La responsabilité civile personnelle du fonctionnaire

Sommaire. Cette étude a pour but de comparer le régime de la responsabilité civile personnelle du fonctionnaire au Canada avec quelques systèmes étrangers et de formuler des recommandations de nature à assurer au fonctionnaire une plus grande sécurité juridique. L'auteur examine comment est engagée la responsabilité personnelle des fonctionnaires, ainsi que les objectifs et les obstacles à sa mise en euvre. II observe notamment, que les citoyens sont relativement démunis à l'égard des forces policiéres locales, à cause de l'absence d'une relation de préposition entre le policier et la municipalité. II note cependant, que généralement, dans le systéme canadien, ie fonctionnaire n'est jamais à l'abri de poursuites personnelles, alors qu'il peut avoir agit en dehors de ses fonctions. Abstract. The purpose of this study is to compare the personal liability of the civil servant in Canada with some foreign systems and to formulate recommendations that would insure better legal protection to the civil servant.     

Sleep disturbance in adolescents: Sleep quality,sleep habits,beliefs about sleep,and daytime functioning

This study examined the prevalence and correlates of sleep disturbance in adolescents. Two hundred seventy-seven 9th- and 10th-grade students completed a questionnaire on sleep quality, sleep habits, beliefs about sleep, and daytime mood and functioning. Based on their responses, subjects were classified as good sleepers (66%), occasional poor sleepers (23%), and chronic poor sleepers (11%). Occasional and chronic poor sleepers reported being significantly more depressed, without energy, tense, moody, and irritable and less rested and alert than good sleepers. They were also more likely to describe themselves negatively. However, poor sleepers were not consistently more tired than good sleepers. Rather, they tended to be least tired in the evening, the time when most good sleepers reported feeling tired. There were few differences in the sleep habits and beliefs about sleep of good and poor sleepers. All subjects reported shifts in bedtimes and waketimes from weekdays to weekends, with occasional and chronic poor sleepers showing a tendency toward greater shifts, a possible factor contributing to their sleep disturbance. Occasional and chronic poor sleepers also reported more observable behaviors and feelings of stress than good sleepers. The need for early intervention with particular attention to teaching adolescents about good sleep habits and the need for stable bedtimes and waketimes and the possibility of joint intervention on daytime stress and sleeping problems are discussed.     

Bien-êre social ou bien-être provincial: vers une refonte du programme de péréquation

Sommaire: Le présent système de financement de la fédération canadienne n'incite pas les provinces qui réçoivent des paiements de péréquation à réduire leur dépendance à l'égard du gouvernement fédéral. Par ailleurs, étant donné que sa politique de transferts aux provinces et aux personnes entérine implicitement des mesures provinciales qui détériorent leur capacité concurrentielle, le gouvernement fédéral se voit obligé d'augmenter ses paiements de transferts à celles-ci. Dans cet article, l'auteur illustre cette situation à l'aide d'une simulation de l'impact d'une hausse du PIB du Québec et des Maritimes sur les équilibres budgétaires de ces gouvernements et du gouvernement fédéral. La simulation permet de montrer l'asymétrie de réaction des budgets du gouvernement fédéral et des provinces face à une variation de l'activité. Face à cette situation, l'auteur propose une modification du régime de péréquation qui permettrait de réduire la dépendance provinciale à l'égard des transferts fédéraux. Il indique que ce mécanisme ne devrait pas dépendre de décisions politiques mais plutôt s'appuyer sur des critères économiques visant à favoriser une hausse de l'efficacitééconomique. Un tribunal indépendant devrait être chargé de faire l'application de ces principes. Abstract: Provinces that are eligible for equalization payments are not induced to reduce their dependence on federal transfer payments. Within the existing system, the central government implicitly approves provincial measures that can lessen regional economic growth and, as a consequence, increases its payments to these provinces. In this paper, this aspect is emphasized with a simulation exercise showing the budgetary impact at the provincial (Quebec and Maritimes) and federal level of an increase in economic activity. The author then proposes a modification of the existing equalization program that would encourage provinces to reduce their dependence on federal transfer payments. This new equalization payment scheme would not depend upon political decisions but would rather be enforced by an independent tribunal.     

The Institution of a Standardized Investigation Protocol for Sudden Infant Death in the Eastern Metropole,Cape Town,South Africa,,

The rate for the sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) in Cape Town, South Africa, is estimated to be among the highest in the world (3.41/1000 live births). In several of these areas, including those of extreme poverty, only sporadic, nonstandardized infant autopsy, and death scene investigation (DSI) occurred. In this report, we detail a feasibility project comprising 18 autopsied infants with sudden and unexpected death whose causes of death were adjudicated according to the 1991 NICHD definitions (SIDS, n = 7; known cause of death, n = 7; and unclassified, n = 4). We instituted a standardized autopsy and infant DSI through a collaborative effort of local forensic pathology officers and clinical providers. The high standard of forensic investigation met international standards, identified preventable disease, and allowed for incorporation of research. We conclude that an effective infant autopsy and DSI protocol can be established in areas with both high sudden unexpected infant death, and elsewhere. (SUID)/SIDS risk and infrastructure challenges.