Real estate developers say homelessness, drugs hinder downtown London’s full-scale revival – CBC News [2023-07-17]

2023-08-19 — Housing, Mental Health, Society, Substance Use — 2 min read

Real estate developers say homelessness, drugs and the prevalence of people suffering from severe mental illness is holding back the full-scale revival of downtown London by making it a hard sell for prospective office tenants as the core looks to turn the corner after the COVID-19 pandemic.

The downtown has long been the beating heart of London, Ont., where street life moved to the pulse of rush hour traffic and the nine-to-five crowd, whose rhythms made the neighbourhood’s tangle of offices, shops and restaurants teem with life for 10 hours a day, five days a week.

But then the virus upended everything, throwing off the core’s rhythm and gutting its office sector when remote work suddenly replaced the commute, accelerating the decadeslong flight of office workers to the suburbs while doubling the city’s homeless population.

Since the virus peaked, the downtown still bears the scars. Empty offices and shops are hidden behind colourfully-painted plywood facades — public art that stands in sharp contrast to the nearby scenes of urban squalor where the unsheltered and the drug-addled lie slumped in the streets as passersby pretend not to notice.

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CBC News
July 17, 2023

Former Ontario inmates say complaints system is broken after docs reveal medical concerns, abuse allegations – CBC News [2023-07-14]

2023-08-192023-08-19 — Corrections — 1 min read

A cancer survivor says he wasn’t given access to pain medication.

A man who lost 42 pounds says he couldn’t get the right food for a medical condition.

Another man felt like he was going to die after staying in the back of a hot van for hours during the summer.

A person reported being sexually assaulted.

These are just some of the complaints by inmates at the Hamilton-Wentworth Detention Centre that were lodged in 2022 to a provincial phone line. It’s the same facility where prisoners went on hunger strikes in 2020, 2021 and earlier this year, due to what some have called poor conditions inside the maximum-security jail.

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CBC News
July 14, 2023

Thousands of Canadian drug users dying as government red tape limits help, advocates say – CBC News [2023-07-13]

2023-07-132023-07-13 — Substance Use — 2 min read

The historic core of Cobourg, Ont., brims with small-town charm. There are stately buildings, quaint shops and old-fashioned iron lampposts decorated with hanging flower baskets. The local business authority even coined a hashtag, “#8BlocksofAwesome.”

But on Friday nights, just steps off the postcard main street, another side of life comes into view. Volunteers are setting up camp chairs and folding tables in an alleyway and laying out supplies, including alcohol swabs, plastic pipes and naloxone kits to be used in case of overdoses. All for an unsanctioned, pop-up safe site for local drug users, specifically geared to people who inhale rather than inject.

“It just seemed that there was more and more need, and more and more people dying,” said Ashley Smoke, one of the organizers. “There’s just so many people that are struggling and no one to help.”

Cobourg, home to 20,000 on the shore of Lake Ontario east of Toronto, has had a dozen fatal overdoses over the past 18 months. The nearest official safe consumption site is in Peterborough, almost 60 kilometres away. And like all government-funded harm reduction facilities in Ontario — and most of the rest of the country — it doesn’t permit drug smoking, just injection, oral and nasal use.

Smoke said the cost of not having supervised spaces for those who inhale drugs can be seen in Canada’s near-record overdose numbers.

“The consequences have been death. A lot of people have lost their lives. There’s just so much loss and grief,” they said.

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CBC News
July 13, 2023

I became a mental health nurse despite my doubts. It was the best decision I ever made – CBC News [2023-07-07]

2023-07-072023-07-07 — Mental Health — 1 min read

Crisis. It’s a state I’ve become all too familiar with as a mental health nurse, but it was still unknown territory the day my patient threatened to kill me.

It was an evening shift almost two years ago. I had recently joined the psychiatry unit at the Montreal General Hospital and was finding my footing.

While walking the halls and passing out patients’ medications, I suddenly felt a presence close behind me.

A chill ran through me as I whirled around and came face to face with a young woman — a patient of mine who was prone to sudden and violent outbursts.

Her hands were balled into fists and raised toward me. She began hollering that she was going to kill me.

I was cornered and alone. Fighting my natural fight-or-flight response, I knew I needed to push aside any preconceived thoughts I had about people in crisis and attempt to de-escalate the situation.

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CBC News
July 7, 2023

Happy Canada Day!

2023-07-012023-07-01 — Music — 1 min read

Happy Canada Day!

