Canadian Social Research Newsletter
June 29, 2008

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 1894 subscribers.

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

IN THIS ISSUE:

Canadian content

1. A Gathering Storm: The Price of Food, Gasoline, and Energy, and Changing Economic Conditions in Ontario, 2008 (Ontario Association of Food Banks) - June 2008
2. Ontario Child Benefit (July 2008) and Changes to Social Assistance (Ministry of Community and Social Services) - June 2008
3. Breakdown : Canada's Mental Health Crisis (A Globe and Mail Special Report)
4. The federal contribution to reducing poverty in Canada - Senate Committee hearings on poverty (39th PARLIAMENT, 2nd SESSION : Meetings 25, 26, 27)
5. Dion's green anti-poverty plan (Toronto Star) - June 25
6.  Low Income in Canada: 2000-2004 Using the Market Basket Measure (Human Resources and Social Development Canada) - recently posted but undated
7. The National Child Benefit Progress Report: 2006 (Federal, Provincial and Territorial Ministers Responsible for Social Services) - Posted June 13
8. Weighing trade-offs on poverty (Carol Goar, The Toronto Star) - June 20
9. Beyond Freefall: Halting Rural Poverty (Final Report of the Standing Senate Committee on Agriculture and Forestry) - June 16
10. What's New from Statistics Canada:
--- Payroll employment, earnings and hours, April 2008 - June 27
--- Study: Understanding culture consumption, 2005 - June 26
--- Study: Consumer prices, the year in review, 2007 - June 26
--- New (free) Census products - June 26
--- Government finance: Revenue, expenditure and surplus, fiscal year ending March 31, 2008 - June 25
--- Canada's population estimates, first quarter 2008 - June 25
--- National balance sheet accounts, first quarter 2008 - June 24
--- Employment Insurance, April 2008 - June 24
--- Study: Fathers' use of paid parental leave, 2006 - June 23
--- Changes in family wealth - June 23
11.  Network magazine, Spring/Summer 2008 issue (Canadian Women's Health Network) - June 2008
12. Second Canadian Conference on Homelessness - Calgary, February 18 to 20, 2009
13. What's new from the Childcare Resource and Research Unit (Toronto) - June 27

International content

14. Poverty Dispatch: U.S. media coverage of social issues and programs (Institute for Research on Poverty - University of Wisconsin-Madison)
15. Centre for Research for Inequality, Human Security and Ethnicity, Oxford University (Review by The Scout Report)
16. The U.S. Conference of Mayors: Online Publications (Review by The Scout Report)
17. Australian Policy Online Weekly Briefing
18. CRINMAIL (June 2008) - (Child Rights Information Network - CRIN)

Have a great week - and Happy Canada Day to all!!

What's new from the Ontario Association of Food Banks (OAFB)

Food banks warn of `growing storm'
Government must act as prices rise, report says
June 26, 2008
By Laurie Monsebraaten
Ontario's weakening economy coupled with the rising cost of food, fuel and energy should be a "wake-up call" to action on poverty reduction in both Ottawa and at Queen's Park, say the province's food banks. The federal government must increase employment insurance benefits and expand eligibility for Ontarians, where currently just 27 per cent of unemployed workers qualify, says the report to be released today by the Ontario Association of Food Banks.
Source:
The Toronto Star

Complete report:

A Gathering Storm: The Price of Food, Gasoline, and Energy,
and Changing Economic Conditions in Ontario, 2008 (PDF - 1.2MB, 24 pages)

Related OAFB links:

Ontario Hunger Report 2007 (1.2MB, 32 pages)
November 8, 2007

Discussion Paper : Towards a New Perspective on Hunger & Poverty (PDF - 736K, 40 pages)
September 13, 2007

Source

Ontario Association of Food Banks (OAFB)
We unite over 100 communities across Ontario in a network of food banks from Windsor to Ottawa and Thunder Bay to Niagara Falls to relieve hunger.

