12 Guelph-area organizations chosen by Co-operators staff to share $44,250

GUELPH, Ontario, July 28, 2011 /Canada NewsWire/ - The Co-operators today announced staff-directed donations of $44,250 to 12 Guelph-area organizations. The contributions are part of the organization's Directed Donations program, in which staff members may each direct $75 of corporate funds to the organization of their choice. This year, a total of $236,150 was provided to 156 groups across Canada selected by Co-operators staff members, directors and delegates.

"This popular program allows employees to be directly involved from start to finish as they nominate organizations and then choose which will receive their portion of the corporate donation," said Kathy Bardswick, President and CEO of The Co-operators. "These charities are very close to our employees' hearts, ones they feel make enormous impacts in the communities they serve."

The following local charities were chosen to receive donations by Co-operators staff:

Action Read, Guelph $1,800
Big Brothers Big Sisters of Guelph $2,400
Canadian Cancer Society - Guelph Branch $6,900
The Children's Foundation of Guelph and Wellington $2,100
Community Living Guelph Wellington - ARC Industries $1,350
Groves Memorial Hospital Foundation, Fergus $4,650
The Guelph Food Bank $4,950
Hospice Wellington $6,375
Kids Ability - Centre for Child Development, Guelph $3,075
Sunrise Therapeutic Riding and Learning Centre, Guelph $3,000
Women in Crisis Guelph-Wellington $5,475
Wyndham House, Guelph $2,175

"Our organization relies on donations from the local community for some forty per cent of our operating costs," said Rosslyn Bentley, Executive Director of Hospice Wellington. "The financial support as well as the in-kind contributions we receive regularly from Co-operators staff members mean a great deal to us, as it helps us better serve individuals and families during very difficult times."

The funding is provided through The Co-operators Foundation, which supports social economy enterprises and other commendable causes throughout Canada. In total, 2,977 staff members directed $223,275 to 82 employee-nominated organizations, while 103 directors and delegates steered $12,875 to 74 organizations of their choice. In many cases, Co-operators staff members will be presenting the donations to organizations with which they are personally involved.

About The Co-operators:

The Co-operators Group Limited is a Canadian-owned co-operative with more than $40 billion in assets under administration. Through its group of companies it offers home, auto, life, group, travel, commercial and farm insurance, as well as investment products. The Co-operators is well known for its community involvement and its commitment to sustainability. The Co-operators is ranked #1 among the 50 Best Corporate Citizens in Canada by Corporate Knights, and listed among the 50 Best Employers in Canada. For more information visit www.cooperators.ca.

Ontario Institute for Cancer Research receives $420 million over five years for important cancer research in Ontario.

TORONTO, July 26, 2011 /Canada NewsWire/ - The Ontario Institute for Cancer Research (OICR) will receive $420 million over five years from the Government of Ontario to continue its research into the prevention, early detection, diagnosis and treatment of cancer. The Institute will also occupy two floors of Phase II of the MaRS Centre in addition to its current laboratories and offices at its headquarters in the MaRS Centre. The announcement was made today by Dr. Tom Hudson, President and Scientific Director.

Today's announcement means continued support for the Institute in fulfilling the ambitious goals set out in its second Strategic Plan for 2010-2015, which focuses on the adoption of more personalized approaches to cancer diagnosis and treatment. OICR's current research activities in genomics and bioinformatics will be expanded in the new space in Phase II, allowing the Institute to increase its capacity to make new discoveries and move them out of the laboratory into the clinic for the benefit of patients. The funding will also enable the Ontario Health Study to complete its recruitment plans for the Study which will lead to better prevention of cancer and other chronic diseases.

"Over the past five years OICR has networked top scientific talent from the province and recruited 35 international stars of the cancer research world, to meet the cancer challenge," said Dr. Hudson. "We have one of the highest rates of patient enrolment in cancer clinical trials in North America. The trials, conducted in 23 adult and five paediatric cancer centres in Ontario, brings new cancer therapies to Ontario cancer patients sooner. With renewed funding we will continue this important work, ensuring the most promising cancer research in Ontario will be turned into new treatments and provide new hope for cancer patients worldwide."

