Demographics
CCPA's Open Letter to Tony Clement Re: Changes to Census Collection
Statistics Canada's Senseless Census Decision
June 30, 2010
Open letter to the Honourable Tony Clement, Ministry of Industry and Minister Responsible for Statistics Canada and Munir Sheikh, Chief Statistician, Statistics Canada
Dear Sirs,
I am concerned by the Canwest report about the decision to restrict the upcoming Census, and the path the highly-regarded Statistics Canada and the Government of Canada seems to be headed down with regard to the type of information it is interested in collecting.
This latest decision scraps the Census long-form questionnaire in favour of a one-time survey which makes responses voluntary rather than mandatory. This move will weaken the quality and availability of data that tells us what is happening to employment, immigration, housing, incomes and education - the very issues that beg for the best policy decisions possible as we inch our way through recovery.
Federal Government Cutting Back Mandatory Census Collection
The Federal Government is cutting back on the collection of statistical information from Canadians. The Conservatives reason that much of the information collected is an intrusion on personal privacy. However, community groups, and those who conduct reseach and develop policy say that this move will seriously harm the quality of their work. Census information is widely used to establish the need for schools, hospitals, transit and more in community and regional planning.
Read Globe and Mail article here.
Violence in Neighbourhoods Lower's Childrens' IQ Scores
A murder in a neighbourhood often lowers the IQ scores of children within a 10 block radius. Although this dip in IQ seems to go back to normal after 10 days, the post-traumatic stress of children who live in violent crime-ridden neighbourhoods accounts for lower IQ scores and poorer academic performance. Read article in Vancouver Sun here.Suburbs Still Booming
According to a recent Statistics Canada report people continue to move to the suburbs in large numbers. The largest migration was seen amongst new parents, those in the 25-44 age bracket and those with incomes between $70,000 and $90,000. Read article in the Vancouver Sun.Living Wage Calculation Now at $18.17 Hour
Read article in today's Vancouver Sun that explains why the living wage calculation has gone up from $16.74 in 2008, to today's living wage, $18.17 in 2010.
In Tight Times, Campbell Gov't Chooses to Help Big Banks
Inept budgeters axed $100 million yearly tax revenue from fat financial institutions. And it gets worse.It used to be said of the New Democrats (when they were in government during the 1990s), that, such was their lack of business and financial expertise, they couldn't run a lemonade stand.
Sadly, with Gordon Campbell and his BC Liberals, British Columbia today has a government whose fiscal acumen is so abysmal, so evidently lacking, that they appear incapable of operating any business enterprise of any size.
In Copenhagen, the New Radicals
A student in Copenhagen sees hope for the future of humanity -- but only if we're willing to fight for it.
[Editor's note: Last week, University of Victoria Environmental Law Professor Michael M'Gonigle wrote a two-part letter to a friend at the climate change conference in Copenhagen. That friend is student Jamie Biggar, who is attending conference as a member of the Canada Youth Delegation. This is Biggar's response.]
Hello M.M.,
Now, more than ever, Canadians count on Premiers' leadership to reduce poverty
Canada has been plunged into a worldwide recession that is harsher than any economic downturn since the Great Depression. Now, more than ever, citizens are counting on their governments for vision, compassion, and leadership.
This week’s upcoming Premiers’ talks create a vital opening to start now on an economic recovery plan that reduces poverty, prevents more Canadians from falling into poverty, and puts all of Canada’s provincial economies back on steady footing.
Campbell turns back on kids
TIMES COLONIST JUNE 27, 2009 What is Premier Gordon Campbell thinking? The province, according to Statistics Canada, has had the highest rate of child poverty in Canada for the past six years. The problems are increasing as more people lose their jobs.
Population Health: the New Agenda
What determines your health? Genetics? Doctors? Drugs? But what about the neighborhood you live in? Your job? The amount of money you earn? These are called the social determinants of health, and they can expose more than you think.
View video here
