Meta’s news block hits Indigenous communities harder, Six Nations publisher says – CBC News [2023-08-29]

— Posted inIndigenous, Technology — 1 min read

The publisher of a First Nations newspaper based in Six Nations of the Grand River, Ont., says she’s “extremely concerned” about the impact on Indigenous communities of Meta blocking news content in Canada.

“In many cases, they’re in very isolated areas and for Facebook to pull a stunt like this, it can cause so many problems for our people to get information to them,” Lynda Powless, publisher of Turtle Island News, told CBC Hamilton.

“First Nations are in precarious positions to begin with … these are communities that just even have problems getting to the internet.”

Meta — which owns Facebook and Instagram — began ending the availability of news on those sites in Canada earlier this summer in response to the passage in June of Bill C-18, the Online News Act, which takes effect by the end of this year.

Now links and content shared by Canadian news outlets on Meta’s sites can’t be viewed by people in Canada. Users in Canada also can’t view news from organizations outside of Canada.

Google has threatened similar action.

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CBC News
August 29, 2023

Poor mental health, violence among threats to children in Canada: report – CTV News [2023-08-29]

— Posted inMental Health, Poverty, Society, Youth — 1 min read

Unintentional and preventable injuries, poor mental health and violence against children and youth have been identified as some of the top threats to children in Canada, according to a new report from Children First Canada.

Released by the national charitable organization Tuesday, the sixth annual Raising Canada report is based on research conducted by researchers at the University of Calgary, the University of Toronto and McGill University.

Researchers compiled existing data and conducted interviews with youth, parents and subject matter experts to come up with the findings.

“This last year kids have experienced unprecedented challenges due to the ‘tripledemic’ of RSV, Influenza and COVID-19, and they continue to bear the brunt of the pandemic with significant impacts to their mental and physical health,” Sara Austin, founder and CEO of Children First Canada, stated in a news release.

“There is a persistent myth that Canada is one of the best places in the world to raise kids, but the facts show otherwise.”

Read more here:

CTV News
August 29, 2023

Bruce County mayor resigns after accusing First Nation in Ontario of being ‘poor and unclean’ in recording – CBC News [2023-08-29]

— Posted inIndigenous — 1 min read

The mayor of South Bruce Peninsula has resigned after he was caught on tape making racist comments about a nearby First Nation community, the Ontario town announced in a statement Tuesday.

Garry Michi was recorded in an audio clip posted Friday by an anonymous individual questioning the federal government’s decision to fund a water treatment plant on the Chippewas of the Nawash Unceded First Nation, also known as Cape Croker.

The comments drew immediate fire from Indigenous groups that called for Michi’s resignation, which came following an in-camera meeting Tuesday at the township office.

“We would again like to offer our sincere apologies to the people of the Chippewas of Nawash Unceded First Nation and to all First Nations communities,” read a statement issued by the Town of South Bruce Peninsula.

“The people from local First Nations communities are our neighbours and they are our friends. The town wants to reiterate that it does not support or agree with any of Mr. Michi’s comments posted in an audio clip on Aug. 25, 2023.”

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CBC News
August 29, 2023

‘The minister was aware of what we are doing’: St. Thomas’ affordable housing plans making noise across Ontario – CTV News [2023-08-28]

— Posted inHousing — 1 min read

St. Thomas, Ont. is quickly making a name for itself when it comes to provincial leaders.

“That really showed this year at the AMO (Association of Municipalities of Ontario) conference,” said Joe Preston, St. Thomas’ mayor.

“Almost every minister we asked for a deputation with said ‘Yes’. Last time we got three out of eight or something. This time it was seven,” he said.

Premier Doug Ford even gave a shout out to Preston during his opening speech at AMO. Ford referred to Preston as ‘Mayor Let’s Get it Done’.

Preston and other city representatives were thrilled to meet with Steve Clark, minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing, who actually was aware of what was happening in his city. He credits local MPP Rob Flack with promoting his riding.

They spoke about new housing development ‘The Station’ and the need for funds to complete ‘Project Tiny Hope’ (PTH).