- Go to the Food Banks and Hunger Links page: http://www.canadiansocialresearch.net/foodbkmrk.htm

Ontario Child Benefit and Changes to Social Assistance
June 2008
"In 2007, the Ontario government introduced a new non-taxable Ontario Child Benefit to help low-income families provide for their children. Starting in July 2008, monthly Ontario Child Benefit payments of up to $50/month per child ($600/year) will begin. When these payments begin, social assistance (Ontario Works and the Ontario Disability Support Program) will change for families who have children under age 18."
Source:
Ministry of Community and Social Services

The "change" in social assistance programs mentioned in the above fact sheet refers to the removal of children's benefits from welfare and the extension of those same benefits to *all* low-income families with kids in Ontario. That's the good news. The bad news for families receiving benefits under the Ontario Works or Ontario Disability Support Programs is the termination of the Back-to-School Allowance and the Winter Clothing Allowance paid seasonally to all families receiving social assistance. The Ministry of Community and Social Services likely justified the elimination of the two special allowances by pointing to the slight increase in total monthly income for families on assistance (see the link "New social assistance rates..." below for rates before and after July 2008).

Many would argue that while setting aside a few dollars each month for a child's return to school or winter clothing needs sounds pretty reasonable, those few extra dollars in a welfare household are often re-assigned when an emergency occurs or when "there's still month left at the end of the money." Middle-class Canadians are occasionally tempted to dip into their savings for an extravagant purchase, but for Ontario's welfare households, the elimination of these two lump-sum seasonal allowances will, in many cases, mean a decision between enough food on the table now vs. a new pair of shoes for school in the fall, or a new snowsuit for a growing child.

These two allowances should be reinstated.

Related links:

* From the Ministry of Children and Youth Services:

Ontario Child Benefit

* From the Income Security Advocacy Centre:

Ontario Child Benefit
In July 2008, the provincial government will launch the Ontario Child Benefit (OCB). This will be a monthly payment to eligible low-income families who have dependent children under 18. Parents who get social assistance (Ontario Works and Ontario Disability Support Program) as well as those who are employed are eligible for the OCB.

New social assistance rates
for families effective July 2008 (PDF - 48K, 4 pages)

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

Breakdown:
Canada's Mental Health Crisis
A Globe and Mail Special Report
[Eight-day series starting June 19, 2008]

"(...)One in five Canadians will experience a mental illness in his or her lifetime. It is a pervasive presence in almost all of our lives. And yet we rarely speak of it. There is no better time to start than now. Over the next eight days, The Globe and Mail and globeandmail.com will introduce you to a series of utterly compelling Canadians — people just like you and me — who are struggling with mental illnesses. In a landmark series called Breakdown, the subjects of our stories will invite you deep into their lives. Their stories, told with empathy and intelligence, will sweep away the myths around mental illness.(..) We will also explain how public policies are failing when it comes to mental illness. And we will take you to Scotland, a place that has risen to the challenge and has much to teach the rest of the world."
(Excerpt from Editor's Note )

- links to over two dozen articles and other valuable resources, including an excellent list of links to mental health resources by province and territory and to general resources on mental health.

Source:
The Globe and Mail

- Go to the Health Links (Canada/International) page: http://www.canadiansocialresearch.net/health.htm

NOTE: Last week, I started adding short blurbs and links (on the anti-poverty links page of this site) to evidence presented at recent meetings of the Senate Committee on Human Resources, Social Development and the Status of Persons with Disabilities ("HUMA"). At the time, I wasn't able to complete the coding for all meetings whose transcripts were online. Links to those more recent meetings appear below, along with a revised link for meeting #25, which I'd coded incorrectly last week.

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

The federal contribution to reducing poverty in Canada:
Evidence presented at Meetings of the Standing Committee
on Human Resources, Social Development and the Status of Persons with Disabilities
(39th PARLIAMENT, 2nd SESSION)

Valuable insights on poverty reduction and poverty measurement in Canada and elsewhere in the world --- recommended reading!

NOTE: As at June 25, the transcript of evidence presented at the 28th meeting of HUMA on June 17 has not yet been posted to the HUMA Meetings web page. It would appear that the 28th meeting will cover poverty reduction in the United Kingdom: I'll be adding links to that meeting and any later meetings as the transcripts are posted online...

Meeting No. 27 (42 printed pages)
June 12, 2008
Topic : Ireland's National Action Plan for Social Inclusion 2007-2016: Building An Inclusive Society
Witnesses:
Gerry Mangan, Director of the Office for Social Inclusion, Government of Ireland
Dr. Tim Callan, Professor (Economic and Social Research Institute, Ireland)
Kevin O'Kelly (Director of the Combat Poverty Agency, Government of Ireland)
Bevin Cody (Head, Communications and Public Affairs, Combat Poverty Agency, Government of Ireland)