Why Doctors Are Moving Away from BMI – Psychology Today [2023-06-28]

2023-06-282023-06-28 — Health & Fitness, Miscellaneous — 1 min read

If you’ve been to a doctor’s office or fitness center in recent years, you’ve likely had your Body Mass Index calculated. The BMI formula uses a person’s weight in kilograms divided by the square of their height in meters. The resulting number is classified into one of four categories: underweight, normal weight, overweight, or obese. These labels are prolific in the U.S. medical system. At one point, BMI classification was even used to establish eligibility for COVID vaccines.

Earlier this month, the American Medical Association voted to move away from using BMI as a measurement to assess weight and health. The calculation is problematic for many reasons. To understand why, you must first understand its history.

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Psychology Today
June 28, 2023

People with Mental Illness Are More Likely to Be Abused by Law Enforcement – Psychology Today [2023-06-28]

2023-06-282023-06-28 — Mental Health, Police — 1 min read

“Every time the police come after me they make me madder,” says Richard Saville-Smith, Ph.D.

Saville-Smith is an independent scholar in the United Kingdom who writes about madness. He lives with madness himself. In early June his wife was worried about him and she phoned the physician, who then phoned the police. “The police officers were female and they were so fit they could run after me. I told them I didn’t want to be locked up,” says Saville-Smith. “My environment was safe for me. I had my own bed, I knew how everything worked.”

They wrestled him into submission. “They cracked my rib and gave me abrasions all over my arm. There’s still nerve damage to my fingers,” he says. After an altercation with the two police officers, Saville-Smith was involuntarily hospitalized.

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Psychology Today
June 28, 2023

Indigenous Justice and a New Path for Canada’s Prisons – The Tyee [2023-06-26]

2023-06-262023-06-26 — Corrections, Indigenous — 1 min read

When I asked Boyd Peters, a Sts’ailes First Nation member and BC First Nations Justice Council director, about the effects of long-term incarceration on Indigenous people, his brow furrowed. He exhaled and looked down before responding.

“Nobody should have to go through that,” he said.

But more and more Indigenous people are going “through that” — living in Canadian prisons despite federal government commitments “to reset the relationship between Indigenous peoples and the justice system.” From 2009 to 2018, as the general prison population expanded by only one per cent, the Indigenous prisoner population increased by 43 per cent.

A recent report by B.C.’s Prisoners’ Legal Services, “Decarceration Through Self-determination: Ending the Mass Incarceration of Indigenous People in Canada,” suggests a better way to address the overrepresentation of Indigenous people in Canada’s prisons. The report’s proposal seems radical, but it potentially realizes Canada’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s goal of reducing the “extreme overrepresentation of Indigenous individuals as incarcerated offenders” while honouring the right to Indigenous self-determination in Section 35 of Canada’s Constitution Act.

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The Tyee
June 26, 2023

City of Barrie backs down on plan to ban giving food to homeless people on its property – CBC News [2023-06-21]

2023-06-212023-06-21 — Poverty — 1 min read

The city of Barrie, Ont., has backed away from proposed bylaws that would have made it illegal to distribute food, literature, clothes, tents and tarps to unhoused people on public property.

At a meeting on Wednesday night, council decided unanimously to refer bylaws 67 and 68 back to staff. The matter is expected to return to a general committee meeting later this year.

“There should be zero fear out there that a bylaw officer or a peace officer is going to come and ask you not to give water to someone who needs it,” Mayor Alex Nuttall told council chambers.

Coun. Jim Harris, who represents Ward 8, said the intent of the bylaws was not to prevent people from helping unhoused people.

“Charitable acts of kindness, giving, are central to our community and we do not want to punish that. That’s not the intent,” Harris said.

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CBC News
June 21, 2023

Edmonton MP to file official grievance about Taylor Swift tour’s lack of Canadian shows – Global News [2023-06-21]

2023-06-212023-06-21 — Society — 1 min read

Edmonton MP Matt Jeneroux hopes Taylor Swift’s lack of Canadian stops on her Eras Tour is not about bad blood.

In several posts on his social media accounts, the Conservative politician indicated he would follow Australia’s lead and file a grievance with Parliament to encourage Taylor Swift to add some Canadian dates to her Eras Tour.

“It has come to my attention that despite much anticipation, Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour has neglected to include any Canadian dates or locations as she released her international dates, which includes stops throughout Asia and Europe,” Jeneroux wrote in a letter dated and signed on Wednesday, June 21.

“Similar to what’s being considered in Australia, I would like to file an official grievance within Parliament on behalf of all Swifties in Canada for her and her team to reconsider,” the letter continued.

