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.”

Read more here:

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.

Read more here:

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.

Read more here:

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.”

Read more here:

CBC News
June 7, 2023

Here’s how ‘code-switching’ can hurt Black, Indigenous people in Canada – CTV News [2023-06-05]

2023-06-052023-06-05 — Indigenous, Society — 1 min read

In a dominantly white culture, racialized people in Canada may “codeswitch”, Selam Debs, an antiracism coach said.

Code-switching refers to a person changing their behaviour, expression or appearance Debs told CTV’s Your Morning on Monday, explaining the reasons for doing so can include safety, job opportunities or quality service.

“Black, Indigenous and racialized folks are often considered ‘the other’ when it comes to accents,” she said. “So we might change the way that we speak, recognizing that it is in relationship with trying to fit into what is considered professional.”

Read more here:

CTV News
June 5, 2023

More highly supportive, deeply affordable housing units coming to London this fall – CBC News [2023-06-05]

2023-06-052023-06-05 — Housing — 2 min read

The city has approved a deal with charity Indwell for 44 deeply affordable, highly supportive housing units, a step toward London’s promise to open 100 such apartments by the end of the year.

City councillors approved the plan for the supportive housing units last week. It will cost about $1.7 million a year to operate the facility, money that will come from the city initially but will eventually receive subsidies from provincial health care and federal homelessness funding.

The building at 403 Thompson Road in the Glen Cairn neighbourhood will provide 24/7 onsite care that includes mental health, addiction and nursing services, as well as one meal per day, activities and other and housing stability supports for tenants.

“To be able to transition this site to something that supplies 44 of the 100 highly supportive units that we want to have this year puts us on a really good track to demonstrate to the funding partners that we are 100 per cent serious about moving forward with our plan on an aggressive timeframe and we’re willing to shift our approach and our assets to be able to do that,” said Mayor Josh Morgan.

Indwell is the largest developer of the purpose-built, affordable and supportive housing in the province.

Read more here:

CBC News
June 5, 2023

Antipsychotic drugs use increased in Canadian long-term care homes, pointing to possible quality-of-care issues: study – CTV News [2023-06-03]

2023-06-032023-06-03 — Mental Health — 1 min read

A new study has revealed an increase in antipsychotic drugs use in long-term care homes across Canada despite no significant increase in behavioural symptoms of residents – something that may expose a potential area of concern for quality of care, researchers say.

The study, published in Health Services Insights, examined data from yearly Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI) reports to assess how COVID-19 impacted resident admission and discharge rates, resident health attributes, treatments, and quality of care.

The report data was collected two years pre-pandemic and in the first year of COVID-19, and was from more than 500,000 residents across Ontario, Manitoba, Alberta, and British Columbia.

Read more here:

CTV News
June 3, 2023

Access to virtual mental-health care uneven across Canada – Healthy Debate [2023-05-28]

2023-06-012023-06-01 — Mental Health — 2 min read

Despite the promises of “universality” and “accessibility” enshrined in the Canada Health Act, virtual delivery of family physician services for mental health varies enormously across the country.

Before the COVID-19 pandemic onset, virtual delivery of physician services in Canada was rare – other than in specific settings, it was not included within publicly funded health services. Soon after the start of the pandemic, 50 per cent of outpatient care was provided through virtual modalities, an astonishing 56-fold increase, comprising 71 per cent of primary-care visits in the first months of the COVID-19 pandemic. This was a welcome change for many patients, who had reported substantial barriers to accessing virtual care in the past.

These changes also impacted accessing mental-health services for many patients, given that primary mental-health care physician services are publicly funded, and therefore free-of-charge to most patients. Our team’s work has demonstrated that anxiety and depression were the most common reason for people consulting family physicians in 2020.

Family doctors are a mainstay of mental-health services in Canada because their services are paid for by provincial and territorial Medicare programs. Billing codes included in the Schedule of Medical Benefits in each province and territory determine the range of services that are publicly funded. The biggest change after the start of the pandemic was that synchronous virtual care (where the physician and patient are interacting in real-time, using video or phone calls) became part of what was publicly funded across the country.

Read more here:

Healthy Debate
May 28, 2023

‘Slipping through the cracks’: Post-secondary students with mental-health disabilities struggle to find help – Healthy Debate [2023-05-29]

2023-06-012023-06-01 — Mental Health — 2 min read

Despite the increased availability of resources to tackle the student mental-health crisis across Canadian universities, three in four post-secondary students are unaware of how to access campus mental-health resources.

Undergraduate students voice that there is a disconnect between what is available to students with mental-health disabilities and their knowledge of their rights and resources, preventing them from utilizing accessibility services.

Of those registered with accessibility services at the University of Toronto, mental-health disabilities are more prevalent than all other disabilities combined, according to an emailed statement from the school.

Despite this, students often have little time for conversations with their accessibility department to learn how to navigate within academics, says Jeanette Parsons, director of the Accessible Learning Centre at Wilfrid Laurier University. “Maybe some additional resources could be added,” she says.

Some students may not be aware of the rights they have, for example privacy around the nature of their specific medical conditions. After she was asked by a professor why she required accommodations, a University of Toronto student says, “I didn’t feel like I was in a place where I could say that I’m not comfortable sharing (that information) and still have access to my accommodations.

Read more here:

Healthy Debate
May 29, 2023

Manitoba chiropractor cleared of misconduct after posting pro-vaccine news story – CBC News [2023-05-23]

2023-05-232023-05-23 — Miscellaneous — 1 min read

Carolyn Weiss didn’t give it much thought when she posted a news article that spoke positively about vaccines on her personal Facebook.

It was January 2021 and COVID-19 vaccines were beginning to be administered across the country, sparking fierce public debate.

