004 Count of Homeless Persons
"A count of homeless persons is conducted every two years by The City of Calgary. This initiative provides information that is used for The City's ongoing research and planning activities, and is also published as a public report."
- incl. links to counts of homeless people for earlier years (back to 1994)

2004 Count of Homeless Persons (Full Report) (PDF file - 1.7 MB, 97 pages)

Research on Affordable Housing and Homelessness - updated April, 2006

Facts About Poverty in Calgary (PDF file - 70K, 6 pages)
November 2003

Source:
Community & Neighbourhood Services
Community & Neighbourhood Services is committed to being a leader in building individual and community capacity. We aim to contribute to personal well-being and enhance the quality of life for Calgarians by:
* Ensuring the availability of a broad range of social programs and recreational opportunities that are accessible to all Calgarians;
* encouraging the development and support of partnerships and cooperative relationships;
* facilitating the development and sustainability of community based organizations; mobilizing individuals and communities to promote community caring and responsibility for individual and community well-being;
* leveraging and aligning our resources in areas of greatest need; and
* providing public information, education, referral and advocacy.
[ City of Calgary ]

- Go to the Alberta Links page: http://www.canadiansocialresearch.net/abkmrk.htm

Assured Income for the Severely Handicapped (AISH)
- incl. links to: What is AISH? - Am I eligible to receive AISH? - Who receives AISH? - How can I apply for AISH? - Can I work and receive AISH? - Can I appeal decisions about AISH? - Can I receive Alberta Works Income Support benefits while I'm receiving AISH benefits? Where can I get more information about AISH?
Source:
Alberta Seniors and Community Supports

New AISH Act to provide more flexibility to respond to client needs
March 9, 2006
On March 9, 2006, the Government of Alberta introduced the updated Assured Income for the Severely Handicapped (AISH) Act in the legislature. This new legislation will be debated by government during the Spring Session.

Bill 21: Assured Income for the Severely Handicapped (AISH) Act
Source:
Alberta Seniors and Community Supports

- Go to the Alberta Links page: http://www.canadiansocialresearch.net/abkmrk.htm
- Go to the Disability Links page: http://www.canadiansocialresearch.net/disbkmrk.htm

From the Prime Minister of Canada:

Prime Minister pushes childcare for all
April 19, 2006
Ottawa, Ontario
On Tuesday, April 18, Prime Minister Stephen Harper reaffirmed his Government’s commitment to help all Canadian families with young children.

Prime Minister Harper to ask Parliament to approve choice in child care allowance
Time for opposition parties to stand up for universal child care
April 18, 2006
Burnaby, B.C.
After meeting with a group of parents and children in Burnaby, Prime Minister Stephen Harper reiterated his commitment to fulfilling a key conservative campaign promise - providing a universal child care plan - by asking Parliament to approve the choice in child care allowance.

Notes for an Address by the Prime Minister on the Child Care Choice Facing Parliament
April 18, 2006
Burnaby, B.C.

Related Link:

Choice in Child Care Allowance
- from the website of the Conservative Party of Canada

- Go to the Government Early Learning and Child Care Links page: http://www.canadiansocialresearch.net/ecd.htm

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

April 21, 2006
Study: Cracking the RRSP nest egg, 2001 and 2002
Canadian seniors are required to "crack" their RRSP nest egg at the age of 69 resulting in small increases in average income and taxes, according to a new study published today in Perspectives on Income and Labour. Registered retirement savings plans must be converted into an annuity or a registered retirement income fund (RRIF) in the year in which the taxpayer turns 69. Prescribed minimum withdrawals start the following year, and income tax is paid at the applicable marginal rate. This study, which assesses the impact of this process on income and taxes, showed that in 2002 conversion provided a net income boost of about $1,600 for 70-year-old seniors. This was equivalent to about 6.6% of their 2001 income.

April 20, 2006
Consumer Price Index, March 2006
The 12-month change in the Consumer Price Index held steady at 2.2% in March. Excluding energy, the Consumer Price Index rose 1.7% between March 2005 and March 2006, up slightly from 1.6% in February.

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

21-Apr-06

---------------------------------------------------
What's New
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>> Stats and Facts
Online service from Canadian Council on Social Development provides statistical information organized by topic areas covering demographics, families, and education.

>> Ontario Alternative Budget 2006-7: We can't afford poverty
Report from the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives says that "the case for a child care strategy in Ontario has never been clearer."

>> OECD Thematic Review of Early Childhood Education and Care: Austria reports
Background report and country note for Austria provides "benchmarks and comparisons with other countries to inspire quality improvements at all levels of the system."

>> Albertans oppose Harper's plan to cancel childcare agreements
Poll conducted by Viewpoints Research for Public Interest Alberta finds "only 37% of Albertans said they support the new federal government's child care plan."

