Southern Manitoba libraries battle defunding attempts over sex-ed content in children’s books – CBC News [2023-05-01]

2023-05-012023-05-01 — Uncategorized — 1 min read

It’s been a long year at the South Central Regional Library.

A push that began last summer to remove a few children’s sexual education books from the southern Manitoba library system has since bubbled up into accusations its staff are pedophiles, as well as a campaign to defund the library — leaving some of its exhausted librarians considering quitting, the library’s director says.

“The far-reaching effects [are] not that visible to the public — you know, we still function and we still open doors,” said Cathy Ching, who heads South Central Regional Library — a network of five libraries in southern Manitoba communities.

“My staff are tired, my council members are tired. Staff sometimes don’t know who’s going to walk in the door and give them a hard time.”

Last fall, the library ruled it would not pull three kids’ books from its shelves following complaints they were explicit and encouraged children to engage in sexual activity.

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CBC News
May 1, 2023

Study sheds light on features of psychopathy related to treatment engagement among incarcerated youths – PsyPost [2023-04-26]

2023-04-262023-04-26 — Mental Health, Youth — 1 min read

The criminal justice system has been under critique in recent years for prioritizing punishment over treatment, but how can we be confident in who is open to benefiting from treatment? A study published in Research on Child and Adolescent Psychopathology explores how psychopathy traits may be related to treatment engagement for adolescents.

Adolescents who are involved in the criminal justice system due to antisocial behavior are often encouraged or mandated to have mental health treatment. This could potentially be very beneficial and could even prevent future antisocial behavior in adulthood. A key component of treatment planning is knowing who is open to engaging in treatment in order for it to have the desired effects.

Being engaged in treatment is more than just attending sessions and can be characterized by having a commitment to change and taking an active role in healing. Psychopathy is a trait that has a complicated relationship with treatment engagement, with the body of literature not drawing a firm conclusion as of now. This new study seeks to understand the specific aspects of psychopathy associated with treatment engagement for adolescents.

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PsyPost
April 26, 2023

Violence in libraries is on the rise across Canada. How London, Ont. is responding – Global News [2023-04-25]

2023-04-252023-04-25 — Mental Health — 1 min read

As libraries across Canada see an uptick in violence, the London Public Library is taking a compassion-first approach through a dedicated social worker for the downtown branch.

The random acts of violence happening on our streets and in our transit systems in cities across Canada are also making their way into public libraries, with branches of all sizes reporting a rise in verbal and physical violence, Global News’ The New Reality reported earlier this week.

In London, a social worker has been brought in full-time at the LPL’s Central branch in the city’s core. When Elizabeth Sutter began working at the library in 2021, community wellness workers were scheduled at the library on a weekly basis. As of June 2022, a social worker has been working full-time.

Sutter, manager of customer services and branch operations, said since a social worker began full-time in June 2022, she has “definitely” seen an impact.

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Global News
April 25, 2023

Mattel debuts first Barbie with Down syndrome – CBC News [2023-04-25]

2023-04-252023-04-25 — Developmental Disabilities — 1 min read

Toy maker Mattel has introduced its first Barbie with Down syndrome in a bid to make its famous doll range more inclusive.

In a statement on Tuesday, Mattel said it had worked with the National Down Syndrome Society in the United States to make the doll, which has a shorter frame and longer torso than its other Barbies.

The new doll’s face also has a rounder shape, and has almond-shaped eyes, smaller ears and a flat nasal bridge, Mattel said.

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CBC News
April 25, 2023

Ontario to pay $33M in proposed settlement for class actions over London jail conditions – Global News [2023-04-25]

2023-04-252023-04-25 — Corrections — 1 min read

A proposed settlement has been reached in two class action lawsuits against the province over conditions at London’s Elgin-Middlesex Detention Centre, and allegations that thousands of inmates were deprived of their Charter rights while at the troubled provincial jail.

Under the proposed settlement, still subject to approval by a judge, the province will pay nearly $32.8 million to class members detained at the jail during a period of nearly 12 years — between Jan. 1, 2020 and Nov. 10, 2021 — including those held pending trial or other court appearances.

The actions alleged that conditions at the jail, located along Exeter Road in south London, were overcrowded, unsanitary, dangerous and violent, according to a notice of proposed settlement being distributed to class members.

In addition, the class actions alleged that the province was “systemically negligent and deprived Class Members of their rights” guaranteed under section 7 and section 12 of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms in its operation and management of the jail, the notice says.

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Global News
April 25, 2023

Mental-health services come too late, experts say, after uptick in violence – CTV News [2023-04-25]

2023-04-252023-04-25 — Mental Health, Police — 1 min read

Recent cases of violence across Canada demonstrate a clear need to treat mental illness early instead of waiting until a serious crime happens, says an executive with the Canadian Mental Health Association.

Jonny Morris, the CEO of the B.C. division of the association, said the emphasis now is on people having to reach a particular point in their illness before receiving treatment.

“We want to be able to intervene early and actually prevent crisis — including a crisis where violence is present — from ever happening in the first place.”

His comments come after apparent random violence in Ontario, B.C. and Alberta, including stabbing deaths.

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CTV News
April 25, 2023

Ontario scrapping post-secondary education requirement for police recruits – CBC News [2023-04-25]

2023-04-252023-04-25 — Police — 1 min read

The Ontario government says it will eliminate a post-secondary education requirement to become a police officer in the province, as part of a bid to increase police recruitment numbers.