"Our government is proud of OICR's commitment to life-saving research," said Ontario Minister of Research and Innovation Glen Murray. "By helping to commercialize Ontario discoveries, the Institute strengthens our innovation-based economy and creates jobs for Ontario families."

The Institute's clinical and translational research activities are strategically chosen to focus on areas of the highest potential impact on patients. They build on Ontario's existing global strengths - medical imaging, clinical trials, cancer stem cells and bio-therapeutics. OICR has complemented these strengths with world-leading programs and facilities in genomics, bioinformatics and high-throughput screening. OICR's commercialization efforts have led to numerous achievements including the formation of 10 spinoff companies, attraction of private capital, and product development in diagnostics, medical devices and therapeutics.

OICR is an innovative cancer research and development institute dedicated to prevention, early detection, diagnosis and treatment of cancer. The Institute is an independent, not-for-profit corporation, launched by the Government of Ontario in 2005. The budget for OICR, its research partners and collaborators exceeds $160 million per year through leveraging of the Ontario government's investment with partnerships with federal funding agencies, philanthropic organizations and industry. This supports more than 1,400 investigators, clinician scientists, research staff and trainees located at its headquarters and in research institutes and academia across the Province of Ontario. It has research hubs in Hamilton, Kingston, London, Ottawa, Thunder Bay, and Toronto. OICR has key research efforts underway in small molecules, biologics, stem cells, imaging, genomics, informatics and bio-computing, from early stage research to Phase II clinical trials.

For more information, please visit the website at www.oicr.on.ca

Campaign to advocate for elderly patients pushed out of hospital while acutely ill or denied acute care services they desperately need

TORONTO, July 25, 2011 /Canada NewsWire/ - Representatives of the Ontario Association of Speech Language Pathologists and Audiologists and the Ontario Council of Hospital Unions/CUPE will kick off a provincial campaign in Guelph, Hamilton and St. Catharines on July 25. The campaign will advocate for elderly patients who are pushed out of hospital while they are acutely ill or who are denied acute care services they need. Patients are being denied access to services like speech language pathology (for assistance with swallowing and speech) following a stroke because they are discharged earlier than they should be, without treatment and the appropriate follow-up.

"Patients who have had strokes face long waits for access to professional care, to assist them with swallowing and speaking following the closure of many hospital speech language pathology programmes," says Mary Cook, Executive Director of the Ontario Association of Speech Language Pathologists and Audiologists. "These delays are cruel and unnecessary in a province with our resources," she says.

Ontario has the fewest number of acute hospital beds of any developed economy in the world. Botswana, Panama and Albania have more hospital beds to population than Ontario, which ranks alongside Peru, Cape Verde and Cameroon. Ontario's hospital occupancy rate of 97.9% results in many patients, primarily elderly, being discharged prematurely some to unregulated retirement homes, sometimes with deadly consequences.

"Many family members have experienced enormous pressure to move their mothers or fathers out of hospital, while that parent is still acutely ill," says Michael Hurley, president of the Ontario Council of Hospital Unions/CUPE. "We believe that elderly patients are being discriminated against in our hospital system to deal with bed shortages. We don't believe that it is right and we want to bring all of the families and patients with this shared experience together to do something about the problem," he says.

A hotline has been established for patients or their family members to call to report their experiences. The hotline number is 888-599-0770.

Happy 100th Birthday Marshall McLuhan

from TreeHugger.com
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto

It is the Marshall McLuhan's 100th birthday today. In the video below, the very funny Vestibules describes the Marshall as having "the best insight into mass media, this side of the Rio Grande."

The great media theorist coined the phrase "global village", "the medium is the message, and beloved of treehuggers everywhere, "There are no passengers on Spaceship Earth. We are all crew."

