Letter to the editor of the Hill Times from Harry Zarins, BIAC Executive Director

Re: “If Sidney Crosby isn’t immune, neither are Canada’s youth” (The Hill Times, Feb. 7, p. 24). NDP MP Glenn Thibeault’s article is an excellent article opening the door to a national debate on creating awareness on Canada’s silent epidemic: acquired brain injury and its future pressures on the health, social, economic, educational and justice systems.

In all of the discussions surrounding concussions it must be strongly noted that a concussion is a brain injury and a concussion must be referred to as a mild traumatic brain injury, mTBI.
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PLEASE WRITE TO YOUR MEMBER OF PARLIAMENT AS WELL.

Tuesday, July 20, 2010

As you may know, the federal government recently announced proposed changes to the Canadian census to make the mandatory long-form questionnaire voluntary for the 2011 Census. Imagine Canada is urging the government to reconsider this decision and I have written a letter to the Hon. Tony Clement sharing our disappointment and concerns.

“Many charities and nonprofits use census data and census-derived data to develop their own approaches to ensure that the services they provide respond to the unique needs of their communities. Imagine Canada itself makes extensive use of census-derived data to better understand the nonprofit sector and to identify emerging trends and issues to which the sector needs to respond in order to continue to effectively serve individuals and communities across the country.

Without the accurate representative data that the long form census provides, the sector will lose a significant resource that has been essential for developing its responses to the economic, social, environmental and cultural challenges that face communities across Canada.”

– from Imagine Canada’s letter to the Hon. Tony Clement, PC, MP

Please download our letter: Proposed Changes to Census Data Collection will Create Challenges for Canada’s Charities and Nonprofits (pdf) and send it to your Member of Parliament.

We encourage you to share this email and our letter amongst your colleagues.

Sincerely,
Marcel Lauzière
President and CEO
www.imaginecanada.ca
2 Carlton St, Suite 600
Toronto ON, M5B 2J3

PLEASE FEEL FREE TO ENCOURAGE YOUR MEMBER OF PARLIAMENT TO ATTEND THIS EVENT AS PART OF BRAIN INJURY AWARENESS MONTH

The Hon. Hedy Fry, P.C., M.P. and The Brain Injury Association of Canada and The Insurance Bureau of Canada invite you to a screening of the documentary WIPE OUT: Stories of Brain Injury!

Date: Tuesday, June 15th
Time: 12:00pm – 1:30pm
Location: 253-D Centre Block
A light lunch will be served

Please confirm your attendance by email at fryh0@parl.gc.ca by Friday, June 11th

Below is a copy of Dr. Fry’s motion which appeared in the Order Paper on May 10th. It will now sit with her other Private Members Bill on until her number comes up for debate. We can however, encourage the Government to make a decision and officially recognize this important month.

Private Members’ Notices of Motions
M-526 — May 10, 2010 — Ms. Fry (Vancouver Centre) —
That, in the opinion of the House, the month of June be officially recognized as National Brain Injury Awareness Month.

We ask all members of our community to contact their MP’s and the Prime Minister to encourage the Government to officially recognize National Brain Injury Awareness Month through an Order in Council.

Here are your MP’s coordinates.

Email Prime Minister Stephen Harper

Please find below an article to appear in the Forum section of the upcoming issue of Abilities Magazine. It’s a good summary of the productivity of the Ontario project to date.
Toward an Ontario Brain Strategy – NHCC Ontario work – Abilities Magazine

On Thursday, November 5th, Yvan Teasdale and Harry Zarins headed to Parliament Hill to address the House of Commons Standing Commitee on Finance (FINA) on their pre-budget consultations. There were a variety of groups that presented their wants to the committee from the forestry industry to research groups to a regional group. In a very limited period of time, we did indicate the need for the government of the day to recognize the importance of clearly delineating a strategy for Brain Injury Survivors and Prevention.

Read our Brief.

Labour Market Policy and Programs in Canada for Persons with Disabilities – Final Report (PDF-1.8MB)
Roeher Institute
Cameron Crawford and Robert Marshall, Applied Research Branch, Strategic Policy, Human Resources Development Canada
December 2002
SP-563-01-03E
(également disponible en français)

The Brain Injury Association of Canada fully supports the establishment of a Canadian Caregiver Strategy. So many of our families fill the role of primary caregiver and therefore this initiative has great significance in the acquired brain injury community. We encourage Canadians to write to their Members of Parliament indicating their support for the development and implementation of a Canadian Caregiver Strategy.

Federal government urged to establish a Canadian Caregiver Strategy
Ottawa, May 8, 2009 – The Canadian Cancer Society (CCS) and the Canadian Caregiver Coalition (CCC) urges the federal government to acknowledge and support family caregivers through the establishment of a Canadian Caregiver Strategy. The groups are bringing their message to more than 50 Parliamentarians during a luncheon held on May 7 on Parliament Hill.

Family Caregivers contribute an astounding $25 to 26 billion of unpaid labour to the health care system, providing care and assistance for immediate and extended family and friends who are in need of support because of age, illness or long term conditions.

In a 2007 Pollara survey, 23 per cent of Canadians said they had cared for a family member or close friend with a serious health problem in the preceding 12 months, with 22 per cent of these people missing one or more months of work and 41 per cent using personal savings to survive financially while providing care.

The CCS and the CCC are recommending that Parliamentarians establish a Canadian Caregiver Strategy; key components of the proposed Strategy would include:

Minimizing excessive financial burden placed on family caregivers by expanding the scope of the current tax measures and Compassionate Care Benefit (CCB) administered under federal employment insurance programming.
Safeguarding the health and well being of family caregivers through the provision of respite care.
Enabling access to information and education to ensure that caregivers can competently and confidently provide care.
Creating flexible workplace environments that respect caregiving obligations.

“The current economic downturn will only increase the need for a Canadian Caregiver Strategy, which is central to ensuring that our health care system can meet the needs of all Canadians,” says Jimm Simon, Chair of the Canadian Cancer Society. “A quick win is possible for family caregivers through an expansion of the Compassionate Care Benefit.”

“Today’s reality is that it will become increasingly difficult for families to provide care for their loved ones,” says Nadine Henningsen, President of the Canadian Caregiver Coalition. “The CCC believes that caregivers must be supported, recognized and protected through a Canadian Caregiver Strategy.”

The CCS and CCC commit to continuing to work with the government to advance the interests of Canadian family caregivers.

Nadine Henningsen, President, Canadian Caregiver Coalition