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BRIEFS



What is a Brief?



Resolutions passed at the Provincial Conference or National Convention often contain directives to urge the provincial or federal governments and/or as appropriate specific ministries to take some sort of action. These directives outlined in the approved resolution Therefore It Be Resolved statements are consolidated into a written brief for submission to the various government ministries, and leaders of the opposition parties. A copy of the brief is circulated to Club Presidents for use at the local and/or provincial levels, i.e. for issuing press releases, and/or arranging meetings with their community-based Member of Provincial Parliament representatives, (MPP), or Members of Federal Parliament (MP)

Opportunities to meet with the ministries affected by the resolutions enclosed in the brief are requested/granted. These meetings provide a further opportunity to strengthen our relationships with decision makers and to reinforce how and why we feel our resolutions should be implemented. A report of these meetings and correspondence is communicated to the membership through emails, routine mailings, annual reports and the website.

Ontario Government Site

2007 Brief



SUBMISSION for 2006

Presented to

THE RIGHT HONOURABLE DALTON MCGUINTY

Premier of Ontario

By

BPW Ontario Logo

BPW Ontario

THE BUSINESS & PROFESSIONAL

WOMEN'S CLUBS OF ONTARIO

Member of the Canadian and International Federation of
Business and Professional Women's Clubs

August, 2007


INTRODUCTION



The Business and Professional Women’s Clubs of Ontario (BPW Ontario) is the coordinating organization for the active membership of dedicated working women in over 20 clubs across the province.

BPW Ontario membership represents a diverse group of women, in both the public and private sectors of business, industry, and the professions. Our members hold positions as business entrepreneurs, CEO’s, managers and employees across a full range of occupational sectors

Individual clubs within the provincial organization are members of the Canadian Federation of Business and Professional Women’s Clubs (BPW Canada) founded in 1930, and the International Federation of Business and Professional Women (IFBPW) has members in over 100 countries around the world and maintains Consultative Status in the United Nations Economic and Social Council.

Sin 1910 BPW Ontario has worked to promote the interests of working women. We have made submissions to government, addressing issues of equal pay and benefits, employment opportunities, employment equity, part time work, child care, maternity leave, pension reform and other areas of concern to women. BPW Ontario promotes equality as a basic human right, ensuring the full participation of women who comprise 52% of the population. It is believed that through the realization of their full potential, Ontario working women will continue to drive the thriving business and economic climate of today and ensure prosperity for the generations to come.

For continued improvement in the status of women and betterment of the economic, political, employment and social aspects of daily living, BPW Clubs from across the province meet annually to discuss and approve resolutions submitted by individual clubs. The resolutions included in this brief were approved by our membership at the 61st Annual Conference help in Trenton, Ontario on June 1,2 and 3, 2007.

Index-2007 Resolutions



  1. Status of Women
  2. Human Rights Bill 107 - Structure, Accessibility & Support
  3. Recycling - Large Plastic Water Containers
  4. Access to Cervical Cancer Vaccine
  5. Specialized Domestic Violence
  6. REFERENCE/SOURCE OF DATA


1. Status of Women

Economic and social inequality has long been recognized as connected to the incidents of violence against women. Women will often stay in an abusive relationship because they cannot afford to provide housing and support for themselves and their children on their own. (Women continue to make 28% less than men and struggle to make ends meet). Because women earn significantly less than men, especially those in minimum wage, part-time jobs, their retirement pool is considerably less, leaving many senior women living below the poverty line.1

The Ministry Responsible for the Status of Women in Ontario has spent $8 million in programming for women targeting education of youth through TV and movie ads, and training of front line people such as paramedics, nurses, doctors and teachers, soliciting community support and awareness of perpetrators and potential abusers. As well, two websites have been established in an effort to educate. One is http://www.equalityrules.ca directed at kids/teens, parents/guardians, and teachers. The second one is directed at communities, http://www.neighboursfriendsandfamily.ca/

Concerns expressed in a letter from, BPW Canada President, Fran Donaldson and 1st Vice President, Sue Calhoun, to Prime Minister Harper (December 4, 2006) reinforced the importance of the Minister Responsible for the Status of Women in Ontario to carefully consider the impact of the precedent setting trend by the National Government to devalue the importance of equality work in ongoing government reform by removing the work "equality" form the Status of Women Canada (SWC) mandate and by cutting funding to so called women's organizations that advocate and lobby government for policy reform.

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that BPW Ontario urges the Government of Ontario and particularly the Minister Responsible for Women’s Issues to continue its efforts to work with its counterparts across the country to devise a national action plan on women’s issues to which both levels of government can be held accountable.

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2. Human Rights Bill 107 -Structure, Accessibility and Support

Most Ontarians agree that the 44 year old Human Rights system was cumbersome, sometimes taking up to five years for an adjudication. The intent of Bill 107 - is to speed up the process by providing complainants direct access to a tribunal and to promote greater transparency. Much of the Commissions work as a gatekeeper and law enforcement agency is to be transferred to a new Human Rights Legal Support Centre and to the newly defined Human Rights Tribunal roles and responsibilities.