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Global News
June 21, 2023

What Is the Pseudo-Psychiatric Term Excited Delirium? – Psychology Today [2023-06-21]

2023-06-212023-06-21 — Mental Health, Police — 1 min read

A pseudo-psychiatric diagnosis is being used by police and other first responders.
Ketamine and other tactics are then being used to subdue a person.
Police and first responders to mental health crises need more training.
Mental health professionals and the police must collaborate on humane handling of behavioral emergencies.

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Psychology Today
June 21, 2023

Daytime naps may be good for our brains, study says – CTV News [2023-06-20]

2023-06-212023-06-21 — Mental Health — 1 min read

Taking daytime naps may help maintain brain health as we age, according to a new study. However, prior research has shown that excess napping can also be harmful.

Habitual napping was linked with larger total brain volume, which is associated with a lower risk of dementia and other diseases, according to researchers from University College London (UCL) and the University of the Republic of Uruguay.

On average, the difference in brain volume between nappers and non-nappers was equivalent to 2.5 to 6.5 years of aging, researchers said.

“Our findings suggest that, for some people, short daytime naps may be a part of the puzzle that could help preserve the health of the brain as we get older,” said senior author Victoria Garfield, a senior research fellow at UCL, in a statement.

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CTV News
June 20, 2023

London councillor called out by colleagues over light workload – CTV News [2023-06-21]

2023-06-212023-06-21 — Miscellaneous — 1 min read

Simmering tensions about how the workload is being divided between councillors boiled over at city hall.

On Tuesday, the Strategic Priorities and Policy Committee was tasked with nominating two councillors to sit on the Kettle Creek Conservation Authority, and another to join the Lower Thames Conservation Authority.

Typically, councillors nominate themselves for appointments to fill vacancies on outside agencies, boards, and commissions.

But Coun. Skylar Franke took an unexpected approach that triggered nervous laughter from her colleagues— nominating Ward 10 Coun. Paul Van Meerbergen who was absent.

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CTV News
June 21, 2023

Why It Can be Hard to Get Pronouns Right, According to Linguistics – Mental Floss [2023-06-20]

2023-06-202023-06-20 — 2SLGBTQ+ — 1 min read

It can happen to anyone: As you’re talking, you hear yourself say, “I heard that she—wait, I mean he!” A pronoun slip can be embarrassing, especially if you pride yourself on being generally good at using the language people have asked you to use.

But why do pronoun slips happen, and why do we seem to mess up pronouns more than names or other gendered words? Linguistics (the scientific study of language) has answers, and can give us insight into how to use the words we want to use—and the techniques are surprisingly similar to how we learn new languages.

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Mental Floss
June 20, 2023

Ontario the latest province to stop imprisoning migrants – CBC News [2023-06-16]

2023-06-192023-06-19 — Corrections — 1 min read

Ontario has joined seven other provinces in announcing it will no longer incarcerate migrants detained for administrative reasons in its provincial jails.

Earlier this week, a Radio-Canada/CBC report revealed that Quebec and New Brunswick had ended their contracts with the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA), under which the provinces were paid to imprison foreign nationals held under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act.

Following that news, human rights organizations and immigration lawyers reinforced their appeal to Ontario, where CBSA detains the most migrants, to follow suit.

On Thursday, Ontario Solicitor General Michael Kerzner told federal Public Safety Minister Marco Mendicino that his government was also cancelling its contract. Under these agreements, the provinces must give CBSA one year’s notice of cancellation.

Ontario’s decision was first reported by the Globe and Mail. Radio-Canada/CBC confirmed the information.

“Ontario’s correctional institutions should be focused on providing care and custody to individuals serving custodial sentences or on remand, not on immigration detainees, which is the federal government’s responsibility,” a ministry spokesperson told Radio-Canada/CBC.

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CBC News
June 16, 2023

London police not doing enough to tackle systemic racism, policing expert says – CBC News [2023-06-16]

2023-06-192023-06-19 — Police — 1 min read

London police officials are not doing enough to analyze their own race-based use-of-force numbers to start tackling systemic racism within their organization, an expert in police data says.

London police numbers crunched by researcher Tandeep Sidhu show Black people in the city experienced force by officers at a rate five times higher than the general population in 2022. Indigenous Londoners experienced use of force by officers at a rate of just over twice as high as the general population that same year.

“In order to move forward and effectively address these issues, there needs to be an acknowledgment of systemic discrimination in policing practices. This is a matter of public trust and transparency,” Sidhu told CBC News.

Sidhu was with a research team analyzing data for the police watchdog Special Investigations Unit. He specializes in race-based numbers analysis and is working on his PhD at the University of Waterloo.