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Child Care in the News
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>> Religious right defend Tory child-care plan [CA]
by Bailey, Sue / Calgary Sun, 21 Apr 06

>> Preserve our nascent child-care system: Letter to the Editor [CA]
by Debra Mayer / Ottawa Citizen, 21 Apr 06

>> Call it many things, but not a 'child-care' policy [CA]
by Simpson, Jeffrey / Globe and Mail, 21 Apr 06

>> Motherhood and work are not mutually exclusive [CA]
by Bagnall, Janet / Montreal Gazette, 21 Apr 06

>> Educators unite against daycare promise [CA]
by Kalinowski, Tess / Toronto Star, 20 Apr 06

>> Goodale slams Harper over child-care plan [CA]
by Cowan, Pamela / Leader-Post (Regina), 20 Apr 06

>> Harper distorting child-care debate: Editorial [CA]
Toronto Star, 20 Apr 06

>> 7 myths about child care [CA]
by Goelman, Hillel / Toronto Star, 20 Apr 06

>> PM's daycare election dare [CA]
by MacCharles, Tonda / Toronto Star, 19 Apr 06

>> Social conservatives to sell Tory daycare plan [CA]
by Laghi, Brian / Globe and Mail, 19 Apr 06

>> McGuinty government fails vulnerable citizens [CA-ON]
by Mackenzie, Hugh / Toronto Star, 18 Apr 06

>> Child care hopes dashed by Harper: Letter to the Editor [CA]
by Gott, Carol (Rural Voices)/ Toronto Star, 17 Apr 06

>> Parents fight bid by childcare giant [AU]
Australian Associated Press, 16 Apr 06

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
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
ISSUE files - theme pages, each filled with contextual information and links to further info
Links to child care sites in Canada and elsewhere
CRRU Publications - briefing notes, factsheets, occasional papers and other publications

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

POVERTY DISPATCH Digest
Institute for Research on Poverty - U. of Wisconsin
This digest offers dozens of new links each week to full-text articles in the U.S. media (mostly daily newspapers) on poverty, poverty, welfare reform, child welfare, education, health, hunger, Medicare and Medicaid, and much more...
The Institute for Research on Poverty (IRP) at the University of Wisconsin-Madison offers a free e-mail service that consists of an e-mail message sent to subscribers each Monday and Thursday, containing a dozen or so links to articles dealing with the areas mentioned above. The weekly Canadian Social Research Links Poverty Dispatch Digest is a compilation, available online, of the two dispatch e-mails for that week --- with the kind permission of IRP.

Here's the complete collection of U.S. media articles in this week's Poverty Dispatch Digest:
(click the link above to read all of these articles)

April 20, 2006

Today's subjects include: Academic Achievement Gap // Immigration Reform // Immigration Reform – Opinion // Job Training – Northeastern Wisconsin // Tracking School Performance for No Child Left Behind Act // Food Stamps and Poverty – New York // Uninsured Children – Illinois // Children's Health Insurance Program – Texas // Health Care Plan – Tennessee // Social Service Computer Problems – Colorado // Affordable Housing – Evanston, IL // Childhood Hunger – Washington, D.C. // Early Childhood Education – Florida, Delaware // Dropout Prevention – Indiana // No Child Left Behind Act and Segregation – Connecticut // Truancy – Washington, D.C. // College

April 17, 2006

Today's subjects include: Rural Poverty // Measuring Poverty // Analysis of Welfare Reform // Renaming Food Stamps // Appalachian Poverty // Plight of Young Black Men - Editorial // Welfare and Work - New Hampshire // Call for Universal Health Coverage - Wisconsin // State Income Tax and the Poor - Alabama, Hawaii // Academic Achievement Gap - Madison, WI // Child Support - New Jersey // Promoting Food Stamps - New York City // Food Stamps - Mississippi // Homeless Students - Utah // Court Decision on Homelessness - Los Angeles

Each of the weekly digests offers dozens of links or more to media articles that are time-sensitive.
The older the link, the more likely it is to either be dead or have moved to an archive - and some archives [but not all] are pay-as-you-go.
[For the current week's digest, click on the POVERTY DISPATCH Digest link above]

Subscribe to the Poverty Dispatch!
Send an e-mail message to John Wolf [ jwolf@ssc.wisc.edu ] to receive a plain text message twice a week with one to two dozen links to media articles with a focus on poverty, welfare reform, child welfare, health, Medicaid from across the U.S.
And it's free...

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

For the current week's digest, click on the POVERTY DISPATCH Digest link at the top of this section.
Recently-archived POVERTY DISPATCH weekly digests:

- April 13, 2006
- April 6
- March 30
- March 23
- March 16

POVERTY DISPATCH description/archive - weekly issues back to August 2005, 50+ links per issue
NOTE: this archive is part of the Canadian Social Research Links American Non-Governmental Social Research page.