Despite the intended enhancements offered in Bill 107, there remains a lack of clarity around the actual operational structure of the Commission itself, the Human Rights Legal Support Centres and its level of funding or the actual type and degree of support that will be offered in this new structure.

BPW immediate concerns with the passing of Bill 107 is that there are clear gaps in the detail. It is difficult to determine if women will have improved access to a timely hearing and/or if they will receive equitable legal representation. It is also unclear as to exactly how the shift of power from the commission to an appointed tribunal and the introduction of a new Human Rights Legal Support Centre will in fact be more transparent and accountable. There is further question as to how comfortable women, and in particular those marginalized groups will be in launching a human rights case directly to a tribunal without some adequate preliminary legal council. As much as it is expected that the tribunal process will be supportive of complainants, it is expected to remain an intimidating process particularly when large corporations or government agencies will most assuredly benefit from legal council. Clarity and consideration of these issues is required and recommended to ensure the intended enhancements are in fact realized.

Specific discussion of what agency might best oversee the recommendations outlined in this resolution, and further consideration of what mechanisms might be implemented to obtain feedback from the women these initiatives are designed to support, (i.e. one-on-one surveys/focus groups), and finally thought to who might advocate on their behalf is critical to ensure the desired changes proposed by Bill 107 are achieved.

Therefore it be resolved that BPW Ontario urges the Government of Ontario, the Attorney General, the Minister of Labour and the Minister Responsible for Women's Issues to ensure that in establishing the operational and reporting structure of the Human Rights Commission, Human Rights Tribunal and Human Rights Legal Support Center the following issues are fully addressed;
  1. Awareness/promotional initiatives and campaigns are designed to ensure ease of access to the Human Rights Legal Support Centre resources and the Human Rights Tribunal for all women and in particular for those marginalized women who might not be familiar with and/or comfortable with accessing an agency of this nature.
  2. Legal support be provided to women who will require assistance with formulating and/or presenting their case during both the preparation phase and throughout the tribunal process as requested/required by the complainant.
  3. Clearly defined target timelines need to be established to ensure the intended reduction of the time period for when a complaint is lodged and an adjudication is conducted can be monitored for ongoing improvements to the Human Rights System deliverables.
  4. The Human Rights Commission/Tribunal and Human Rights Legal Support Centre transparency and accountability be strengthened by ensuring the Human Rights Commission Report be delivered directly to the Legislature.


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3. Recycling – Large Plastic Water Containers

Part 1 of Schedule 1 of Ontario Regulation 101/94 lists the mandatory materials that must be included in municipal recycling programs. On that list are "Polyethylene terphthalate bottles" (PET). The average blue box is a 53 litre one. A 15 litre PET water bottle consumes one-third of the volume of the box. This can result in either demands for extra blue boxes (at a cost to the tax payer); or in 15 litre bottles ending up in municipal waste instead of recycling

Moreover, the 15 litre PET bottles are either not easily crushed or not crushed at all in collected recycling materials. It is also estimated that there will be 5-8 million 15 litre bottles by 2009.3 This will increase recyclable material processing costs and reduce recycling storage capacity.

Both Peel Regional Council and The Association of Municipalities of Ontario (AMO) have done studies and expressed concern over this issue.

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that BPW Ontario expresses support of Peel Regional Council’s recommendation to the Ontario Ministry of Environment, i.e.,

"that the Ontario Minister of the Environment be requested to regulate the management of 15 litre Polyethylene terphthalate bottles (PET) water bottles by:
a)mandating a deposit-return system where consumers and the packaging industry bear the costs to manage the empty bottles; or
b) requiring the packing industry to pay 100 per cent of the cost of managing
the empty bottles in municipal waste and recycling systems."

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4. Access to Cervical Cancer Vaccine

Availability of Immunization from Cervical cancer is a National Issue. Current and future generations of Canadian women are at risk Cervical Cancer as it is one of the top two causes of cancer deaths in Women.

The main risk factor for developing cervical caner is an infection of the cervix with Human Papillomavirus or HPV. There are more than 100 different types of HPV. The vaccine is effective against HPV 16 and 18 – which are responsible for about 70% of all cervical cancers.

The vaccine should be viewed as a complement, not a replacement, for cervical cancer screening. As 30% of cervical cancer is not caused by HPV 16 and 18, women still need to get screened. It has been proven that screening works as it has shown reduction in this type of cancer since the 1970’s.

HPV vaccination would dramatically decrease the risk of cancer, especially in women who don’t follow current screening recommendations or where that screening is less accessible.

The vaccine works by boosting the immune system so that it effectively fights off two of the most common strains of Human Papillomavirus, the most prevalent of Sexually Transmitted Diseases in modern society. It is believed that HPV will infect half of all sexually active women between 18-22 years of age.

