[CAH] Community Events and Annoucements

Mon Nov 5 09:29:18 CST 2007

Hello members,

Here are some events and announcements that may interest you or your
organization. As these are organized outside of the CAH office please use
the contact information provided with each listing to address enquiries.

Thanks and hope all are well after the storm,

Darcy

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The National Pharmacare Tour invites you to the Public Hearing. They

wants to hear YOUR stories on the need for a National Pharmacare Program

to provide all Canadians on paid prescription drugs.

Too many people, patients and families face heavy debt due to the costs

of prescription drugs. Ask any cancer patient what the cost of their

drugs are, if they can afford them. Too many times I heard a woman

saying 'it is cheaper to be sick than to take the anti-nausea drugs for

chemo and the many other drug costs people face.

Governments are moving too slow for the needs of the citizens in this

province. Please spread the message and come out and partake with

others. The poster is attached for easy print and posting. We have

also included the government and elected officials to participate and

hear from the people.

DATE: November 6th

WHERE: Lord Nelson Hotel on Spring Garden Rd and South Park Street in

Halifax.

TIME: from 1 pm to 3 pm

Bring a friend, family, neighbour or co-worker, but please be there

yourself and stand up for a National Program for all.

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Dear colleagues,

The Special Rapporteur on the right to adequate housing, Mr Miloon
Kothari, would like to share with you his latest press release.

Please feel free to distribute this widely. Link:
http://www.ohchr.org/english/press/media.htm

Thank you.

Best regards
Melissa Fernandez

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UNITED NATIONS EXPERT ON ADEQUATE HOUSING CALLS FOR IMMEDIATE ATTENTION
TO TACKLE NATIONAL HOUSING CRISIS IN CANADA

The Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to
an adequate standard of living, Miloon Kothari, issued the following
statement today:

        Geneva, 1 November 2007: From 9 to 22 October 2007, the Special
Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate
standard of living, Mr. Miloon Kothari, conducted a mission to Canada to
examine the status of realization of the right to adequate housing,
particularly focusing on homelessness, women and their right to adequate
housing, Aboriginal populations' adequate housing and affordability and
speculation of land and property including the possible impact of the 2010
Olympic Games on the right to adequate housing in Vancouver.

        During the course of the mission, the Special Rapporteur visited
urban and rural areas, including Montréal, Kahnawake territories,
Edmonton, Little Buffalo and Lubicon, Vancouver, Musqueam territories,
Toronto and Ottawa.  In these locations, the Special Rapporteur met with
high-ranking officials, representatives of various Government agencies,
community-based housing and homelessness service providers, housing
agencies, representatives of Aboriginal peoples and civil society
organizations.  He also heard testimonies from many women, men, youth and
children across the country that were homeless or living in adequate and
insecure housing, and participated in large public forums and hearings. On
the last day of his mission, the Special Rapporteur shared his preliminary
observations with the Canadian authorities.

General observations

        During his mission, the Special Rapporteur heard testimonies and
received voluminous reports from independent bodies, about the persistence
of homelessness, substandard and inadequate housing and living conditions,
an aging housing stock in both the public and private sectors, grossly
inadequate housing and civic services, including potable water, conditions
for Aboriginal people's on and off reserves, health concerns, inadequate
heating systems, and high energy costs.

        In its most recent periodic review of Canada's compliance with the
International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, the United
Nations Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights characterized
the state of homelessness and inadequate housing as a "national
emergency."1

  The Special Rapporteur confirms the deep and devastating impact of this
national crisis on the lives of women, youth, children and men, including
a large number of deaths2.        The Special Rapporteur also noted as a
cause of this national crisis the lack of a properly funded national
poverty reduction strategy.

Homelessness

        Homelessness is one of the most visible and most severe signs of
the lack of respect for the right to adequate housing, which is even more
shocking to see in a developed and wealthy country as Canada. The Special
Rapporteur was disappointed that the Government of Canada could not
provide reliable statistics on the number of homeless in the country.
While the National Homelessness Secretariat has suggested that there might
be 150,000 homeless people, experts and academic institutions have
suggested that the actual number of homeless people may be at least double
that amount.

        The large number of people in Canada living in poverty, the
growing number of food banks, and studies show that the number of people
that cannot afford housing or sustain their rent is increasing, resulting
in an increase number of homeless. One major cause of growing homelessness
is the high cost of rents and the overall decline in renter household
incomes in recent years. In addition to the high number of people who are
homeless the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation also notes that 1.5
million Canadian households are officially classified as being in 'housing
core need' which outs them at great risk of homelessness.