The Ballad of Marshall Mcluhan from Randall Acronym on Vimeo.

The Toronto Standard has a longer, wonderful quote from a Playboy interview in 1969 that shows how little things have changed in the media in 42 years, as he deals with those who criticize his work:

Theirs is the customary human reaction when confronted with innovation: to flounder about attempting to adapt old responses to new situations or to simply condemn or ignore the harbingers of change--a practice refined by the Chinese emperors, who used to execute messengers bringing bad news. The new technological environments generate the most pain among those least prepared to alter their old value structures. The literati find the new electronic environment far more threatening than do those less committed to literacy as a way of life. When an individual or social group feels that its whole identity is jeopardized by social or psychic change, its natural reaction is to lash out in defensive fury. But for all their lamentations, the revolution has already taken place.

McLuhan foresaw the internet in 1962:

The next medium, whatever it is - it may be the extension of consciousness - will include television as its content, not as its environment, and will transform television into an art form. A computer as a research and communication instrument could enhance retrieval, obsolesce mass library organization, retrieve the individual's encyclopedic function and flip into a private line to speedily tailored data of a saleable kind.

According to Wikipedia, he even invented the term "surfing" in its electronic form:
McLuhan coined and certainly popularized the usage of the term "surfing" to refer to rapid, irregular and multidirectional movement through a heterogeneous body of documents or knowledge, e.g., statements like "Heidegger surf-boards along on the electronic wave as triumphantly as Descartes rode the mechanical wave."

He certainly was, as Radio Free Vestibule describes him in the video, a groovy thinker... Read more story at TreeHugger.com

Fan use during extreme heat events can actually be counter productive causing heat exhaustion to happen faster

from Heath & Safety Watch - July 21, 2011 - For those Canadians suffering through an extreme heat event, turning on a fan can actually be counter productive causing heat exhaustion to happen faster. The following information on the use of electric fans during an extreme heat event was summarized from a publication of the National Collaborating Centre for Environmental Health.

Much controversy has surrounded the use of electric fans during an extreme heat event and whether their use contributes or impedes heat loss at high ambient temperatures, particularly when accompanied by high humidity. Based on currently available information, the following is recommendation:

When air is cooler than skin temperature (34-36ºC):

When air temperature is cooler than a person’s skin temperature, sitting in the direct path of a fan’s air flow can promote both convective and evaporative heat loss. As long as the air temperature is below skin temperature, the body gives off heat to the moving airstream more quickly than in the case of stagnant air, through transfer by conduction / convection, and evaporation, thereby keeping the body temperature lower than in a stagnant air situation.


When air is warmer than skin temperatures (above 36ºC):

When air temperature is higher than a person’s skin temperature, sitting in the direct path of the fan’s air flow can help with evaporative heat loss only if someone is sweating or misting themselves with water and the sweat/water is evaporating. Otherwise, the hot air leads to further warming through convection. If air temperature is very high (greater than skin temperature) and humidity is also high (as to impede the rate of sweat evaporation), the use of a fan can become counter-productive, i.e., actually increasing the thermal load on the body, compared with a stagnant air situation. It is important to note that the point at which this temperature/humidity combination is achieved will vary, depending on rate of fan-generated air flow, type of clothing, activity level (metabolic heat load), personal characteristics, such as age (e.g., older persons may have a decreased degree of skin wetness by reduced sweating), and other conditions which may inhibit or diminish the sweating mechanism, such as diabetes, obesity, vascular impairments, or anhidrotic conditions (e.g., as may be brought about by certain medications).

Summary

The use of a fan to direct air at a person can be counter-productive when the air temperature is greater than skin temperature and the evaporation of sweat is impaired by high humidity or by age, certain diseases or the effects of specific medications. During extreme heat, indoor temperatures can be much hotter than the temperature outside and so re-circulating extremely hot air can be dangerous. It is also possible that some older fans have poor air flow and are not as efficient, therefore having less of an effect.

See related @dvice Event: Heat and Extreme Heat Alerts.

