New government resources @ OPL

• If Oakville was a village of 100 people, Town of Oakville, November 2010. "Understanding the diversity of our town helps to ensure we are considering the needs of all our residents... We've reduced Oakville to a village of 100 people so it's easier for us to understand and appreciate our diversity."


• 2010 Town of Oakville accomplishments, Town of Oakville, 2011. This "booklet outlines all the work Council and our dedicated staff have undertaken over the past year."


• Households and the environment 2009, Statistics Canada, March 2011. "This survey aims to measure the behaviours of Canadian households with respect to the following aspects of the environment: consumption and conservation of water and energy; indoor environment; household hazardous waste; and purchasing decisions."


• Canadian biodiversity: ecosystem status and trends 2010, Federal, Provincial and Territorial Governments of Canada, 2010. This report "is the first assessment of Canada's biodiversity from an ecosystem perspective." Twenty-two key findings are presented, organized under four themes: biomes; human/ecosystem interactions; habitat, wildlife, and and ecosystem processes; and science/policy interface.


• Cycling skills: Ontario's guide to safe cycling, Ontario Ministry of Transportation, 2007. "This is your guide to cycling safety. Whether you're new to cycling or you are an experienced cyclist, this guide contains important information, tips and techniques to make you a safe, confident rider."


• Organized breast cancer screening programs in Canada: Report on program performance in 2005 and 2006. Public Health Agency of Canada, 2011. "The monitoring and evaluation of organized breast cancer screening programs provides an opportunity to understand the impact of screening on breast cancer morbidity and mortality, as well as the potential harms associated with screening."

What is contempt of parliament?

Canadians will be heading to the polls for a Federal Election on May 2, 2011. A sub-committee made up of members from the three opposition parties ruled that Stephen Harper's Conservative government was in contempt of Parliament on March 21, 2011. Harper's government was found to be in contempt of Parliament for refusing to reveal the cost of new F-35 fighter planes and failing to disclose the cost of some of its crime bills. On March 25, 2011, Liberal Leader Michael Ignatieff introduced a motion of non-confidence. The NDP and BQ supported the Liberals, making Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s government the first to fall on a charge of contempt of Parliament. But what is "contempt of Parliament?" According to House of Commons Procedure and Practice, the House claims the right to punish, as a contempt, any action which, though not a breach of a specific privilege does one of the following: 1) tends to obstruct or impede the House in the performance of its functions; 2) obstructs or impedes any Member or Officer of the House in the discharge of their duties; 3) is an offence against the authority or dignity of the House, such as disobedience of its legitimate commands or libels upon itself, its Members, or its Officers.

World Cancer Day: February 4, 2011

February 4th is World Cancer Day, so declared by the Union for International Cancer Control in Geneva, Switzerland. The UICC and its partner organizations run campaigns to raise awareness about a disease that claims many lives every year. Many of those deaths could have been prevented.

One of the participants in World Cancer Day is the Ontario Health Study, a "long-term study that will help us understand the causes, prevention and treatment of cancer, heart disease, asthma and diabetes." All residents of Ontario age 18 or older are invited to participate in the study. Participants will be followed for their entire lifespan, allowing researchers to discover "how environment, lifestyle and genes affect the risk of common diseases." The OHS website has a 20-30 minute online questionnaire for participants to complete.

Canadian statistics regarding incidence, mortality and types of cancer may be found in two publications at Oakville Public Library: Canadian Cancer Statistics, published biennally by The Canadian Cancer Society and Cancer Incidence in Canada, published annually by Statistics Canada.

New government resources @OPL

Several new government publications are now available, illustrating the breadth of subject matter published by various levels of government. Most of these documents are available as electronic documents as well.

Buying your first home: three steps to successful mortgage shopping. Financial Consumer Agency of Canada, 2010.

Ontario's long-term energy plan: building our clean energy future. Ontario Ministry of Energy, 2010.

Age-friendly communication: facts, tips and ideas. Public Health Agency of Canada, 2010.

Euthanasia and assisted suicide in Canada. Parliamentary Information and Research Service, 2010.

Building the pipeline: increasing the participation of women in non-traditional occupations. Report of the Standing Committee on the Status of Women, December 2010.

Federal disability report: The Government of Canada's annual report on disability issues,Human Resources and Skills Development Canada, 2010.

The sustainability of Medicare. The Canadian Federation of Nurses Unions, 2010.

Health care transformation in Canada. Canadian Medical Association, 2010.

Ahmadinejad's Iran: A threat to peace, human rights and international law. Canada. Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and International Development, 2010.

Measuring up: Canadian results of the OECD PISA study. The performance of Canada's youth in reading, mathematics and science. Statistics Canada and Council of Ministers of Education, Canada, 2010

Family Literacy Day

January 27th, 2011 is Family Literacy Day, an initiative of ABC Life Literacy Canada to encourage families to read and learn together all year long. Oakville Public Library has these government publications covering various aspects of literacy:

Me read? And how! Ontario teachers report on how to improve boys' literacy skills. Ontario Ministry of Education, 2009.
This guide is intended for educators at the primary and secondary levels who are developing and delivering literacy programs for boys, but it is also helpful for parents who might want to advocate for the use of these strategies in their schools.

Towards an understanding of gender differences in literacy achievement. Education Quality and Accountability Office of Ontario, 2010.
Research has shown that girls "have a significant and consistent advantage in literacy from an early age over boys," and this advantage is found internationally. Researchers used EQAO data collected in Ontario to study the gender gap.

Education indicators in Canada: an international perspective. Statistics Canada and Council of Ministers of Education, 2010.
This annual study compares educational systems in Canada with those of OECD countries.

Measuring up: Canadian results of the OECD PISA study. Statistics Canada and Council of Ministers of Education, 2010.
This study tracks the performance of Canada's youth in reading, mathematics and science.

Voter Turnout in the 2010 Municipal Election

Community Development Halton recently published four bulletins reporting on voter turnout in the 2010 municipal election for Oakville, Burlington, Milton and Halton Hills. Graphs of voter turnout over time show that Oakville is the only municipality in Halton breaking the downward trend. Oakville has seen a steady increase in voter turnout in the past four municipal elections. Voter turnout in Oakville was 40.0%, Burlington was 37.6%, Milton was 32.6%, and Halton Hills was 25.5%. Maps of each municipality show voter turnout rate by polling subdivision.

The four bulletins are issues of Community Lens, published in January 2011.

How did the 2008-2010 recession and recovery compare with previous cycles?

The question above is answered in a feature article in the January 2011 edition of Canadian Economic Observer, published by Statistics Canada.


The article states that the recent recession was less severe than those in 1981-82 and 1990-1992, by most conventional measures.

The early stages of the recent recession had significant impact however, because output and employment contracted at a faster rate than in any post-war recession.


Compared to other major industrialized countries, Canada's decline in output was less pronounced and the subsequent recovery was more complete and quicker.


The article also shows how Statistics Canada determines whether an economy is in recession.

A summary of the article may be found in the January 13, 2011 edition of The Daily, published by Statistics Canada.