November 2012

The World Meteorological Organization's (WMO) annual greenhouse gas (GHG) bulletin has noted that GHGs reached a record high in 2011.  In a press release put out to the public early this week, the WMO explains that a 30% increase in radiative forcing (the warming effect on climate) has occurred between 1990 and 2011.  Carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions are 85% responsible for this increase in radiative forcing, and atmospheric CO₂ has increased to 40% above the pre-industrial level.

The press release also discusses methane and nitrious oxide, as the other two major sources of GHG, and identifies the role of carbon sinks in absorbing atmospheric carbon.  Click here to read the full press release.

A summary report highlighting the key outcomes of the Imagine 2012 Conference has be prepared and released to the public.

From October 6th to 8th the Imagine 2012 Conference gathered more than 650 participants from co- operatives and mutuals from around the world. They had the opportunity to hear and reflect upon the ideas of fifteen economic thinkers with global reputations. They met at a time of great uncertainty amidst a faltering global economy and a concerned global society. The focus of the conference was to explore a “new economics”, new ways of analyzing the problems facing our world. The ultimate goal was to move the discourse toward a new economics paradigm and lay out the foundations for an economy which serves people around the globe by meeting their current and future needs.

Click here to read the full report.

The Ontario Human Rights Commission has just released a report on human rights issues experienced by people with mental health and addictions.

Societal factors can create the conditions for discrimination and exclusion of people with mental health issues or addictions. This report found that, in Ontario, people with mental health issues or addictions are much more likely to live in poverty than people with other types of disabilities or without disabilities. Barriers to housing, services and employment opportunities for people who have low income will likely disadvantage people with mental health issues or addictions.  As well, a shortage of affordable housing opportunities and high levels of poverty often result in homelessness. The lack of available mental health services, housing and other supports has resulted in too many people with mental health issues and addictions in the criminal justice system. Discrimination contributes to low levels of education and high levels of unemployment and poverty.

Some forms of discrimination are explicit and direct; others unintentional and subtle. Some rental housing providers, employers and service providers, including health care providers, may turn people away based on disability-related factors. Stereotyping can lead to harassment towards people with disabilities in the form of negative comments, social isolation and unwanted conduct from employers, landlords, co-workers or service providers. We also learned how people can be denied employment, service or housing opportunities because seemingly neutral rules actually lead to disadvantage; these can include tenant screening practices, hiring practices or police background checks.

There are signs that a shift is underway in how people with mental health issues or addictions are viewed. Mental health has been made a government priority at the provincial and federal levels. The U.N. Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities changes the focus on persons with disabilities from recipients of charity to holders of rights. By ratifying this convention, Canada has agreed to take steps to ensure equality and non-discrimination in many aspects of life for all people with disabilities. Across Ontario, there is increasing awareness and acknowledgment of the major barriers that people with mental health issues and addictions face. Individuals and organizations are asking for more education about mental health, and for changes to laws and policies to end negative stereotyping and discrimination.

Preventing and eliminating discrimination is a shared responsibility. This report sets out recommendations for action for government, housing providers, employers, service providers and other parties, as well as a series of OHRC commitments towards eliminating discrimination based on mental health and addictions in Ontario.

You can access the report here.

The above text was retrieved from the Executive Summary of 'Minds that Matter''
(Ontario Human Rights Commission, 2012)

Meeting the infrastructure needs of a rapidly growing population can often overwhelm the capacity of a city to pay for new infrastructure while maintaining its existing stock of roads, water and wastewater facilities, schools and other public facilities and services. Tackling these problems begins with local governments and their stakeholders and citizens making better choices on growth management – how, when and where a city should grow. One critical piece of information is often missing from the growth management puzzle is the impact on urban growth patterns of capital and maintenance costs of city infrastructure.

The Sustainable Cities International has created an infrastructure cost and urban growth management guide that takes practitioners through a step-by-step process of determining the cost implications of different growth scenarios for cities.

The guide has three core components;

• an overview of important tools and concepts when considering urban growth scenarios for cities,
• guidance of generating difference growth scenario sets for a city
• and, an overview of how to undertake an infrastructure costing exercise for different scenario sets.

Click here to download a copy of this publication