4 million Canadians have a criminal record. Companies not hiring them are missing out, say advocates – CBC News [2024-01-31]

2024-06-142024-06-14 — Justice, Society — 2 min read

During her time in prison, Emily O’Brien came to the conclusion that it would be difficult to find a job after her release, so she developed an idea for starting her own business.

Now as chief executive of her company, Comeback Snacks, O’Brien makes a point of hiring people with criminal records.

That makes her something of an exception in Canadian business.

A new report being released Wednesday says many Canadian companies remain unwilling to hire people with criminal records, even when they have the skills or experience needed for the job.

“When I was in prison, I met people in there with so much talent,” O’Brien said in an interview with CBC News. “I really think that businesses are missing out.”

The report is based on interviews of 400 hiring managers at Canadian companies, conducted on behalf of the John Howard Society of Ontario, a non-profit agency that advocates for humane responses to crime and its causes.

More than half of those interviewed said their businesses run criminal record checks on job candidates, and roughly four in 10 of those said they automatically reject anyone with a record, regardless of the specifics.

“It didn’t matter whether the record was old, what type of offence it was, whether it was relevant to the position,” said Safiyah Husein, senior policy analyst for the John Howard Society of Ontario.

Read more here:

CBC News
January 31, 2024

Officer training, mental health support among proposed recommendations in Yatim inquest – CBC News [2024-01-30]

2024-06-142024-06-14 — Justice, Mental Health, Police — 2 min read

Jurors at an inquest into the death of a teen shot by a Toronto police officer more than a decade ago were asked Tuesday to consider dozens of recommendations related to officer training and monitoring, peer intervention and mental health supports in an effort to prevent future deaths.

As closing submissions began in the inquest into the death of Sammy Yatim, coroner’s counsel presented a list of more than 50 recommendations jointly proposed by the parties, which include Yatim’s family members, the Toronto Police Services Board, and some police officers involved in the incident.

Jurors can review the proposal as they deliberate and compile their list of recommendations.

One proposed recommendation calls for making peer intervention training, which already exists within the force, a mandatory component of officers’ annual re-qualification process. The training should emphasize that officers who intervene will not face repercussions and those who don’t could be accused of misconduct, it said.

Another seeks a review of the database system used to monitor use-of-force incidents and other occurrences, which is meant to provide alerts after a certain number of incidents to allow early intervention.

“What we have learned throughout this inquest is that at the time of Sammy’s death, the systems in place at the Toronto Police Service that were designed to oversee and monitor police officers … were insufficient in assisting the officers to be able to work through the situation with Sammy and to defuse it without the loss of life,” said Asha James, who represents Yatim’s mother.

Read more here:

CBC News
January 30, 2024

Aging inmates seek compensation for abuse in Canadian prisons – CBC News [2024-01-30]

2024-06-142024-06-14 — Corrections — 1 min read

They couldn’t escape the law; now time has caught up with them as well.

A group of federal prison inmates aged 50 and older have been given the green light to proceed with a class-action lawsuit claiming their advanced years have made them targets for assault, intimidation and bullying.

Earlier this month, a federal court judge certified the proceeding — which includes allegations older inmates have been denied access to health services they need to cope with age-related indignities ranging from lost dentures to incontinence.

Justice Simon Fothergill gave the go-ahead for a class-action lawsuit claiming systemic negligence after hearing from inmates serving time for sexual assault and murder; he also heard evidence from Canada’s former correctional investigator.

In 2011, Howard Sapers — who served as prison system watchdog from 2004 to 2016 — warned of the problems involving the growing number of people aging behind bars.

“The older offender is often a neglected, but significant and growing, segment of the offender population,” Sapers wrote in an annual report.

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CBC News
January 30, 2024

Prisoners in the U.S. are part of a hidden workforce linked to hundreds of popular food brands – CTV News [2024-01-29]

2024-06-142024-06-14 — Corrections — 2 min read

A hidden path to America’s dinner tables begins here, at an unlikely source – a former Southern slave plantation that is now the country’s largest maximum-security prison.