- 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

Public Agenda Issue Guides (U.S.)
Public Agenda Issue Guides are used by journalists, policy makers, teachers, students and citizens who want to better understand controversial topics. Public Agenda Issue Guides provide facts and figures, different perspectives and analysis of public attitudes from surveys conducted by Public Agenda and by other respected polling and news organizations.
List of Issue Guides:
Abortion * America's Global Role * Campaign Reform * Child Care * Crime * The Economy * Education * The Environment * The Federal Budget * Gay Rights * Health Care * Higher Education * Illegal Drugs * Immigration * Internet Speech/Privacy * Medical Research * Medicare * Poverty and Welfare * Race * Right to Die * Social Security

Source:
Public Agenda
"Public Agenda was founded by social scientist and author Daniel Yankelovich and former Secretary of State Cyrus Vance in 1975. Public Agenda's two-fold mission is to help American leaders better understand the public's point of view [and to help] citizens know more about critical policy issues so they can make thoughtful, informed decisions."

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

Social Security Programs Throughout the World: The Americas, 2005
Released March 2006
"These reports, which provide a cross-national comparison of the social security systems in more than 170 countries, summarize the five main social insurance programs in those countries: old-age, disability, and survivors; sickness and maternity; work injury; unemployment; and family allowances. They are published in four regional volumes (Europe, Asia and the Pacific, Africa, and the Americas), one every 6 months. Together, the reports provide important information for researchers and policymakers who are reviewing different ways of approaching social security challenges and adapting the systems to the evolving needs of individuals, households, and families."
- includes links to 36 Country Summaries from Antigua and Barbuda to Venezuela, showing the following info for each country:
* Types of social security programs * Types of mandatory systems for retirement income * Demographic and other statistics related to social security, 2005 * Contribution rates for social security programs, 2005
NOTE: scroll to the bottom of the title page for links to other reports in this series, either for other parts of the world or for earlier years.

Two country reports of particular interest for 2005, in HTML format:
- Canada
- United States
NOTE: all of the country reports are also available in PDF format.

Source:
Office of Policy
[ Social Security Online - U.S. Government]

- Go to the Links to American Government Social Research Links page: http://www.canadiansocialresearch.net/us.htm

Human Rights Watch World Report 2006
U.S. Policy of Abuse Undermines Rights Worldwide
News Release
January 18, 2006
Washington, D.C. – New evidence demonstrated in 2005 that torture and mistreatment have been a deliberate part of the Bush administration’s counterterrorism strategy, undermining the global defense of human rights, Human Rights Watch said today in releasing its World Report 2006.

Human Rights Watch World Report 2006
The Human Rights Watch World Report 2006 contains information on human rights developments in more than 60 countries in 2005. Mouse over the map or view the regional listings below for country information.
- includes links to audio commentaries, the press conference Video, the complete report, and introduction by Kenneth Roth, Executive Director of Human Rights Watch and two other articles.
Discusses: U.S. Counterterrorism and torture, British complicity and Canada's position, the role of Russia and China, Darfur and the African Union and more...

Complete report (PDF file - 2.4MB, 544 pages)

Source:
Human Rights Watch

- Go to the Human Rights Links page: http://www.canadiansocialresearch.net/rights.htm

SPEaR Bulletin - March 2006 Issue
Social Policy Evaluation and Research Committee - New Zealand Government
The SPEaR Bulletin is a newsletter for all those involved in social policy evaluation and research and is published quarterly by the SPEaR secretariat.The Bulletin is available to view online and also to download in PDF format. If you would like to be notified when the next bulletin is produced, please register for the bulletin
Table of Contents:
Fostering community research * R&E shapes health policy * PHCS evaluation * Family violence in NZ Asian communities * Asian health forum * Chair's comment * Enhancing democracy through ICT *
NZ initiatives lead the way * Australasian housing research links * FRST's request for proposals * People in R&E * Understanding inequality * SPRE Conference 2007 * CDRP allocations * ACCAN Conference

Source:
Social Policy Evaluation and Research Committee
"The Social Policy Evaluation and Research committee or SPEaR, was set up to oversee the Government’s purchase of social policy research to ensure the spending is aligned with the Government’s social policy priorities. (...)Headed by an independent chair, SPEaR has a secretariat based at the Centre for Social Research and Evaluation at the Ministry of Social Development. SPEaR reports to joint ministers (Social Services and Employment; Statistics; and Research, Science and Technology) through the chief executive of MSD"

- Go to the Government Social Research Links in Other Countries page: http://www.canadiansocialresearch.net/internat.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