Canadian Social Research Newsletter
October 30, 2005

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 1518 subscribers.

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

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IN THIS ISSUE:

Youth raised in care of child welfare authorities face huge challenges when expelled from system at age 18
Measures aimed at easing transition from state care to independence would
improve quality of life and lessen dependence on social assistance
News Release
"TORONTO, Oct. 28 - Compared to their peers, youth exiting, or leaving the care of child welfare agencies are often consigned to a cycle of persistent poverty, are more dependent on adult social assistance, and are overly represented in the mental health and criminal justice system according to Youth Leaving Care: How do they Fare?, a study released today by the Task Force on Modernizing Income Security for Working Age Adults (MISWAA).

Complete report:

Youth Leaving Care – How Do They Fare?
Briefing Paper (PDF file - 242K, 31 pages)
September 2005
By Anne Tweddle
"This discussion paper was prepared for the Modernizing Income Security for Working Age Adults (MISWAA) Project in order to support and inform short- and long-term recommendations respecting challenges facing youth leaving care."

Source:
Task Force on Modernizing Income Security for Working Age Adults (they produced the report)
Laidlaw Foundation (they funded the report)

Related Links:

Smoothing a brutal transition
October 28, 2005
By Carol Goar
Trying to be gentle, social workers coined the phrase "aging out of care" to describe what happens to adolescents who reach the end of the child welfare system. In an earlier, less tactful era, they were simply terminated. But no amount of semantic cushioning can soften what, in real life, is a brutal transition. At the age of 18, crown wards, whose only parent has been the state for most or all of their lives, suddenly have no parent. They're on their own. In Ontario, some are eligible for extended care and maintenance payments of $663 per month until they reach 21. But many — usually those least able to cope — are cut off completely. They're alone in the adult world.
Source:
Toronto Star

Child Protection Services in Ontario
- from the Ministry of Children and Youth Services

Children's Aid Society Foster Care
- from the Ministry of Children and Youth Services

National Youth In Care Network
"The National Youth In Care Network exists to voice the opinions and concerns of youth in and from care and promote the improvement of services for them. We help our members find their voices and regain control over their lives through support, skill building, and healing opportunities."
- incl. links to : our bio (mandate, history, leadership, operational philosophy) - our work (consulting services, ken dryden scholarship, healing and training intensives, primer, our issues and sensitivity training
research and development) - our people (youth in care, members and supporters, board of directors, staff, youth in care networks) - our resources (stories, youth in care rights and resources, education, supporting youth in care networks, research, tools and manuals, links) - contact info

Foster Care Council of Canada
"Mission: to give children, youth and their family members who have been separated by child welfare authorities a voice, bring accountability to child welfare, provide support for anyone affected by the foster care system and to disseminate important foster care related information and resources for public education."

- Go to the Children, Families and Youth Links (NGO) page: http://www.canadiansocialresearch.net/chnngo.htm
- Go to the Ontario Municipal and Non-Governmental Sites (D-W) page: http://www.canadiansocialresearch.net/onbkmrk3.htm

Governments of Canada and Quebec Sign First Funding Agreement on Early Learning and Child Care
News Release
October 28, 2005
"Montreal, Quebec — Prime Minister Paul Martin and Quebec Premier Jean Charest, along with federal Social Development Minister Ken Dryden, Quebec’s Minister of Families, Seniors and the Status of Women Carole Théberge, President of the Privy Council and Intergovernmental Affairs Minister Lucienne Robillard, and Quebec’s Minister for Canadian Intergovernmental Affairs Benoît Pelletier,announced today an historic agreement concerning the transfer of $1.125 billion over five years under the federal government’s Early Learning and Child Care Initiative."
Source:
Social Development Canada

Canada - Québec Agreement on Early Learning and Child Care (PDF file - 78K, 8 pages)
- text of the agreement

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Google Web search Results : "Child care, Quebec "
Google News Search Results : "Child care, Quebec"
- each of the above links takes you to a Google.ca search results page
Source:
Google.ca

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Version française:

Les gouvernements du Canada et du Québec signent le premier accord
de financement sur l'apprentissage et la garde des jeunes enfants
Communiqué
Le 28 octobre 2005
"Montréal (Québec) — Le premier ministre du Canada, monsieur Paul Martin, et le premier ministre du Québec, monsieur Jean Charest, en compagnie du ministre fédéral du Développement social, monsieur Ken Dryden, de la ministre de la Famille, des Aînés et de la Condition féminine du Québec, madame Carole Théberge, de la présidente du Conseil privé et ministre des Affaires intergouvernementales, madame Lucienne Robillard, et du ministre responsable des Affaires intergouvernementales canadiennes, monsieur Benoît Pelletier, ont annoncé aujourd'hui qu'une entente historique a été conclue concernant le transfert au Québec d'une somme de 1,125 milliard de dollars sur 5 ans dans le cadre du programme Initiative d'apprentissage et de garde des jeunes enfants mis en place par le gouvernement fédéral."

Entente Canada-Québec concernant l'apprentissage et la garde des jeunes enfants (Fichier PDF, 7 pages, 49 Ko)
- texte de l'entente

Source:
Site du Premier ministre du Québec

- Go to the Québec Links (English) page: http://www.canadiansocialresearch.net/qce.htm
- Rendez-vous à la page de liens de recherche sociale au Québec: http://www.canadiansocialresearch.net/qcbkmrk.htm

Québec Handy Numbers 2005 Edition (PDF file - 1.24MB, 55 pages)
April 29, 2005
"Each year the Institut de la statistique du Québec publishes this practical brochure, which collates basic statistical
information about Québec society. Québec Handy Numbers contains a wide range of demographic and economic data for Québec as a whole, as well as some illustrations to help clarify the reading. In addition, the last section, entitled “Regions at a Glance”, provides an overview of the 17 administrative regions."
Source:
Institut de la statistique du Québec (English home page)

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Le Québec chiffres en main, édition 2005 (fichier PDF - 1,5Mo, 55 pages)
Mise à jour : 30 mars 2005
"L’Institut de la statistique du Québec publie chaque année cette brochure de format pratique, qui réunit l’information statistique de base relative à la société québécoise. Le Québec chiffres en main présente un grand nombre de données sur la population et l’activité économique à l’échelle du Québec, ainsi que quelques figures pour en éclairer la lecture. Par ailleurs, la dernière section, intitulée « Coup d’oeil régional », effectue un survol des 17 régions administratives."
Source:
Institut de la statistique du Québec

Ontario's Baseline Report on Early Learning and Child Care 2004 (PDF file - 259K, 14 pages)
May 2004
Source:
Publications - this page also includes links to : The Early Years Study (1999) - Ontario's Early Childhood Development Investments and Outcomes 2002 - 2003 - Ontario's Early Childhood Development and Early Learning and Child Care Investments 2003 - 2004
[ Ministry of Children and Youth Services ]

Related Links:

Best Start : Ontario's Plan for Early
Learning and Child Care (PDF file - 363K, 8 pages)
Source:
Best Start: Helping Young Children Get the Best Start in Life

Links to other provincial-territorial government websites
in Canada on the issue of early learning and child care

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

Pilot Program Helping People Move Into The Workforce And Off Welfare
1,000 JobsNow Clients Are Back To Work
News Release
October 24, 2005
"OTTAWA – More than 1,000 social assistance clients are working right now thanks to the McGuinty government's innovative JobsNow pilot program, Minister of Community and Social Services Sandra Pupatello announced today. Launched in April, JobsNow provides ongoing, personalized employment counselling, job placement and retention support to Ontario Works clients who have been on social assistance for more than 12 months. The program helps people find and keep real, sustainable, long-term employment so that they can stop working for welfare and start working for a living."
Source:
Ministry of Community and Social Services

Related Links:

JobsNow Ontario
- from the website of the Ontario Ministry of Community and Social Services

JobsNow [separate website] "...is a two-year pilot project developed to assist referred Ontario Works participants find sustainable employment and achieve long-term financial independence. The JobsNow team assists participants every step of the way to overcome employment challenges and build the skills and confidence to grow in their jobs. JobsNow assists employers with the hiring process and acts as a network to help income assistance recipients connect with Ontario's hidden job market. Since the project launched in April 2005, JobsNow has helped over 1,400 people return to long term sustainable employment."