“[Clark] was well informed on [PTH], and knew where we were with The Station opening,” said Preston.

Read more here:

CTV News
August 28, 2023

Caught on tape: Indigenous groups demand mayor’s resignation following ‘racist’ commentary – CTV News [2023-08-28]

— Posted inIndigenous — 1 min read

“I can understand to be poor, but you can be poor and clean,” is what South Bruce Peninsula Mayor Garry Michi was recorded as saying in an audio clip released to the public via SoundCloud last week.

In the audio recording, uploaded to SoundCloud by user SaubleSam, Michi is questioning the fiscal sense to build a water treatment plant for the Chippewas of Nawash Unceded First Nation along the Bruce Peninsula, who have been under a boil water advisory since January 2019.

“What I’m saying is where’s all this going to end. 20 or 25 years ago, they put a water treatment plant up at Cape Croker. It got ruined because they didn’t maintain it, now we’ve spent $65 million up there to put hydrants and a new water treatment plant, and 75 per cent of the those houses, I mean, they should be torn down,” Michi said in the recording.

As a result of the recording, which has been authenticated by the Town of South Bruce Peninsula as being from Mayor Garry Michi, the Chippewas of Nawash leadership are calling for his immediate resignation.

Read more here:

CTV News
August 28, 2023

Racism partly to blame for worse health outcomes of Indigenous women: study – Global News [2023-08-28]

— Posted inIndigenous — 1 min read

Racism and the lack of primary care providers mean off-reserve First Nations, Metis and Inuit women and girls have poorer health overall compared to their non-Indigenous counterparts, says a study by the Public Health Agency of Canada.

Compared with non-Indigenous females, those in the three distinct groups reported a higher prevalence of diagnosed chronic diseases and worse mental health, including mood or anxiety disorders, says the study, which noted Canada’s colonial history of residential schools, forced or coerced sterilization and destruction of traditional lands.

Researchers used data for all females aged 15 to 55 from the annual Canadian Community Health Survey between 2015 and 2020. That amounted to 6,000 people from the three distinct groups and 74,760 non-Indigenous females, all in their reproductive years.

“Indigenous females waited longer for primary care, more used hospital services for non-urgent care and fewer had consultations with dental professionals,” says the study, published Monday in the Canadian Medical Association Journal.

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Global News
August 28, 2023

Yale University settles lawsuit alleging it pressured students with mental health issues to withdraw – CTV News [2023-08-26]

— Posted inMental Health — 1 min read

Yale University and a student group announced Friday that they’ve reached a settlement in a federal lawsuit that accused the Ivy League school of discriminating against students with mental health disabilities, including pressuring them to withdraw.

Under the agreement, Yale will modify its policies regarding medical leaves of absence, including streamlining the reinstatement process for students who return to campus. The student group, which also represents alumni, had argued the process was onerous, discouraging students for decades from taking medical leave when they needed it most.

The settlement is a “watershed moment” for the university and mental health patients, said 2019 graduate Rishi Mirchandani, a co-founder of Elis for Rachael, the group that sued. It was formed to help students with mental health issues in honor of a Yale student who took her own life.

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CTV News
August 26, 2023

‘Almost died a few times’: Northern Ontario city of Sudbury grapples with opioids – Global News [2023-08-25]

— Posted inSubstance Use — 1 min read

Crystal Plume sits in the shade of a tree near a busy intersection in downtown Sudbury and carefully injects fentanyl into a vein on the back of her hand before licking the speck of blood left behind.

The 36-year-old who regularly panhandles in the northern Ontario city says her substance use disorder has worsened in recent years and she’s lost many friends to opioid overdoses.

“Before there used to be the drunks, the winos, but you don’t see those anymore,” says Plume.

“Everyone is using drugs now. It’s the fastest and easiest way to numb your pain. I was only smoking at first, now I smash it.”

Plume says she turns to opioids as a way to deal with past domestic abuse and other personal trauma. She lives with a friend who also uses opioids and says they’ve both come close to fatal overdoses.