Canada Post asks dog owners for help

Dog-related injuries increasing

OTTAWA, July 21, 2011 /Canada NewsWire/ - Canada Post is appealing to dog owners to help prevent dog bites across Canada following a series of recent incidents. In the first 18 days this month, Canada Post employees have reported 41 dog bites across the country, some very serious.

To keep delivery employees safe, Canada Post requires dog owners to always restrain their dogs well away from the area of mail delivery, including the approach from the street, mail slots in doors and outside mailboxes.

"We train our people, make them aware of known risks on their routes and provide dog repellent to help protect them from dog bites, but we need dog owners to remember to keep dogs away from these delivery areas," said Nikki Forest, Interim Vice-President, Collection and Delivery at Canada Post. "The responsibility is the same no matter how big or small, friendly or unfriendly the dog."

The risk of dog bites can increase in summer, when more dogs are outside for longer periods of time and delivery personnel who are replacing colleagues on vacation are less familiar to the dogs on a route. This year, dogs may also be adjusting to seeing delivery personnel every day after the service disruption in June.

Even a small dog with a normally friendly disposition can inflict a serious injury if it believes it is guarding its territory or the family home.

City of Guelph Cooling Centres

from Guelph & Wellington Task Force for Poverty Elimination - Weekly Update July 18, 2011

On days when a humidex advisory is declared, Wellington Dufferin Guelph Public Health advises people to stay out of the sun, drink lots of water, limit outdoor activity to morning and evening hours and stay in air conditioned places. Seniors and young children are particularly at risk during heat and smog-related weather conditions. Residents are encouraged to call or visit family, friends and neighbours to make sure they are okay, especially isolated adults and seniors, who are at greater risk of suffering from heat-related illness.

Click HERE for a list of cooling centres in Guelph.

Click HERE to read about the importance of warming and cooling centres for vulnerable people.

International Survey Reveals Attitudes Towards Alzheimer's Diagnosis and Treatment

- Alzheimer's Disease Feared Second Only to Cancer -

- Majority Would Seek A Diagnosis to Explain Memory Loss and Confusion -

PARIS, July 20, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- A survey reported today at the Alzheimer's Association® International Conference 2011 (AAIC 2011) in Paris by Alzheimer Europe and administered by the Harvard School of Public Health reveals that while people fear Alzheimer's second only to cancer, the overwhelming majority would go to the doctor, or take a loved one for evaluation, if they saw symptoms of memory loss and confusion.

Concerns that people with early symptoms of Alzheimer's might not seek medical evaluation, and thus miss opportunities for early detection and medical intervention, led Alzheimer Europe to survey the public about their attitudes and beliefs concerning the disease.

"The reason for the survey is the importance of promoting early Alzheimer's diagnosis, and the fact that early diagnosis is included in national dementia plans in England, France, Norway and Scotland," said Jean Georges, Executive Director of Alzheimer Europe. "In Europe, we are still encountering resistance from some in the medical profession due to their nihilistic views regarding the value of an early diagnosis and the benefits of current treatments. We were hoping that a public opinion survey would show a willingness to gain a diagnosis and the value of confronting the disease."

Data reported at AAIC 2011 are derived from a five-country survey conducted by the Harvard School of Public Health. The study was supported by a grant to Alzheimer Europe from Bayer. A total of 2,678 adults aged 18 and over were interviewed by telephone in France (n=529), Germany (n=499), Poland (n=509), Spain (n=502), and the United States (n=639) in February 2011.

"According to the World Alzheimer's Report 2010, Alzheimer's is the most significant social and health crisis of the 21st century," said William Thies, PhD, Alzheimer's Association Chief Medical and Scientific Officer. "The overwhelming numbers of people whose lives will be altered by Alzheimer's disease and dementia, combined with the staggering economic burden on families and nations, make Alzheimer's the defining disease of this generation. However, if governments act urgently to develop national research and care strategies with appropriate smart investment, the impact of Alzheimer's and dementia can be managed."