Meeting No. 26 (40 printed pages)
June 10, 2008
Topic : Newfoundland and Labrador's Poverty Reduction Strategy
Witnesses:
Shawn Skinner, Newfoundland and Labrador Minister of Human Resources, Labour and Employment
Lynn Vivian-Book, Assistant Deputy Minister of Income, Employment and Youth Services, Government of Newfoundland and Labrador
Aisling Gogan, Director of the Poverty Reduction Strategy Division, Government of Newfoundland and Labrador

Meeting No 25 (45 printed pages)
April 17, 2008
Topics : Women, un/employment and poverty, anti-poverty strategies, relative and absolute measures of poverty,
food security, municipal quality-of-life reporting, and more...
Witnesses:
Shawn Pegg (Manager, Policy and Research, Canadian Association of Food Banks)
Wayne Hellquist (Chief Executive Officer, Regina and District Food Bank, Canadian Association of Food Banks)
Michael Buda (Acting Deputy Director, Policy, Federation of Canadian Municipalities)
Michel Frojmovic (Consultant, Federation of Canadian Municipalities)
Monica Townson (Research Associate, Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives, as an Individual)
Chris Sarlo (Professor, Department of Economics, Nipissing University, as an Individual)

[ See http://www.canadiansocialresearch.net/antipoverty.htm#evidence for summaries of and links to two meetings of this Committee also held in April that were covered in an earlier newsletter. ]

Source:
HUMA Meetings (39th PARLIAMENT, 2nd SESSION)
[ Standing Committee on Human Resources, Social Development and the Status of Persons with Disabilities (HUMA) ]
[ Parliament of Canada website ]

- Go to the Anti-poverty Strategies and Campaigns page: http://www.canadiansocialresearch.net/antipoverty.htm

Dion's green anti-poverty plan
June 25, 2008
By Carol Goar
When Stéphane Dion announced last November that a Liberal government would cut poverty by 30 per cent – and child poverty by 50 per cent – within five years, his political opponents scoffed. Where would he find the billions of dollars he needed to deliver on his commitment? Now we know the answer – or at least a large part of the answer. Dion's proposed carbon tax, unveiled last week, would allow him to launch the most aggressive anti-poverty program in 40 years.
Source:
The Toronto Star

- Go to the Anti-poverty Strategies and Campaigns page: http://www.canadiansocialresearch.net/antipoverty.htm
- Go to the 2008 Federal Election and General Political Links page: http://www.canadiansocialresearch.net/politics.htm

Low Income in Canada: 2000-2004 Using the Market Basket Measure
November 2007
NOTE : the report itself is undated, but the PDF file was created on November 5, 2007.
Highlights
(...) Between 2000 and 2004 the incidence of low income using the MBM declined from 14.7% to 12.7%.
(...) Using the Market Basket Measure (MBM), the incidence of low income in 2004 (12.7%) was higher than that (11.2%) using Statistics Canada's post-income tax Low Income Cut-offs ("This is not because the MBM low income thresholds are higher than those for the LICOs-IAT, but because the MBM definition of family disposable income which is compared to those thresholds is much more stringent.")

Complete report:

HTML version
PDF version (304K, 86 pages)

Table of contents:
* I. Introduction
* II. Low Income Measures
* III. The Market Basket Measure
* IV. The Results
* V. A Focus on the "Working Poor"
* VI. High Risk Groups
* VII. Summing Up
* Appendices:
- Methodological Annex - Health Canada's National Nutritious Food Basket (1998) - January 2001 Acceptable Level of Living (A.L.L.) 2000 for Clothing and Footwear (Social Planning Council of Winnipeg and Winnipeg Harvest) - Percentage of rental units in which various appliances are included in the rent, Labour Force Survey (LFS) rent supplement, average of June to December 2000 - Cities in which transportation items are collected - Survey of Household Spending (SHS) items included in Other Expenses calculation: numerator - Market Basket Measure (MBM) thresholds for reference family by component: 2003 and 2004

Source:
Human Resources and Social Development (HRSDC)

Related link from HRSDC:

The Market Basket Measure—Constructing a New Measure of Poverty
September 1998

For more HRSDC reports on the MBM, see:
http://www.canadiansocialresearch.net/poverty.htm#mbm

Related link from the
National Council of Welfare:

Income for Living?
Spring 2004
Income for Living? is the first report in which the Council looked at the new Market Basket Measure (MBM) poverty line.

