Prison overdose prevention program expands to Ontario – Global News [2023-09-14]

— Posted inCorrections — 1 min read

While Canada battles an opioid epidemic, Correctional Service Canada is looking at how to address the same issue in its prisons.

Starting in the fall, it will launch an overdose prevention site at Collins Bay Correctional Facility in Kingston.

Originally started in 2019 at the Drumheller Institution in Alberta, the program will be the first of its kind in Ontario.

“The courts mandated the CSC to come up with a program to mitigate the spread of disease, and this is their measure to combat that,” says Chris Bucholtz, Ontario regional president of the Union of Canadian Correctional Officers.

“I know my members respond quite often to overdoses inside the walls.”

Read more here:

Global News
September 14, 2023

Agencies urge city for continued security at outreach spaces facing escalating violence – CBC News [2023-09-14]

— Posted inPoverty, Society — 1 min read

A number of agencies offering services to those experiencing homelessness in London, Ont., are urging city council to continue funding security at two key downtown outreach and resting spaces.

In July, council approved $200,000 out of a request for $374,000 to go toward security at both London Cares locations.

A report submitted to Tuesday’s Community and Protective Services Committee meeting includes letters from the London Health Sciences Centre, Thames Valley Addiction and Mental Health Services, Unity Project and other partners saying London Cares has since experienced a significant increase in violence toward staff members, and requires the remainder of the requested funds.

“This level of tension has created unsafe working conditions for staff,” reads the letter from Thames Valley. “And without the support of security, they will be forced to stop providing services.”

Read more here:

CBC News
September 14, 2023

Some Ontario church leaders say Christians discriminating against people who are LGBTQ get the Bible wrong – CBC News [2023-09-14]

— Posted in2SLGBTQ+, Society — 2 min read

It was a summer day in June when Father Jarek Pachocki was at Bishop Ryan Catholic Secondary School in Hamilton, watching a Pride flag raised into the sky.

The city’s Catholic school board trustees voted to start flying the flag in 2022 in support of students.

But not long after the ceremony, Pachocki, the co-pastor of the city’s St. Patrick Parish, says a school staff member confronted him.

“He basically told me I shouldn’t be here, the church shouldn’t be supporting LGBTQ people and he was quoting bible passages,” Pachocki said.

“My answer to him was, ‘I’m here for the students’ … I don’t think he heard what I said … he made up his mind and that’s quite often what happens.”

Religious leaders in Ontario say conversations about LGBTQ people are becoming more common among Christians — but it’s not all bad.

In fact, Pachocki and Rev. Karen Orlandi with the Silver Spire United Church in St. Catharines, Ont., say they’re seeing more LGBTQ acceptance among churchgoers.

“They’re not close-minded and when they focus on the human [aspect], it makes a difference,” Pachocki said. “The church is having a listening attitude … we’re going in the right direction.”

Read more here:

CBC News
September 14, 2023

If Trudeau wants to fix housing, London is a good place to start – CBC News [2023-09-14]

— Posted inHousing — 1 min read

If you wanted to solve Canada’s housing problem, the city of London, Ont. — where Liberal MPs are meeting this week ahead of Parliament’s fall sitting — would be a good place to start.

“The challenges facing London are indicative of some of the challenges that we experience in cities across this country,” Housing Minister Sean Fraser said on Wednesday, standing in front of a construction site to announce the first investment from the federal government’s housing accelerator fund.

In his own remarks, London Mayor Josh Morgan said was good for the Liberal caucus to see “an example of both the opportunities and the challenges that a city like London showcases [and] is replicated in many cities across this country.”

The federal funding touted on Wednesday amounts to $74 million in exchange for the city’s agreement to pursue a series of measures, including a change to local zoning rules that should make it easier to build more rental units. According to federal and municipal officials, the joint action will create 2,000 housing units over the next three years and help build “thousands” more in the years after.

Read more here:

CBC News
September 14, 2023

‘I almost died in there’: Former inmates of London, Ont. detention centre speak out – CTV News [2023-09-13]

— Posted inCorrections — 1 min read

A court review of a $33 million class action settlement for former inmates of the Elgin-Middlesex Detention Centre (EMDC) and their families was held in London, Ont. on Wednesday.

During his address to the court, Michael Peerless described the EMDC as overcrowded, unsanitary, and fraught with violence. Outside the court, he described conditions as, “Not just unpleasant but negligent and breached the rights of people who are incarcerated there.”