In four of the five counties, Alzheimer's was the disease that people were second most afraid of getting, behind cancer. In the fifth country, Poland, Alzheimer's was third behind cancer and heart disease. The percentage of respondents who most feared getting cancer/Alzheimer's were: France 41.0/26.9 percent, Germany 43.8/23.0 percent, Poland 43.1/12.1 percent, Spain 48.5/23.6 percent, U.S. 39.3/21.9 percent. A large proportion of respondents were worried that they or a family member will get Alzheimer's, with significant differences between the countries (43 percent to 95 percent).


This strong fear exists even though the survey shows that Alzheimer's is under recognized as a fatal disease, especially outside the U.S. The percentage of people who answered "yes" to the question, "Do you think that Alzheimer's disease is a fatal disease or not?" was: France 44.4 percent, Germany 32.7 percent, Poland 34.3 percent, Spain 41.7 percent, U.S. 61.0 percent


A very high percentage of respondents - more than eight in ten (85-95 percent) in each of the five countries - said that if they were exhibiting confusion or memory loss, they would go to a doctor to determine if the cause of the symptoms was Alzheimer's disease. The numbers were even higher (94-99 percent) for wanting a family member experiencing memory loss to see a doctor for evaluation.


Many of the respondents believe there is now an effective medical or pharmaceutical treatment to slow the progression of Alzheimer's disease and make the symptoms less severe (27-63 percent). Between 38 and 59 percent believed there was a reliable test currently available to determine if a person is in the early stages of Alzheimer's disease (though neither of these statements is true).

"Many of the public have high expectations about the possibilities of treatment alternatives and medical testing. It is important for doctors to talk to patients about what treatment and testing options are or are not available," said Robert Blendon, ScD, Professor of Health Policy and Political Analysis from the Harvard School of Public Health.

Respondents expressed strong support for increasing government spending for research on new treatments for Alzheimer's disease: France 82.6 percent, Germany 68.2 percent, Poland 74.7 percent, Spain 83.0 percent, U.S. 67.4 percent. However, the majority of survey respondents said it "would not make much difference" in how they voted for a candidate for national office.

"The fear and concern uncovered by our survey is evidence of the urgency with which the public wants the Alzheimer's issue addressed, and eventually eliminated. Governments should follow the expressed desires of their constituents and increase funding for Alzheimer's research," Georges said.


"The willingness to get a diagnosis that was expressed by the survey respondents is encouraging, however better public education is needed. We need to address potentially unrealistic expectations about the availability of a definitive early test and effective treatment for the disease, while providing positive reasons for seeking a diagnosis in the absence of disease modifying treatments," Georges added.

About AAICThe Alzheimer's Association International Conference (AAIC) is the world's largest conference of its kind, bringing together researchers from around the world to report and discuss groundbreaking research and information on the cause, diagnosis, treatment and prevention of Alzheimer's disease and related disorders. As a part of the Alzheimer's Association's research program, AAIC serves as a catalyst for generating new knowledge about dementia and fostering a vital, collegial research community.

About the Alzheimer's AssociationThe Alzheimer's Association is the world's leading voluntary health organization in Alzheimer's care, support and research. Our mission is to eliminate Alzheimer's disease through the advancement of research, to provide and enhance care and support for all affected, and to reduce the risk of dementia through the promotion of brain health. Our vision is a world without Alzheimer's. Visit www.alz.org or call 800-272-3900.

Age Strong - Respecting Seniors is Respecting Yourself

Local Wellington County Intergenerational video project receives International recognition

Below is the article from the International Federation on Ageing - June 2011 eNews

Age Strong - Respecting Seniors is Respecting Yourself is a message that a group of seniors and high school students developed to tackle the issue of ageism and elder abuse in Guelph Ontario. With a grant from the Government of Canada New Horizons for Seniors Program, this project took a social marketing approach to addressing an underlying cause of elder abuse, AGEISM. The 15 students and 12 older adults began meeting in April 2010 with the goal of creating an ageism awareness toolkit that could be used in high schools.

