Canadian Social Research Newsletter

Canadian Social Research Newsletter
September 24, 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 1692 subscribers.
Scroll to the bottom of this newsletter to see some notes and a disclaimer.

IN THIS ISSUE:

Canadian Content

1. The Fiscal Monitor, July 2006 (Department of Finance Canada) - September 22
2. New Job Opportunities for Income Assistance Recipients (Nova Scotia Department of Community Services) - September 22
3. Cracks in the Foundation: Solving the Housing Crisis in Canada’s Poorest Neighbourhood (Pivot Society - Vancouver Downtown Eastside, BC) - September 21
4. What's New from Statistics Canada:
--- The core-age labour force / minimum wage workers in 2005 - September 22
--- Consumer Price Index, August 2006 - September 19
5. [Federal] Government response to the recommendations issued by the Standing Committee on the Status of Women - files posted September 20
- National Association of Women and the Law and Canadian Feminist Alliance for International Action receive funding for at least one more year - September 22
6. New Brunswick Provincial Election 2006 - September 18
7. Human Resources and Social Development Canada (HRSDC), Low Earnings and the Working Poor (Progressive Economics Forum) - September 18
8. Ministerial Advisory Committee on the Child Care Spaces Initiative (Human Resources and Social Development Canada) - September 5
9. 2005/06 Annual Service Plan: Ministry of Employment and Income Assistance (Government of British Columbia) - July 17
10. What's New from the Childcare Resource and Research Unit (University of Toronto) - September 22

International Content

11. Poverty Dispatch: U.S. media coverage of social issues and programs
12. Special Report: The 400 Richest Americans (The Forbes Report) - September 21
13. Social Safety Nets in OECD Countries (World Bank) - March 2006
14. World Habitat Day 2006 (UN Human Settlements Program) - October 2

Have a great week!

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

E-mail:
gilseg@rogers.com

1. The Fiscal Monitor, July 2006 - September 22
(Department of Finance Canada)

September 22, 2006
Release of The Fiscal Monitor
Highlights:

July 2006: budgetary surplus of $0.8 billion
* There was a budgetary surplus of $0.8 billion in July 2006, down $0.9 billion from the surplus in July 2005.
* Revenues increased by $0.7 billion, reflecting solid growth in personal income tax revenues, combined with low growth in goods and services tax (GST) revenues and declines in employment insurance (EI) premium and corporate income tax revenues.
* Program expenses increased by $1.5 billion, reflecting increases in transfers to persons, which now include payments under the new Universal Child Care Benefit (UCCB) program, and increases in transfers to other levels of government. Public debt charges were up $0.1 billion.

April to July 2006: budgetary surplus of $6.3 billion

Related Links:

Third Report of the House of Commons Standing Committee on the Status of Women ( Recommendations Only)
(Adopted by the Committee on May 16, 2006; Presented to the House on May 19, 2006)

Complete Report:

Funding through the Women's Program: Women's Groups Speak Out
Report of the Standing Committee on the Status of Women (including recommendations)
Anita Neville, M.P.
Chair
May 2005
NOTE: this is one of those infuriating online reports from the Canadian Parliament website that has a teeny-tiny "NEXT PAGE >>" link at the bottom right-hand corner of each page that you must click (IF you notice it in the first place) to open the next page. Don't despair - here's a link to the Table of Contents, where you'll find hyperlinks to all sections of the report.

Source:
House of Commons Standing
Committee on the Status of Women

Two women's groups receive funding for one year
September 22, 2006
Canadian Press
OTTAWA -- A pair of women's groups that had prepared to close their doors for fear of cuts by the Conservative government learned Friday their federal funding has been secured for at least another year. The National Association of Women and the Law and the Canadian Feminist Alliance for International Action had both taken steps to scale down their operations because of unusual delays in getting approvals for their funding.
Source:
CTV

However, no final word yet concerning continued funding of the Women's Program at Status of Women Canada ...