Unmarked trucks packed with prison-raised cattle roll out of the Louisiana State Penitentiary, where men are sentenced to hard labour and forced to work, for pennies an hour or sometimes nothing at all. After rumbling down a country road to an auction house, the cows are bought by a local rancher and then followed by The Associated Press another 600 miles to a Texas slaughterhouse that feeds into the supply chains of giants like McDonald’s, Walmart and Cargill.

Intricate, invisible webs, just like this one, link some of the world’s largest food companies and most popular brands to jobs performed by U.S. prisoners nationwide, according to a sweeping two-year AP investigation into prison labour that tied hundreds of millions of dollars’ worth of agricultural products to goods sold on the open market.

They are among America’s most vulnerable labourers. If they refuse to work, some can jeopardize their chances of parole or face punishment like being sent to solitary confinement. They also are often excluded from protections guaranteed to almost all other full-time workers, even when they are seriously injured or killed on the job.

The goods these prisoners produce wind up in the supply chains of a dizzying array of products found in most American kitchens, from Frosted Flakes cereal and Ball Park hot dogs to Gold Medal flour, Coca-Cola and Riceland rice. They are on the shelves of virtually every supermarket in the country, including Kroger, Target, Aldi and Whole Foods. And some goods are exported, including to countries that have had products blocked from entering the U.S. for using forced or prison labour.

Many of the companies buying directly from prisons are violating their own policies against the use of such labour. But it’s completely legal, dating back largely to the need for labour to help rebuild the South’s shattered economy after the Civil War. Enshrined in the Constitution by the 13th Amendment, slavery and involuntary servitude are banned – except as punishment for a crime.

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CTV News
January 29, 2024

Schizophrenia and Its Many Consequences – Psychology Today [2024-01-27]

2024-06-142024-06-14 — Mental Health — 2 min read

Schizophrenia has been called “the worst disease affecting mankind” (1). It is a complex neuropsychiatric disorder, with multiple clinical features. These include cognitive impairment and deficits, mood symptoms, and psychiatric symptoms (hallucinations and delusions). It is also arguably the diagnosis that carries the greatest degree of stigma.

For many years, schizophrenia was untreatable, until the discovery of antipsychotic medications in the 1950s. These first-generation antipsychotic medications offered hope, but many people were left with either a lack of efficacy or intolerable side effects. Today, thanks to the newer second-generation antipsychotic medications, and clozapine for treatment-resistance, the odds for recovery from schizophrenia are possible for many.

The absence of insight is one of the most serious symptoms that prevents an individual with schizophrenia from receiving treatment. A lack of insight is called anosognosia. It is common in schizophrenia and other serious mental illness. It is more than denial, it is a firm and false belief that the affected individual is not sick and does not need medical treatment. Many people with schizophrenia develop delusions and believe things a mentally healthy person would find absurd. In the movie, A Beautiful Mind, while struggling with schizophrenia, Nobel Prize-winning mathematician John Nash believes that a microchip has been inserted in his body by the FBI because he is on a special mission.

Read more here:

Psychology Today
January 27, 2024

Homeless data for London, Ont. and the bleak picture it continues to paint – Global News [2024-01-26]

2024-06-142024-06-14 — Housing, Poverty — 1 min read

At any given time in London, Ont., there are roughly 1,700 to 2,100 people confirmed to be experiencing homelessness. Of those, about 600 are considered “high acuity,” meaning they require a high level of supports.

Meanwhile, the number of encampments in the city nearly tripled between June and November 2023. And while over 400 households have been placed in housing where rent is geared to income, the waitlist is still nearly 7,000.

A report heading to city council’s community and protective services committee next week provides a snapshot of data on homelessness in London and also spells out what information is not available.

Much of the data comes from the city’s By-Name List, a list of everyone connecting with homelessness services in the community who consents to have a file built with their name, homeless history, health and housing needs.

Read more here:

Global News
January 26, 2024

First Nations leaders say mental health crisis worsening at emergency meeting – Global News [2024-01-24]

2024-06-142024-06-14 — Indigenous, Mental Health — 1 min read

First Nations leaders held an emergency meeting in Ottawa on Wednesday to discuss a mental health crisis they warn could get even worse without government help.