Peerless is a class action lawyer with London firm McKenzie Lake.

The settlement, which has been 12 years in the making, is for two separate class action law suits covering a period from January 2010 to November 2021.

Read more here:

CTV News
September 13, 2023

Trudeau announces $74M to help London, Ont., build 2,000 new homes – CBC News [2023-09-13]

— Posted inHousing — 1 min read

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced that London, Ont., is the first city in Canada to reach a deal with his government under the Housing Accelerator Fund.

He says the deal will create 2,000 new homes in the city over three years.

“This landmark agreement with London will be the first of many, and we look forward to working with all orders of government to help everyone find a place to call their own,” Trudeau said in a statement.

London Mayor Josh Morgan said he wants the city’s agreement to set an example for the rest of the country when it comes to building housing units.

“This is the most significant housing and housing-related infrastructure investment in London’s history,” said Morgan, thanking his staff and council for their work on the deal.

Morgan added that on top of the 2,000 homes the fund will help build over the coming three years, it will also help facilitate the construction of thousands of additional housing units “in the years to come.”

Read more here:

CBC News
September 13, 2023

Healthy lifestyle can help prevent depression – and new research may explain why – Science Daily [2023-09-11]

— Posted inMental Health — 1 min read

A healthy lifestyle that involves moderate alcohol consumption, a healthy diet, regular physical activity, healthy sleep and frequent social connection, while avoiding smoking and too much sedentary behaviour, reduces the risk of depression, new research has found.

In research published today in Nature Mental Health, an international team of researchers, including from the University of Cambridge and Fudan University, looked at a combination of factors including lifestyle factors, genetics, brain structure and our immune and metabolic systems to identify the underlying mechanisms that might explain this link.

According to the World Health Organization, around one in 20 adults experiences depression, and the condition poses a significant burden on public health worldwide. The factors that influence the onset of depression are complicated and include a mixture of biological and lifestyle factors.

Read more here:

Science Daily
September 13, 2023

Staggering mental health, addiction stats push northern First Nations to call for emergency declaration – CBC News [2023-09-13]

— Posted inIndigenous, Mental Health, Substance Use — 1 min read

Chiefs of First Nations in northern Ontario are calling for a public emergency and social crisis to be declared, emphasizing the disproportionate mental health and addictions issues facing their communities compared to the rest of the province.

The Sioux Lookout First Nations Health Authority’s (SLFNHA) held its two-day annual general meeting last week. It serves 33 First Nations — 28 of them are considered remote as they have no highway access.

Those who attended the meeting in Thunder Bay heard jarring preliminary figures from a report on mental health and substance use that’s underway in the communities. The figures show band members are hospitalized for mental health and addictions issues at six times the provincial rate.

From 2011 to 2021, emergency department visits for intentional self-injury nearly doubled and ambulatory visits in the communities tripled.

Read more here:

CBC News
September 13, 2023

An overdose prevention site for inmates is coming to this Ontario prison – CBC News [2023-09-12]

— Posted inCorrections, Substance Use — 1 min read

Work is underway to set up a site where inmates can use drugs under medical supervision at a prison in Kingston, Ont.

The overdose prevention service (OPS) at the Collins Bay Institution will be the third of its kind in Canada and the first in Ontario.

The goal is to save lives, limit needle-sharing and prevent the spread of infectious diseases, according to Correctional Service Canada (CSC).

Drugs consumed at the location will be self-supplied, meaning substances that are smuggled in.

It’s an approach that’s supported by harm reduction advocates and the Union of Canadian Correctional Officers (UCCO), but also presents prison staff with the question of whether they’re condoning illicit drug use behind bars.

“It’s almost a moral dilemma for us,” said Chris Bucholtz, UCCO’s Ontario regional president.

Read more here:

CBC News
September 12, 2023

Disability and the prison system – Briarpatch [2023-09-07]

— Posted inCorrections — 2 min read

There’s a saying among prisoners: if you don’t have a disability going into prison, you’re probably leaving with one.

Disability justice and prisoner justice advocates often call prisons the new asylums. Canada has long history of institutionalizing disabled people in asylums, institutions for the deaf or blind, and psychiatric facilities. In these institutions, people were subjected to severe abuse and neglect. While asylums no longer exist in the form they once did, Canada continues to warehouse disabled people today in long-term care homes, group homes, psychiatric facilities, and prisons – which further disable people.

