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This is an archive of CharityVillage NewsWeek.
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Please note: While we ensure that all links and e-mail addresses are accurate at their publishing date, the quick-changing nature of the web means that some links to other web sites and e-mail addresses may no longer be accurate.
To view other articles in the archive, use our Chronological Index.
NewsBytes: September, 1995
Articles are arranged in reverse chronological order.
Web Sites To Help Locate Missing Kids
September 29, 1995The RCMP and MarketAccess Communications Inc., an Ottawa-based Web Site developer, have launched Child CyberSEARCH Canada, linking their operation and six nonprofit organizations dedicated to missing children and runaways. They include Child Find Canada, Operation Go Home, Missing Children Society of Canada, National Missing Children's Locate Centre Canada, Missing Children's Network Canada, and Victims of Violence.
The sites present pictures and dossiers on missing children, tips on what to do if you think you have seen a missing child, ways to prevent child abduction, and hotline numbers to call. An additional feature is an excellent list of hotlinks to "child-approved" sites on the Web, a boon to parents who want to steer their kids to interesting sites that offer educational or entertaining content designed for young audiences. Canada's 1400 police departments have been invited to provide information on their local missing child cases.
Arts and Culture Brace for Cuts
September 28, 1995Ontario's Ministry of Citizenship, Culture and Recreation will chop funding to arts and culture by 40 per cent, according to insiders. The Toronto Star quotes Marilyn Mushinski, the new Minister of the department, who said "We're at a crossroads. We simply couldn't keep going on the way we were going." She pointed out that Ontario's debt is close to $100 billion, and that interest charges on government debt exceed the total provincial budget of 20 years ago.
Mushinski wants to make changes that will enable many agencies to offer larger tax credits to attract more donations from the private sector, and to assure that most grant money goes to artists rather than to supporting bureaucracies. She specifically mentioned the Ontario Arts Council and TV Ontario as organizations that would come under scrutiny by her department.
Who is Computerized?
September 27, 1995In Canada, 2.6 million households had a computer in 1994, according to a Statistics Canada publication Canadian Social Trends, cited in a Globe and Mail article. That's about 25 per cent of total households, but Jeffrey Frank of StatsCan found that computers tend to be found in high-income families who have children. 46 percent of homes with the top 20% of income earners were computerized, as were 35 per cent of homes with children under 18. Overall, computer literacy rose to 56 per cent in 1994 from 47 per cent in 1989, with 81 per cent of those 15-24 able to use a computer, two-thirds of 25-44 year olds, 55 per cent of those 45-54, and 36 per cent of the 55-64 age group.
Among large cities, none in Quebec were among the top 15 in terms of computer ownership. 36 per cent of homes in Vancouver BC, Victoria BC and Kitchener ON had computers, followed by Ottawa-Hull, Calgary AB, Toronto ON and Edmonton AB.
New Centre for Management Carries Contributors' Names
September 25, 1995The new Centre for Management at University of Toronto is named for Joseph Rotman, chairman of Clairvest, and that's just the first of the names from Canadian business that visitors encounter as they tour the new facility, according to a Toronto Star article. Rotman's company donated $3 million toward the building project. The atrium is named for manufacturing entrepreneur James Fleck, who contributed $1 million, and the Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce has its name on the faculty's conference room in return for a $1 million gift. The Campbell Soup dining room recognizes a donation of $100,000. Other contributors included Xerox Canada, Canadian Pacific Ltd., Ernst and Young, City of Toronto and the Province of Ontario.
The need for corporate donations continues as Dean Hugh Arnold recruits new faculty members in competition with the top business schools in the U.S. and Canada.
University/Industry Partnerships Receive Awards for Research
September 22, 1995A program created by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council and the Conference Board of Canada to foster closer ties between industry and university researchers has presented awards to several of these partnerships.