Read more here:

Global News
August 25, 2023

Grab a tissue while you can: Kleenex tissues to be discontinued in Canada – CTV News [2023-08-24]

— Posted inMiscellaneous — 1 min read

Have an issue? Grab a tissue — before they’re pulled off of shelves in Canada.

Kimberly-Clark is discontinuing its consumer facial tissue business in Canada, citing “unique complexities.”

In a written statement issued Thursday, the company confirmed to CTVNews.ca that Kleenex consumer facial tissues would no longer be sold in Canada as of August 2023.

Other products, however, such as Kleenex professional facial products, which are specifically targeted for the business market, Kleenex consumer hand towel products, along with other Kimberly-Clark brands including Cottonelle, Viva, U by Kotex, Poise, Depend , Huggies, Pull-Ups and Goodnites will remain in the Canadian market.

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CTV News
August 24, 2023

Ontario cities watching as London rolls out first-of-its-kind homeless response – CBC News [2023-08-23]

— Posted inHousing, Poverty — 1 min read

Municipal leaders dedicated the final day of the Association of Ontario Municipalities (AMO) conference to discuss collaborative solutions to homelessness as a housing crisis continues across the province.

AMO looked to its host London, along with Kingston — two cities that are taking the lead in tackling the situation, while also providing support to the most vulnerable.

London’s soon to be implemented whole of community system response has piqued the interest of other politicians who asked questions about how to enact a similar system in their jurisdictions, according to Mayor Josh Morgan who detailed the plan to delegates on Wednesday.

“I see municipalities united on this issue,” Morgan told reporters. “All through this conference, people are looking at things that London is doing and saying ‘How do we bring those best practices here’? There’s a commitment to supply services to communities where they’re at.”

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CBC News
August 23, 2023

Fail fast— make corrections— move forward: Mayor Morgan’s unvarnished take on rollout of homelessness strategy – CTV News [2023-08-23]

— Posted inHousing, Poverty — 1 min read

Some frank talk by London Mayor Josh Morgan may be aimed at managing community expectations for London’s upcoming Whole of Community Response to Homelessness ahead of a series of public meetings.

On Wednesday, Morgan co-hosted a session in front of the Association of Municipalities of Ontario (AMO) conference, along with Kingston Mayor Bryan Paterson, about their communities’ similar homeless strategies that combine low-barrier service hubs and supportive housing units.

Morgan acknowledged the political courage of city council to back a strategy that is still evolving.

“We have to accept that we are playing a game that’s never been played before,” admitted Morgan in a matter-of-fact tone. “That means we are going to make a mistake. And we are going to get criticized, fairly heavily at times, for that mistake.”

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CTV News
August 23, 2023

His brother died in an Ontario jail. Advocates say calls for reform to prevent such deaths are being ignored – CBC News [2023-08-23]

— Posted inCorrections — 2 min read

In May this year, Nathan Gray noticed his phone buzzing. His cousin was trying to reach him.

When he picked up the FaceTime call, he saw the serious look on his cousin’s face and knew something was wrong. “I just had this feeling,” he said.

Gray’s cousin told him that his older brother, Ashton Gray, 34, had died by suicide while awaiting trial in Toronto South Detention Centre, a provincial jail in Etobicoke.

“I dropped the phone and started crying,” he said. “I was shocked, like, why the hell my brother?”

Gray’s suicide in custody sent shockwaves through his family and those who provided him with support for mental health and addictions issues they say had plagued him throughout his adult life and were sparked by a traumatic childhood characterized by abuse in group homes.

His death is part of a disturbing trend in the province, where deaths in custody have increased over the last decade, according to data published by the province and advocacy organizations. Academics and advocates say recommended reforms to the corrections system need to be carried out to save lives and provide treatment for offenders, rather than having jails serve as an expensive revolving door.

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CBC News
August 23, 2023

‘Sorry, pardon me’: Is London, Ont. really that polite? – CTV News [2023-08-21]

— Posted inSociety — 1 min read

London may be known for green trees and, lately, seemingly endless road construction, but now it has another claim to fame.