Nishnawbe Aski Nation says there has been an alarming spate of suicides and suicide attempts in the northern Ontario First Nations it represents.

That includes the suicides of a 12-year-old from Sachigo Lake First Nation and a 20-year-old in Deer Lake First Nation earlier this month.

And in Kitchenuhmaykoosib Inninuwug First Nation, nine people have died between December and January.

The group is also raising concerns about the recent unexplained deaths of 14-year-old Mackenzie (Nathan) Moonias and 21-year-old Jenna Ostberg in Thunder Bay, and how their deaths are being investigated.

“Our communities are under so much pressure with these multiple tragic events,” the group’s Grand Chief Alvin Fiddler said in an interview.

Read more here:

Global News
January 24, 2024

In Canada’s capital, an opioid epidemic and housing crisis collide – Global News [2024-01-20]

2024-06-142024-06-14 — Housing, Substance Use — 1 min read

On a cool Thursday afternoon in Ottawa, veteran police officer Sgt. Avery Flanagan approaches a man hunched over in a downtown parking lot. He has crushed opioids in one hand and a needle in the other.

Flanagan tells the man, who appears to be in his 20s, he can’t use drugs on private property.

“Have you ever overdosed on fentanyl?” asks the officer.

“Twice or three times,” he responds. “You hit the floor, you wake up, you don’t even know that you’ve overdosed.”

“Pretty scary feeling?” asks Flanagan.

“Yeah, pretty scary,” he answers.

Similar encounters unfolded throughout the day as Global News accompanied the officer during a patrol last November of the city’s downtown, an area where the opioid epidemic and housing crisis are colliding and having deadly consequences.

Read more here:

Global News
January 20, 2024

Number of dementia patients in Ontario has risen 48% since 2010, new data released by OMA shows – CBC News [2024-01-18]

2024-06-142024-06-14 — Mental Health — 2 min read

New data shows that the number of people with dementia is rapidly growing in Ontario and doctors are urging the province to invest in home care now to meet their needs.

There has been a 48 per cent increase in the number of patients with dementia in Ontario since 2010, according to a new analysis of Ontario Health Insurance Plan (OHIP) billing released by the Ontario Medical Association (OMA) on Thursday. The OMA represents more than 43,000 doctors.

Dr. Andrew Park, president of the OMA, said resources need to be put in place to better support the province’s aging population and people with dementia.

“With an already strained health care system and fewer than 300 dementia care specialists across Canada, we are not prepared to meet their needs,” Park said at a virtual news conference.

“This is an issue that needs urgent attention from all levels of government so people can get the care they deserve and our health care system can withstand rising pressures.”

Park said dementia is a blanket term for a number of diseases that impact memory and cognitive ability and that interfere with the person’s ability to perform daily activities. Alzheimer’s disease, the most common form of dementia, represents 60 to 70 per cent of cases.

He said dementia is the seventh leading cause of death around the world and a major cause of disability and dependency among older adults. He said dependency impacts the individuals who have dementia and their caregivers, family and communities.

Read more here:

CBC News
January 18, 2024

Council urged to support permanent funding for public washrooms downtown – CTV News [2024-01-18]

2024-06-142024-06-14 — Housing, Poverty, Society — 1 min read

Coun. Skylar Franke said a movement towards ‘needs-based budgeting’ at city hall must include support for basic human needs like public washrooms.

“A lot of places require that you purchase something like a coffee or a bagel to use their washrooms and that’s not feasible for everyone,” Franke explained. “I know a lot of families, a lot of moms, that are out there with their kids who need to go and use [a washroom] really quickly.”

A business case in the upcoming 2024-2027 municipal budget seeks permanent funding to operate the public washrooms on Dundas Place and in the Victoria Park bandshell for 12 hours each day.

The additional $350,000 per year would fund security, cleaning, washroom supplies, and maintenance/repairs.

The business case warns that without the financial increase, current base funding will only keep the public washrooms open 5 hours each day and during special events.