Google Web Search Results:
"canada, funding, women's groups"
Google News Search Results:
"canada, funding, women's groups"
Source:
Google.ca

- Go to the Canadian Government Sites about Women's Social Issues page: http://www.canadiansocialresearch.net/women.htm
- Go to the the Canadian Non-Governmental Sites about Women's Social Issues page: http://www.canadiansocialresearch.net/womencanngo.htm

6. New Brunswick Provincial Election - September 18

New Brunswick Provincial Election 2006
September 18, 2006
- includes detailed election results, ridings and candidates, polls, historical election results, related links, and more...
Source:
Nodice Elections
(NOTE: the Nodice Elections page includes links to past, current and future elections in all Canadian jurisdictions)

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

From the New Brunswick Liberal Party:

It's Time for a Change - A Liberal Government will:
(...)
* Take Real Action Against Poverty
* We will review the current rates paid to recipients and the programs available to people on social assistance with the goal of raising rates to the average for Atlantic Canada.
* We’ll assist in the transition to work by increasing the allowable earnings that can be retained from part-time work for people who are on social assistance.
* We’ll provide enhanced day care assistance for single parents during the transition to full-time work.
* A new Crown Corporation will engage with non-profit and community service groups to create and maintain new housing units, including units for disabled and elderly New Brunswickers.
* We will create more opportunity for skills upgrading by eliminating wait lists for literacy training.

The Inclusive Province? - From The Real Results
* According to the National Council on Welfare New Brunswick has the lowest social assistance rates in Canada.
* Since 1999 welfare rates in New Brunswick have increased once, and by only 2%.
* The Economic Unit Policy is considered a barrier to the poor, yet the Lord Government will not make any real change to help New Brunswickers.
* On May 25, 2006 the Lord Conservatives defeated a Liberal motion urging government to table a comprehensive housing strategy with clear timelines and targets by October 15, 2006.
* Statistics Canada says 56% of adults in New Brunswick have below acceptable ability in literacy and numeracy.
* The Literacy Coalition for New Brunswick says adult and family literacy programs in this province continue to be under-resourced.
* In seven years, a single person receiving assistance in New Brunswick has seen an increase of only $18 to $264 a month.

Google Web Search Results:
"New Brunswick election, 2006"
Google News Search Results:
"New Brunswick election, 2006"
Each of the two links above will open a page of Google.ca search results, and this page will always include links to new content.
Source:
Google.ca

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

- Go to the New Brunswick Links page: http://www.canadiansocialresearch.net/nbkmrk.htm
- Go to the Political Parties and Elections Links in Canada (Provinces and Territories) page: http://www.canadiansocialresearch.net/politics_prov_terr.htm

7. Human Resources and Social Development Canada (HRSDC), Low Earnings and the Working Poor - September 18
(Progressive Economics Forum)

Human Resources and Social Development Canada (HRSDC), Low Earnings and the Working Poor
Posted by Andrew Jackson of the Canadian Labour Congress
September 18, 2006
Source:
Relentlessly Progressive Economics:
Commentary on Canadian economics and public policy
[A Blog of the Progressive Economics Forum]

- Go to the Human Resources and Social Development Canada Links page - http://www.canadiansocialresearch.net/hrsdc.htm
- Go to the Unions Links page: http://www.canadiansocialresearch.net/unionbkmrk.htm

8. Ministerial Advisory Committee on the Child Care Spaces Initiative - September 5
(Human Resources and Social Development Canada)

Minister Finley announces creation of Ministerial Advisory Committee on the Child Care Spaces Initiative
September 5, 2006
OTTAWA, ONTARIO—The Honourable Diane Finley, Minister of Human Resources and Social Development, today announced the creation of a ministerial advisory committee that will advise her on the design of the Child Care Spaces Initiative. Minister Finley appointed Dr. Gordon Chong to chair the Committee. The Committee will consist of nine members selected for their expertise in child care, work-family issues, community organizations, and the needs of employers.
- includes a backgrounder ("Members of the Ministerial Advisory Committee for the Child Care Spaces Initiative")

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

Related coverage from the Toronto Star:
(Click this link to read both articles below)

Editorial: Harper's dubious child-care panel
Sep. 8, 2006
Prime Minister Stephen Harper has strong ideas on child care. He does not see the need for a national child-care plan that meets the needs of all families. And an advisory committee the government has just appointed to provide advice is not likely to contradict him. Most of the members of the nine-person committee named this week by Human Resources Minister Diane Finley already are on record as supporting the Conservative proposal …..

Advocates fear Tory committee too biased
Sep. 7, 2006
Daycare advocates slammed the federal Conservatives yesterday, saying a new ministerial advisory committee on child care is unnecessary and biased against non-profit daycare. MP Olivia Chow (NDP—Trinity-Spadina) said the nine-member committee appointed this week by Human Resources Minister Diane Finley is "packed" with private-sector appointments while provinces, and not-for-profit experts in child-care delivery are marginalized.