Prisons often remove prisoners’ assistive devices and medications – or use them as a reason to put an individual in solitary confinement. Kitten Keyes, an Indigenous and disabled prisoner, was made to sleep on the floor of her cell because it wasn’t wheelchair accessible, and she could not transfer herself to the bunk. She was unable to manoeuvre to the toilet without grab bars and was forced to defecate onherself when no one would help her. Gregory Allen was allowed his wheelchair, but at the expense of being placed in solitary confinement for 412 days, well beyond the 15-consecutive-day limit the United Nations uses to distinguish segregation from torture.

The fear of being put into extended segregation keeps prisoners from disclosing mental health issues; I myself didn’t disclose any of my psychiatric history, having heard stories of how people with mental illness were treated in prison both on the range and in solitary. Another common way prisons disable people is by withholding people’s medications or assistive devices like knee braces or eyeglasses – even when they came in with them. This is something I saw first-hand while inside.

For the past year, I’ve been working with the Disability Justice Network of Ontario on their Prison Project to support racialized, disabled prisoners in Ontario. We run support lines for prisoners to help them connect to people outside, work to amplify their experiences, and help support them in organizing collective demands for things like access to medical care.

Read more here:

Briarpatch
September 7, 2023

How Prescription Heroin Is Saving Lives – The Tyee [2023-09-12]

— Posted inSubstance Use — 2 min read

Crosstown Clinic patient Michel has used opiates for 30 years. His addiction to heroin, he says, drove him to use “alternative methods to get money, like criminal activity.”

Six years ago, exhausted by the lifestyle he was leading, Michel joined Crosstown as a patient and began accessing prescription injectable heroin.

“It worked from day one,” he says. “There was immediate relief from the daily grind all addicts go through — it felt like freedom.”

Providence Health Authority’s Crosstown Clinic in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside offers a range of treatments for opioid use disorder, including opioid agonist therapy, medical care and wraparound services with social workers and counsellors.

British Columbia first declared a public health emergency due to toxic drugs in 2016. Since then, the drug supply has only increased in potency and unpredictability, with fentanyl, carfentil and benzodiazepines — which can increase the risk of overdose and complicate the reversal of overdoses — showing up more and more frequently. Toxic drugs have killed over 12,700 British Columbians since 2016, making unregulated drug toxicity the leading cause of death in the province for people aged 10 to 59.

While the province has been ramping up harm reduction initiatives, such as distributing naloxone kits and permitting safer supply, it has not been able to keep up with the toxicity of drugs bought on the illicit market, leading to a rise in toxic drug deaths year after year.

Read more here:

The Tyee
September 12, 2023

As Yellowknife reopens, work is being done to bring back the city’s homeless population – CBC News [2023-09-11]

— Posted inHousing, Poverty, Society — 1 min read

As the re-entry to Yellowknife continues, work has been underway to track down and arrange for the return of the city’s homeless population.

The last homelessness count in the city found there were approximately 300 people who identified as homeless, of which roughly 100 stay in shelters every night, according to Tony Brushett, the executive director of the Yellowknife Salvation Army.

When the evacuation order came down mid-August for everyone to leave the city, some clients left with family or friends while others were flown to various cities, such as Calgary, Brushett said.

Now that the city has reopened, the agency said there have been challenges in tracking people down at hotels or shelters to organize a way home.

Read more here:

CBC News
September 11, 2023

Canada ranks as second-best country in the world in 2023: U.S. News – CTV News [2023-09-08]

— Posted inSociety — 1 min read

Canada has been ranked as the second-best country in the world in 2023, according to a new ranking conducted by U.S. News., communications company WPP and the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School.

In its “2023 Best Countries rankings”, U.S. News analyzed various factors, ranging from a country’s military and economic prowess to the quality of life experienced by its residents. This evaluation involves 87 countries and was based on responses gathered from more than 17,000 global citizens.

Respondents were also asked to associate countries with various qualities across ten subrankings, including power, cultural influence, heritage, and social impact. The scores from these associations were used to create a list of the world’s top countries, along with nearly 100 other distinct rankings.

In this year’s rankings, Canada has taken the second spot, surpassing Germany, thanks to its outstanding performance in agility, according to the report. However, it still trails behind Switzerland as the best country in the world in 2023.

Read more here:

CTV News
September 8, 2023

How more homeless encampments in Ontario signal a housing crisis out of control – Global News [2023-09-09]

— Posted inHousing, Poverty, Society — 1 min read

Homeless encampments have been multiplying across Ontario since the pandemic, but experts say this visible symptom of the national housing crisis has been a long time coming.