Affordability

        The increase of housing prices and the lack of affordability is
growing in all sectors of the population. The Special Rapporteur observed
how due to the shortage of social housing stock, the original target
population has changed and programmes are distorted, needing to meet the
necessities of a growing and more diverse population than originally
assessed.

        Canada lacks a national poverty reduction strategy, and only a
handful of provinces have implemented provincial poverty reduction plans.

        Grossly inadequate social assistance rates are trapping many of
the lowest-income Canadian households into chronic poverty and inadequate
housing. The Federal Government made major cuts to social spending, and
cancelled the Canada Assistance Plan in 1995 (CAP provided a framework of
national standards for income assistance) and virtually every province has
allowed income assistance levels to drop to extremely low levels since
then.

Women's right to adequate housing

        The lack of adequate and secure housing particularly impacts women
who are disproportionally affected by the homelessness, the issue of
affordability, violence and discrimination in the private housing rental
market.  During the visit, the Special Rapporteur heard dozens of
testimonies of women including on the insufficiency of social assistance
entitlements that do not match the cost of housing and other living
expenses or about children being taken away from their mothers because
they were living in inadequate housing, an issue that particularly affects
Aboriginal women3.

        Amongst the many forms of violence that aboriginal women suffer,
studies show that they endure three times higher rate of spousal violence
than non-Aboriginal. In this context, the lack of protection law for women
living on a reserve, or the impossibility to file complaints to the
Canadian Human Rights Commission constitutes one of the greatest barriers
to the enjoyment the right to housing and a life free of violence. Another
major barrier that needs to be overcome at the earliest is the family and
matrimonial real property laws on reserves. Overcrowding houses,
accommodating up to 3 generations in some regions, is one of the major
causes for abuse, violence and homelessness. Women and young girls off
reserve are experiencing violence in a daily basis.

Aboriginal peoples right to adequate housing

        Throughout his mission, the Special Rapporteur was disturbed to
see the devastating impact of the paternalism that marks federal and
provincial government, legislations, policies and budgetary allocation for
Aboriginal people on and off reserve. These policies have seriously
compromised the right to self determination that Aboriginal people enjoy
under the original treaties and the International human rights instruments
and deeply affected their housing and living conditions4.

        Overcrowded and inadequate housing conditions, as well as
difficulties to access basic services, including water and sanitation, are
major problems for Aboriginal peoples5.  For instance, during his visit to
the Lubicon Lake Nation, the Special Rapporteur could witness how families
still live without access to potable water and sanitation and appalling
living conditions. He also noted the destructive impact of oil extraction
activities that continues to lead to the loss of lands and the
asphyxiation of livelihoods and traditional practices.

Preparation of the Olympics in Vancouver

        In his mandate, the Special Rapporteur has looked at the negative
impact on housing in cities that host mega-events, such as the Olympics,
the FIFA World Cup, and the Commonwealth Games.  These impacts include
forced evictions for construction of infrastructures, city beautification
and speculation of land and property and measures to remove homeless
people from cities prior to and during the event. In Vancouver, the
Special Rapporteur also looked into the potential impact of 2010 Olympic
Games on the right to housing of low income people.

        Vancouver has been an innovative city, incorporating in their bid
the Inner-City Inclusive Commitment Statement, developed by a
representatives from a variety of inner-city community organizations and
government agencies, which seek amongst its main objectives to address
issues related to housing, civil liberties and public safety, health and
social services, environment, transportation, accessible and affordable
Games. The bid also included a sustainability plan aiming at guaranteeing
that the social, economic and environmental impacts and opportunities of
the event produce lasting benefits, locally and globally.

        The Special Rapporteur is of the view that the resources generated
by such an event should be used to improve adverse housing situation in
Vancouver. The Special Rapporteur met with the CEO of VANOC who expressed
his commitment to ensure that the games would contribute to improve
housing conditions of the poor in Vancouver as a positive legacy.

Good practices

        Canada has a long and proud history of housing successes, and has
been known around the world for its innovative housing solutions
especially for its non-aboriginal population. During this mission, the
Special Rapporteur visited and received information about a number of
programmes, laws and policies addressed at housing that are good
practices, including Centers and shelters accommodating homeless people,
women fleeing from violence, aboriginal women, HIV-AIDS positive people,
children with disabilities, and people suffering from drug addictions. All
of these Centers were fully or partially funded by the various programmes
of the State.