The vaccine is very expensive; it is expected to have a cost of up to $500. for the course of three injections in order to achieve immunization hence the need for government intervention in the cost of this vaccine. It is a considerable outlay for the government to fund such a program however this must be weighted against the cost of treating women for Cervical cancer.

Programs must be designed to target young women before they become sexually active hence the need to immunize young girls at 11 or 12 years of age. The reason that the inoculation needs to take place at this time is that once girls are sexually active they may be exposed to the HPV virus and the vaccine has no effect if they have been exposed prior to inoculation.

If Cervical cancer vaccine remains optional, the vaccine won’t become as widely used as it will be if it’s made part of the routine childhood immunization, as has been seen vaccinating for illnesses such as influenza, mumps and chickenpox. People in the community get the best protection when a high percentage of the population is vaccinated. The greater the number of girls and women vaccinated the greater the benefit that will be seen from the Cervical cancer vaccine.

We are pleased by the recent announcement of the Ontario Government’s intention to fund a voluntary vaccination program. This is an important 1st step, and encourage the Government to continue past the 3 year timeframe. It is also important to note that education and awareness are critical to the success of the program.

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that BPW Ontario urges the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care to embark on a program of routine immunization for all 11 and 12 year old girls and a catch up immunization for girls and women ages 13-26 similar to FDA Regulations.

FURTHER BE IT RESOLVED that BPW Ontario strongly encourages the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care through Public Health to develop education and awareness program about the availability of the vaccine and the benefits of young girls and women being inoculated and to continue the programs directed at the importance of Pap tests and screening already in place.

AND FURTHER BE IT RESOLVED that BPW Ontario recommends that BPW Canada urges the Government of Canada through Health Canada to fund the above programs of education and immunization to be embarked upon for the immunization of all girls age 11 to women of 26 years of age, and that the immunization be free of charge to all Canadian girls and women in the specified age group in addition that the government continue to fund the existing programs directed at the importance of PAP tests and screening already available.

AND FURTHER BE IT RESOLVED that BPW Ontario send a letter to Health Canada commending them for moving very quickly to approve the vaccine for cervical cancer for use here in Canada.

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5. Specialized Domestic Violence Courts

Ontario's Domestic Violence Court (DVC) program is the most extensive DVC program in Canada. It facilitates the prosecution of domestic assault cases and early intervention in abusive domestic situations, provides better support to victims and increases offender accountability. In a DVC program, teams of specialized personnel, including police, Crown Attorneys, Victim/Witness Assistance Program (VWAP) staff, probation services, Partner Assault Response (PAR) program staff and community agencies, work together to ensure priority is given to the safety and needs of domestic assault victims and their children. Since 1996, the Ontario government has introduced the domestic violence court program to 30 court sites and is committed to expanding this program province-wide over the next few years. The Ontario government is investing $21 million annually in this program.
The Women’s Court Watch of the Woman Abuse Council of Toronto (WACT) is a community research and education project that places volunteers in provincial criminal courts to observe and monitor woman abuse cases in Specialized Domestic Violence Courts in Toronto. WACT began its first women’s court watch in 1996 and has since completed a total of four (1996. 1998 2003 and recently in 2006). These studies enabled WACT to gain a unique insight into recent trends in the criminal justice response to woman abuse by comparing the current court watch data with information collected in previous sessions.

In almost every area tracked in the Women's Court Watch IV, WACT found that the criminal justice response in 2006 was less vigorous than three years ago. Instead of becoming increasingly more effective and meaningful to victims and abusers, the study suggests that the courts are sliding backwards in their effectiveness, relevance and ability to convey the clear message that abuse is not acceptable. The system continues to be fragmented with no effective mechanism of ensuring that the intervention at each distinct stage (police, crown attorney, judge, and probation) remains focused on accountability of the offender and safety of the victim.

The Woman Abuse Council of Toronto, formerly the Metro Woman Abuse Council, evolved out of a community need to develop a more coordinated approach to woman abuse in Toronto. It was recognized that while there was a range of existing services for assaulted women and their families, as a whole, the services were fragmented, inconsistent and uncoordinated. The fragmentation of such services has an impact on the quality, consistency and accountability of services received by women.

THEREFORE IT BE RESOLVED that BPW Ontario strongly urges the Government of Ontario and the Office of the Attorney General to implement the recommendations of the Women's Court Watch Project in its 2006 report, which are:

"The Province and whatever police service is involved should undertake actions immediately to ensure that the operations of the domestic violence courts in Toronto are consistent with the objectives for the courts as established by the Ministry of the Attorney General in 2000, which including:
  1. Early Intervention
    • Minimum of 125 Days For Case Processing1.
  2. Vigorous Prosecution
    • Increasingly Serious Consequences for Repeat Offenders
    • Minimize Reliance on Victim Testimony Through Use Of Enhanced Evidence Collection
  3. Support and Advocacy For Victims
  4. Specialized Domestic Violence Courts, continued
  5. Effective Coordination And Collaboration Between Stakeholders To Increase Victim Safety Including Use Of Specialized Teams To Investigate And Prosecute."