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

<begin HRSDC lament>

Many thanks to Michael Goldberg of First Call BC [ http://www.firstcallbc.org/ ] for alerting me about the recent appearance of the 2002-2004 MBM paper on the Human Resources and Social Development website. It's really sad to see that one of the federal government's largest departments can't seem to grasp the concept of a user-friendly website. There's not one mention of the MBM paper on the HRSDC website What's New page: http://www.hrsdc.gc.ca/en/corporate/whats_new/index.shtml

...nor is there an HRSDC news release about the MBM paper:
http://www.hrsdc.gc.ca/en/corporate/newsroom/releases/hrsdc/2008/index.shtml

...and a site search for the title of the report yielded nothing:
http://tinyurl.com/3zhmbl

Pretty sad.
So that's transparency and accountability, eh?

And while I'm at it, if you skip down a few lines to #7 in this newsletter, you'll see a link to the latest progress report of the National Child Benefit (NCB), a federal-provincial-territorial ("FPT") initiative providing financial and social supports to Canadian families with children. I accidentally stumbled onto the new link when I made a rare visit a few days ago to the NCB website [ http://www.nationalchildbenefit.ca ] --- I say "rare visit" because the site is updated only once a year or so.

The NCB Progress Report is an important resource for those who monitor Canada's social programs, and its release *should* be announced on the HRSDC website - but isn't. HRSDC Minister Solberg is the federal co-chair of the FPT Ministers responsible for this area, so one would think that he'd be "co-responsible" for alerting the public about the release of this much-awaited progress report. One occasionally gets a sense that the government is posting reports to its site and hoping no one will find them...

Sometimes the HRSDC website feels a bit too much like Transparency and Accountability by Stealth.
Nothing that a decent search engine and site map wouldn't help, for starters...

</end HRSDC lament>

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

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

Report shows that the National Child Benefit is improving the situation of families with children living in low income
News Release
June 13, 2008
Federal, Provincial and Territorial Ministers Responsible for Social Services are pleased to release to Canadians the eighth report on the progress of the National Child Benefit (NCB). The National Child Benefit Progress Report: 2006 shows that the NCB is improving the economic well-being of families with children living in low income.

Executive summary - HTML

Complete report:

The National Child Benefit Progress Report: 2006
Dated January 2008
Posted online: June 13, 2008
- HTML version
- PDF version (3.3MB, 105 pages)

Table of Contents:
* Message from Federal/Provincial/Territorial Ministers Responsible for Social Services
*Executive Summary
* Chapter 1 The National Child Benefit Supplement
* Chapter 2 National Child Benefit Programs and Services for Low-income Families with Children
* Chapter 3 The First Nations National Child Benefit Reinvestment Initiative
* Chapter 4 Monitoring Progress – Societal Level Indicators
* Chapter 5 Assessing the Direct Impact of the National Child Benefit Initiative
* Chapter 6 The Way Ahead
Appendix 1 : Glossary
Appendix 2 : Provincial, Territorial and First Nations National Child Benefit Reinvestments and Investments
NOTE: Appendix 2 is a detailed account of the new and enhanced initiatives made possible by the National Child Benefit for each province and territory
Appendix 3 Results of the Survey of Labour and Income Dynamics (SLID) Analysis
Appendix 4 Additional Statistical Information

Pamphlet : The NCB Progress Report: 2006
- HTML version
- PDF version (232K, 1 page)

Earlier reports in this series
- annual reports going back to the first full year (1999) of operation of the NCB; also includes links to historical and contextual information.

Source:
National Child Benefit

- Go to the Children, Families and Youth Links (Government) page: http://www.canadiansocialresearch.net/chnbkmrk.htm
- Go to the Government Early Learning and Child Care Links page: http://www.canadiansocialresearch.net/ecd.htm

Weighing trade-offs on poverty
June 20, 2008
By Carol Goar
OTTAWA–The longing for a simple, affordable plan to reduce poverty runs deep. It has propelled the idea of a guaranteed annual income onto the national agenda no fewer than five times since the 1970s. But no proposal has ever had enough momentum to overcome the political and practical barriers that stand in the way of implementation.Senator Hugh Segal believes Canada is close to the breakthrough point. "Our current programs haven't made a jot of progress (in reducing poverty)," he says. "We've tried everything else. Why don't we try a basic income floor?" Segal, a Conservative, was addressing the Senate committee on cities chaired by Art Eggleton, a Liberal. Despite Ottawa's fiercely partisan climate, the Senate remains an oasis of civil and informed debate.
[ more columns by Carol Goar ]
Source
The Toronto Star

Related link:

