Canadian Social Research Newsletter
July 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 1634 subscribers.
Scroll to the bottom of this newsletter to see some notes and a disclaimer.

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

IN THIS ISSUE:

Canadian Content

1. Poverty Profile, 2002 and 2003 (National Council of Welfare) - July 20
2. Two Toronto social agency reports lament lack of funding (Community Social Planning Council / Family Service Association) - July 17
3. What's New from Statistics Canada:
--- Consumer Price Index, June 2006 - July 21
--- Perspectives on Labour and Income, July 2006 online edition - July 19
(incl. articles on converging gender roles in paid and unpaid work and "Is the workplace becoming safer?")
4. Federal Transfers to Provinces and Territories, May 2006 (Department of Finance Canada) - July 17
5. Federal [social spending] Caps and Cuts, 1972-1995 (1997 Parliamentary Library study)
6. What's New from the Childcare Resource and Research Unit (University of Toronto) - July 21

International Content

7. Poverty Dispatch: U.S. media coverage of social issues and programs
8. America's Children in Brief: Key National Indicators of Well-Being, 2006 (U.S. Federal Interagency Forum on Child and Family Statistics) - July 14
9. Recent CLASP (Center for Law and Social Policy - U.S.) Publications:
--- Analysis of New Interim Final TANF Rules - July 21
--- Getting Punched: The Job and Family Clock...It's Time for Flexible Work for Workers of All Wages - July 20
10. The Impact of TANF Ten Years After Implementation (Center for Budget and Policy Priorities) - July 19
11. CRINMAIL 798 - Special Edition on the G8 (Child Rights Information Network (CRIN) - July 18

Have a great week!

Poverty Profile, 2002 and 2003
Summer 2006
"This report shows that in spite of progress made in the fight against poverty among seniors, poverty rates for children and working-age adults are about the same as they were almost a quarter-century ago. The report calls for a national anti-poverty plan for Canada to ensure a successful future for our country. This is the latest report on poverty by the National Council of Welfare. The report examines the incidence, depth and duration of poverty. It also looks at sources of income, the relationship between poverty and paid work, and income inequality."

Complete report:
Poverty Profile, 2002 and 2003 (PDF file - 3.5MB, 165 pages)

Press Release:
Report calls for a national effort to defeat poverty (PDF file - 534K, 2 pages)
July 20, 2006
"Canada needs a national anti-poverty plan to ensure a successful future for our country, the National Council of Welfare (NCW) said in a report published today. The report, Poverty Profile, 2002 and 2003, shows that in spite of progress made in the fight against poverty among seniors, poverty rates for children and working-age adults are about the same as they were almost a quarter century ago. Income inequality is growing and many groups of Canadians continue to have unacceptably high poverty rates. For those in need today, however, Canada’s social safety net offers less protection against poverty than ever before."

Related Fact Sheets (PDF file - 843K, 6 pages)

Source:
National Council of Welfare

Other National Council of Welfare Publications

Google Web Search Results:
"poverty profile, 2003, council of welfare"
Google News search Results:
"poverty profile, 2003, council of welfare "
Source:
Google.ca

- Go to the Poverty Measures - Canadian Resources page: http://www.canadiansocialresearch.net/poverty.htm

Communities at risk as non-profit sector is starved of funds, new reports reveal
Media Release
TORONTO, July 17, 2006 – Toronto's community service sector is facing a crisis of growing demand, inadequate funding and persistently low wages. As community organizations struggle to provide such critical services as employment and training, in-home elderly care, shelters for abused women, immigrant settlement, and early learning and child care, the consequences of these pressures extend beyond their workforces to the health and well-being of Toronto residents, particularly vulnerable and at-risk populations.

Complete report:

On the Front Lines of Toronto's Community Services Sector:
A Report of the On the Front Lines Project (720K, 39 pages)
July 2006
[Executive summary - from Settlement.org At Work - which is part of Settlement.org]
A joint initiative of:
* Community Social Planning Council of Toronto
* Family Service Association of Toronto

Related report:

On the Front Lines of Toronto's Immigrant- and-Refugee-Serving Sector:
A Report of the On the Front Lines Project (PDF file - 923K, 23 pages)
July 2006
".. highlights the effect of sector instability on newcomer communities. Toronto's community service sector is often the only line of support for newcomers, who face disproportionately high rates of poverty, unemployment/underemployment, and barriers to housing in the country's largest immigrant reception centre.
[Executive summary - from Settlement.org At Work]

Related link:

Too selfless for their own good
Jul. 21, 2006. 01:00 AM
By Carol Goar
Very few people go into community service work for the money. Two-thirds of Toronto's front-line workers — the folks who provide home care to the sick and elderly, immigrant services, crisis counselling, child care and employment training — earn less than $40,000 a year.
Source:
The Toronto Star

- Go to the Ontario Municipal and Non-Governmental Sites (A-C) page: http://www.canadiansocialresearch.net/onbkmrk2.htm

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

July 21, 2006
Consumer Price Index, June 2006
Canadians paid 2.5% more for the goods and services in the Consumer Price Index basket in June 2006 than they did a year earlier, down from 2.8% in May.