The alternatives to public washrooms are limited for 28-year-old Corey, who has struggled with homelessness for years, “Pretty much you have to pay for [food at a restaurant] to use the washroom, or go behind some dumpster.”

Read more here:

CTV News
January 18, 2024

Police budget increases may not reduce crime rates in Canadian cities, research indicates – CBC News [2024-01-18]

2024-06-142024-06-14 — Police — 2 min read

Increasing police budgets doesn’t necessarily reduce crime rates in Canada, according to a study led by a University of Toronto team.

The research found “no consistent associations” between police funding and crime rates across 20 large municipalities, including Hamilton, Vancouver, Toronto, Winnipeg and Montreal.

“Our results point to this more complicated relationship [between police and crime rates] and other factors at play,” lead author Mélanie Seabrook told CBC Hamilton on Wednesday.

The study, published in the peer-reviewed academic journal Canadian Public Policy in December, notes there has been little research examining police funding. The researchers say this is the first study of its kind in Canada.

The findings come at a time when police services in many municipalities are working to get increases in their budgets, which have consistently grown over the years.

Christopher Schneider is a sociology professor at Manitoba’s Brandon University who researches policing and technology and wasn’t part of the U of T study. He said the research “has the potential to be groundbreaking” and hopes it will spur public conversations about how to make communities safer.

Seabrook said the key takeaway for decision-makers and the public is to take community needs and priorities more into consideration when setting budgets.

Read more here:

CBC News
January 18, 2024

Listening to music appears to prevent depression- and anxiety-like behaviors in mice, study finds – PsyPost [2024-01-16]

2024-06-142024-06-14 — Mental Health, Music — 2 min read

A recent study in China exposed mice to unpredictable stress during the day and played music to them at night. The results indicated that listening to music completely prevented the development of anxiety- and depression-like behaviors in these mice. Biochemical parameters examined further supported these findings. The paper was published in Translational Psychiatry.

Depression and anxiety are two distinct yet often interrelated mental health conditions. Depression typically manifests as persistent feelings of sadness, hopelessness, and a lack of interest or pleasure in activities. It is frequently accompanied by physical symptoms such as changes in sleep and appetite. Anxiety, on the other hand, is characterized by excessive worry, nervousness, and fear, often leading to physical symptoms like an increased heart rate, sweating, and restlessness. While depression mainly affects one’s mood and outlook on life, anxiety is largely a response to stress and perceived threats.

Both of these conditions can significantly impair an individual’s daily functioning and quality of life. There has been a strong increase in their incidence worldwide in the past several decades. Researchers have been attributing this to increased social pressure and an accelerated pace of life, but the exact cause-and-effect mechanisms through which these conditions develop remain unknown.

Read more here:

PsyPost
January 16, 2024

How a steady place to live helped this Londoner find sobriety and meaningful work – CBC News [2024-01-16]

2024-06-142024-06-14 — Housing, Mental Health, Substance Use — 2 min read

For a decade, Korrine MacCormick didn’t have a steady place to live.

She couch surfed, spent time in jail, and bounced between homeless shelters and living on the streets of London and Stratford. She was using drugs and getting into trouble, watching some people she loved die from overdoses.

But 2024 is shaping up to be different. Last month she celebrated a year of living in her own apartment. Tomorrow she will celebrate seven months of sobriety.

“My children’s father died of a fentanyl overdose on June 12, and on June 17 I walked away from the drug scene,” MacCormick said, fresh off a 12-hour shift at an overnight shelter in London, where she now works.

“I decided it was time to get sober for my kids. They deserve a mom, and my grandson deserves a nana, and my mom deserves a daughter.”

MacCormick credits her success to a worker with the Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA) who never gave up on her, along with getting affordable, safe housing provided by Indwell, which also provides support services for residents. It’s a model that many in London and beyond have championed — first, getting someone a safe, affordable place to live, then helping them work on mental and physical health issues.

Read more here:

CBC News
January 16, 2024

Peel Region considers fines for those who misuse 911 – CBC News [2024-01-12]

2024-06-142024-06-14 — Police — 1 min read

People misusing 911 could soon face fines in Brampton, Mississauga, and Caledon, after the Peel Region council voted this week to explore whether fines or other penalties can be issued.