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CBC News
June 16, 2023

London’s opioid users say street drugs are getting stronger, cheaper and deadlier – CBC News [2023-06-16]

2023-06-19 — Substance Use — 1 min read

People who use fentanyl on the streets of London say the deadly opioid is becoming ever cheaper and more powerful, delivering higher highs, while simultaneously raising the risk of overdose death.

Without widespread testing, there’s no way of knowing, but the city’s drug problem has become more visible in the core, where strung out users lay in alcoves, doorways and on sidewalks where they remain sprawled in broad daylight, sometimes for hours, as passersby go on with their daily business in the city centre.

Relief agency officials say while the problem might appear more visible, it’s not because of an increased prevalence of drug abuse. Rather, the city’s homeless population has recently doubled, making people who use the drugs to self-medicate for pain, mental illness, or sometimes just to catch some sleep, more visible.

“I really believe it’s getting stronger,” said Dave, a fentanyl user who spoke to CBC News on the condition his real name would not be used in order to protect him from the stigma of homelessness and drug addiction.

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CBC News
June 16, 2023

Winnipeg man says he wanted federal prison sentence because of better addiction supports – CBC News [2023-06-15]

2023-06-152023-06-15 — Corrections, Substance Use — 1 min read

A Winnipeg man living with a cocaine addiction who has previously spent time in a provincial jail is back behind bars, this time in a federal penitentiary — and that’s what he wanted.

Jason Walmsley, 34, told CBC in an interview inside the federal Stony Mountain Institution that a prison sentence — as opposed to a provincial jail sentence at Headingley Correctional Centre, where he’s served time before — will give him a better chance at staying clean after he’s released.

With a provincial jail, “when my release date comes, that’s exactly what it is — it’s a release. You get let go at the first bus stop in the west end of Winnipeg,” Walmsley said.

“I know for a fact that when I get released from this [federal] prison [and] that while I’m in this prison, the biggest concern for them is something called my correction plan.”

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CBC News
June 15, 2023

Mental health ‘on the go’ coming to midwestern Ontario – CTV News [2023-06-13]

2023-06-132023-06-13 — Mental Health — 1 min read

In a few weeks, a black van with tinted windows will be rolling into communities across midwestern Ontario, offering help for people dealing with everything from anxiety to addictions.

“You’ll see the clinic doesn’t have any logos or any identification on it. We want it to be a discreet, stigma-free opportunity for people,” explained Erik Sande, president of Medavie Health Services.

With funds from the province, Medavie Health will be the operators of midwestern Ontario’s first mobile mental health and addictions clinic.

Starting later this summer, one social worker and one registered nurse or nurse practitioner will travel around Perth, Wellington, Huron, and Bruce counties, offering immediate help for people dealing with things like anxiety and depression, and referrals for more complicated mental health and addiction emergencies.

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CTV News
June 13, 2023

Abstinence not required: How a Baltimore drug treatment program prioritizes saving lives – CTV News [2023-06-11]

2023-06-112023-06-11 — Substance Use — 1 min read

Anthony Kelly trudged through southwest Baltimore, each laboured footstep a reminder of the roofing accident that left him with chronic pain and a raging opioid addiction several years after he returned home from serving in the Marines.

Doctors used metal plates to reconstruct his lower legs and Kelly spent months learning to walk again. So began his plodding journey into the depths of substance use disorder, a downward spiral that would gradually weaken his body and consume his mind.

After his prescribed painkillers ran out, Kelly turned to a combination of heroin and cocaine that sometimes cost $500 per day.

More than a decade later, his substance use is more manageable and less expensive, though it remains a controlling force in his life. He takes buprenorphine, a prescription medication that’s considered the gold standard for treating opioid addiction by reducing cravings and easing withdrawal symptoms.

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CTV News
June 11, 2023

Are drag queen storytimes worth fighting for? These people think so – CBC News [2023-06-07]

2023-06-072023-06-07 — 2SLGBTQ+ — 1 min read

As pushback and protests continue over drag storytimes across Southwestern Ontario, advocates say making those experiences available is a way to teach understanding and accepting differences.

Adam Davies, the co-chair of the Anti-Oppression Rainbow Research Lab at the University of Guelph — who is also a registered early childhood educator — believes drag queen storytimes are something worth fighting for.

“It is of the most – the utmost importance – to fight for drag and drag storytime because of how it really is showing children, young people, families what we could be as a future society in terms of reimagining and transforming gender,” Davies told CBC News.

“And these spaces are so important because we know that children start bullying and policing each other’s gender at a very young age, and those behaviours are often learned from parents and family figures.”

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CBC News
June 7, 2023