FURTHER BE IT RESOLVED that that BPW Ontario strongly urges the government of Ontario and the Office of the Attorney General to take appropriate action to assure that the individual components of the Specialized Family Violence (police, crown attorney, judge, and probation) are appropriately retrained and educated by their respective jurisdictional bodies to effect the stated changes in the 2006 recommendations of the Women Court Watch Project.

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Reference/Source Data



1.Status of Women

1Assessing Gender Equality Trends in the Situation of Women and Men in Canada, Status of Women Canada, August 2005.
2The History of Status of Women’s Canada Women’s Program and Why it Matters, Status of Women Canada, September 2006

2.Human Rights Bill 107
Structure, Accessibility & Support

1Assessing Gender Equality Trends in the Situation of Women and Men in Canada, Status of Women Canada, August 2005.
2The History of Status of Women’s Canada Women’s Program and Why it Matters, Status of Women Canada, September 2006
http://www.attorneygeneral.jus.gov.on.ca/english/news/2006/20061205-hr.asp News Release - Bill 107 Passes
www.attorneygeneral.jus.gov.on.ca/english/news/2006/20061205-hr-bg.asp News Release-Bill 107 Background
www.ontla.on.ca/documents/Bills/38_Parliament/session2/b107ra.pdf PDF-Royal Accent Bill 107-Dec 20, 2006
http://www.ohrc.on.ca/english/publications/2005-2006-annual-report.shtml 2006 Human Rights Commission Report

3.Recycling-Large Plastic Water

SOURCES
Association of Municipalities of Ontario & Association of Municipal Recycling Coordinators. "Improving the Efficiency of the Blue Box Program: An AMO-AMRC Position Paper." August 12, 2006. Available at www.amo.on.ca/.../CM/ContentDisplay.cfm&ContentID=86723 Accessed January 20, 2007.
Crittenden, Guy. “Solid Waste & Recycling: Peel Calls for Deposits on Water Bottles.”
Available at http://blogsw.solidwastemag.com/2006/03/. Accessed January 20, 2007.
Crittenden, Guy, “Solid Waste & Recycling: Peel Region Calls for More Packaging Action.” http://blogsw.solidwastemag.com/2006/04/. Accessed January 20, 2007.
International Council of Bottled Water Association. “ Global Bottled Water Statistics 2000-2003 (PDF)” Available at http://www.icbwa.org/stats.htm. Accessed on January 20, 2007/
Peel Regional Council. “Minutes.” March 9, 2006. Resolution 2006-220. Available at www.region.peel.on.ca/council/council_minutes. Accessed January 20, 2007.
Sierra Club of Canada. “The Story of Corporate Water Privatization: Water for Nature and People.” Available at
http://ww.sierraclub.ca/atlantic/water/SCCBottled%20WaterMarch05FINALDRAFTB.pdf
Accessed January 20, 2007.


4. Access to Cervical Cancer Vaccine

Resources:
  • Health Canada – Drugs & Health Products- Notice of Decision – Gardasil Oct. 23, 2006
  • Medicine Net.com – Cervical Cancer Vaccine also Protects against Vaginal Cancers
  • Montreal Daily Press – Online – January 23, 2007
  • Guttmacher Policy Review – Fall 2006- Volume 9 – Number 4
  • National Cancer Institute- American Society of Clinical Oncology
  • Conference June 5, 2006 – Press Release – Cervical Cancer also Protects Against Vaginal Cancers
  • Mayo Clinic – Tools for healthier Lives – Cervical cancer recommended for girls 11-12
  • “Vaccination against human papillomavirus infection a New paradigm in cervical cancer control” by Eduardo L. Franco, Department of Oncology & Epidemiology, McGill University Montreal Quebec and Diane M. Harper, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Dartmouth Medical School, Hanover New Hampshire
  • CBC News Online- August 30, 2006- In-depth – Cancer- Gardasil- the Cancer Vaccine that protects against STD
  • US Food & Drug Administration – FDA Consumer Magazine – New Vaccine Prevents Cervical Cancer – September – October 2006
  • Nova News Net – HPV vaccine predicted to prevent most cervical cancer- Interview of Dr. Shelby McNeil- Dalhousie Infection Disease Specialist by Chryssa McAliser – February 2, 2006
  • Canadian Cancer Society – press release July 18, 2006 – CCS welcomes approval of cervical cancer vaccine – significant advance for women’s health


5. Specialized Domestic Violence

Sources:
Domestic Violence Court Program www.attorneygeneral.jus.gov.on.ca/english/about/vw/dvc.asp
Woman’s Court Watch Report www.toronto.ca/council/wac_index.htm
Adult Criminal Court Survey www.justice.gc.ca/en/ps/rs/rep/justresearch/jr12/jr12_005e.html