The Consumer Price Index (PDF file - 333K, 52 pages)
June 2006

Your Guide to the Consumer Price Index (PDF file - 321K, 23 pages)
1996

July 19, 2006
General Social Survey: Paid and unpaid work 2005
"Women still do most of the housework and tend to feel more time-stressed than men do. But now more men are juggling household chores and paid work duties, while women are spending more time at the office, according to a new time-use study." [this link takes you to highlights of the "Converging Gender Roles" article below]

Perspectives on Labour and Income (PDF file - 889K, 23 pages)
July 2006 online edition
The July 2006 online edition of Perspectives on Labour and Income, released today, features two articles.

"Converging gender roles" looks at paid and unpaid work, and the changing proportions of time spent on each by men and women since 1986.

"Is the workplace becoming safer?" examines compensation claims for work injuries in Ontario and British Columbia between 1990 and 2001. The study found that rates generally declined, but the decrease may not have been uniform for all age groups, industries or regions. Workplace injuries among young workers aged 15 to 24 continued to be of particular concern.

Earlier Issues of
Perspectives on Labour and Income
- links to dozens and dozens of articles from earlier issues of Perspectives on Labour and Income

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

From Finance Canada:
NOTE: these files are periodically updated on the Finance Canada website.

Since April 2004, federal transfer payments to provinces and territories for health services are made under the Canada Health Transfer, while those for post-secondary education and social assistance and services are made under the Canada Social Transfer.

Federal Transfers to Provinces and Territories
This is the most comprehensive collection of federal government information you'll find online concerning federal transfers to the provinces and territories for health, post-secondary education, social assistance and social services (including early childhood development). From April 1996 until March 2004, federal government contributions for these program areas were combined in a single block transfer called the Canada Health and Social Transfer.

Updated May 2006

Major Federal Transfers to Provinces and Territories
- overview of the major transfer programs (Canada Health Transfer - Canada Social Transfer - Health Reform Transfer - Equalization - Territorial Formula Financing).
- transfers to each province and territory, covering the period from 2002-03 to 2006-07 (includes amounts under the now-superseded Canada Health and Social Transfer)

Canada Health Transfer
"the primary federal transfer to provinces and territories in support of health care"

Canada Social Transfer
"a federal block transfer to provinces and territories in support of post-secondary education, social assistance and social services, including early childhood development and early learning and childcare"

Federal Support for Early Childhood Development Early Learning and Childcare

A Brief History of the Health and Social Transfers
- from the launch of the Canada Assistance Plan in 1966 to September 2004

Equalization Program
- incl. detailed info on how equalization is calculated, plus total equalization entitlements by province and territory from 1993-94 to 2006-07

- Go to the Canada Assistance Plan / Canada Health and Social Transfer / Canada Social Transfer Resources page: http://www.canadiansocialresearch.net/cap.htm

Oldie but not mouldie:

For the history buff:
Federal [social spending] Caps and Cuts, 1972-1995
- a chronology of federal policy and program changes during that period, including the Canada Assistance Plan, Established Programs Funding (EPF), Equalization and much more (Excerpt from a 1997 Parliamentary Library study)

- Go to the Canada Assistance Plan / Canada Health and Social Transfer / Canada Social Transfer Resources page: http://www.canadiansocialresearch.net/cap.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 selected content from the most recent issue of the notifier.

21-Jul-06

>> FEDERAL CHILD CARE BENEFIT TO BE EXCLUDED FROM INCOME-TESTED PROVINCIAL PROGRAMS
News release from the Government of Ontario

>> KINDERGARTEN PROGRAM, 2006
by the Ontario Ministry of Education
Revised Ontario Kindergarten curriculum replaces 1998 document; will form basis of kindergarten programs starting this September.

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

>> Critic slams 'sneaky' child-care clawback: Government denies concealing
$400M-a-year savings through phase-out of former young child supplement [CA]
by Goff, Kristin / Ottawa Citizen, 21 Jul 06

>> Childcare providers plan rally [YK]
by Waddell, Stephanie / The Whitehorse Daily Star, 20 Jul 06

>> Council urges anti-poverty strategy: Ottawa needs to set clear goals to reduce income disparity, report says [CA]
-- Initiatives already address problem, minister's spokesperson responds
by Monsebraaten, Laurie / Toronto Star, 19 Jul 06

>> Finley caught in child-care quagmire as new cheques printed for parents [CA]
by Bailey, Sue / Canadian Press, 18 Jul 06

>> The new kindergarten - let's play math! [CA-ON]
by Kalinowski, Tess / Toronto Star, 18 Jul 06

>> Looking past the cheers for the Tories [CA]
by Whitcombe, Todd / Prince George Citizen, 17 Jul 06

