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This, in turn, increases the demands and costs of health care -- including nursing homes and Canada is the only developed country without a national housing strategy even though Health Canada identifies housing as a determinant of good health and healthy aging. Like Health Canada, social scientists here and in the UK warn that the lack of affordable housing destroys essential quality of life. Governments must take compre- hensive action now to address the current crisis in affordable housing. If they do not, the coming "age quake" -- that is, the unprecedent- ed aging of society __ could plunge the crisis into catastrophe! According to CMHC, the reality is an estimated shortfall of about 12,000-l5,000 new rental units annually over the next 20 years in Ontario alone. Other estimates pre- dict a shortfall of up to 20,000 new rental units annually across the country. Already the vacancy rates in part of the country are in crisis - in many areas the rate is less than one per cent and as low as 0.2 per cent. This is not acceptable. As Elsie Rossi knows. "there is no way the remainder can cover other expens- es." Although she has already been on the waiting list for subsidized housing for tour years, she has another three years to wait __ and to stretch her dollars. According to Statistics Canada, 50 per cent of all single seniors are renters, and of these. 39 per cent are older women living on annual incomes of 512.500. "All Canadians have the right to decent housing, in decent sur- roundings. at affordable prices-" stated Paul Martin in 1991. A decade later. this is still not the case. In fact, a large number of Canadian seniors are paying 50 per cent of their income on rem -- some, like Elsie Rossi, are paying more than 80 per cent, And the housing is not always decent! Lack of affordable housing goes from crisis to catastrophe in the coming 'age quake' You said it QUESTION WHAT DO YOU WANT FOR CHRISTMAS? This is a hold initiative for wolf conservation in Ontario, since the majority of wolf deaths were due m high hunting and trapping pres- sures outside of the park. The minister is proposing a year- round moratorium on hunting and trapping wolves in all 39 townships surrounding Algonquin Provincial Ontario Minister of Natural Resources John Snobelen has fatally responded to the call of the wild, the decade of scientific research and the thousands of letters that flooded his omce in favour of stronger wolf pro- tection. Wolves need full protection It is essentiaCthat short-term action be balanced by long-term lgonquin Provincial Park may Agold the purest remaining opulation of red wolves in the world. and there may only be 150left. CARP (Canadian Association of Retired People) does applaud Ottawa for earmarking $680 million which will be matched collectively by the provincestterritories for affordable housing. We urge the provinces/territories and munici- palities to take up this challenge immediately indeed. when some govern- ments got out of the affordable rental housing business, they did not even leave effective incentive policies for private builders and developers, or non-profit agencies to fill the gap. Gavemnients must stop passing the buck when it comes to afford- abit rental housing. Although shelter is one of the basic human rights in the United Nations Human Rights Charter, there is no policy at any level of gov- ernment across the country that reflects this. other facilities for seniors. "Probably hair accessories. I have long hair, but I don't have a lot of acces- series." "l really have no idea. Probably the Truth or Dare lenga game. It looks like fun." Kirstin New” [HE CHRONIC“ COMMENT The public has until Dec.19 to submit comments on the govern- ment's proposal lo protect Algonquin Park wolves. Earthroots urges Ontarians to call for full pro- tection for this threatened species and provincial treasure. For more information on how to comment or about wolves, visit the Wolves Ontario! project website at wwwwolvesotttario.org/ Mellm Thchyk. Wolves Ontario! project Unfortunately, the moratorium is set to automatically expire after just 30 months. Thirty months is not long enough for the population to recover. Earthroots is asking the minister to change this moratorium into a permanent ban. Threatened species do not get a second chance. CARP is Canada's Association for the Fifty-Plus A non-profit organi- zation with 400,000 members across the country, CARP does not accept operating funding from govern- ments in order to maintain inde- pendence. The mandate is to express the concerns of mature Canadians. The mission is to present practical rec- ommendations for the issues raised. policies and programs. This was the theme of CARP's two round tables with academics. developers, builders, landlords, government representatives, tenant groups. non- profit associations and others. These participants directed us to the overwhelming number of studies already done - and to date ignored by governments. CARP‘s message to all govern- ments is: Take action now. The well being of current and future seniors is at critical