A new nationwide survey has found Londoners are among the most polite in the nation, with the Forest City just squeaking into the top 10 of the 44 communities surveyed.

But is the finding accurate?

CTV News London opted to survey those who move about regularly.

The first stop was taxicab driver Youssef El-Shourafa. In his 20 years of driving in London, he found the city turns a bit rude at night.

But that changes when the sun comes up.

“You see many nice people, especially in the daytime. 99 per cent of the people are very good,” he said.

Read more here:

CTV News
August 21, 2023

Caffeine can’t replace sleep: Research shows caffeine improves attention but not complex thinking after sleep deprivation – PsyPost [2023-08-21]

— Posted inHealth & Fitness, Mental Health — 1 min read

There is no denying the importance of sleep. Everyone feels better after a good night of sleep, and lack of sleep can have profoundly negative effects on both the body and the brain. So what can be done to substitute for a lack of sleep? Put another way, how can you get less sleep and still perform at your peak?

As a psychologist who studies the ways in which sleep benefits memory, I’m also interested in how sleep deprivation harms memory and cognition. After some initial research on sleep deprivation and false confessions, my students at Michigan State University’s Sleep and Learning Lab and I wanted to see what interventions could reverse the negative effects of sleep deprivation.

We found a simple answer: There is no substitute for sleep.

Read more here:

PsyPost
August 21, 2023

Why People Don’t Take Your Depression Seriously – Psychology Today [2023-08-21]

— Posted inMental Health — 1 min read

Talking about your depression is extremely difficult. Sometimes, even when you’ve finally built up the courage to talk about it, nothing changes. It’s easy to assume that people don’t care about you or they don’t believe you when opening up to them doesn’t change anything, but it’s likely more complicated than that. I’ll explain some of the reasons the people you care about don’t take your depression as seriously as you want them to.

One of the reasons your friends and family members aren’t treating your depression with the respect it deserves is that…they forget. I know your depression is obvious to you and impacts how you live most of your life, but for the people around you, it’s an invisible piece of information. In their eyes, you’re doing the things you’ve normally done and talking the way you’ve always talked, so it’s very easy to forget that internally you feel like you’re drowning.

Read more here:

Psychology Today
August 21, 2023

16 Wrong Ideas About Mental Illness – Psychology Today [2023-08-21]

— Posted inMental Health — 1 min read

Mental illness may sometimes be difficult to discuss, in part because friends and family may summon the worst images from the TV and movies. But those depictions often aren’t accurate or even likely.

So this post might be useful if you’re hearing (or sensing) any of these common, but wrong, ideas. And if you’re assuming the worst about a loved one, the good news is that you may be wrong.

  1. Myth: Mental illness is rare. Reality: About one in five experience some form of mental illness in any year. About one in 20 have a serious condition, including schizophrenia, bipolar disorder or major depression.

Read more here:

Psychology Today
August 21, 2023

Virtual addictions program in Thamesville shuts down due to funding issues – CBC News [2023-08-20]

— Posted inSubstance Use — 1 min read

A Thamesville, Ont., organization says it’s being forced to shut down its virtual recovery program because its been unable to secure sustainable funding.

Westover Treatment Centre, running in Chatham-Kent since 1986, stopped the program this month, and has had to lay off highly-skilled addictions counsellors, said Laird Brush, the organization’s executive director.

“We’ve had to turn clients away that that won’t have access to addiction treatment because it’s not available to them,” he said. “As a result, people are going to stay sick and some of them are going to die.”

The virtual addiction treatment day program launched in October 2021 during the pandemic with funding from the Ministry of Health. Funding ended in March of this year, and while they’ve tried to run the program since, it’s no longer financially feasible, he said.

Read more here:

CBC News
August 20, 2023

Autistic people at higher risk of self-harm, psychiatric illness: study – Global News [2023-08-10]

— Posted inAutism, Mental Health — 1 min read

Researchers are calling for improved diagnosis, prevention and treatment of psychiatric illness among autistic people after finding they are at a higher risk of self-harm and suicide than non-autistic people.