The group created a catchy slogan with a message AGE STRONG - Respecting Seniors is Respecting Yourself which they displayed on t-shirts and bracelet give aways for their peers. Focusing on reaching out to a tech savvy computer generation of teenagers, the students insisted that the information be brought to their peers via the internet and social marketing sites.

The group created their own facebook page and turned their attention to the production of a 5 minute rap video which has become the cornerstone of the toolkit. The rap lyrics and the music were written by students in the group and every member performed in the video. The rap video was uploaded onto youtube, October 5th to coincide with the group's first presentation to a local high school. The video has received over 3000 hits and garnered the attention of provincial, national and international organizations. Since the video's debut, the group has made presentations to local high schools and distributed the "toolkit" with tremendous success. One local high school, St. James Catholic High School, has created a Grade 12 course running this semester with an intergenerational theme.

The success of the rap video has demonstrated to all involved that a positive collaboration across the generations can do more to raise awareness and change attitudes than a multitude of brochures and posters. Take a look at what a small group can accomplish in working to create better relationships across the generations ... its inspiring! Follow the Link to view the video



About The International Federation on Ageing

THEY ARE an international non-governmental organization with a membership base of NGOs, the corporate sector, academia, government, and individuals.

THEY BELIEVE in 'generating positive change for older people throughout the world by stimulating, collecting, analyzing, and disseminating information on rights, policies, and practices that improve the quality of life of people as they age.'

Additional material and resouces for schools and youth groups interested in underatking elder abuse awareness and intergenerational awareness projects can find a range of resources on the IFA website at www.ifa-fiv.org

The Grand Tea for the Prevention of Elder Abuse: an afternoon of indulgence

TORONTO, July 12, 2011 /Canada NewsWire/ - On October 2, 2011 The Ontario Network for the Prevention of Elder Abuse (ONPEA) will host The Grand Tea at The Grand Luxe on Bayview Avenue. This elaborate event will feature a traditional tea service, luncheon and exquisite petit dessert selection. The ballroom will be energized by live entertainment, spa treatments, silent auction and giveaways throughout the day. Guests are encouraged to dress in traditional themed tea party fashions and brush up on their tea etiquette in preparation for this luxurious event.

The Grand Event is in support of ONPEA's recently launched fundraising campaign A Cup of Tea ( www.acupoftea.ca) that raises funds and awareness for ONPEA's Ontario-wide Senior Safety Line (1-866-299-1011). It operates 24 hours a day, seven days.

Date: Sunday October 2, 2011

Time: 12:30 pm - 4:00 pm (Doors open at 12:00 pm)

Location:
The Grand Luxe
3125 Bayview Avenue
Toronto, Ontario M2K 1G2
Free parking

Tickets: $40 for adults, $35 for seniors and children

Tickets and further information is available online at www.acupoftea.ca

Ontario Hospital Association Statement on C. difficile Outbreaks

TORONTO, July 8, 2011 /Canada NewsWire/ - Clostridium difficile (C. difficile) is a bacteria that can be naturally found in the intestines of 3-5% of adults. Some types of C. difficile can produce toxins that can make people ill. Although patients can acquire C. difficile while hospitalized, this can also occur outside of the hospital in the community.

A great deal of public attention has been focused on C. difficile and its presence in Ontario hospitals recently. While outbreaks of C. difficile are extremely unfortunate, they are not unheard of. According to Dr. Michael Gardam, a well-respected epidemiologist and researcher for the University of Health Network,

"All Ontario hospitals have been challenged with C. difficile for many years. Unfortunately there is no one simple way to prevent C. difficile outbreaks; however our experience with multiple Ontario hospitals has shown that while outbreaks may occur, they can also be reliably stopped through early identification and treatment, aggressive environmental cleaning, healthcare worker hand hygiene, and control of antibiotics."