Receiving awards, each of which include a $10,000 grant, are McGill University, Montreal and ATS Aerospace of St. Bruno QC; Queen's University, Kingston, and Pipetronix Limited of Concord ON; University of Waterloo, Waterloo ON and Bayer Rubber Inc. of Sarnia ON; TRLabs, Edmonton AB, a consortium of universities and industries in western Canada; University of Calgary and Petroleum Recovery Institute, both in Calgary AB; University of Toronto, Toronto ON, Litton Systems of Toronto and Noranda Advanced Materials of Saint-Laurent QC. The awards program will be continued next year.
AGO Head Says Provincial Cuts Will Hit Programming
September 20, 1995Maxwell Anderson, director of the Art Gallery of Ontario says "We can't have any more cuts to our operating budget without cutting programming," according to an article by Christopher Hume in today's Toronto Star . Arriving at the AGO from the Cleveland Emory University gallery in Atlanta, Georgia, Anderson comments that "Private philanthropy is a newer phenomenon in Canada. It's time to rethink what generosity means, and how much we should be giving back." Province of Ontario funding currently makes up about half of the AGO's operating budget.
With deficit-cutting a priority, Hume asks how long it will be before the gallery faces "deaccessioning", a euphemism for selling off parts of its collection, and a process that has already begun at some U.S. galleries.
Internet Adds Almost 2 Million Hosts In 7 Months
September 19, 1995Two experts in measurement are working to discover just how big the Internet actually is. According to the October issue of The Computer Paper , Mark Lottor of Network Wizards has conducted a survey that found 6.642 million host computers with a unique address (URL) at the end of July. That was an increase of 37 per cent since January, 1995. Lottor also discovered that the World Wide Web "is now by far the most popular host name."
John Quarterman of Texas Internet Consulting is looking at "global domains" (.com, .net, .edu, .gov, .org, etc.), finding that ".com" (which signifies a commercial site) is both the largest and most rapidly growing domain, and is now found in 54 countries.
Villagers can review the Lottor survey and Quarterman's work.
Canada Post Plans Virtual Post Office
September 18, 1995Canada Post Corporation's Omnipost service lets users send electronic messages from their computers for delivery on paper, fax or to another personal computer, according to an article in September issue of Toronto Computes . CPC also offers volume electronic mail (VEM) for organizations wishing to send direct advertising, media releases, etc. to multiple recipients.
Now, according to the article, plans are underway for the Virtual Post Office, which will start with 7,700 electronic kiosks in post offices and business centres across the country. Following that may be Hybrid Data Interchange, which will offer a "virtual EDI environment" to organizations that are not equipped for Electronic Data Interchange, but which deal with organizations that use EDI.
Plans for the future also include electronic filing of various tax returns and access to government databases, and something called a National Register, where electronic addresses, delivery media preferences (fax, e-mail, postal delivery) would be recorded for the more than 12 million addresses to which the letter carriers currently deliver. It remains to be seen whether the CRTC will approve these programs, and whether they continue to be viable in the face of onrushing technological developments.
Family Income Declines May Portend More Social Problems
September 16, 1995The report on family incomes released on Wednesday by Statistics Canada provides further evidence that Canadians have been under economic pressure over the past few years. While the report provides data for 1993, we may safely assume that the trends then evident continue today, and account for many of the social problems confronting those in the charitable sector and in government.
Adjusted for inflation, median total income decreased by 2.9 per cent in the year. Unadjusted median total income of husband-wife families declined by 0.2 per cent from 1992, to $47,400 in 1993. Lone-parent families experienced a decrease of 6.9 percent to $20,200, even lower than at the height of the recession in 1990. As we might expect, 86.7 per cent of the lone-parent families were headed by a woman. These lone-parent families relied more heavily on government transfer payments as their earnings fell, receiving an average $53.84 in transfer payments for every $100 of employment income, up 11.2 per cent from 1992.
Median total income for lone-parent families ranged from $22,000 in Ontario to $15,900 in Newfoundland.
With transfer payments constituting almost one third of their total income, these one-parent families were vulnerable as the mood began to shift towards budgetary restraint on the part of governments at all levels. The numbers confirm what we all know --- that a large segment of society is under enormous financial pressure, and is forced to make difficult choices with regard to work and child-rearing. We can expect to see this situation exacerbate all kinds of social problems in the years ahead, as the children of these families attempt to make their way in the world. Villagers can get the full text of the Statscan release.