>> Early care, early learning: Editorial [US]
Seattle Times, 17 Jul 06

>> Staff shortages force Calgary day cares to turn babies away [CA]
CBC News, 12 Jul 06

>> Giving day-care cash to stay-at-home parents sounds like politics to some Canadians [CA]
by Cherney, Elena / Wall Street Journal, 3 Jul 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
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

Adolescent Birth Rate Falls to Record Low, Kids' Exposure to Secondhand Smoke Drops
Infant Mortality Rate Falls to Former Level, But Birth Rate for Unmarried Women Rises
July 14, 2006
News Release
The federal government's yearly statistical report on the well-being of our Nation's children shows that the adolescent birth rate fell to the lowest level ever recorded. The infant mortality rate also declined to its former, lowest ever, level after having increased in the previous year. The proportion of children exposed to secondhand smoke declined, as did the proportion of high school seniors who reported smoking cigarettes daily in the last 30 days. Compared to the previous year's statistics, the average mathematics score increased for 4th and 8th graders and the average reading score for 4th graders also increased. At the same time, the birth rate for unmarried women and the proportion of infants with low birthweight increased from the previous year. These findings are described in America's Children in Brief: Key National Indicators of Well-Being, 2006, the U.S. government's annual monitoring report on the well-being of the Nation's children and youth.

America's Children in Brief:
Key National Indicators of Well-Being, 2006
Published: July 2006
The Forum’s signature report, America's Children: Key National Indicators of Well-Being, is an annual indicators report that details the status of children and families in the United States. All data are updated annually on the Forum’s website (http://childstats.gov). A more detailed report alternates every other year with a condensed version that highlights selected indicators. This year, the Forum is publishing the Brief and will return to the detailed report in July 2007.

America's Children 2005

Source:
Federal Interagency Forum on Child and Family Statistics
"The Forum, is a working group of Federal agencies that collect, analyze, and report data on issues related to children and families. The Forum has partners from 20 Federal agencies as well as partners in private research organizations."
Forum Agencies - includes a list of links to all 20 agencies that make up the Interagency Forum.

- Go to the International Children, Families and Youth Links page: http://www.canadiansocialresearch.net/chn2.htm

Recent CLASP (Center for Law and Social Policy) Publications - U.S.

Analysis of New Interim Final TANF Rules (PDF file - 286K, 34 pages)
July 21/06
by CLASP and the Center for Budget and Policy Priorities
This collaborative analysis provides an overview of the major regulatory provisions and the implications for state policies of rules issued by the Department of Health and Human Services on June 29, 2006. The interim final regulations implement the changes to the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program made by the Deficit Reduction Act of 2005. The analysis explains the new federal definitions of the countable work activities and their implications for education and training and services for individuals with barriers to employment. The analysis also examines the treatment of child-only cases, how hours of participation must be counted tracked and verified, implications for child care, and changes in the maintenance of effort requirement.

Getting Punched: The Job and Family Clock...It's Time for Flexible Work for Workers of All Wages (PDF file - 159K, 32 pages)
July 20/06 by Jodie Levin-Epstein
Get the facts on the dramatic labor market changes that result in more and more workers facing dual and dueling responsibilities - those at work and those at home. Businesses that recognize this tension address it through responsive scheduling and paid time off; and, these businesses benefit from cost savings when they do. Getting Punched suggests 10 ways that government should get more involved in promoting responsive workplaces for workers of all wages. It's about time.

All 2006 CLASP publications on welfare reform (with links to earlier years at the bottom of the page)
All 2006 CLASP publications on child care and early education (ditto)

Source:
Center for Law and Social Policy

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

Testimony of Sharon Parrott, CBPP Director of Welfare Reform and
Income Support Policy, on the Impact of TANF Ten Years After Implementation
July 19, 2006
* Child poverty fell during the 1990s, but has increased significantly in recent years as has the number of children living below half the poverty line.
* Employment rates among single mothers are higher today than in the mid-1990s, but they have fallen in recent years. This shows that both public policies and the broader labor market are both important factors affecting the employment rate for this group.
* TANF programs now serve a smaller share of very poor families than were served in the former AFDC program."

Source:
Center for Budget and Policy Priorities

CRINMAIL 798
Special Edition on the G8
18 July 2006
- JUNIOR 8: Young People Share Their Views with G8 Leaders [news]
- NGOS: G8 Failing to Act Ambitiously to Tackle Poverty [statements]
- AFRICA: Progress and Next Steps [report]
- EDUCATION: UNESCO Director-General Speaks of Financial Gap [news]
- RUSSIAN FEDERATION: President Vladimir Putin Must Review Legislation on Civil Society [news]
- CIVIL SOCIETY: Recommendations Presented at Civil G8 2006 [recommendations]
- RESOURCES: Reviews and How-Tos
- EMPLOYMENT: ECPAT International - Consortium for Street Children [job postings]

Subscribe to CRINMAIL - or view it online

Source:
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 ]

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

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

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

Source:
http://www.stellaawards.com/