Google Web Search Results : "JobsNow"
Google News search Results : "JobsNow"
Source:
Google.ca

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

What's new from the Centre for the Study of Living Standards (CSLS):

* CSLS Newsletter - Fall 2005 (PDF file - 103K, 8 pages)

* The Apprenticeship System in Canada: Trends and Issues (September 2005, PDF file - 661K, 98 pages) a new CSLS research report written by Andrew Sharpe and Jamie Gibson, provides an overview of the trends and issues related to the apprenticeship system in Canada. The report concludes that the market for apprenticeship is principally constrained by employer demand rather than by the supply of potential apprentices, and proposes reforms to improve the apprenticeship system in Canada.

* Indicators of Innovation in Canadian Natural Resource Industries (May 2005, PDF file - 344K, 52 pages) is a new CSLS research report written by Andrew Sharpe and Olivier Guilbaud (also available in French) that develops a set of indicators of innovation in a number of natural resource industries in Canada. The report finds that on most innovation indicators, Canadian natural resource industries perform either at the all-industries average or above the average.

* Tenth Anniversary of the Centre for the Study of Living Standards - November 4 panels and reception
To celebrate the tenth anniversary of the Centre for the Study of Living Standards, the CSLS is organizing two panels and a reception on Friday, November 4, 2005 at the National Arts Centre in Ottawa. The first panel is on policies to increase productivity in Canada [Chair: Andrew Sharpe, Panelists: Pierre Fortin, Andrew Jackson, Jim Milway, Alice Nakamura] and the second on policies to improve the economic well-being of Canadians [Chair: Ian Stewart, Panelists: Keith Banting, Ken Battle, Lars Osberg, Richard van Loon]. Persons interested in attending may make a reservation by calling 613-233-0268 or emailing info@csls.ca.
Space is limited. There is no charge.

CSLS Reports - links to almost three dozen reports focusing mainly on productivity and related trends

Related link from Statistics Canada:

October 26, 2005
The Canadian Productivity Review
Statistics Canada today launches a new, free online publication called The Canadian Productivity Review. This electronic publication, which showcases ongoing research on productivity, provides information on issues involving the measurement, explanation and improvement of productivity. Among themes that will be covered in the coming months are economic performance, capital formation, labour, prices, environment, trade and efficiency, at both national and provincial levels. Kicking off this publication is a research report titled 'Four decades of productivity performance in Canada,' which explains the concept of productivity and why Canadians should care about the nation's performance in productivity during the past four decades.

Complete publication:
Four Decades of Productivity
Performance in Canada (PDF file - 419K, 14 pages)
The Canadian Productivity Review
by Tarek M. Harchaoui and Faouzi Tarkhani

- Go to the Social Research Organizations (I) in Canada page: http://www.canadiansocialresearch.net/research.htm

What's New from the Centre for Equality Rights in Accommodation (CERA):

Submission by the Charter Committee on Poverty Issues to the
Human Rights Committee on the Occasion of the Review of Canada's Fifth Periodic Report Under the ICCPR (Word File - 121K, 22 pages)
(October 17 & 18, 2005)
"The protection accorded to the poorest of the poor of the right to life has been degraded and rendered to an 'abysmal' and 'shabby' level and the discriminatory consequences of inadequate social assistance, minimum wage and other social programs on women, aboriginal people, people with disabilities, newcomers, racialized minorities and other groups have not been adequately addressed in Canada."
[Excerpt, pp. 20]

Submission of the Advocacy Centre for Tenants Ontario (ACTO) and the Centre for Equal Rights in Accommodation (CERA)
to the fifth periodic review of Canada by the United Nations Human Rights Committee, October 2005 - (Word file - 173K, 19 pages)
October 17, 2005
The submission by ACTO and CERA addresses four issues:
"1. The failure of residential tenancies legislation to require a hearing before eviction, and to require consideration of the tenant's vulnerability to homelessness;
2. The failure of governments to reverse cuts in social assistance levels, and to address the discriminatory impact of inadequate shelter allowances;
3. The failure of the federal government, and several provincial governments, to remove the statutory authority of human rights commissions to veto the right of a claimant to a hearing before an adjudicative tribunal; and
4. The failure of Canadian governments to take positive measures, including the development of a national affordable housing strategy, to address the on-going crisis of homelessness."
[Excerpt, p. 3]