Guaranteed annual income:
why Milton Friedman and Bob Stanfield were right (PDF - 172K, 6 pages)
By Hugh Segal
April 2008
Source:
Policy Options - April 2008 issue (free online magazine)
[ Institute for Research on Public Policy (IRPP) ]

- Go to the Anti-poverty Strategies and Campaigns page: http://www.canadiansocialresearch.net/antipoverty.htm
- Go to the Guaranteed Annual Income Links page: http://www.canadiansocialresearch.net/gai.htm

Beyond Freefall: Halting Rural Poverty
Final Report of the Standing Senate Committee on Agriculture and Forestry (PDF - 2.3MB, 408 pages)
June 2008 (report tabled June 16/08)
Contents:
Section I: Putting rural Canada back on the policy agenda
Section II: Re-invigorating rural economies to reduce poverty
Section III : Rethinking social policy
Section IV: The healthy community approach

Source:
Standing Senate Committee on Agriculture and Forestry
39th Parliament, 2nd Session (October 16, 2007 to date)
NOTE : includes links to all nine reports of this Standing Committee tabled during this Parliamentary session
[ Parliament of Canada website ]

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

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

June 27, 2008
Payroll employment, earnings and hours, April 2008
The average weekly earnings of employees stood at $789.99 in April, up 0.3% from March. Compared with a year earlier, average weekly earnings were up 3.2%. In Canada's largest industrial sectors, earnings rose 4.0% in health and social assistance, 3.0% in manufacturing, 2.7% in retail trade, and 1.9% in educational services compared with a year earlier.
[ Related report : Employment, Earnings and Hours, March 2008 ]

June 26, 2008
Study: Understanding culture consumption, 2005
The higher an individual's household income or educational qualifications, the more likely they are to go to a movie, attend a theatrical performance or participate in a host of other cultural activities, according to a new study. The study, "Understanding culture consumption in Canada," found that household income was an important determinant of participation, regardless of the activity. Similarly, it provided evidence that an individual's educational attainment was highly associated with culture participation, whether activities occurred indoors or out.

June 26, 2008
Study: Consumer prices, the year in review, 2007
The Consumer Price Index (CPI) is the most widely used indicator of price change for goods and services purchased by Canadian consumers. The CPI series for a given month is usually published in the third week of the following month. However, it is common practice to look back over the previous year and provide an analysis on consumer price change.

The study, "Consumer prices: The year 2007 in review," published today in the Analysis in Brief series, focuses on the 2007 year-end review of the CPI. It shows that the rate of increase of the CPI was 2.2% in 2007, marginally faster than the average of 2.0% a year earlier. Of the eight major components in the CPI basket, price increases were driven up last year by two of life's basic necessities, food and shelter. Although consumer prices increased at a faster pace last year in Canada, the rate of increase was lower than in most industrialized nations.

June 26, 2008
New products
If you're a numbers person, check out this list of new free statistical products - here's just a sampling of what you'll find here:
* Thematic Maps, census year 2006 (update)
* 2006 Community Profiles, census year 2006 (update)
* Federal Electoral District (FED) Profile, 2006 Census, census year 2006 (update)
* 20% sample data tables for a range of income groups

June 25, 2008
Government finance: Revenue, expenditure and surplus, fiscal year ending March 31, 2008
The consolidated surplus for all Canadian governments, including the two major pension plans, surpassed the $20 billion mark for the fourth consecutive year in the fiscal year ending March 31, 2008.
[ Related report : National Accounts: Government finance ]

June 25, 2008
Canada's population estimates, first quarter 2008
Alberta posted the strongest demographic growth among the provinces during the first three months of 2008. Saskatchewan, which had led the provinces the two previous quarters, was second, as demographic growth remained strong in the West.
[ Related report : Quarterly Demographic Estimates ]

June 24, 2008
National balance sheet accounts, first quarter 2008
Though down slightly from the previous quarter, growth in national net worth remained robust, mainly as a result of steady gains in non-financial assets.

June 24, 2008
Employment Insurance, April 2008
An estimated 462,500 Canadians received regular Employment Insurance (EI) benefits in April, down 1,090 from March. Most of the provinces showed relatively little change in April, with the exception of Saskatchewan (-4.6%). Regular benefit payments in April totalled $689.2 million.