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2006 Brief



SUBMISSION for 2006

Presented to

THE RIGHT HONOURABLE DALTON MCGUINTY

Premier of Ontario

By

BPW Ontario Logo

BPW Ontario

THE BUSINESS & PROFESSIONAL

WOMEN'S CLUBS OF ONTARIO

Member of the Canadian and International Federation of
Business and Professional Women's Clubs

August, 2006


INDEX OF RESOLUTIONS
  1. Funding for Independent Living
  2. Prevention and Healthy Education of Teenage Pregnancy
  3. Long-Term Care Facility Funding
  4. Healthy Communities-Healthy Youth
  5. Preservation of Water Resources
  6. Ontario Disability Support Payment
  7. Bottled Water Standards
  8. REFERENCE/SOURCE DATA


1. Funding for Independent Living

The Direct Funding Program (DF) is an innovative self-managed attendant services program, which allows adults with physical disabilities to hire and direct their own attendants. Attendants assist with routine activities of living such as dressing, grooming, and bathing. Through DF the challenged individual is the employer, taking full responsibility for hiring and managing their own attendants. They become the self-manager, determining how and when services are provided. Available province-wide Direct Funding enables the client to receive monthly funds for attendants of their own choosing, to schedule as they please - whether needs are at home, at work or in the community.

There is a waiting list of over 200 for Direct Funding with the Centre for Independent Living in Toronto (CILT) due to the funding restraints from the province of Ontario, which translates to at least a two-year waiting period.

Those physically challenged individuals who are not in the Direct Funding Program received attendant care through their local Community Care Access Centre (CCAC). The CCAC provides services that vary from CCAC unit to CCAC unit and from client to client, depending on the centre's resources, other client needs and funding considerations.

In 1998, a report by Roeher Institute, a leading policy research and development organization on disability issues, showed substantial savings to the government as well as improvements in client job availability when greater independence and self-esteem of the challenged individuals were promoted. This fostered greater respect between those providing services and those receiving them when individuals were able to self-manage their attendant services. There is a need for individuals living with a disability of a progressive nature, such as MS, Lupus, Huntingdon's, Parkinson's, ALS or spinal cord injury to be given the ability to employ their own attendants.

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the Business and Professional Women's Clubs of Ontario strongly urge the Government of Ontario to ensure sufficient funding that allows eligible candidates for the Direct Funding Program to be accorded the opportunity to employ their own attendant care services and remain under the Direct Funding Program.

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2. Prevention and Healthy Education of Teenage Pregnancy

Fifteen million infants are born to teen mothers each year. In Ontario, the combination of access to public health family planning and school-based sexuality education has resulted in a decreased provincial rate of teen pregnancy to 30/1000 in 2001. In 1996, Canada's life birth rate to mothers aged 15 - 19 was 22.1/1000 pregnancies. Teen pregnancy and abortion rate are lower in countries with wide access to sexuality education and contraceptive services.

Teen pregnancy is almost five times more common in the lowest income neighborhoods. Teen parents tend to have lower lifetime earnings and experience more social problems throughout their lives. Teenage motherhood may result in loss of educational and occupational opportunities and increase the likelihood of diminished socio-economic status

The Hastings and Prince Edwards Counties Health Unit has established a Teenage Pregnancy Prevention Coalition in an attempt to address the issues associated with the teenage pregnancy rate that is higher than the provincial average. They believe that teenage years are for education and growing up, not pregnancy and parenthood and it is the community's responsibility to ensure teens have opportunities to make healthy choices that allows teens to develop a positive self-image, establish satisfying relationship, and cope with life challenges.

Most young women believe the main danger of sexual activity is pregnancy, not STD or HIV, which is demonstrated by decreased condom use in later teens as oral contraception is used more frequently. A large portion of sexually active teens, especially those with multiple partners, don't use condoms at all even though condoms are available free of charge. They are unaware and unconcerned with future problems resulting from STDs. In 1997, the number of adolescent girls' Chlamydia cases was nine times the national rate. For every $1 spent on teen pregnancy prevention, $10 could be saved on reduced cost of abortion services and short and long-term costs of income maintenance to adolescent sole support mothers and for every $1 spent on early detection and treatment of Chlamydia and gonorrhea, an estimated cost of $12 could be saved from associated costs.

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that BPW Ontario urge the Government of Ontario, especially the Minister of Health and Long-Term Care to provide free contraception to teenage girls to help reduce the risk of teenage pregnancies and Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs).

FURTHER BE IT RESOLVED that BPW Ontario urge the Government of Ontario, especially Minister of Health and Long-Term Care to mandate that public health units establish teenage pregnancy prevention coalitions similar to the Hastings and Prince Edward Counties Health Unit model to address the local needs and provide healthy choices as well as supportive social environment.

