Edmonton Social Planning Council

Category: **Digital Resources

  • 2010 Federal Pov. Reducation

     

    Title:Federal poverty reduction plan: working in partnership towards reducing poverty in Canada.
    Author(s):Hoeppner, Candice
    Corporate Author: Standing Committee on Human Resources, Skills and Social Development and the Status of Persons with Disabilities
    Subject:Poverty – planning, policy
    Publisher:Government of Canada
    Place of Publication:Ottawa
    Date of Publication:2010
    Abstract:

    It is the Committee’s intent that the recommendations made in this report contribute to the development of an effective federal poverty reduction plan that will reduce poverty and increase labour force participation rates. Members of the Committee realize that the implementation of the federal action plan recommended in this report will require an ongoing commitment and greater cooperation between federal, provincial and territorial governments. The Committee agrees that the time has come to seriously address the risk factors associated with poverty, and that the federal government can work in cooperation with other levels of government, Aboriginal stakeholders and community organizations to ensure that all Canadians live in dignity and can fully and actively participate in Canada’s social and economic life.

    Language:English
    Material Type:Report

    F. SOCIAL ISSUES/F.04 POVERTY/2010 federal_pov_reduction.pdf

  • 2010 Tough on Crime

     

    Title:The fear factor: Stephen Harper’s “tough on crime” agenda.
    Author(s):Mallea, Paula
    Subject:Crime – general
    Publisher:Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives
    Place of Publication:Ottawa
    Date of Publication:2010
    Abstract:

    According to Statistics Canada, crime rates have been trending down for over 20 years. This includes the violent crime rate. Yet the Harper government continues to insist that there is an epidemic of crime, and that Canadians should be very afraid of increasing violence — guns, gangs and drugs — the fear factor. This study analyses the financial and human costs of the Harper government’s tough on crime agenda and concludes it is wrong-headed, expensive, and counter-productive. In fact, it will likely lead to more crime and a bigger deficit.

    Language:English
    Material Type:Report

    G. LAW-CRIME/G.01 GENERAL/2010 tough_on_crime.pdf

  • 2010 Families Count

     

    Title:Families count: profiling Canada’s families IV.
    Corporate Author: The Vanier Institute of the Family
    Subject:Family – general|split|Family – statistics
    Publisher:The Vanier Institute of the Family
    Place of Publication:Ottawa
    Date of Publication:2010
    Abstract:

    Within the pages of Families Count: Profiling Canada’s Families IV, readers will discover the many ways in which the structural, functional and affective dimensions of family life have changed. Today’s families are smaller. Adults wait longer to marry if they do so at all. Common-law unions are no longer just a preliminary or trial stage before marriage but, for many, an alternative to marriage. On average, Canadians wait longer than did their parents or grandparents to have children. They are more likely to separate or divorce. In less than a lifetime, the dual- earner family has gone from an exception to the norm, and a growing number of women are primary income earners within their families. In contrast to the past when most children growing up with only one parent were living with a widow or widower, the children growing up today with a lone parent are most likely to have another living parent, albeit a mother or, as is most often the case, a father living elsewhere. All of these changes, and many others, can only be understood against the backdrop of wider social and economic trends: the evolution of a global economy, increasing respect for human rights, the emancipation of women, the migration of populations between and within countries, as well as from the country into cities, and the many technological innovations that have so profoundly changed the ways in which we work, play, communicate, and care.

    Language:English
    Material Type:Report

    F. SOCIAL ISSUES/F.11 FAMILY/2010 Families_Count.pdf

  • 2010 Facts Alberta Education

     

    Title:Facts worth knowing about Alberta’s education system: 2010.
    Corporate Author: Alberta Teachers’ Association
    Subject:Education – statistics
    Publisher:Alberta Teachers’ Association
    Place of Publication:Edmonton
    Date of Publication:2010
    Abstract:

    Contains statistics from Alberta Education, current to 2010. Includes number of schools, number of school authorities, number of students registered in Alberta schools, number of students by types of schools, class sizes, high school completion rates, Alberta Education funding rates, and number of teachers.