Brampton Mayor Patrick Brown introduced the motion, citing Peel police data on emergency calls categorized as non-legitimate, inappropriate, or misuse.

Peel police received approximately 1,800 calls every day in 2023, out of which 720, or more than 40 per cent, were deemed non-legitimate, inappropriate or misuse.

In the last two months alone, Peel police reportedly received over 100,000 calls, of which it said 50 per cent were misuse.

“It has reached a breaking point,” Brown said.

The rise in negligent calls comes as police are dealing with a 27 per cent increase in calls, which police are calling the highest year over year call volume increase to date.

Read more here:

CBC News
January 12, 2024

He slept on night buses and in a storage locker to avoid homeless shelters – CBC News [2024-01-04]

2024-06-142024-06-14 — Housing, Poverty, Society — 1 min read

Three days before Christmas, John Grant Yusak was evicted from the closest thing he’d had to a home in months.

It was a storage locker.

At six feet tall, he could barely squeeze into the space. He piled up his bins, laid an air mattress on top and wrapped himself up in a sleeping bag. He called it “reasonably comfortable.”

“I was at the storage locker for about a month before I got discovered,” he said. “Somewhere I slipped up, but I tried very hard to be inconspicuous … it was just get in there, crash, get up.”

It was the end of a six-month journey that took Yusak from his truck to an airport waiting room to an all-night bus circuit, as he tried every option he could find to avoid ending up at a homeless shelter after a previous bad experience.

City staff estimate about 218 people are living unsheltered in Ottawa.

That number includes people staying in informal arrangements like cars when staff come across them, but the city doesn’t keep a specific count of how many fall into that category.

Read more here:

CBC News
January 4, 2024

How does Ontario enforce its accessibility legislation? It doesn’t, advocates say – CBC News [2024-01-04]

2024-06-142024-06-14 — Society — 2 min read

In her years of advocating for people with disabilities, Alex Wilding says complaints to the province about organizations failing to comply with its accessibility law have gone nowhere.

The Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA) was meant to remove barriers for those with disabilities to ensure their full participation in society. But the Peterborough community advocate says there’s no clear guidance on what recourse citizens have when organizations don’t comply.

“It looks nice on paper. It looks impressive … They can fine an individual $50,000 a day, and if they’re a corporation, $100,000 a day for violation of the act… And then you think, OK, how do I start this mechanism?” she said.

“There isn’t one,” said Wilding, adding phone calls and emails have only led to employees reciting building codes and laws.

Wilding, who has disabilities including depression and obsessive compulsive disorder, is one of many advocates who say a lack of action from the province — from the absence of a complaint system to meaningful enforcement — underpins the AODA’s failure. Reviewers appointed by the province have repeatedly pointed to such problems, saying they jeopardize the goal of an accessible Ontario by 2025.

The Ministry of Seniors and Accessibility told CBC Toronto Minister Raymond Cho was unavailable for the interview on this series. In a statement, the ministry said it uses a “modern regulator approach” that ensures organizations understand how to meet their legal obligations under the AODA, which has led to a number of audits and enforcement actions against non-compliant businesses.

Read more here:

CBC News
January 4, 2024

Stigma of criminal record ‘is massive,’ say advocates who want to reform pardon process – CBC News [2024-01-02]

2024-06-142024-06-14 — Justice, Society — 1 min read

When Steven Deveau describes his frustration with the process to suspend a criminal record, he keeps coming back to two women.

The women were hoping to attend a nursing program. But because of their records from past convictions — and small unpaid fines related to those convictions — they were barred from applying.

They came to Deveau seeking help with a record suspension. He’s a case manager with Pardon Me, a free service based in Dartmouth, N.S., that began offering peer support for people going through the record suspension process last year.

But Deveau had to tell them they weren’t eligible.

“When we have these barriers, then we’re really keeping people out of the workforce, and where they got that momentum going with changing their lives, it’s very discouraging.”