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3. Long-Term Care Facility Funding

Provincial funding has not kept pace with the changing needs of residents. During 2003, the campaign platform of the current government pledged to raise annual funding for long-term care facilities by $6000 per resident per year or by $450 million dollars per year. That platform acknowledged that this was the amount needed to ensure an appropriate level of care after years of funding neglect. As of July 18, 2005, the government is less than a third of the way to their commitment. The total increase in funding per resident is little more than $2000 instead of the promised $6000.

According to a 2001 Price-Waterhouse Coopers study commissioned by the Ontario Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care, Ontario ranks last out of 10 jurisdictions in meeting the needs of residents. As of July 2005, the shortfall in the Ontario long-term care operating budget is estimated at $320 million dollars. Until the province at least meets its obligation, adequate levels of nursing, personal care, mental health services, rehabilitation and restorative care will continue to suffer. This year's increase is 1.5% while the cost of living has gone up 3%. With funding falling behind inflationary cost pressures, the reality is that most long-term care facilities will have difficulty keeping even the staff they hired last year. And that means that residents will receive less service, not more.

By 2010 the first wave of baby boomers will hit 65. The population as a whole is aging to the extent that by 2031, one in four Canadians will be 65 years of age or older. Ontario's eighty-five plus age group, the average age of those in facility care, will quadruple by 2031.

Long-term care residents receive only about two hours of nursing and personal care a day and the food allowance for each resident is only $5.24 per day. Residents often have multiple chronic illnesses and require special care. About half suffer from dementia and other mental health illnesses. Less than 6% of residents with dementia and behaviour problems receive any professional intervention. Staff is stretched to the limit with each registered nurse looking after up to 100 residents at night. Over three-quarters require rehabilitation to maintain their level of functioning. Only 10% of residents with rehabilitation-potential actually receive physical therapy.

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that BPW Ontario urges the Government of Ontario and the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care to reach their stated goal by Spring 2007 to increase the funding to at least $6000 per long-term care resident per year in 2007 inflationary adjusted dollars. This will achieve an adequate level of service and support the frailest members of our society.

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4. Healthy Communities-Healthy Youth

Healthy Communities - Healthy Youth is a promising approach from the Search Institute in Minneapolis designed to motivate and equip individuals, organizations, and their leaders to join together in nurturing competent, caring, and responsible children and adolescents. This framework of 40 developmental assets focuses on naming and increasing positive building blocks or positive experiences and personal qualities that young people need to grow up healthy, caring, and responsible.For all youth, the more assets possessed, fewer risk patterns (i.e. less violence, less problems with alcohol and drug use, less early sexual intercourse and less delinquency) and more positive behaviours (, i.e., school success, maintaining physical health and helping others)are experienced.


Teenagers vary greatly in their self-esteem profiles and teens who feel much better about their peer relations than their academic competence and family relations tend to have adjustment difficulties. Low self-esteem in all areas (academic competence, social competence, physical/athletic competence and physical appearance) is associated with anxiety, depression, and increasing antisocial behaviour over time.


Higher rates of severe depression occur in teen girls as a result of challenges of teens and gender typed coping styles. Early teenage girls tend to display increased passivity, dependency and selflessness, which inhibit their mastering of developmental tasks and their ability to handle stressful life events. Girls experience greater emotional sensitivity, compliance and dependency, largely due to gender-stereotyped expectations and child-rearing practices. Teenage girls have slightly lower overall sense of self-worth than boys because girls worry more about their appearance and also feel more insecure about their abilities. Research has shown that boys tend to receive more time, effort and attention from teachers than girls. Teacher-student interactions influence students learning and their self-esteem which explains some of the reasons why girls' self-esteem is undermined in school.


THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that BPW Ontario urges the government of Ontario to strengthen a screening system for funding that ensures that all organizations and institutions involved with youth receiving funding from the government of Ontario are using programs like the Search Institute's Healthy Communities - Healthy Youth program to ensure the optimal development of our children especially girls who traditionally have lower self-esteem than boys.

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5. Preservation of Water Resources

There is no clear policy to control natural water nationally and there is confusion defining water as an exhaustible or inexhaustible resource between different bodies. Canada provides 20% of the world's freshwater supply, of which Ontario contributes 17.8%, and is the world's largest producer of hydroelectricity Global warming will reduce the Great Lakes Basin water level, perhaps significantly, and reduced water levels may cause hydro stations to cease functioning and thereby increase demand for electricity through other sources.

The world is experiencing climate change which is having an impact on water availability. This may lead to the Prairies and Great Lakes regions experiencing declines of up to 40% in the future. In the July 2000 US report "Climate Change Impacts on Great Lakes Basin Water Resources", it was concluded that the lakes will experience dramatic flow reductions by 2030 and by 2090 lake levels may experience a 4.5 feet drop in levels whilst Lake Erie will be 90% ice-free in 96% of winters. Additionally, if the peat, frozen for centuries beneath the northern muskeg, begins to thaw and decompose, it will release billions of tones of greenhouse gases, taking global warming to a catastrophic level.