It is also important to note that the number of reported outbreaks and cases of C. difficile can change rapidly as hospitals move quickly to get outbreak situations under control. Using the most accurate and up-to-date data is essential, and this information is best sought from local public health units and cross-checked with individual hospitals.

The spread of infections is something Ontario hospitals take extremely seriously, and they do everything they can, with the resources they have, to make patient safety their number one priority and to ensure effective infection prevention and control measures are in place.

While open debate about ways to improve health care are central to providing safer, higher quality care to patients, the discussion should always remain grounded in the facts, and focused on improving confidence in Ontario's health care system. We encourage everyone to bear this in mind when considering the current and future health care environment.

Ontario Association of Non-Profit Homes and Services for Seniors Welcomes New Funding for Long Term Care

TORONTO, July 6, 2011 /Canada NewsWire/ - The Ontario Association of Non-Profit Homes and Services for Seniors (OANHSS) welcomes confirmation of close to $150 million in new provincial funding to enhance care and services for residents of Ontario's long term care homes.

"We now have the details of the 2011-2012 budget allocation for homes and we are very pleased to see that many of the priorities we identified in our pre-budget submission have been addressed," said Debbie Humphreys, Acting CEO of OANHSS. "Residents will see a direct benefit from this investment through enhanced levels of care and services."

The government communicated to the sector this week that the new funding includes the following allocations:

...$76.5 million for nursing and personal care as well as programming and support services.

...$32 million for 800 additional personal support workers.

...$15 million to address costs associated with implementing new regulation requirements.

...$7.4 million to support staffing training.

...$17.4 million to increase the daily food allowance for residents and to address inflationary pressures.

"We understand the fiscal pressures that the Ontario government is currently facing and we appreciate the commitment this government has made to improve the lives of Ontario's seniors," said Humphreys. "As residents become older and frailer, they will require significantly more care and this funding will go a long way to ensure that they receive the care they deserve."

OANHSS is the provincial association representing not-for-profit providers of long term care, services and housing for seniors. Members include municipal and charitable long term care homes, non-profit nursing homes, seniors' housing projects and community service agencies. Member organizations operate over 27,000 long term care beds and over 5,000 seniors' housing units across the province.

Canada's Housing Co-ops Warmly Welcome Accountability Measures in New Affordable Housing Framework

OTTAWA, July 4, 2011 /Canada NewsWire/ - The Co-operative Housing Federation of Canada (CHF Canada) welcomes new accountability measures in the Affordable Housing Framework for 2011-14 announced today in Ottawa by Federal/Provincial/Territorial (FPT) Ministers Responsible for Housing.

The new framework for years three to five (2011 to 2014) of the Affordable Housing Initiative (AHI) contains a landmark measure calling on signatories to "be accountable to the public for the use of public funds through an open and transparent process which identifies expected outcomes, measures performance, reports on results to the public and provides for follow-up."

"Canada's housing co-ops have lobbied for an accountability framework that links housing spending to measurable reductions in housing need—and the government has listened," said CHF Canada Acting Executive Director Dale Reagan. "Now, it's up to all levels of government to ensure that the framework targets housing need reduction across all demographics - including seniors, working families, single parents and new Canadians - in their respective jurisdictions."

"CHF Canada anticipates that the new framework, which includes measures to increase housing supply and streamline program delivery, will help to address Canada's shortage of co-operative housing by building more co-op homes," said Reagan. "We hope that all governments will increasingly rely on co-operatives as a proven way to develop strong and affordable communities."

In 2009, CHF Canada released a report (based on 2006 CMHC data) titled The Dunning Report: Dimensions of Core Housing Need in Canada -Second Edition. The comprehensive report documented the 1.5 million Canadian households (the equivalent of nearly four million Canadians) in core housing need across Canada.

CHF Canada is the national voice of the Canadian co-operative housing movement. Its members include over 900 non-profit housing co-operatives and other organizations across Canada. More than a quarter of a million Canadians live in housing co-ops, in every province and territory.