Premier Doug Ford made the announcement Tuesday at a news conference alongside Solicitor General Michael Kerzner and Toronto Police Chief Myron Demkiw.

“We need more police officers on our streets, more boots on the ground, as we say,” Ford said.

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CBC News
April 25, 2023

A closer look at Joan’s Place: London’s new home for vulnerable youth – Blackburn News [2023-04-23]

2023-04-242023-04-24 — Housing, Youth — 1 min read

By the end of next year, a new seven-storey building near the downtown core will be home to dozens of London youth who are experiencing or at risk of homelessness.

With the rising cost of living, more and more individuals and families are struggling to stay afloat.

“The demand for housing has just grown so tremendously in our community, unfortunately,” said Steve Cordes, CEO of Youth Opportunities Unlimited (YOU). “There’s people experiencing homelessness that live in encampments, or that live in unsafe situations that we don’t see. Maybe they’re couch surfing, maybe they’re crashing with friends, maybe they’re compromising their own personal safety by staying in places that are just not safe – but, it’s a roof. There’s so much visible and invisible homelessness in this community and it’s gotten worse.”

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Blackburn News
April 23, 2023

Trans Twitch star files human rights complaint against police after swatting arrest in London, Ont. – CBC News [2023-04-24]

2023-04-242023-04-24 — 2SLGBTQ+, Police — 1 min read

A transgender activist arrested at gunpoint in her London, Ont. home in a swatting hoax has launched a human rights complaint against the local police for discriminating against her based on her gender identity and expression.

Clara Sorrenti is asking the London Police Service (LPS) to change its record management, procedures, and policies to accommodate transgender people, including wearing body cameras when interacting with them. She also wants mandatory human rights training for every officer that emphasises interacting with trans people.

“LPS hasn’t done nearly enough to start addressing the systemic issues that led to the encounter last year that left me in significant emotional and mental distress,” Sorrenti said.

In a statement of claim filed to the Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario on April 10, Sorrenti is seeking $75,000 in damages for injury to her dignity, feelings, and self respect, plus an additional $50,000 for loss of income and other special damages incurred as a result of the swatting incident.

London police declined Sunday to comment on the matter.

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CBC News
April 24, 2023

London and Middlesex Community Housing rep quits over cockroach issues – CBC News [2023-04-24]

2023-04-242023-04-24 — Housing — 1 min read

A tenant representative on the London and Middlesex Community Housing (LMCH) board has quit, saying not enough is being done to deal with bed bug and cockroach problems in the building where she lives.

Tammy Brooks, 43, has lived at 304 Oxford St. for seven years and served as a tenant representative on LMCH’s board for two years.

This week she submitted her resignation, saying the board needs to develop a more coordinated, pro-active approach to bug spraying in the 32 properties they manage.

“I think they need to go floor-by-floor and unit-by-unit,” said Brooks, whose apartment received an initial spraying last week. “But if they don’t treat the other units, it’s just going to keep continuing to come back. They need to inspect units, they need to do assessments.”

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CBC News
April 24, 2023

More mental health resources needed in remote First Nations, jury hears during Moses Beaver inquest – CBC News [2023-04-24]

2023-04-242023-04-24 — Indigenous, Police — 1 min read

Calls to improve mental health care resources in remote First Nations in northwestern Ontario continue to be at the forefront of the inquest into the death of Moses Amik Beaver.

The 56-year-old Woodlands artist from Nibinamik, an Oji-Cree First Nation, died in Thunder Bay, Ont. in February 2017 after he was found unresponsive in his cell in the Thunder Bay District Jail.

It remains unclear exactly how Beaver died; the jury is expected to hear more on Beaver’s official cause of death in the coming weeks.

More than six years later, an inquest into his death – which is mandatory under the Ontario Coroner’s Act when a person dies in custody – has started putting together the pieces of how and why Beaver came to his death.

The jury consists of one white man, three white women and one Indigenous woman.

Beaver is one of 13 people who have died in the Thunder Bay District Jail since 2002. His inquest comes on the heels of an inquest completed in November into the deaths of Don Mamakwa of Kasabonika Lake and Roland McKay of Kitchenuhmaykoosib Inninuwug.

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CBC News
April 24, 2023

Tim Hicks – What a Song Should Do

2023-04-242023-04-24 — Music — 1 min read

Doxxed Twitch streamer, trans activist files human rights complaint against London, Ont. police – Global News [2023-04-23]

2023-04-232023-04-23 — 2SLGBTQ+, Police — 1 min read

A popular Twitch streamer and transgender activist has filed a human rights complaint against London, Ont., police, months after a swatting incident.

On Aug. 5, 2022, Clara Sorrenti, known as Keffals on Twitch, was at the centre of a swatting attack after being doxxed by harassers who sent false death threats with her name and address to London city councillors, leading to her being arrested at gunpoint.

Swatting refers to a false report made to police that intends to lure a large number of officers to a particular location, often with the intention of targeting specific individuals.

A statement by Sorrenti’s lawyer Justin W. Anisman states she has filed a human rights application against the London Police Services (LPS) and the London Police Services Board, “based on the discrimination Ms. Sorrenti experienced due to her gender identity and gender expression, which is contrary to section 1 of the Ontario Human Rights Code.”