In Canada, the record suspension process is lengthy and complicated, and many Canadians continue to encounter barriers to work, school and housing. While changes have been made to streamline the process, advocates say there’s more work that needs to be done.

“Let’s stop giving people life sentences,” said Deveau. “Because that’s what we’re doing, right? We’re giving people life sentences in the community.”

Read more here:

CBC News
January 2, 2024

Quebec City looks to Finland’s successful approach to ending homelessness – Global News [2023-12-31]

2024-06-142024-06-14 — Housing, Poverty, Society — 2 min read

As Quebec faces a worsening homelessness crisis, some politicians, including Quebec City Mayor Bruno Marchand, have suggested the solution may be a Finnish model that aims to give everyone a home.

But while Finland has managed to massively reduce the number of people experiencing homelessness through its “housing first” approach, one Quebec expert said she’s not sure it could be applied here, even if the provincial government was interested.

“It’s the right way to fight the problem of homelessness,” Helsinki Mayor Juhana Vartiainen said of his country’s approach in a recent interview.

The Finnish model is simple, he said: give people quality, permanent housing before attempting to address other issues — such as alcohol and drug use, or mental health problems — or helping people find jobs

“That’s really the fundamental idea of our policy, if we give people a home, there will be very positive side-effects,” Vartiainen said.

Giving people an apartment leads to improved health, less drug and alcohol use, he said, and increases the chance that people will find jobs. Once someone is given a home, he said, there are teams that ensure they receive the care and support required.

Read more here:

Global News
December 31, 2023

Connection between light levels and mental health — climate change could also have an impact in the future – Science Daily [2023-12-21]

2024-06-14 — Mental Health — 1 min read

In Finland, there is a clear increase in the number of sick days taken due to depression, anxiety and sleep disorders in October and November, whereas the number of absences is lower than expected between June and September. In late autumn, the number of sick days taken is almost twice as high as in the summer and about a quarter higher than in early autumn. On the other hand, manic episodes related to bipolar disorder occur more frequently than expected during the spring and summer, when there are more daylight hours, and less frequently than expected during darker times of year.

The results can be found in a study funded by the Research Council of Finland. The study was conducted as a part of the Climate Change and Health research programme. The aim of the study was to investigate the connection between changing light levels and mental health. It is expected that due to climate change, winters in Finland will become darker while summers will become brighter.

Read more here:

Science Daily
December 21, 2023

Expert says number of police shootings in Canada ‘spectacularly unrelenting’ – CTV News [2023-12-30]

2024-06-142024-06-14 — Justice, Police, Society — 2 min read

The family of a woman shot by an officer in Edmonton during a wellness check says her death was unnecessary, as the number of police shootings across Canada show little sign of relenting over the past four years.

“I see my daughter’s death as being a result of a complete mishandling of the tools available to law enforcement in the application of dealing with mental health issues,” the family of the woman, who has not been publicly identified, says in a statement from their lawyer, Tom Engel.

Edmonton police have said officers were called for a welfare check earlier this month. There were risks the woman may harm herself, so police say officers entered the apartment, there was a confrontation and the woman was shot.

Family says that had the police approach been gradual and gentle, she would have understood the nature of the visit and would still be alive.

A tally compiled by The Canadian Press found police shot at 85 people in Canada between Jan. 1 and Dec. 15 — 41 fatally. It was based on available information from police, independent investigative units and reporting from The Canadian Press.

“This is a spectacularly unrelenting phenomenon,” says Temitope Oriola, a professor of criminology at the University of Alberta and president of the Canadian Sociological Association.

This year, the number of police shootings has nearly matched the total from 2022, when 94 people were shot at, 50 fatally. It remains a significant increase from four years ago, when there were 61 shootings, 38 of which were fatal.

The resulting snapshot shows more officers firing their guns since 2020, when the high-profile murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis spurred global movements urging police accountability and transparency.Criminologists say officers need more training and restraint, while the RCMP union says police have been forced to the front lines of Canada’s mental health crisis and face increasingly dangerous situations.