With limited shelter space, a lack of social housing, increasing cost of home ownership and ballooning rents, more and more people are left with few options but to pitch a tent in a public space.

But how did we get here? And what can be done?

A deep-dive into the City of Hamilton’s experience with homeless encampments and its journey from a law enforcement response to a housing-led approach shows just how complicated it will be to address the issue – and how the circumstances resulting in the proliferation of encampments touch all of us.

Read more here:

Global News
September 9, 2023

Naloxone kits should be available in nasal spray, injectable version across Canada: panel – Global News [2023-09-08]

— Posted inSubstance Use — 1 min read

People administering an overdose-reversing medication should have a choice of both versions of take-home naloxone kits across Canada — a nasal spray and an injectable that goes into a muscle — says a panel of experts that includes people who use drugs.

The new guidance applies to take-home naloxone kits that are distributed at various sites, including pharmacies, community groups and emergency departments, to anyone who could respond to an overdose.

Those who have used naloxone to save lives say having the nasal spray at hand could ensure a faster response because some people may be uncomfortable with needles. But that formulations is many times more expensive than the intramuscular version.

Authors of the guidance, published recently in the Canadian Medical Association Journal, strongly recommend federal, provincial and territorial programs be adapted so people have a choice of methods when a fast response is needed after someone has overdosed on an illicit substance.

Read more here:

Global News
September 8, 2023

Instead of waiting months, this Nova Scotian saw psychiatrist in days under new program – CBC News [2023-09-08]

— Posted inMental Health — 1 min read

Some Nova Scotians who need help managing mental health issues are being assessed by psychiatrists within days under a new program introduced by the province’s health authority.

The service, launched in April in Nova Scotia Health’s central zone, is focused on early intervention treatment for a range of mental health disorders.

The goal of the rapid access and stabilization program, which has seen more than 250 people so far, is to speed up access to specialist mental health care, in light of delays some patients have faced when seeking appointments.

“I really needed to speak with someone,” said 30-year-old Taylor Brown, who was referred to the program through a walk-in clinic and was able to see a psychiatrist within three days.

Brown, who is from Halifax, had previously been referred to a specialist for persistent feelings of anxiety and fear, but said she had been waiting for more than two years for an appointment. During that time, she said, “my condition worsened.”

Read more here:

CBC News
September 8, 2023

Loneliness is harmful to your health, but solitude is beneficial, expert says – CTV News [2023-09-08]

— Posted inMental Health, Society — 1 min read

In a virtually constantly connected world, the notion of solitude seems elusive, even daunting, and being alone is often thought of in a negative context.

But solitude is not the same as loneliness, and when people choose to spend time by themselves, it can actually be beneficial, according to Robert Coplan, a professor of psychology at Carleton University in Ottawa.

The key is to understand the difference between the two, Coplan told CTVNews.ca in a phone interview.

Solitude, he emphasizes, is the deliberate choice to spend time alone, a concept often misunderstood and conflated with loneliness.

“It is possible to feel lonely when you are not alone,” he said. “Adolescents will tell us they feel lonely sitting at the dinner table with their family.

“And, of course, it’s also possible to be by yourself and not feel lonely.”

Loneliness, on the contrary, is the discrepancy between how much time someone wants to be with others versus the time they actually spend alone. This manifests as a negative feeling which can be harmful to people’s health, he said.

Read more here:

CTV News
September 8, 2023

‘Hate’ campaign seemingly targets youngest and most impressionable in our community – CTV News [2023-09-07]

— Posted in2SLGBTQ+, Youth — 1 min read

Ian MacLean says his wife was taking a pleasant morning walk with their dog, Charley, when she was confronted with troubling messages in front of Trafalgar Public School on Wednesday morning; the first day of school.

“She came across some trans hate messages both scrawled on the sidewalk and stickers that had been pre-made and placed around the school property,” said MacLean. She removed some of the stickers and the pair took steps to notify the school.

Reports indicated a number of schools were targeted with similar messages, including Lester B. Pearson School for the Arts, Wortley Road Public School, and Byron Northview Public School.

“We’re really disappointed with some of the messaging that we’ve seen at the schools,” said Purveen Skinner. Skinner is Superintendent of Equity for the Thames Valley District School Board (TVDSB). Board officials say, to the best of their knowledge, all of the hateful messages were removed before students arrived for school.