“We think psychiatric diagnosis plays a very important role in explaining these increased risks,” said lead author Dr. Meng-Chuan Lai, a staff psychiatrist and senior scientist at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH).

The new study, conducted by CAMH and the Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences (ICES), found that autistic females had an 83 per cent increased risk of self-harm than non-autistic females.

Autistic males had a 47 per cent higher risk of self-harm than non-autistic males.

The researchers also found that deaths by suicide were “rare,” but autistic people were still at higher risk and that psychiatric disorders were a factor.

Read more here:

Global News
August 10, 2023

No joke: Satirical websites get caught up in Meta’s quest to block news in Canada – CBC News [2023-08-10]

— Posted inSociety, Technology — 1 min read

Luke Gordon Field is trying to figure out how he can explain the concept of deadpan satire to an algorithm.

He says he never thought in a million years that the need to explain a joke would transcend humans. But it’s a situation he believes he has found himself in as editor-in-chief of the Beaverton, a Canadian comedy website.

Meta is in the process of removing all news from its Facebook and Instagram platforms in Canada in response to a new law that would force the company to compensate media outlets for content that is shared or otherwise repurposed on their platforms.

But satirical sites are getting caught up in the tech giant’s quest, too — even though their human audiences know they aren’t news.

It’s an error that some publications say could threaten their survival.

“I don’t want to be too dramatic, but in a world where Facebook completely cuts us off, I mean, there’s a very real chance we do not survive that,” Field told the Canadian Press.

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CBC News
August 10, 2023

Animal therapy program shows promise in Canadian prisons, study found – CTV News [2023-08-09]

— Posted inCorrections — 1 min read

A graduate student from the University of Saskatchewan (USask) is looking into what she describes as the transformative power of animal therapy programs at Canadian correctional facilities.

Five years ago, Grace Rath, along with her black Labrador companion, Jager, volunteered in a therapy dog program.

Intrigued by what she calls the profound impact of the relationships between participants and the dogs, Rath embarked on an in-depth investigation to understand whether these furry friends could help incarcerated individuals break free from internalized stigma, restore their self-confidence and improve the institution’s overall environment.

The findings shed light on the unique and powerful connections formed between inmates and therapy dogs, offering a more positive environment and effective rehabilitation strategies, said Rath.

“The main thing that I found was the dogs were able to be physically and emotionally present with the participants in ways that human interventions hadn’t been able to before,” she told CTVNews.ca over the phone on July 21.

Read more here:

CTV News
August 9, 2023

Local hospital staff frequently deal with violent, aggressive patients, new numbers show – CBC News [2023-08-08]

— Posted inMental Health — 1 min read

She’s only been on the job for two years, but London registered nurse Lannie Seddon has already been punched in the head by a patient.

She’s one of many hospital workers who face violence and aggression at work on a regular basis — something London’s hospitals are trying to prevent and mitigate, but a reality nonetheless.

Data obtained by CBC News shows 165 Code White calls at Victoria and University hospitals in the last two years — sometimes as many as 14 times a month. A Code White is activated when someone is behaving in a ptentially dangerous manner toward themselves or others and could escalate.

“I’ve seen people being bitten, hit, swatted, punched. Lots of people getting physically hurt,” said Seddon, who works in a London hospital. CBC News has agreed not to identify her exact workplace.

Read more here:

CBC News
August 8, 2023

How Heat Can Affect Your Mental Health – Psychology Today [2023-08-04]

— Posted inMental Health — 1 min read

As rising temperatures continue to break records this summer, it is important to remember that extreme heat affects not just our physical health but also our mental health.

Elevated cortisol levels, induced by rising temperatures, can trigger stress responses, making individuals feel moody and agitated. The parasympathetic nervous system, responsible for promoting calmness and relaxation, becomes less active at higher temperatures, leaving us vulnerable to stress.

Read more here:

Psychology Today
August 4, 2023