Feminists Mobilize on Internet
September 15, 1995Meeting in Beijing, delegates to the U.N.'s Fourth World Conference on Women were told that the Internet is one of the main tools available "to track government action on women's rights and mobilize protests against any backsliders," according to a Toronto Star article. Maja van der Velden, a Dutch volunteer, is teaching delegates how to get on the Internet, and more than 2,000 women's groups have acquired e-mail addresses.
The article notes that a global nonprofit organization, The Association for Progressive Communications, is leading a campaign in 130 countries to help people "in even the most repressive and remote parts of the planet" gain access to the global computer network.
Villagers can visit the Beijing '95 Conference and more resource sites for women online.
Pope's Royalties Shrouded In Secrecy
September 14, 1995. By Sherry Rodney Kushner, Special Assignments EditorWhen His Holiness John Paul II penned an unprecedented book, it was all but destined to become the global publishing event of the year. Bolstered by frenzied publishing hype and a massive advertising campaign, Crossing the Threshold of Hope took bookstores by storm all over the world. Over 20 million copies were published and offered in special editions from large print and CDs to audio books. The publication, which is available in every major language on earth provides the Pontiff's answers to everyday questions of faith, belief and hope. This assures it a place as a noteworthy bestseller. Yet, what has been lost sight of, is the likelihood that this very special book may have generated the single largest charitable contribution ever made from a royalty.
It is a pity that the public will never know. Simple inquiries to the publisher, publicist, distributor and the Vatican's Agent about sales figures and how many charitable dollars have been raised to date have been largely met by silence or cries of 'confidentiality'. Why? Providing more than just spiritual inspiration, Crossing the Threshold of Hope is a significant philanthropic demonstration as well. People the world over have been deprived of an important charitable message and the opportunity to think in terms of making a personal impact on areas reaching beyond the Catholic Church.
Largest United Way Golf Tournament Kickstarts Peel Campaign
September 14, 1995Ontario's United Way of Peel received a head start toward a 1995 fundraising target of $8.1 million as more than 300 golfers participated in its annual tournament at Lionhead Golf and Country Club. Believed to be the largest United Way tournament in the Canada, the event raised $75,000, kickstarting this year's drive, which will involve 13,000 volunteers, according to campaign chair Dan Branda, president of Hewlett-Packard Canada Ltd.
Fundraisers Help "De-fang" U.S. Telemarketing Restrictions
September 13, 1995The U.S. Federal Trade Commission has dropped many of the most restrictive provisions affecting telemarketers in its revised Consumer Fraud and Abuse Protection Act. According to the recent issue of Telefunding, protests from telemarketers and fundraisers resulted in the removal, from the draft legislation, of prohibitions against calling donors more than once in a 3-month period. Also gone are the requirement for detailed disclosure statements at the beginning of each call, and prohibitions against seeking payment for goods and services in advance, or sending couriers to pick up payments.
Remaining in the legislation are provisions that prohibit calls outside the period from 8:00 am to 9:00 pm, misrepresentation of a cause or service, and use of offensive language and harassing techniques. Callers must also disclose their identities and the cause being supported.
In Kind Canada Receives Grant from McConnell Foundation
September 11, 1995In Kind Canada, based in Mississauga, Ontario, has been awarded a grant of $160,000 from the McConnell Foundation to assist in the development of a national program. John Page, Executive Director of IKC says that 165 charities have joined, and a third of those have already benefited. The organization distributes donated goods and services to member Canadian charities, and also negotiates volume discounts on behalf of its members.
IKC plans to extend the program across Canada, and to develop and staff a distribution centre in the Toronto area within the next year. Page says that community-based groups are being approached to act as agents to act on IKC's behalf in their regions. The number of corporate participants is also growing, and includes Ontario Hydro, Bell Canada, TD Bank and the federal government. More information about participating in In Kind Canada is available at The Flea Market.