For links to the UN Human Rights Committee, go to the United Nations Links page: http://www.canadiansocialresearch.net/un.htm

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Media release from the National Working Group on Women and Housing (Word file - 32K, 2 pages)
October 19, 2005

Related Link:

United Nations Regional Consultation on Women and the Right to Adequate Housing in North America
with Miloon Kothari, UN Special Rapporteur on Adequate Housing
October 15-17, 2005
From the website of the Poor People's Economic Human Right's Campaign
("...committed to uniting the poor across color lines as the leadership base for a broad movement to abolish poverty")

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

20th Anniversary of the Equality Clause
- incl links to : Home | Welcome | About the Coalition | Discussion Papers | Quotes | Press Releases | Supreme Court of Canada Section 15 Cases | Media Coverage | Relevant Links | Contact Us | français
"April 17, 2005, marks the 20th anniversary of the entry into force of section 15 of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, which guaranteed the right of Canadians to equality. The Charter itself came into force in 1982. The three-year delay of section 15 allowed federal, provincial and territorial governments time to bring their legislation into line with its provisions."
[Excerpt from the Welcome page]

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Caselaw related to the justiciability of social and economic rights in Canada (Word file - 62K, 3 pages)
- list of Canadian cases that address social and economic rights --- includes links to specific cases
Source:
Centre for Equality Rights in Accommodation

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- Go to the Human Rights Links page: http://www.canadiansocialresearch.net/rights.htm
- Go to the Case Law / Court Decisions / Inquests page: http://www.canadiansocialresearch.net/caselaw.htm

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

October 26, 2005
Registered retirement savings plan contributions, 2004
"Canadian taxfilers increased their contributions to a Registered Retirement Savings Plan (RRSP) in the 2004 tax year for the second year in a row. At the same time, the number of contributors rose slightly. Contributions totalled nearly $28.8 billion, up 4.5% from 2003, which followed a 1.8% increase the year before. This turnabout in contributions followed two years of declines. A total of 6,002,350 taxfilers contributed to an RRSP in 2004, a slight 0.9% gain from 2003. This upturn halted a decline in contributors which had occurred each year following a peak in 2000 when almost 6.3 million people made a contribution. Data came from income tax returns filed in the spring of 2005."

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

Indigenous child welfare conference features Canadian, U.S., international perspectives
Child advocates, political leaders share common goal to build better foundation for child welfare system
October 24, 2005
"An unprecedented gathering of Canadian, U.S., and international child advocates and political leaders convenes in Niagara Falls on Oct. 26, to begin meaningful reform of Indigenous child welfare systems.
Reconciliation: Looking Back, Reaching Forward—Indigenous Peoples and Child Welfare is a three-day event, Oct. 26 to 28, at the White Oaks Conference Centre in Niagara Falls, Ontario. “Our intention is to start a sustainable movement to reshape child welfare systems, which have disproportional numbers of Aboriginal children in both Canada and the U.S. We need to recognize the rights and abilities of Indigenous peoples to make the best decisions for Indigenous children,” said event organizer Cindy Blackstock, Executive Director of the First Nations Child and Family Caring Society.

Conference Link:

Reconciliation: Looking Back, Reaching Forward—Indigenous Peoples and Child Welfare conference
Niagara Falls, October 26 - 28, 2005
You'll find detailed information about the Niagara Falls conference under Initiatives on that page (see "Participants' Information")
--- and don't miss the excellent Resources section!

Source:
NEWS@UofT (University of Toronto)

Related Links (Sponsoring Organizations):

First Nations Child and Family Caring Society of Canada
National Indian Child Welfare Association
Child Welfare League of America
Child Welfare League of Canada
Centre of Excellence for Child Welfare
Federation of Saskatchewan Indian Nations
Six Nations Council
First Nations Orphans Association

- Go to the First Nations Links page: http://www.canadiansocialresearch.net/1stbkmrk.htm
- Go to the Children, Families and Youth Links (NGO) page: http://www.canadiansocialresearch.net/chnngo.htm

What's New from Human Resources and Skills Development Canada (HRSDC):

Report of the chief actuary to the Employment Insurance Commission on the Employment Insurance premium rate for 2006
"In accordance with section 65.3 of the Employment insurance Act, the chief actuary shall determine the premium rate for a year that, in the chief actuary's opinion, based on the information provided by the Minister of Finance under section 66.2, taking into account any regulations made under section 69 and any requests made by the Minister in accordance with subsection 65.3(2), should generate just enough premium revenue during that year to cover the payments that will be made under subsection 77(1) during that year."