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that BPW Ontario urge the Government of Ontario to work in partnership with the Government of Canada to officially recognize the Great Lakes as an exhaustible natural resource and so exempt from NAFTA (Article 2101:1 (b)) or GATT (Article XX (g) the conservation exception), and thence not classified as a 'good', available for trade.

FURTHER BE IT RESOLVED that BPW Ontario urge the Government of Ontario to work with the Government of Canada to create common standards with the United States, clearly defining water use and removals policies that are focused on the environmental aspects whilst coming within GATT/NAFTA general exceptions utilizing the "International Joint Commission" to moderate any conflict resolution.

FURTHER BE IT RESOLVED that BPW Ontario urge the Government of Ontario to work with the Government of Canada to restore the 50% budget funding that was recently cut to Environment Canada, for Great Lakes monitoring.

FURTHER BE IT RESOLVED that BPW Ontario affirms the water resolution of 2001 of the Canadian Federation of University Women and "urge the federal, provincial and territorial governments of Canada to protect our water resources and specifically to declare that water, being a non-renewable natural resource of paramount importance, belongs to the Canadian public and its use must be regulated in the long-term public interest" and urge the Province of Ontario to address water related issues under their jurisdiction and supported through the Province as read by " RESOLVED, that CFUW urge the federal, provincial and territorial governments to adopt and implement a sustainable and prudent water management policy to respond to long-term regional needs with due regard to the ecosystem and hydro-geological reality; and RESOLVED that CFUW urge the federal, provincial and territorial governments to promote conservation and more efficient use of surface water and groundwater at individual, local, provincial, territorial, national and international levels."

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6. Ontario Disability Support Payments

Individuals on ODSP are encouraged to seek employment of some kind in addition to their ODSP payments if at all possible. When employment is obtained the province reduces the ODSP payment by 75 cents for every $1.00 the recipient earns. This is known as the claw-back provision.

At least 58 % of those receiving Ontario Disability Support Payments (ODSP) are women and more than 50% of benefits received for disable children are paid to mothers of those children. If the recipient is the parent of a dependent child, the province of Ontario claws back dollar for dollar the amount that an ODSP recipient receives from the government of Canada in the National Child Benefit Supplement (NCBS)

Ontario Disability Support Program benefits for one adult is $11,495.00 compared to the Low Income cut-off (Poverty Line) of $19,795.00 (2003).

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the Business and Professional Women's Clubs of Ontario urge the Government of Ontario to change their policy to ensure that until the earnings reach the Poverty Line, as defined by Statistics Canada, no claw backs are levied on disabled Ontarians who received Ontario Disability Support Payments (ODSP).

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7. Bottled Water Standards

A Regulation under Ontario's Safe Drinking Water Act sets numerical limits on contaminants in drinking water. Under this regulation, maximum levels of chemicals, bacterial and radiological parameters are sets for municipal drinking water supplies. All drinking water in Ontario must meet these standards. However, although more than 600 million litres of bottled water are consumed by Ontarians every year, bottled water is not legally required to meet these same standards.

There is no requirement that the bottled water companies themselves do comprehensive or regular sampling of their sources or of their products. Nor is there any information readily available to the public about the quality of a particular bottled water product. The Canadian Food Inspection Agency is responsible for checking contamination, yet it is not known how frequently or how thoroughly the Agency tests.

The second major concern is the mining of water supplies by bottled water companies without adequate assessments of groundwater reserves or the impact on surface water flows.

There is a discrepancy between the strict requirements set for municipal water supplies and the less stringent regulations for bottled water. There is no requirement that the bottled water companies themselves do comprehensive or regular sampling of their sources or of their products. Nor is there any information readily available to the public about the quality of a particular bottled water product. American studies have indicated that as much as one-third of bottled water has some level of contamination.

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED THAT BPW Ontario urges the Government of Ontario to work with the Government of Canada to ensure that the standards for bottled water be the same as those that apply to municipal water supplies.

FURTHER BE IT RESOLVED THAT BPW Ontario request the Government of Ontario to make it unlawful to sell bottled water unless it meets the standards negotiated with the Government of Canada.

FURTHER BE IT RESOLVED THAT BPW Ontario request the Government of Ontario to introduce a program under the Ontario Water Act which would require adequate assessment of the ground source and reserves of water and the impact on surface water flows when water is taken to be bottled.