Read more here:

CTV News
December 30, 2023

Trigger warnings do not work, according to recent meta-analysis – PsyPost [2023-12-28]

2024-06-142024-06-14 — Mental Health, Society — 2 min read

Trigger warnings are statements designed to forewarn viewers about potentially distressing content. A recent meta-analysis of 12 studies concluded trigger warnings have no effect on emotional responding to negative material or educational outcomes. This research was published in Clinical Psychological Science.

While some advocate for trigger warnings as a way to emotionally prepare or shield individuals from unwanted content, critics argue they might exacerbate negative reactions or promote avoidance behaviors. The debate has led to empirical studies examining the impact of trigger warnings on emotional reactions, material avoidance, anticipatory emotions, and educational outcomes.

Originally appearing in early internet feminist forums to flag content about trauma, the use of trigger warnings has expanded to various contexts including university classrooms and media, with a broadened scope of experiences warranting warnings. Most studies suggest that trigger warnings have minimal impact on emotional response or material comprehension, with some indication of increased anticipatory anxiety.

Victoria Bridgland and colleagues conducted a meta-analysis to examine the efficacy of trigger warning. To be included in the meta-analysis, research had to include the provision of a warning to participants, measurement of psychological or behavioral responses, and a warning intended to alert participants about content that might trigger memories or emotions related to past experiences.

PsyPost
December 28, 2023

High levels of carbon monoxide, mould found in homes on Ontario reserves: study – CTV News [2023-12-28]

2024-06-142024-06-14 — Housing, Indigenous — 2 min read

A study has found air inside homes on four remote First Nations in northwestern Ontario contained carbon monoxide, fine particles, mould and other substances that increase the risk of respiratory infections.

The report’s author, David Miller, a distinguished research professor at Carleton University, says there are ways to improve ventilation.

“This is an opportunity not a black hole,” said Miller.

The study published last month tested the air in 101 homes on Lac Seul First Nation, Kasabonika Lake First Nation, Sandy Lake First Nation and Kitchenuhmaykoosib Inninuwug First Nation. Three of the communities aren’t accessible by road except during a short time in winter.

About 27 per cent of the homes had elevated levels of carbon monoxide. Almost half had visible mould.

“Ten per cent of the houses have enough mould damage that they should be fixed today, not tomorrow,” Miller said.

He said researchers also found endotoxin levels higher than in any previous study in Canada. Levels of the bacterial compound were 1,000 times higher than Miller said he has ever seen. When concentrations of endotoxins are high, they can affect lung function and cause a greater response to allergens, particularly in children.

Endotoxins can come from things like pets, humidifiers, firewood stored indoors and cigarette smoke. They are also more likely in rural areas rather than cities.

Read more here:

CTV News
December 28, 2023

Niagara police officer asks trans woman for ‘deadname’ while questioning her filming at bus terminal – CBC News [2023-12-23]

2024-06-142024-06-14 — 2SLGBTQ+, Police — 2 min read

Niagara Regional Police Service (NRPS) says it is reviewing an incident from Dec. 17, after an officer asked a transgender woman for her “deadname.”

It comes after the woman, Sabrina Hill, posted a video of the incident on social media.

Hill, a prominent local LGBTQ activist and licensed paralegal, told CBC Hamilton she posted the video “to highlight the very real experiences a lot of trans, queer and non-binary people experience when being policed here in the Niagara Region.”

“This isn’t my first experience … and it’s not getting better,” the 44-year-old said, referring to negative interactions with police.

“By me putting a bit of exposure on this, hopefully it’ll compel action. I’m a firm believer that sunshine is the greatest disinfectant.”

A deadname is the name a person used, often their birth name, before their transition.

For trans people, using their deadname can be “extremely triggering,” says Colleen Elizabeth McTeague, a trans woman and facilitator for the peer support group Transgender Niagara.

A 2018 study published in the U.S.-based peer-reviewed Journal of Adolescent Health found using someone’s chosen name reduced mental health risks among transgender youth.

McTeague and Laura Ip, the chair of Niagara Region’s diversity, equity, and inclusion advisory committee, told CBC Hamilton the incident is concerning and they want the police service to take action.

Read more here:

CBC News
December 23, 2023