Canadian Cancer Society Educates Via Web Site
September 10, 1995The Manitoba Division of the Canadian Cancer Society is now online, discussing cancer prevention, as well as information about their patient services, support programs, offices and volunteer requirements.
Voice-mail for Homeless Oversubscribed
September 9, 1995Last fall, Central Neighbourhood House, in the Regent Park area of Toronto, began offering a voice-mail service for homeless people, providing a way for them to receive calls about jobs or places to stay. There are now 250 subscribers and a waiting list, says Paul Lima, writing in the Toronto Star. Subscribers get a free month's service, and then pay $5.00 for three additional months of service. However, that doesn't cover costs. If you can help, call Maureen Perry-King at Central Neighbourhood House, (416) 925-4363.
New Service Gives Travellers E-Mail Access
September 8, 1995Vancouver-based GeoAccess is launching a system to provide travellers with access to their e-mail through local dial-in numbers in 17 countries. Seventy-three Internet Service Providers have already joined the system, according to Toronto Computes. Individuals are charged $US 35 when they sign up, and then pay $US 1.00 per connection and $US 2.50 per hour for connect time.
Australia, Belgium, Canada, Estonia, Finland, Hong Kong, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Mexico, South Africa, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, the U.K. and the U.S. are currently covered.
U of T Receives Largest Gift Ever
September 7, 1995A $16 million, 348-hectare tract of land has been given to the University of Toronto by Murray and Marvelle Koffler, according to the Toronto Star. Known as Joker's Hill, the property in York Region, north of Toronto, will be used as an outdoor education centre. Koffler, who built the Shoppers Drug Mart chain, is well-known as a philanthropist, and has supported a number of causes including the Koffler Centre for the Arts and the Canadian Council for Native Business.
IBM Helps Seniors' Computer Project
September 6, 1995A group of seniors at St. Joseph's Hospital in Toronto received a $2,000 grant from IBM's Fund for Community Service to help them publish a newsletter by and for chronic care patients in Our Lady of Mercy Wing, according to a news item in Toronto Computes. The fund supports organizations that number IBM employees or retirees among their volunteers.
CharityVillage Named On Ellery's Net List for August
September 5, 1995We usually post this sort of thing under Online Resources at The Bus Station, but we just couldn't resist telling you that CharityVillage is listed by Ellery July on his "10 Net Sites for Non-profits for August '95". Ellery selects 10 sites each month that "will assist you in doing your job better." Suggesting people "explore this village," he comments that "It is one of he most interesting web pages I've visited." Check his list for other sites that you may find useful and interesting.
Canadian Opera Company May Build Own Facility
September 4, 1995Following the new Ontario government's rescinding of the previous government's decision to grant $24 million for the conversion of Toronto's O'Keefe Centre into a suitable facility for opera and ballet, the Canadian Opera Company is discussing the launch of a capital fund. According to the Toronto Star, Artistic Director Richard Bradshaw believes a 2,100-seat opera house would cost about $40 million, and could open in 1999. The National Ballet of Canada could be a partner in construction of the venue, which would offer acoustics superior to the O'Keefe Centre. Reid Anderson, Artistic Director of the National Ballet, said "Both of us want something to happen, and I've found that in North America you have to create your own dreams."
Internet Becoming Effective, Efficient Outreach Medium
September 2, 1995"As more people join the Internet at work or home, this medium will become an ever increasing means of outreach for organizations in both the private and public sectors," says an article in Impact Online. The article, with accompanying graphics, discusses the cost and reach of traditional methods of outreach compared with the Internet. It points out that the Internet is achieving the potential to reach a wider range of target groups, with greater frequency and at lower cost, than direct mail, TV and radio commercials, newspaper and magazine ads, word of mouth, and events.
Is Canada in Recession Again?
September 1, 1995As reported in the Globe and Mail today, the Canadian economy shrank in the quarter ended June 30, according to Statistics Canada. Further shrinkage is expected for the current quarter by many economists, which would make the six-month period an official recession. Traditionally, a recession is defined as two successive quarters of economic contraction.
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