Archive for the ‘Child & Family Debates’ Category

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The best countries for kids: Can you guess where Canada ranks?

Wednesday, August 8th, 2012

25 July 2012
Japan… is the best place in the world to be a kid. In second place is Spain, followed by Germany, Italy and France. Canada comes in at No. 6, ahead of Switzerland, Norway, U.K. and the Netherlands… the study ranks how child-friendly a country is based on three factors: health, education and nutrition. It measures the number of children who are in school, the chances of a child dying before the age of five and the number of underweight children…

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Sinclair inquiry to look at social conditions surrounding child’s death

Wednesday, August 8th, 2012

24 July 2012
… “this inquiry needs to extend beyond the strict parameters of the operations of the child welfare system… The child welfare system alone cannot be expected to address the underlying social conditions which lead children into being in need of protection.”… those social conditions include poverty, limited economic and employment opportunities, homelessness and substance abuse.

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What mirrors tell us [social violence]

Wednesday, August 8th, 2012

22 July 2012
The rising number of suicides on our reserves or the escalating violence in our cities are but symptoms of a society breaking under the burden of consumerism, selfishness, glorification of violence in pop culture/media, and disintegrating ethical and spiritual values… There is no simple answer and no one cause. The reversal of this trend requires the coming together of all Canadians for a singular purpose – to purge violence from our home, our communities and our society.

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Canadian prisons must track mentally disordered inmates, advocates say

Monday, July 9th, 2012

July 08, 2012
Canada’s prison bosses don’t know how many federal inmates have been diagnosed with mental health problems. The Correctional Service of Canada has no system-wide tracking of prisoners with mental health issues, despite recent research indicating their numbers have roughly doubled since 1997… Without the baseline information of how many prisoners are diagnosed with specific mental health problems… the government can’t develop effective treatment programs or measure whether they’re successful.

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Canada: How’s Life?

Sunday, June 24th, 2012

June 2012
Voter turnout, a measure of public trust in government and of citizens’ participation in the political process, was 60% during recent elections; this figure is lower than the OECD average of 73%. Social and economic status also affect voting rates; voter turnout for the top 20% of the population is 62% and for the bottom 20% it is 56%, in line with the OECD average gap of 7%… In general; Canadians are more satisfied with their lives than the OECD average, with 80% of people saying they have more positive experiences in an average day… than negative ones

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We’re happy, and now we know it

Sunday, June 24th, 2012

Jun. 23 2012
… despite the periodic bitching about poor teachers and assertions that the education system is going to rack and ruin, the evidence from testing of students suggests good things are happening within Canadian education. Better education leads to less crime, more income, greater job satisfaction and a more harmonious society… By contrast, the Canadian health-care system ranks somewhere in the middle of the pack for results and patient satisfaction – despite being near the top in spending.

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Stopping the soda bulge: Why we need to consider restricting sugary beverages

Tuesday, June 12th, 2012

Jun 12, 2012
In Canada, we need to do more to make it difficult to access unhealthy foods, with taxes or school bans. We also need to make it easier to consume healthy foods — by increasing access to drinking water in public places, for example. Improved nutritional labelling is certain to help. We certainly need to address the link between obesity and poverty by making more affordable healthy foods available in disadvantaged communities.

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‘Time and punishment’ now Canada’s way

Saturday, May 19th, 2012

May. 18, 2012
Corrections – the idea that those in prison might be assisted while incarcerated to be better prepared for life outside jail – is apparently foreign to the Harper government. Instead, it wants to put more people away for longer, then, figuratively speaking, throw away the key. Punishment is in; correction is out. Just when you think this government’s criminal justice policies, which have been almost universally denounced by experts in the field, can’t get worse, they do.

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Canadians ’empathetic’ to those with mental illness, addiction: Report

Wednesday, May 2nd, 2012

May 01, 2012
In the report, Canada Speaks 2012: Mental Health, Addictions and the Roots of Poverty… 87% said the government needs to make mental illness a higher priority, and 84% said there should be more services to help those with addictions… When it comes to mental illness and poverty, 80% said there is a link… the results of this year’s survey are “promising and reveal a population that recognizes the barriers and obstacles facing Canadians that suffer from either mental illness or addiction.”

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Violence problems transcend gender

Sunday, April 29th, 2012

April 29, 2012
Transition houses are full of women whose health and well-being are threatened due to violence, addictions, poverty, compromised life skills and a host of other issues. The focus, though, of them and us, men vs. women, is a disturbing trend. Can we not agree that “hurt people hurt people”? The ones who do damage are the ones who are damaged themselves. If energies and money focused on this, rather on alienating and criminalizing an entire gender, we may come closer to dealing with the real issue – hurt people hurt people.

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