    Language:English
    Material Type:Fact Sheet

    K. EDUCATION/2010 facts_alberta_education.pdf

  • 2010 Every Bite Counts

    Title:Every bite counts: climate justice and BC’s food system.
    Author(s):Lee, Marc|split|Barbolet, Herb|split|Adams, Tegan|split|Thomson, Matt
    Corporate Author: Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives, BC office
    Subject:Food security – local food systems|split|Environmental issues – climate change
    Publisher:Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives, BC office
    Place of Publication:Vancouver
    Date of Publication:2010
    Abstract:

    The abundance of the modern supermarket is the ultimate product of a post-WWII food system based on industrial-scale agriculture, cheap fossil fuels and global trade. Examining our food through a climate change lens, however, suggests a rethink is in order — from reducing the greenhouse gases produced throughout the food system, to making the food system resilient to supply disruptions. BC also needs to develop a more just distribution of food, better support farmers, farmworkers and fishers, and seek healthier nutritional outcomes from our food system. This is not a task that can be left to market forces alone. It calls for a more coherent planning framework at all levels of the food system. The supermarket cannot ensure food security, which according to the Community Nutritionists Council of BC, “exists when all community residents obtain a safe, personally acceptable, nutritious diet through a sustainable food system that maximizes healthy choices, community self-reliance and equal access for everyone.” Such a systems approach to food is becoming widespread in BC and other jurisdictions. BC is starting in an excellent position to move forward, with most domestic food production occurring on small farms, while ties to local markets have been strengthening through initiatives like weekly farmers’ markets, community shared agriculture projects, and home delivery services. BC also has the Agricultural Land Reserve (ALR), although its erosion in recent years is cause for concern. These ingredients point towards a food system that could be, with strong public policy actions, just and sustainable.

    Language:English
    Material Type:Report

    F. SOCIAL ISSUES/F.15 HUNGER/2010 every_bite_counts.pdf

  • 2010 Sweden Summary

    Title:Evaluation of the ban on purchase of sexual services: English summary.
    Corporate Author: Swedish Government Offices, Ministry of Justice
    Subject:Crime – general|split|Exploitation – sex trade
    Publisher:Swedish Government Offices, Ministry of Justice
    Place of Publication:Stockholm
    Date of Publication:2010
    Abstract:

    Evaluation of the ban on purchase of sexual services The Inquiry on evaluation of the ban on purchase of sexual services today submitted its report Förbud mot köp av sexuell tjänst (Prohibition of the purchase of sexual services). En utvärdering 1999-2008 (An evaluation 1999-2008) (SOU 2010:49) to Minister for Justice Beatrice Ask. The purpose of the evaluation was to investigate how the prohibition, which has been in force for over ten years, works in practice and what effects it has had on the incidence of prostitution and human trafficking for sexual purposes in Sweden. The evaluation shows that the ban on the purchase of sexual services has had the intended effect and is an important instrument in preventing and combating prostitution and human trafficking for sexual purposes. Effects of the ban The Inquiry concluded that prostitution in Sweden, unlike in comparable countries, has not in any case increased since the introduction of the ban. The ban on the purchase of sexual services has also counteracted the establishment of organised crime in Sweden. Hence criminalisation has contributed to combating prostitution and human trafficking for sexual purposes. Prohibiting purchases of sexual services also has a normative effect. There has been a marked change in attitude to the purchase of sexual services that coincides with making it a criminal offence to buy sex. There is now strong support for the ban on purchasing sexual services in Sweden. The ban has proved to act as a deterrent to sex purchasers. The Inquiry could find no indication that criminalisation has had a negative effect on people exploited through prostitution. Application of the ban The investigation of the application of the ban shows that, following an initial period of some uncertainty, police officers and prosecutors now consider that, in general, the application works well. However, it is clear that the effectiveness of application depends on the resources deployed and the priorities made within the judicial system. Proposed measures The Inquiry stresses the value and necessity of continued and sustained social work to prevent and combat prostitution and human trafficking for sexual purposes. Efforts must be coordinated if this work is to succeed. Consequently the Inquiry proposes the establishment of a national centre tasked with coordinating efforts against prostitution and human trafficking for sexual purposes. The Inquiry also proposes that the maximum penalty for the purchase of sexual services be raised from imprisonment for six months to imprisonment for one year. The examination of case law made by the Inquiry shows that there is a need to be able to make a more nuanced assessment in more serious cases of the purchase of sexual services than is possible within the current penalty scale for the offence. According to the Inquiry, the current level of penalties for certain sexual purchase offences is not proportionate to the seriousness of the crime. In the opinion of the Inquiry, a person exploited through prostitution may be regarded as the injured party in purchases of sexual services. The issue of whether the person exploited is to be regarded as the injured party must be determined in each individual case.

    Language:English
    Material Type:Article

    G. LAW-CRIME/G.06 WOMEN/2010 sweden_summary.pdf