Read more here:

CTV News
September 7, 2023

Greenpeace opposes nuclear energy. Young climate activists say that’s ‘old-fashioned’ – CBC News [2023-09-07]

— Posted inSociety, Technology — 1 min read

Young climate activists in Europe are calling on Greenpeace to drop its “old-fashioned” stance against nuclear energy.

Activists from five EU countries have launched the Dear Greenpeace campaign, asking the well-established environmental organization to get on board with what they see as a necessary tool in the fight against climate change.

“It’s a message of desperation from my generation to theirs,” Ia Aanstoot, an 18-year-old Swedish climate activist, told As It Happens host Nil Köksal.

“We are really, really desperate to have them in the struggle against fossil fuels. And it feels like a betrayal for them to be going up against nuclear power.”

Greenpeace and other critics of nuclear power, meanwhile, say it continues to be too dangerous, polluting, and cost-prohibitive to be a viable solution to the climate crisis.

Read more here:

CBC News
September 7, 2023

Just four organizations bid to operate London’s first homeless hubs – CTV News [2023-09-06]

— Posted inPoverty — 1 min read

Council’s options may be limited when they choose locations and lead agencies to operate the first low-barrier service hubs for Londoners experiencing homelessness.

According to a publicly available list posted on city hall’s Bids and Tenders website, nine organizations participated in a Request for Proposals (RFP) process— but only four submitted a bid.

Agencies that are bidders:

  •  London Health Sciences Centre
  •  CMHA Thames Valley- Addiction and Mental Health Services
  •  Atlohsa Family Healing Services
  •  Youth Opportunities Unlimited

The RFP closed at 2 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept, 5.

After initially participating in the RFP process, Ark Aid Street Mission decided not to submit a bid.

Read more here:

CTV News
September 6, 2023

Dictionary.com embraces ‘they,’ adds hundreds of new words – Mashable [2023-09-06]

— Posted inSociety — 1 min read

The lexicographers and editors at Dictionary.com know a long-lasting trend when they see one.

For its latest update, the digital dictionary will now use the gender-neutral “they” or “their” instead of “he or she” or “his or her” in entries where there’s no reason to be specific about gender, or where the language can be streamlined. In some cases, pronouns will be omitted altogether if they’re unnecessary.

The dictionary-wide change affects hundreds of entries.

For example, the definition of folk singer appeared with binary-gendered pronouns: “a singer who specializes folk songs, usually providing his or her own accompaniment on a guitar.” The new version replaces the pronouns with “their.”

Read more here:

Mashable
September 6, 2023

Elon Musk ‘likes’ trending #BanTheADL posts as white supremacist ad runs on platform – Mashable [2023-09-01]

— Posted inSociety, Technology — 2 min read

Over the past 24 hours, the hashtag has been trending on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter. The trending hashtag refers to the Anti-Defamation League, the Jewish anti-extremism civil rights organization.

Even more concerning is that X owner Elon Musk has signaled support for the attacks against the ADL on the platform.

Within the same time frame, numerous X users have also reported being served an X-approved advertisement on the platform that promotes white supremacy.

It all started on Thursday when ADL Director Jonathan Greenblatt published a post on X which shared that he had a “productive conversation” with the company’s CEO Linda Yaccarino about hate speech on the platform.

“I had a very frank + productive conversation with @LindayaX yesterday about @X, what works and what doesn’t, and where it needs to go to address hate effectively on the platform,” Greenblatt posted in a since-deleted post. “I appreciated her reaching out and I’m hopeful the service will improve. @ADL will be vigilant and give her and @ElonMusk credit if the service gets better… and reserve the right to call them out until it does.”

Read more here:

Mashable
September 1, 2023

‘Life or death’: LGBTQ2 people warn on dangers of school pronoun policy changes – Global News [2023-09-01]

— Posted in2SLGBTQ+, Youth — 1 min read

As debate continues over policies requiring parental consent for youth under 16 to change their name or preferred pronouns in some schools, members of Canada’s LGBTQ2 community say such legislation could put some at risk of abuse, harassment or even homelessness.

The concerns come as Saskatchewan and New Brunswick recently put in place such laws.

When asked earlier this week about whether Ontario will implement similar policies, the province’s education minister said parents should be “fully involved” in “life-changing” decisions involving their children.

But some LGBTQ2 youth say it’s not always an easy conversation to have.

Searlait Finley, a 19-year-old who recently graduated high school in Saskatoon, says while she had a positive experience when she came out to her own parents, not everyone gets that reception.

Read more here:

Global News
September 1, 2023