2006 Maximum Insurable Earnings
"Section 4 of the Employment Insurance Act provides the formula for calculating the maximum insurable earnings for the years 2002 and thereafter. This report presents the results of these calculations for the year 2006."

Government of Canada responds to the Supreme Court of Canada
decision on Employment Insurance maternity and parental benefits
(Quebec Parental Insurance)
October 20, 2005
"GATINEAU, QUEBEC - On behalf of the Government of Canada, Belinda Stronach, Minister of Human Resources and Skills Development, and Minister responsible for Democratic Renewal, today expressed satisfaction with the decision of the Supreme Court of Canada concerning the Government of Canada's provision of maternity and parental benefits under the Employment Insurance (EI) program. 'The Government of Canada is satisfied with the Court's decision,' said Minister Stronach. 'EI continually evolves to meet changing labour market needs and following this decision, the federal government's EI maternity and parental benefits will continue to be provided as they are today. Canadians can continue to count on these benefits being there when they need them.'"

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

Call for letters of Intent, Social Development Partnerships Program
- Voluntary Sector Policy Dialogue at the Local, Regional, and National Levels
October 2005
"This Letter of Intent process is being undertaken under to support the design, development and delivery of bottom-up, community-based, voluntary sector policy dialogue at the local, regional and national levels through pan-Canadian networks. Social Development Canada is seeking voluntary sector views through a bottom-up, community-based dialogue at the local, regional and national levels, on some of the key issues related to the voluntary sector."

Related Link:

Social Development Partnerships Program
Terms and Conditions

Source:
Social Development Canada

- Go to the Social Development Canada Links page: http://www.canadiansocialresearch.net/sdc.htm
- Go to the Voluntary Sector Links page: http://www.canadiansocialresearch.net/voluntary.htm

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

October 25, 2005
Consumer Price Index, September 2005
The 12-month Consumer Price Index increased substantially in September. Rising energy costs have not yet made a substantial impact on other consumer prices. The 12-month change in the All-items index excluding energy remained stable at 1.6%, while the 12-month change in the All-items index (CPI) jumped to 3.4%. This 12-month change represents a significant increase compared to the 2.6% advance recorded in August 2005. For the past year, the 12-month change in the All-items index excluding energy has been between 1.4% and 1.7%.
Related Link:
Your Guide to the Consumer Price Index (PDF file - 321K, 23 pages)
December 1996

Study: The socio-economic progress of the children of immigrants, 2001
The earnings of second-generation Canadians are only loosely tied to the socio-economic status of their immigrant parents, according to a new study. In other words, low earnings in childhood, on average, does not imply low earnings in adulthood.
Complete Study :
Intergenerational earnings mobility among the children of Canadian Immigrants (PDF file - 381K, 44 pages)

Employment Insurance, August 2005 (preliminary)
The estimated number of Canadians (adjusted for seasonality) receiving regular Employment Insurance benefits in August rose 7.7% from July. The increase, which was widespread across provinces and territories, marks a return to normal levels following a large drop in July.

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.

28-Oct-05

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WHAT’S NEW
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>>>> La qualité, ça compte!
Paper from the Institute for Research on Public Policy presents the results of the ÉLDEQ study; finds gap in quality of child care attended by children of different socio-economic backgrounds.

>>>> First Nations early learning and child care action plan
April 2005 Report from the Assembly of First Nations sets out their vision for a “First Nations controlled and sustainable child care system that adopts a holistic, culturally appropriate approach.”

>>>> Nova Scotia announces pre-primary pilot program
Press release from the government of Nova Scotia announces the introduction of legislation to establish a two-year, pre-primary pilot program for four year-olds.