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

More talk, still no action, says CUPE on new federal child care committee
September 7
Source:
Canadian Union of Public Employees

- more CUPE website content on child care

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

Canada's Universal Child Care Plan - "Choice. Support. Spaces."
"...a national plan that provides Choice, Support and Spaces for today's parents."
- Government of Canada website
- incl. links to : Home - Why Universal Child Care? - Choice - Support - Spaces

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

9. 2005/06 Annual Service Plan: Ministry of Employment and Income Assistance - July 17
(Government of British Columbia)

2005/06 Annual Service Plan: Ministry of Employment and Income Assistance
July 17, 2006
- includes : Message from the Minister and Accountability Statement * Highlights of the Year * Purpose, Vision, Mission and Values * Strategic Context * Service Delivery and Core Business Areas * Report on Performance * Goals, Objectives, Strategies, and Performance Measures * Deregulation * Report on Resources * Appendix A: Values and Service Code * Appendix B: Glossary of Terms
- highly recommended reading, especially the three links that you can click in the two lines above --- that's where you'll find (under "Core Business Areas") a good description of how Employment and Income Assistance (welfare) works in British Columbia, along with what they've accomplished and what they've spent in the past year, compared with what they said last year they would do and how much they planned to spend. There's much more info in the service plan, definitely worth checking out. You might also want to go to the service plan page for all Ministries to explore the plans for Children and Family Development and Health, among others.

NOTE: In the interest of balanced reporting, you might also want to read some of the reports about social programs in BC by a few of the non-governmental organizations that are the social justice watchdogs of the West Coast. Below, you'll find links to two such organizations, the BC Office of the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives and the Social Planning and Research Council (SPARC) of British Columbia, and PovNet, a BC-based "online resource for advocates, people on welfare, and community groups and individuals involved in anti-poverty work."
- BC Office of the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives
- Social Planning and Research Council (SPARC) of British Columbia
- PovNet (incl. a large collection of links to other NGOs!)

- Go to the BC Government Links page: http://www.canadiansocialresearch.net/bcbkmrk.htm

10. What's New from the Childcare Resource and Research Unit - September 22
(University of Toronto)

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.

22-Sept-06

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

STARTING STRONG II: EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION AND CARE
Final report of the OECD's Thematic Review of ECEC describes the social, economic, conceptual and research factors that influence early childhood policy in twenty countries, including Canada.
http://action.web.ca/home/crru/rsrcs_crru_full.shtml?x=91624

INTERNATIONAL REPORT CONDEMNS TORY APPROACH TO CHILD CARE
Press release from the Child Care Advocacy Association of Canada comments on the release of the OECD's Starting Strong II.
http://action.web.ca/home/crru/rsrcs_crru_full.shtml?x=91787

SUBMISSION TO THE HOUSE OF COMMONS STANDING COMMITTEE ON FINANCE, 2006
Brief from SpeciaLink: The National Centre for Child Care Inclusion "calls upon the federal government to ensure that Budget 2007 includes a
broad comprehensive disability strategy."
http://action.web.ca/home/crru/rsrcs_crru_full.shtml?x=91786

MAKING A DIFFERENCE: HOW OFSTED INSPECTIONS IMPROVED INADEQUATE CARE FOR CHILDREN
Report from the British government's Office of Standards in Education
shows the impact of Ofsted inspections on improving the quality of care.
http://action.web.ca/home/crru/rsrcs_crru_full.shtml?x=91784

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

Irish childcare costs 'driving women from workforce' [IE]
Ireland On-Line, 20 Sep 06
http://action.web.ca/home/crru/rsrcs_crru_full.shtml?x=91706

Child care is a priority, NDP says [CA-YT]
Whitehorse Daily Star, 20 Sep 06
http://action.web.ca/home/crru/rsrcs_crru_full.shtml?x=91799

Liberals would expand child care spending [CA-YT]
Whitehorse Daily Star, 19 Sep 06
http://action.web.ca/home/crru/rsrcs_crru_full.shtml?x=91800

Childcare industry scores poorly: OECD [AU]
The Age, 18 Sep 06
http://action.web.ca/home/crru/rsrcs_crru_full.shtml?x=91703

Bishop joins calls for compulsory preschooling [AU]
ABC News Online, 18 Sep 06
http://action.web.ca/home/crru/rsrcs_crru_full.shtml?x=91712

Half-a-million daycare spaces part of Kennedy's national learning strategy [CA]
Canadian Press, 16 Sep 06
http://action.web.ca/home/crru/rsrcs_crru_full.shtml?x=91792

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

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

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 with IRP's permission.
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.

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

12. Special Report: The 400 Richest Americans - September 21
(The Forbes Report)

Special Report
The 400 Richest Americans
September 21, 2006
A nine-figure fortune won’t get you much mention these days, at least not here. This year, for the first time, everyone in The Forbes 400 has at least $1 billion.

