Ontario’s Ombudsman has released “The LHIN Spin,” a report on his investigation into the Hamilton Niagara Haldimand Brant Local Health Integration Network’s use of community engagement in its decision-making process. In the report, Ombudsman André Marin calls on the province to improve the accountability and transparency of Local Health Integration Networks (LHINs) across the province. […]Continue readingOntario Ombudsman calls for greater LHIN accountability and transparency
News and Events
Small changes announced for 2011 Census
The Government of Canada has announced that two questions related to language will be added to the mandatory short-form questionnaire for the 2011 Census. This move will enable government to fulfil legal obligations under the Official Languages Act. On June 26, 2010, it was announced that the mandatory long-form questionnaire for the 2011 Census would […]Continue readingSmall changes announced for 2011 Census
Government of Ontario and Trillium Foundation consultation with not-for-profit sector
The Government of Ontario and the Trillium Foundation are in process of consulting with the not-for-profit sector as part of the province’s Open Ontario plan. In April 2010, the Government of Ontario announced that the province will develop a comprehensive and long-term strategic plan to guide its partnerships with the not-for-profit sector. The process will […]Continue readingGovernment of Ontario and Trillium Foundation consultation with not-for-profit sector
Standard of living is low for most court support and early intervention clients
Findings from a recently released report, “The Matryoshka Project: Examining the Effects of Enhanced Funding on Specialized Programs – Examining the Standard of Living of Clients in Community Mental Health Programs,” show that the majority of court support and early intervention clients are living on low income. These clients experience both a low standard of […]Continue readingStandard of living is low for most court support and early intervention clients
Government of Ontario responds to Charles Beer review of the AODA
The Government of Ontario has responded to the Beer Review of theAccessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA). The response addresses the recommendations to harmonize accessibility standards, renew leadership, establish an Ontario Accessibility Standards Board and repeal the Ontarians with Disabilities Act (ODA), which preceded the AODA. The government agrees with the suggestion to harmonize the standards. The […]Continue readingGovernment of Ontario responds to Charles Beer review of the AODA
New report on jail and homelessness
“Homeless and Jailed: Jailed and Homeless,” a new report by the John Howard Society of Toronto (JHST), explores the rates of homelessness among adult men serving sentences in jails in the Greater Toronto Area. JHST interviewed 363 sentenced prisoners who had spent a minimum of five consecutive nights in custody and who were within days […]Continue readingNew report on jail and homelessness
Promising principles and practices for Aboriginal mental health and wellbeing (Australia)
A new book, Working Together: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Mental Health and Wellbeing Principles and Practice, offers a framework for understanding Aboriginal mental health that acknowledges the importance of cultural identity and resilience and the impacts of racism, colonization and assimilationist policies. Culturally specific clinical mental health assessment processes and treatment interventions are explored. […]Continue readingPromising principles and practices for Aboriginal mental health and wellbeing (Australia)
New report on mental disability and deportation (USA)
Human Rights Watch and the American Civil Liberties Union have released a new report, Deportation by Default: Mental Disability, Unfair Hearings, and Indefinite Detention in the US Immigration System. Based on 104 interviews with non-citizens with mental disabilities, their family members, social workers, psychiatrists, immigration attorneys, judges and rights advocates, the report indicates that non-citizens with […]Continue readingNew report on mental disability and deportation (USA)
Experiences of diabetes for low-income Canadians
A recently published study from York University explores how living on a low income affects patients’ self-management of type 2 diabetes. The results are based on semi-structured interviews with 60 participants from four community health centres in a large Canadian city. The researchers identified an overarching theme (resilient struggle for survival amid hardship) and three […]Continue readingExperiences of diabetes for low-income Canadians
Federation’s follow-up cultural competency survey
August 16, 2010 is the deadline to fill out the Ontario Federation of Community Mental Health and Addiction Programs (OFCMHAP) cultural competency survey. In June 2010, OFCMHAP released a position paper, Embracing Cultural Competence in the Mental Health and Addiction System, which examines the benefits of using a cultural competence approach to mental health and addiction […]Continue readingFederation’s follow-up cultural competency survey