>>>> Public policy and the participation of rural Nova Scotia women in the new economy
Report from Status of Women Canada addresses the kinds of policies rural women need to facilitate participation in the new economy; cites lack of child care as a key barrier.

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CHILD CARE IN THE NEWS
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>>>> Quebec to get special deal [CA-QC]
Globe and Mail, 28 Oct 05
Ottawa is preparing to sign a special child care deal with Quebec that would give that province more autonomy over how it spends its share of the early-learning pie than has been granted to other provinces.

>>>> Alberta can show the way [CA-AB]
Edmonton Sun, 26 Oct 05
Alberta’s recent addition of more subsidies for low-income families, funded by the federal Liberals, is a big step in the right direction, but concerns remain.

>>>> Day care plan isn't child's play [CA-ON]
Toronto Star, 26 Oct 05
Toronto plans to create almost 5,300 new child care spots over the next three years. Described as Toronto's most ambitious child care expansion ever, the $125 million plan will see 1,668 new spots created in existing locations by next March.

>>>> Quality counts in child care [CA-AB]
Edmonton Sun, 24 Oct 05
In Alberta the staff turnover rate in child care is nearly 50% annually. Bill Moore-Kilgannon, with the lobby group Public Interest Alberta, says it doesn't take much research to realize that kids here aren't getting the care they could and should be.

>>>> Low salaries hurting our kids [CA-AB]
Edmonton Sun, 23 Oct 05
As Canada lurches towards a national child care policy, Alberta is dealing with its own issues: some of the lowest paid workers with the highest turnover, a surplus of for-profit spaces and lineups for non-profit.

>>>> Gouging the poor [CA-AB]
Edmonton Sun, 23, Oct 05
Low-income parents who receive provincial child care subsidies are being gouged by day care centres and critics contend the Alberta government is doing nothing to stop it.

>>>> Daycare expert flies in a warning [CA-ON]
Toronto Star, 22 Oct 2005
When Australian child care expert Lynne Wannan heard about Canada's plans to invest $5 billion in child care, she jumped on a plane. The diminutive Aussie embarked on a three-week mission to warn Canada against allowing
private companies to turn child care into big business.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
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 from Jan 2000 to the present.
Child Care in the News - media articles from January 2000 to the present
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

Also from CRRU:

Towards a national system of early learning and child care
Regularly updated
"(...) On April 29, 2005 the governments of Canada and Manitoba struck an historic Agreement-in-Principle on early learning and child care. This was followed by a similar agreement between the federal government and the province of Saskatchewan. These agreements are the beginning of what is hoped to be a series of strong bilateral agreements between the federal government and the provinces/territories. These historic agreements build on a meeting of the Federal-Provincial-Territorial Ministers Responsible for Social Services in November 2004 and a subsequent meeting in February 2005. They (with the exception of Quebec) agreed to shared principles to guide the development of a new national system of early learning and child care."
NOTE: this is a large (and growing) collection that includes government and non-governmental reports, press releases, news articles and other documents dealing with the new federal-provincial-territorial arrangements for early learning and child care in Canada.

- 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)

October 27, 2005
Today's subjects include: Racism and Poverty - Opinion // Hurricane Katrina and Poverty - Editorial // Racial Gap in Health Care // Faith-Based Health Plans // Home Heating Aid // Wal-Mart and Employee Benefits // Homelessness - Opinion // World Poverty // Antipoverty Campaign - Florida // Uninsured Children - Wisconsin // Child Health Insurance Proposal - Illinois // Welfare Time Limits - Michigan // Living Wage - Macomb County, MI // Homelessness - Los Angeles

October 24, 2005
Today's subjects include: Attitude toward Poverty after Katrina // Calls to Stop Spending Cuts that Hurt the Poor // Need for Antipoverty Effort - Opinion // Black Women and Marriage // Poverty Rate versus Need for Aid - Maryland // Poverty Rate - Indiana // Poverty and Rioting - Toledo, OH // Poverty and Children's Dental Care - Oregon // Poverty and Student Achievement - Vermont // Student Achievement Gap - Wisconsin // Early Childhood Education - Colorado // Cost of Unintended Pregnancies - Michigan // Teen Birth Rate - Mississippi // Infant Mortality Rate - Washington, DC // Child Care and Welfare Reform - Washington // Work Requirement and Welfare - Michigan // Appeals of Health Care Cuts - Tennessee // Medicaid Computer Error - Wisconsin // Access to Food Stamps - San Diego // Heating Assistance - Kentucky // View of American Poverty from Australia