risk. coordinator, Minion "Horsey stuff. I col- lect a lot of stuff, and I'm going to start horseback rid- ing in the spring." "Cross Country skis. I live near Laurel Creek, and my mom and I like to take the trail." My Cudet, Canadian Amtiation of Retired People Angela New Staph cybulski . Applying the Elections Act more broadly, so that it would require reporting by party riding associations. by candidates for a party nomination, and leadership contestants. Limiting report- ing to election campaigns only misses a great deal of the money that greases the wheels of politics. This recommendation is both wise and overdue. The chief electoral omcer's recommendations are wide ranging and, for the most part, well thought out. I would have liked to have seen something on lowering the voting age to 16 and perhaps modifying the current Ttmt past the post" method of choosing MPs, but this is a good start. Let's hope that the government picks up on some of the recommendations in time for the next election. . Raising the threshold for reporting contributions from $200 to $l '075. This is the single worst recommendation in the report. Kingsley indicates that Canadians deserve to know who is fund- ing political parties and candidates. then suggests that less rather than more information be made available. I'd even argue that there should be no threshold at all. meaning that the names of anyone making a contribution would have to be reported . Improving disclosure of financial contributions by outlawing contributions intended to hide the identity of the source of the contribution and by requiring candidates to reveal all the condi- tions of any loan (including its term, interest rate and the name of any guarantor). . Placing limits on contributions to parties, riding associa- tions, and candidates. it is currently possible to donate any amount of money, something that must be corrected. Even a per- caption that a candidate can be "bought" runs counter to the need to restore public confidence in politics and politicians. - Lowering the threshold for public reimbursement of cam- paign expenses from 15 per cent to five per cent. Reimburse- ment is a crucial means of ensuring that the political process is open to everyone. Fifteen per cent was a reasonable cutoff for reimbursement when there were only three parties in the House of Commons. Now that there are tive (or six), five per cent is a much more sensible threshold. . Making it easier to register as a candidate, by removing requirements for the lot) signatures of 100, for a witness to the nomination and for swearing of an oath - as well as allowing par- tyies to tile endorsements and pay a mndidates deposit directly. Most voters have no idea how much bureaucracy is involved in get- ting on a ballot. This proposal would cut some of that red tape. . Making it easier to register to vote, - by eliminating the requirement for a personally signed written certification SCOTT and allowing registration on-line where alternative reliable evidence is available. PIATKOWSKI in itself, this is a good idea, but it stops short of calling for what is really necessary: the return of door-to- door enumeration at the beginning of every election campaign. . Strengthening the option of declining one's ballot. Currently, declined ballots are not counted when vote totals are released. Canadians should have the option of registering a "none of the above" vote. Kingsley timed the release of his report -- entitled "Modernizing the Electoral Process" - to coincide with the first anniversary of Canada's 37th general election (which saw Prime Minister Chretien elected to a third term). "Canadian society is not frozen in time. The conditions of democracy must be con- stantly rethought. At the beginning of a new millennium. one already marked by profound changes and challenges, we must find new civic connections that will ensure greater public partic- ipation in collective choices. The time has come to strengthen Canadian democracy... Taken as a whole. the recommendations are designed to ensure greater equality among all the partici- pants in an electoral competition, to reinforce citizens' right to stand for office, to encourage electoral participation. to bolster the public's right to know with respect to electoral funding to guarantee the independence of political parties and to protect privacy. Overall, w , they seek to clarify certain rules, define h% l l, l l l l I the roles of certain participants and Ml IG, modernize electoral administration," _ says the introduction of the report. " There is much to admire in Kingsley's recommendations, but some may not sit well with voters or those involved in the political process. Here are some of the key proposals. along with my thoughts on those proposals: The topic of electoral reform isn't one that generally captures the imagination of the Canadian people. In fact, most peoples' eyes glaze over at the mere mention of the subject. Still, the recent recommendations from lean-Pierre Kingsley. Canada's chief electoral officer, merit far more public attention than they have received to date. Strengthening Canadian democracy