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Reference/Source Data

1. Funding for Independent Living

www.communitylivingtoronto.ca
www.larche.ca/en/home/news/?id=45
Helen Henderson, columnist November 26, 2005 Ontario home care robs disabled of dignity
Toronto Star available at ww.thestar.com

2. Prevention and Healthy Education of Teenage Pregnancy

Reports from Consultations on a Framework for Sexual Reproductive Health
http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/hppb/srh/pubs/report/text_only.html
Adolescent Pregnancy Rates in Three European Countries: Lessons to be Learned? JOGNN
July/August 2000, Vol. 29, Number 4 , pg 355-362
Hastings and Prince Edward Counties Health Unit Health Topics Teenage Pregnancy Prevention Coalition Sheet http://www.hpechu.on.ca/Topics/SexualHealth/ITteenPregnancyCoalitionSH.php
Teenage Pregnancy Prevention Coalition of Hastings and Prince Edward Counties Terms of Reference
40 Developmental Assets, Search Institute, www.search-institute.org
Teenage Pregnancy Prevention: A Literature Review Summary "Strategies that Work" December 2001, Hastings and Prince Edward Counties Health Unit Department of Nursing, Healthy Sexuality Program
Canadian Youth, Sexual Health and HIV/AIDS Study
http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca.hppb.hiv_aids/can_strat/publications/cmec.html
40 Developmental Assets, Search Institute, www.search-institute.org
Reducing Risks and Building Developmental Assets: Essential Actions for Promoting Adolescent Health
Journal of School Health, March 1999, Vol 69, No.3, pg 113 -119 Sexual Health Indicators Among Adolescents: Current Data, Trends and Implications SIECCAN, Sex Information and Education Council of Canada www.sieccan.org

3. Long Term Care Facility Funding
  1. The Long-Term Care Facility System in Ontario. Document prepared by Government of Ontario, June 2000.
  2. The Dollars and Sense of Long-Term Care, November 2002, Ontario Association of Non-Profit Homes and Services for Seniors (OANHSS).
  3. 2003 Provincial Election Fair Funding, OANHSS.
  4. The Dollars and Sense of Long-Term Care, November 2002, Ontario Association of Non-Profit Homes and Services for Seniors (OANHSS).
  5. Budget Report Card: Ontario Budget Graded 'D' in Addressing Needs of Seniors, Ontario government Release and Backgrounder, Toronto, May11, 2005.
  6. The Dollars and Sense of Long-Term Care, November 2002, Ontario Association of Non-Profit Homes and Services for Seniors (OANHSS).
  7. The Dollars and Sense of Long-Term Care, November 2002, Ontario Association of Non-Profit Homes and Services for Seniors (OANHSS).
  8. The Dollars and Sense of Long-Term Care, November 2002, Ontario Association of Non- Profit Homes and Services for Seniors (OANHSS).
  9. Province to Pay only a Dollar More a Day per Resident for the Delivery of Long Term Care, OANHSS, Toronto, July 18, 2005.
  10. 2003 Provincial Election Fair Funding, OAHNSS.
  11. Province to Pay only a Dollar More a Day per Resident for the Delivery of Long Term Care, OANHSS, Toronto, July 18, 2005.
  12. Province to Pay only a Dollar More a Day per Resident for the Delivery of Long Term Care, OANHSS, Toronto, July 18, 2005.
4. Healthy Communities - Healthy Youth

Child Development, Canadian Edition - Laura E. Berk Copyright 2003, Pearson Education Canada Inc., Toronto, Ontario
Sociology in our Times, Second Canadian Edition - Diana Kendall, Jane Lothian Murray, Rick Linden - Copyright 2000, Nelson, a division of Thomson Learning, Scarborough, Ontario
Educational Psychology Third Canadian Edition - Anita E. Woolfolk, Philip H. Winnie
Nancy E. Perry Copyright 2006,2003,2000 Pearson Education Canada Inc., Toronto Ontario
40 Developmental Assets, Search Institute, www.search-institute.org
Teenage Pregnancy Prevention Coalition of Hastings and Prince Edward Counties Terms of Reference
http://assetchampions.com/index.php

5. Preservation of Water Resources

Canadian Federation of University Women
  • 2001 Water Resolution
  • 2002 Brief on Water
Great Lakes Annex Agreement Oct 2005
Judy Brouse and the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources
NAFTA Article 2101
  • 2002 Brief on Water
6. Ontario Disability Support Payment

Income Security Advocacy Centre, Submission to the Standing Committee on Finance and Economic Affairs, January 2005

7.Bottled Water Standards

Canadian Bottled Water Association: www.cbwa-bottledwater.org
Fine Waters: www.finewaters.com
Gartner Lee Limited. Evaluation of Strengths, Weakness, Opportunities and Threats to the Ontario Bottled Water Industry. Prepared for Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, Food Industry Division. 2001. 2006-01-29
http://www.omafra.gov.on.ca/english/food/sector/pdf/ont_bottled_water_swot.pdf
Health Canada. Environmental & Workplace Safety. Drinking Water. 2006-01-29
http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/ewh-semt/water-eau/drink-potab/index_e.html
Health Canada. Food & Nutrition. Bottle Water. 2006-01-29
http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/fn-an/securit/facts-faits/bottle_water-eau_embouteillee/index_e.html Water FAQs: www.ecolawinfo.org

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