The Top Ten:

1. William H. Gates III
2. Warren E. Buffett
3. Sheldon Adelson
4. Lawrence J. Ellison
5. Paul G. Allen
6. Jim C Walton*
7. Christy Walton*
8. S. Robson Walton*
9. Michael Dell
10. Alice L. Walton*
[*NOTE that four of the ten top billionaires in the U.S. are from the family that owns Wal-Mart, the American juggernaut that routinely gives its new staff applications for the local welfare and food stamp programs because Wal-Mart employees aren't paid enough to make ends meet.]
- see the special Wal-Mart section of the Canadian Social Research Links Banks and Business Links page.

Back to Forbes:
"The collective net worth of the nation’s wealthiest 400 people climbed $120 billion, to $1.25 trillion."

To put this figure in perspective:

In 2002, $1.25 trillion represented about 12% of the U.S. gross domestic product. (http://www.iipa.com/pressreleases/2004_Oct7_Siwek.pdf)

With a population of about 83 million, Germany’s total government revenue in 2003 was $1.25 trillion (http://www.newstartnigeria.org/germany.asp)

In total, about $1.25 trillion of annual public spending on security and support (Medical care - Cash aid - Food benefits - Housing benefits - Education aid - Services - Jobs and training - Energy assistance )
(http://www.nawrs.org/Madison/Final%20Projects/Plenary/Plenary%201/Haveman.pdf)

Cost of Iraq War to top $1.25 trillion dollars, says academic
Rhett A. Butler, mongabay.com
September 20, 2005

Hmmmm......

- Go to the Banks and Business Links page: http://www.canadiansocialresearch.net/bookmrk3.htm

13. Social Safety Nets in OECD Countries - March 2006
(World Bank)

How the Rich Protect Their Poor: Social Safety Nets in OECD Countries
This five-day course is tailored toward World Bank staff and Government counterparts working on middle-income countries interested in learning about the design and implementation of social safety nets (SSNs) in developed countries.

Social Safety Nets in OECD Countries (PDF file - 227K, 8 pages)
March 2006
"The focus of the note is on non-contributory social programs for low-income households or other vulnerable groups in OECD countries. These programs, typically referred to as social safety net (SSN) programs in developing countries, are labeled welfare programs in the US and social assistance programs in the European Union. (...)
This note covers 28 countries belonging to the OECD [including Canada], and refers to an in depth review of SSN programs in the US and nine European Union countries prepared for a course on “Social Safety Nets in OECD Countries.”
***Excellent overview of a wide range of initiatives in 28 countries, from guaranteed minimum income (social assistance or welfare) to housing, family benefits, child care and more.
The info is presented mainly in synthesized table form, but you can find related content on this (source) page: Safety Nets and Transfers

Social Safety Nets in the United States - Briefing Book (204K, 40 pages)
March 2006
"The book is arranged into eight chapters.
- The first three chapters cover the nature of the basic programs, the problems—especially poverty—that they are intended to alleviate, and major recent changes.
- The next three chapters focus on program administration, management, and implementation, discussing many of the detailed realities of how programs actually operate: These three chapters blend together facts and tools—what are the tools, how did they evolve, how are they used, what are the challenges, what works and what doesn’t, and under what circumstances. These are the issues which World Bank employees have to deal with regularly as they assist other nations to develop policies and programs.
- The seventh chapter focuses on the role of monitoring, performance measurement, and evaluation in helping to shape and manage programs.
- The last chapter is a chance to discuss the future of the welfare policy in US."
***Highly recommended overview of American social programs, especially welfare (from President Franklin D. Roosevelt's "New Deal" in the 1930s to date)

Safety Nets Primer - dozens of links to resources under the following headings:
Program Interventions – A variety of different programs can be used to provide assistance to households living in poverty and to help them deal with the impact of shocks.#
Themes – Certain issues of program design and implementation are relevant to all types of program interventions.
Country Context – The type of safety net interventions and the mix of programs most appropriate will depend largely on the country specific context.
Special Vulnerable Groups

Source:
Safety Nets and Transfers
Social Safety Nets are non-contributory transfer programs targeted in some manner to the poor or those vulnerable to poverty and shocks. Social Safety Nets play a well-recognized redistributive role which is supported strongly by moral philosophy, expressed in many different ways. They also play a productive role in helping households to manage risk and assist in their own livelihoods, in helping prevent the inter-generational transmission of poverty and in allowing societies to make more efficient choices in macro, trade, labor and many other sectoral policies. Though less well recognized, this productive role is a very important part of the justification for safety nets.

Source:
World Bank