        But the funding support is irregular, groups are often required to
rely on voluntary contributions and voluntary labour, and the process of
sustaining non-government organizations is occupying a greater amount of
time and resources.

Preliminary recommendations

        At the end of his mission, the Special Rapporteur made a number of
preliminary recommendations to the Canadian authorities including the
following:

        The Federal Government needs to commit stable and long-term
funding and programmes to realize a comprehensive national housing
strategy, and to co-ordinate actions among the provinces and territories,
to meet Canada's housing rights obligations.  The Special Rapporteur also
noted that Canada needs to once again embark on a large scale building of
social housing units across the country.

        As part of a comprehensive national housing strategy, particular
funding should be directed to groups that have been forced to the margins,
including women, Aboriginal people, elders, youth, members of racialized
communities, immigrants and groups with special needs.  There should be a
national adoption of the housing continuum concept including a plan to
make available various forms of housing including transitional and
supportive housing.

        The Government and Parliament of Canada, along with the provinces
and municipalities, are urged to take immediate steps to comply with
concluding observations from United Nations treaty bodies including the
Committee on Economic Social and Cultural Rights.  Economic, social and
cultural rights should be fully recognized in all relevant government
legislation and should be fully justifiable including monitoring,
implementing, investigative and accountability mechanisms.

        The Federal Government needs a comprehensive and properly-funded
poverty reduction strategy based on its human rights obligation.
Complementary plans should be implemented in the provinces and territories
that are linked to a comprehensive national housing strategy.

        The Federal Government should commit the funding and resources to
ensure all households have access to potable water and proper sanitation
consistent with the recognition of water as a human rights and
recommendations for State policies as detailed in General Comment Number
15 of the CESCR.

        Canada should implement measures to address urgent, short term and
long term needs of women in the country.  Immediate implementation at all
levels of the government of the recommendations from the United Nations
treaty bodies on these specific measures, would  eliminate the various
barriers that women face both in urban and rural context in their daily
life.

        The Federal Government needs to commit funding and resources for a
targeted national Aboriginal housing strategy - both on- and off-reserve -
that ensures that Aboriginal housing and services are under Aboriginal
control.

        In line with treaty body recommendations, the Special Rapporteur
calls for a moratorium on all oil and extractive activities in the Lubicon
region until a settlement is reached with Lubicon Lake Nation.  The
Federal Government should resume negotiation with the Lubicon Lake
consistent to the Human Rights Law instruments including the Declaration
on the rights of indigenous peoples.

        Vancouver Olympic officials, and the relevant city authorities,
need to continue to implement specific targets and strategies on housing
and homelessness, and to commit funding and other resources to support
these targets, including the construction of 3,200 units of affordable
housing6. The social development plan of the Vancouver Games should be
developed and implemented in public, so that the progress of Vancouver
officials can be effectively monitored.  The Special Rapporteur would
recommend the formation of an independent monitoring body to assist VANOC
in complying with its commitments to improve the housing rights situation
in the region where the Olympics will take place.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Notes
  Concluding observations of the Committee on Economic, Social and
Cultural Rights, Canada (E/C.12/CAN/CO/4, E/C.12/CAN/CO/5), para. 62.
As far back as 1999, the United Nations Human Rights Committee after
reviewing Canada's State report expressed concern that "... homelessness
has led to serious health problems and even to death. The Committee
recommends that the State Party takes positives measures to address this
serious problem ...."
These testimonies matched other testimonies received by the Special
Rapporteur in other occasions.  See for instance the Women and Housing
reports of the Special Rapporteur available at:
http://www.ohchr.org/english/issues/housing/women.htm.
The United Nations Human Rights Committee review in 2006 referred to this
phenomenon of having the potential to lead to ". extinguishment of
inherent aboriginal rights .."
Report on the Mission to Canada of the Special Rapporteur on the situation
of human rights and fundamental freedoms of indigenous peoples.
E/CN.4/2005/88/Add.3.
 See
http://www.city.vancouver.bc.ca/commsvcs/housing/pdf/icihousingtablemar07.pdf
.

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Job Posting

Laing House

Hello everyone,

Laing House is currently looking for a full-time Resource Developer. Please
click on the following link for further information:
http://www.careerbeacon.com/cat/en/308/3/MB0710222040

Regards,

Judy

Judy Bell, RSW
Team Leader
(902)473-7739
jbell at lainghouse.org

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