June 23, 2008
Study: Fathers' use of paid parental leave, 2006
Canada's policies on paid parental leave have changed considerably in recent years. In 2001, for example, the federal Parental Benefits Program increased the length of shareable paid parental leave benefits from 10 weeks to 35 weeks, and eliminated a second two week unpaid waiting period for co-sharing parents. Studies revealed that shortly after these changes were made, mothers increased the time they stayed at home and fathers increased their overall participation rate from 3% in 2000 to 10% in 2001.
[ Related article : Fathers’ use of paid parental leave ]

June 23, 2008
Changes in family wealth
Buoyed by rising incomes coupled with stable inflation and low interest rates, Canadians went on a spending spree between 1999 and 2005. However, much of the increased spending was financed through credit, as the personal savings rate slumped and per capita debt jumped. This paper divides families into seven cohorts, based on the year of birth of the major income recipient, and compares family assets and debts in 2005 with the situation in 1999 to provide a rough life-cycle portrait of Canadian families.
[ Related report : Changes in Family Wealth ]

[ Topics of interest on labour and income ] 

- 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 Canadian Women's Health Network:

Network magazine
Spring/Summer - Volume 10, Number 2
June 2008
HTML version
PDF version (1.8MB, 36 pages)

Feature articles:
* Editor's Note
* Feeling the heat: Women's health in a changing climate
* Evidence for caution: Women and statin use
* The HPV vaccine, one year later
* Charter challenge on drugs ads: A challenge in the wrong direction
* Labels, laws and access to health care: How history affects health-care access for First Nations and Métis women
* Cherchez la femme in minority francophone communities
* Barbara Seaman (1935-2008): Pioneer in the women's health movement
* Status positive: Supporting women immigrants and refugees with HIV/AIDS
* 'Women CARE' in Vancouver's Downtown Eastside
* Highs & lows: Canadian perspectives on women and substance use
-- and much more!

[ Archive of back issues ]

See also:

Brigit's Notes: Women's Health E-bulletin
Brigit's Notes is a monthly electronic bulletin that's full of great women's health news.

Source:
Canadian Women's Health Network (CWHN)
The Canadian Women's Health Network was created in 1993 as a voluntary national bilingual organization to improve the health and lives of girls and women in Canada and the world by collecting, producing, distributing and sharing knowledge, ideas, education, information, resources, strategies and inspirations.

CWHN Partners:

* Centres of Excellence for Women's Health

* CBRN Research & Technology Initiative

* Women and Health Protection

* Women and Health Care Reform

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

Growing Home: Housing and Homelessness in Canada
Second Canadian Conference on Homelessness
Calgary, February 18 to 20, 2009

Growing Home, the second national conference on homelessness, will be held in Calgary, Alberta from February 18 to 20, 2009. You are invited to submit a proposal and to register for this national conference, where you can engage in an exchange of promising practices from direct service. Learn about administrative and research perspectives, and policy formulation for all levels of government. Explore the development of a national coalition of homeless service constituents. Check these pages regularly for updates on our program and registration.
The deadline for abstract submissions is September 15, 2008.
Deadline for early conference registration is December 15, 2008.

Building on the momentum of the First Canadian Conference on Homelessness , held in 2005 at York University, Growing Home: Housing and Homelessness in Canada supports continuance of the following goals:

* Providing a venue for sharing ideas, experiences, research and practices about homelessness in Canada.
* Addressing a broad range of issues contributing to the complexity of homelessness and focus on diverse homeless sub-populations.
* Engaging all stakeholders in discussions about homelessness in order to reduce the socio-economic, sectoral, and geographical divisions that act as barriers to knowledge mobilization.

In addition, Growing Home: Housing and Homelessness in Canada has added a fourth goal:

* Developing a national coalition of persons dedicated to ending the Canadian housing crisis

Sponsored by:
Faculty of Social Work, University of Calgary

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

What's new from the
Childcare Resource and Research Unit (CRRU) :

June 27, 2008

Building a strong and equal partnership between childcare and early childhood education in Canada
27 Jun 08
- Paper by Martha Friendly discussing the background and the beginning of the move to full-day early learning programs for all four and five year olds in Ontario.

Father’s use of paid parental leave
27 Jun 08
- Report from Statistics Canada examining the increase in use of paid parental leave benefits by fathers since federal and provincial changes after 2000.

Who’s hungry: 2008 profile of hunger in the GTA
27 Jun 08
- Report from the Daily Food Bank providing a 13 month overview of food bank usage. 44% of single parents cited access to child care a barrier to working.

Be ready for success: A 10 year early childhood strategy for New Brunswick
27 Jun 08
- Strategy from the Department of Social Development outlining New Brunswick’s commitments and action items for the improvement of the early childhood sector.

