International plan to raise awareness of disaster reduction
An international conference has agreed plans to boost public awareness of how to mitigate the impacts of natural and man-made hazards. The United Nations Office for Disaster Reduction says that the conference decided on measures to pool resources among member nations in order to help raise awareness at global, national and local levels. The conference’s decision spurs the implementation of the Sendai Framework, adopted in March, which aims to reduce the number of people killed and effected by disasters. “Sendai speaks to everyone. Sendai is everyone’s business,” Ms. Margareta Wahlström, Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for Disaster Risk Reduction, told the conference.
Transgender man sues state over insurance ban
A Minnesota resident is suing the state for excluding gender reassignment surgery from its public insurance coverage. KSTP reports that 63-year old Evan Thomas has the support of LGBT advocacy group OutFront Minnesota and the American Civil Liberties Union in his claim that the state’s policy of providing counselling and hormone therapy is not enough. An article about Thomas’ case in Medical Daily notes that there are just 10 states and Washington DC which offer public health insurance coverage for gender reassignment surgery, however legislation awaiting debate in Congress could change the situation and there could also be a change to Medicare rules.
Intact donates $100,000 to help Syrian refugees
The Intact Foundation - governed by employees of Intact Financial Corporation, Intact Insurance, and belairdirect – has donated $100,000 to UNICEF Canada to help aid efforts for Syrian refugees. The funds will help support Syrian youth displaced overseas by the civil war in their country. There will be a further $75,000 donated to immigrant employment centres in Halifax, Montreal, Toronto, Edmonton and Vancouver to help support immigrant placement through mentorship programs. Intact Insurance and belairdirect will also work with the centres to provide employees the opportunity to mentor immigrants who have expressed an interest in finding employment in the insurance industry.
