On Tuesday, October 21, 1997 2:58 PM, Mike Nelson[SMTP:[log in to unmask]]
wrote:
> It's good to see Dennis speaking out on behalf of public health.  Keep at
> it!

Mike,

I would agree totally with you, but I am afraid for someone in Ontario who
is most effected by this government I am perplexed why there is silence in
our smaller communities across the province.   Is that because the
homeless, hungry and stressed people in the smaller communities are not at
risk of health problems?  Is that because that the increased participation
in the sex trade of women on welfare is not a problem in smaller
communities?  Is that because the forced participation in workfare without
workplace safety and employment standards in Ontario for ALL welfare
recipients is a good thing in terms of health?

At first I thought that it was due to the fact that many 'health promotion'
groups were funded by the Harris government, but that is not the case, we
have many federally funded projects.

I can only conclude that in terms of health promotion that it is better to
have a larger group of people in deeper need because that way they can turn
to you for help and you can teach them about the food guide and how they
should quit smoking?  Or maybe people are hoping to participate in the
workfare programs in their communities?

Maybe some of the Ontario people can explain to me how the income policies
of this government are healthy public policy in terms of health,  the
welfare cuts, the housing polices and the welfare reform.

Thanks,

S
>
> > The "sound principles" that the Ontario conservatives plan
> > to continue (Vision first, details later in Tory game plan,
> > Oct. 20) are consistent with recent developments in
> > public health. That is, increasing economic inequality
> > through policies that transfer resources from the less
> > well-off to the wealthy is associated with decreasing social
> > cohesion and increased societal malaise.  This malaise can
> > take many forms including increased death and illness rates,
> > violence, and as is already evident in the case of
> > Metropolitan Toronto, greater use of food banks and shelters
> > for the homeless. In the end, all members of a society, both
> > the disadvantaged and the well-off, experience these effects
> > through a process of what social epidemiologists call "the
> > symptoms of disintegration." And, luckily for those opposed
> > to the destruction of our society, these symptoms are so
> > clear and pervasive that they can be readily attributed by
> > the public to the "sound policies" of the present
> > government.
Sherrie Tingley
Barrie Action Committee for Women
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