Daycare in Denmark
27 Jun 08
- Article in Canadian Parents magazine discussing the child care models in Canada and Denmark.

more WHAT'S NEW ONLINE »

child care in the news

· ABC considers selling entire UK business [AU]
27 Jun 08

· Retaliation won’t cut childcare costs [AU]
26 Jun 08

· No market solution [CA]
24 Jun 08

· Why aren’t inspection records public? [CA-BC]
21 Jun 08

· Denmark vs. B.C.’s daycare values [CA-BC]
18 Jun 08

more CC IN THE NEWS »

Related Links:

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.

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

Source:
Childcare Resource and Research Unit (CRRU)

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

Poverty Dispatch (U.S). ===> the content of this link changes twice a week
IRP compiles and distributes Poverty Dispatches twice a week. Each issue of the dispatch provides links to U.S. web-based news items dealing with topics such as poverty, welfare reform, child welfare, education, health, hunger, Medicare and Medicaid, etc.
Each Dispatch lists links to current news in popular print media.

Latest issues of the Poverty Dispatch:

June 23, 2008
* Rising Costs and Food Assistance
* Public Assistance Eligibility-Screening System - Texas
* BadgerCare Plus Health Insurance Program - Wisconsin
* Effects of Federal Rules on State Medicaid Programs
* Medicaid Funding and Cuts - Mississippi, California
* Affordable Housing for the Working Poor – Muskegon, MI
* Earned Income Tax Credit - Utah
* Teenage Pregnancy Prevention - Norwich, CT
* Charter School Enrollment - Minnesota
* Kindergarten Readiness - Akron, OH
* State Budgets and the Economy

June 19, 2008
* Child Care Subsidies - New York
* Food Stamp Program - Ohio, Vermont
* Medicaid Reform - West Virginia, Massachusetts
* Medicaid and Children's Hospitals - South Carolina
* State Children's Health Insurance Program - Louisiana
* Homeless Families with Children - Louisville, KY
* State Budget Cuts and Energy Assistance - Rhode Island
* Public Housing Program - Tucson, AZ
* Affordable Housing Laws - New Jersey
* Minimum Wage Legislation - Delaware
* Editorial: History of the Minimum Wage
* Income Trends and Costs of Living - Ohio, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Texas
* Payday Lending Legislation and State Ballot Initiatives
* Opinion: Temporary Assistance Eligibility and Car Ownership - California
* Editorial: Prisoner Re-entry and Corrections Spending - Michigan

June 16, 2008
* 2008 Kids Count Data Book
* Editorials: 2008 Kids Count Data Book
* Food and Energy Assistance - Florida, Vermont, Delaware
* Prisoner Re-entry Programs - Arizona, Alabama
* State Minimum Wage - Connecticut
* Dental Care and Emergency Room Visits - Ohio
* States and Measuring Graduation Rates
* Unemployment and Job Training - Indiana
* Section 8 Housing Vouchers

Past Poverty Dispatches
- links to two dispatches a week back to June 2006

Search Poverty Dispatches

If you wish to receive Poverty Dispatches by e-mail,
please send a request to rsnell@ssc.wisc.edu

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

Centre for Research for Inequality, Human Security and Ethnicity
http://www.crise.ox.ac.uk/
Located within Oxford University, the Centre for Research for Inequality, Human Security and Ethnicity (CRISE) was created "to investigate relationships between ethnicity, inequality and conflict, with the aim of identifying economic, political, social and cultural policies which promote stable and inclusive multiethnic societies." Visitors will get a sense of their research by looking over the "News" updates on the homepage, and they can also use the embedded search engine to look for specific items of interest. Academicians and policy analysts should make a beeline for the "Publications" area of the site. Here they will find a set of policy briefings, policy work papers, and policy context papers. Recent titles include "The History of Violence and the State in Indonesia" and "Education, Labour Markets and Inequality in Peru". Moving on, the "CRISE Policy Work" area features the specific policy briefings mentioned above, many of which are completed in conjunction with other like-minded organizations, such as the United Nations Development Programme.
Reviewed by:
The Scout Report, Copyright Internet Scout Project 1994-2008.