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:

POVERTY DISPATCH description/archive - weekly issues back to January 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

Internal Memo Reveals Attitudes Toward Employees Within Wal-Mart, Inc.
Vice president views workers as cogs to be replaced before they attain "costly" wages, benefits.
October 26, 2005
By Steven Greenhouse and Michael Barbaro
First published (with different title) in the N.Y. Times, Oct. 26, 2005
"An internal memo sent to Wal-Mart's board of directors proposes numerous ways to hold down spending on health care and other benefits while seeking to minimize damage to the retailer's reputation. Among the recommendations are hiring more part-time workers and discouraging unhealthy people from working at Wal-Mart. In the memorandum, M. Susan Chambers, Wal-Mart's executive vice president for benefits, also recommends reducing 401(k) contributions and wooing younger, and presumably healthier, workers by offering education benefits. The memo voices concern that workers with seven years' seniority earn more than workers with one year's seniority, but are no more productive. To discourage unhealthy job applicants, Ms. Chambers suggests that Wal-Mart arrange for "all jobs to include some physical activity (e.g., all cashiers do some cart-gathering)." The memo acknowledged that Wal-Mart, the world's largest retailer, had to walk a fine line in restraining benefit costs because critics had attacked it for being stingy on wages and health coverage. Ms. Chambers acknowledged that 46 percent of the children of Wal-Mart's 1.33 million United States employees were uninsured or on Medicaid. Wal-Mart executives said the memo was part of an effort to rein in benefit costs, which to Wall Street's dismay have soared by 15 percent a year on average since 2002. Like much of corporate America, Wal-Mart has been squeezed by soaring health costs. The proposed plan, if approved, would save the company more than $1 billion a year by 2011. More...

Complete Text of Internal Wal-Mart Memo:
Supplemental Benefits Documentation - Board of Directors Retreat Fiscal Year 06
Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. - Benefits Strategy [Confidential] (PDF file - 375K, 26 pages)

Related Link:

Links to Anti Wal-Mart and Pro Wal-Mart Web Sites
Articles, Studies and Resources on Wal-Mart - links to over two dozen online resources + links
- incl. Articles on Wal-Mart - T-shirts, Bumper Stickers, Buttons - Related Articles of Interest - Studies and Reports on Wal-Mart and Big Boxes (separate page) - Internal Company Documents on Stopping Unions (separate page) - Anti-Walmart & Pro-Walmart Links, Community Organizations Fighting Big Box battles (separate page)

Source:
ReclaimDemocracy.org (U.S)
"...works to create a representative democracy with an actively participating public, where citizens don't merely choose from a menu of options determined by elites, but play an active role in guiding the country and political agenda."

Related Reading:

Can Christians Shop at Wal-Mart in Good Conscience?
By Jeff M. Sellers
Published by Christianity Today, April 22, 2005
"Discerning Christians with varying social/theological priorities will differ on whether to open their wallets to Wal-Mart. Its impact on local communities and on the environment, as well its treatment of minorities and women, also must be examined."

Also related:

BIG BOX MART - a short movie from JibJab.com
"In BIG BOX MART an unsuspecting consumer learns an economic lesson the hard way when his high-skilled factory job is shipped overseas to accommodate the "everyday low prices" he's come to expect from his favorite retailer. Now only one question remains: Paper or plastic?"
NOTE: If you're not able to view this movie from an office or university network, it's likely because of security issues or "Net Nanny" issues.
If so, you can check it out on a private (and preferably fast) Internet connection.

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

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Thanks, CUPE!

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You can unsubscribe by going to the same page or by sending me an e-mail message [ gilseg@rogers.com ]

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Privacy Policy:
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I promise not share any information on this list, nor to send you any junk mail.

Links presented in the Canadian Social Research Newsletter point to different views about social policy and social programs.
There are some that I don't agree with, so don't get on my case, eh...

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Gilles

E-MAIL:
gilseg@rogers.com

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

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