Canadian Web Sites
Health Care General:
Group Health Centre (GHC)
In 1957, South Ste. Marie, Ontario, Canada had a population of 40,000. Medicare was only a dream for Ontarians. Steelworkers Locals 2251, 4509 and 5595 led a group of unions in a plan to build and operate a health centre to improve access to medical services and to reduce the financial burden of obtaining that care. The GHC was the first community health centre in Canada and a national and international model of how to organize and provide non-for-profit health. Today, Sault Ste. Marie is a large city and 50 per cent of its population is served by the GHC.
This website shows the accomplishments of a Steelworkers led, union founded, non-for-profit health care facility.
Canadian Health Coalition
The Canadian Health Coalition is dedicated to preserving and enhancing Canada's public health system for the benefit of all Canadians. Founded in 1979, the coalition includes organizations representing unions, seniors, women, students, consumers and health care professionals from across Canada.
This website offers policy and research documents on topics like health care, home care, genetically modified food, etc.
Tommy Douglas Research Institute
The Tommy Douglas Research Institute is an independent non-profit Canadian economic and social research and educational organization.
Named after T.C. Douglas, the former Premier of Saskatchewan and acknowledged father of Medicare in Canada, the Institute's main objective is the redirection of public attention to the respective role of both the large business sector and government in providing for the well-being of Canadians.
In particular, corporate social responsibility beyond the broader society must be evaluated and debated more thoroughly. In addition, implications arising from the current trend of municipal, provincial and federal governments competing to eliminate traditional areas of accepted collective responsibility demands greater examination on the longer-term consequences.
This website offers progressive research on health issues. At this time the main web page is dedicated to the Commission of the Future of Health Care in Canada.
Medical Reform Group
The Medical Reform Group is an organization of physicians, medical students and others committed to ensuring access to high quality health care for all Canadians. The Medical Reform Group believes that the medical profession must look to the social, political, and economic forces shaping health and health care in Canada today. They participate actively in the health care debate in Canada.
This website offers an interesting medical perspective foreign to the for-profit health care model. The website also offers very interesting links for participating in policy debates from a progressive point of view.
Pan American Health Organization
The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) is an international public health agency with more than 90 years of experience in working to improve health and living standards of the countries of the Americas. It serves as the specialized organization for health of the Inter-American System. It also serves as the Regional Office for the Americas of the World Health Organization and enjoys international recognition as part of the United Nations system.
This website offers good information on health issues as well as comparisons between different countries. The health atlas is very interesting to understand health in a larger context.
Canadian Public Health Association
The Canadian Public Health Association (CPHA) is a national, independent, not-for-profit, voluntary association representing public health in Canada with links to the international public health community. CPHA's members believe in universal and equitable access to the basic conditions that are necessary to achieve health for all Canadians.
This website offers a different perspective from the for-profit health providers. It is especially interesting to check the Directory of Plain Language Health Information. The directory is a resource for the medical profession on how to talk and write in plain English or French.
Health & Safety:
USW Health, Safety and Environment Department - Canada
The United Steelworkers's Health, Safety and Environment Department located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, provides support to its union members in the area of health and safety in Canada.
The site for the Canadian office has information for the different provinces in Canada (i.e. Know Your Rights: Information for Workers), the David Ellis Scholarship, informational articles/research on health, JobSmart Young Workers, fact sheets, etc. relating to health and safety for workers.
Workers Health & Safety Centre - Ontario
For more than a decade, the Workers Health and Safety Centre in Ontario, Canada has provided training to workers and employers in Ontario so that they can better identify and control workplace health and safety hazards.
From their modest beginnings, they have become the premier health and safety delivery organization in Ontario. The Workers Health & Safety Centre is a non-profit organization that was founded by labour.
This site offers the yearly schedule of regionally based (in Canada) training programs and programs that are tailored to meet individual workplace scheduling demands. An Advanced Certification Program for safety committee representatives is also offered that focuses on building communication, research and leadership skills. The site also has communication on pending laws pending at Ontario's Ministry of Labour and information for young workers on safety.
Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety
The Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety (CCOHS) is Canada's national centre for occupational health and safety (OH&S) information. CCOHS is corporation governed by a Council with representatives from employers, labour and government, CCOHS is committed to providing impartial, accurate, useful information to all parties in the workplace.
Their mandate is to promote health and safety in the workplace, and encourage attitudes and methods which will lead to improved physical and mental health of working people. Their products and services, designed with an emphasis on prevention, foster improvements in the workplace.
This site has information on education and training, products and services, events, and resources. This is also a section on "Young Workers Zone" discussing you and safety in the workplace.
Occupational Health Clinics for Ontario Workers, Inc.
The Occupational Health Clinics for Ontario Workers Inc.'s (OHCOW) mission is to prevent occupational illnesses and injuries, and to promote the highest degree of physical, mental and social well-being of all workers. We strive to accomplish this through the identification of workplace factors which are detrimental to the health and well-being of workers, through the distribution of excellent occupational health, hygiene, and ergonomic information to increase knowledge among workers, employers and the general public; and through the provision of services designed to produce changes to improve workplaces and the health of workers.
This site offers publications, services (diagnostic service for workers who may have work related health problems; group service for join health and safety committees and groups of workers; inquiry service to answer workplace health and safety questions; outreach and education service to make people aware of health and safety issues; and, a research service to investigate and report on illnesses and injuries), online information materials (new fact sheets, booklets and workbooks), and health and safety links. |
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