- Go to the Social Research Links in Other Countries (Non-Government) page: http://www.canadiansocialresearch.net/internatngo.htm

The U.S. Conference of Mayors: Online Publications
Many urban areas are faced with similar problems, and it makes sense that many mayors in the United States have joined forces with The U.S. Conference of Mayors in order to speak with a unified voice about the issues that urban areas struggle with on a regular basis. With that in mind, the Conference of Mayors has put together this sage site which contains a diverse set of policy publications and attendant prescriptions addressing everything from brownfields to climate protection. The papers are organized chronologically and they date back to 1993. All told, there are over 50 papers available here and some of the more recent titles include a report on hunger and homelessness in American cities and an omnibus survey on cities' water management policies
Reviewed by:
The Scout Report, Copyright Internet Scout Project 1994-2008.

[ U.S. Conference of Mayors website ]

- Go to the Social Research Links in Other Countries (Non-Government) page: http://www.canadiansocialresearch.net/internatngo.htm

APO Weekly Briefing
The content of this page changes each week, and it includes links to a few book/report reviews, about two dozen new reports, a few job ads and 60 events (mostly conferences) of interest to social researchers...
Source:
Australian Policy Online (APO) - home page
With nearly 120 member centres and institutes, Australian Policy Online offers easy access to much of the best Australian social, economic, cultural and political research available online.
NOTE: the APO home page includes links to the five most popular reports on the APO website, and this list is updated each week.

APO Archive
The APO archive is grouped into 23 subject areas, with entries appearing in reverse chronological order.
* Ageing *Asia and the pacific * Citizenship and the law * Disability * Economics and trade * Education * Employment and workplace relations * The environment * Foreign policy and defence * Gender and sexuality * Health * Housing * Families and households * Immigration and refugees * Income, poverty and wealth * Indigenous * Media, communications and cultural policy * Politics and government * Population, multiculturalism and ethnicity * Religion and faith * Rural and regional * Science and technology * Social policy * Urban and regional planning * Youth

- Go to the Social Research Links in Other Countries (Non-Government) page: http://www.canadiansocialresearch.net/internatngo.htm

From the Child Rights Information Network (CRIN):

26 June 2008 - CRINMAIL 994
* COTE D'IVOIRE: Child sacrifice on rise in election run-up [news]
* CHILD LABOUR: Child Labour, Trade Relations and Corporate Social Responsibility - What the European Union should do' [publication]
* SAUDI ARABIA: Saudi Shoura to Discuss Children of Non-Saudi Mums [news]
* OPT: Siege and Mental Health: Walls vs Bridges [event]
* COMPETITION: International Children's Peace Prize
* EMPLOYMENT: CRAE - Inter-American Commission on Human Rights
**NEWS IN BRIEF**
**QUIZ**

24 June 2008 - CRINMAIL 993
* INDIA: Disappearing Daughters [publication]
* EUROPEAN UNION: Anger and dismay at new immigration policy [news]
* NEW ZEALAND: No court cases over smacking [news]
* GEORGIA: Raise Age of Criminal Responsibility [news]
* WEST AFRICA: West Africans fight female genital mutilation in France [news]
* VIOLENCE: Men’s Action for Stopping Violence against Women [publication]
* IRAN: List Sheds Light on Death Row Children [news]
**NEWS IN BRIEF**

19 June 2008 - CRINMAIL 992
* COUNCIL OF EUROPE: 'Raise your hand against smacking!' - launch of campaign [publication]
* COMMUNICATIONS PROCEDURE: Go-ahead for ICESCR signals green light for CRC [news]
* TURKEY: Kurdish child singers face prison [news]
* UNITED STATES: Raids Traumatising Immigrant Children [news]
* REFUGEES: Exhibition - Do you see what I see? [event]
* EMPLOYMENT
**NEWS IN BRIEF**
**QUIZ**

17 June 2008 - CRINMAIL 991
* REFUGEES: UNHCR Guidelines on Determining the Best Interests of the Child [publication]
* DAY OF THE AFRICAN CHILD: Ensuring visibility of African child victims and children in conflict with the law [news]
* EGYPT: International conference on child poverty - call for papers [news]
* CAMBODIA: Child labour surges with building boom [news]
* COMPETITION: Ending Global Slavery: Everyday Heroes Leading the Way
* EMPLOYMENT: INTERIGHTS
**FROM THE FRONTLINE** Assefa Bequele
**NEWS IN BRIEF**

Earlier issues of CRINMAIL
- links to 300+ earlier 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 and the Convention on the Rights of the Child.

Source:
CRINMAIL(incl. subscription info)
[ 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 ]

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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

Misconstruisms: new meanings for common English words

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And, in closing...
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