Little did the chiropractor based in Selkirk, Man., know that post would be the start of an 18-month ordeal — one that put her career in jeopardy and led to a public inquiry that cost her thousands of dollars in legal fees before she was cleared of all wrongdoing.

All because the articles mentioned the word vaccines.

“I was confused and baffled,” Weiss told CBC News. “I posted something that was general health information.”

The complaint placed Weiss in the middle of an ongoing divide in the profession over vaccination and what can be said.

Read more here:

CBC News
May 23, 2023

5 Common Pieces of Career Advice that Are Often Useless – Psychology Today [2023-05-22]

2023-05-222023-05-22 — Miscellaneous — 1 min read

Years ago, when I was looking for my first faculty position, I sought the advice of someone who was technically supposed to serve as one of my advisors. This person offered me only two pieces of advice: Go to a career fair and read career advice books. Yep, that’s what I got from this person, who in the career advice arena was about as useful as a ferret serving as IT support. This person was essentially saying, “Don’t ask me to really help you.”

These were but two examples of the plethora of useless career advice that I received when I could have instead used some real help.

Read more here:

Psychology Today
May 22, 2023

Advocates blast Barrie city council for greenlighting ban on donations to people experiencing homelessness – CBC News [2023-05-21]

2023-05-212023-05-21 — Housing — 1 min read

Advocates are blasting the City of Barrie for approving a slew of policies that, if put in place, could outlaw giving food or money to people in the city who are experiencing homelessness.

In a city council meeting Wednesday, councillors approved a range of policies that staff can consider and use to address rising homelessness, including changes to city bylaws that will prohibit the use and distribution of tents and tarps on public land, and giving out food and groceries without a permit.

Staff were also directed to consider methods that would ban donations to panhandlers on city streets, intersections and highway ramps, opting to place signs discouraging the practice in favour of donating to service agencies instead.

Former councillor Keenan Aylwin says their approach will have the opposite effect of what’s intended.

Read more here:

CBC News
May 21, 2023

Ontario government, Bell won’t say how much money they made from inmate phone calls – Global News [2023-05-16]

2023-05-162023-05-16 — Corrections — 1 min read

Neither Bell Canada nor the Ontario government will say how much money they made from a jail phone system that charged what lawyers describe as “exorbitant” rates for inmate calls over eight years.

Bell operated the Offender Telephone Management System from 2013 to 2021 — which allowed inmates to only place collect calls — at a flat rate of $1 for local calls, but about $1 per minute plus a $2.50 connection fee for long-distance calls, according to a recent Appeal Court decision.

The rates were four times higher than those charged to inmates in other provinces, a lower court judge found. The new phone system now in place under a different company includes long-distance rates of a few cents a minute.

As well, the province took a commission on the money Bell made from those calls — which the court said numbered about 15,000 a day. The government declined to provide the amount collected or explain why it collected a commission, in response to queries from The Canadian Press.

Read more here:

Global News
May 16, 2023

Owning houseplants can boost your mental health – here’s how to pick the right one – PsyPost [2023-05-13]

2023-05-132023-05-13 — Mental Health — 2 min read

In both Europe and the US, people spend up to 90% of their time indoors. But spending so much time inside can have consequences for your mental health.

The World Health Organization estimates that 5% of adults globally suffer from depression. Stress, depression and anxiety also accounted for 55% of all working days lost in the UK during the year 2021-22. Small improvements in our mental health can bring significant personal and financial rewards.

For those of us who are stuck inside all day, houseplants are an easy way of connecting with nature. This is particularly true for young people, many of whom may lack access to a garden.

Indoor plants have several mental and physical health benefits. Research has linked houseplants to reduced stress, lower blood pressure and an improved state of mind. And office environments with plants have been associated with higher job satisfaction and reduced health complaints.

Houseplants make us feel good due to our inherent desire to connect with nature, and because we consider the green colours of most houseplants to be calming. Adding just a single plant can brighten up a dull space and boost your mood. But which should you choose?

Read more here:

PsyPost
May 13, 2023

6 Reasons You Shouldn’t Blindly Trust Artificial Intelligence – Make Use Of [May 13, 2023]

2023-05-132023-05-13 — Technology — 1 min read

AI is transforming the world as we know it, with its impact felt across every industry. However, not all of these changes are necessarily positive. While AI offers exciting new opportunities in many areas, we cannot ignore the fact that it lacks an inherent moral compass or fact-checking system to guide its decision-making.

This is why you should always fact-check everything you’re being told as the world becomes more AI-centric. Certain AI tools can manipulate information, misunderstand context completely, and be confidently wrong at the same time, which is why blindly trusting AI is a bad idea.

Read more here:

Make Use Of
May 13, 2023

As Pride flags are once again targeted, LGBTQ advocates say it’s as important as ever to fly them – CBC News [2023-05-11]

2023-05-112023-05-11 — 2SLGBTQ+ — 1 min read

After the southwestern Ontario township of Norwich made a controversial decision last month to no longer fly the Progress Pride flag on municipal property, it didn’t take long after for people to start emailing Kim Huffman, a councillor in neighbouring Norfolk county, calling for a similar move.

It may have only been a small number of messages, but she’s making it clear she has no intention of following Norwich’s lead.

“Don’t bother wasting your time asking me to put any kind of motion forward or to have any kind of discussion regarding the Pride flag in Norfolk County,” she told CBC News. In her first term, Huffman said, she was the councillor responsible for getting the county to raise the Pride flag at its administrative building in the first place.

Huffman says she wants her community and others, especially in rural areas, to show they are inclusive — especially for younger people who may not see the same degree of LGBTQ visibility and allyship that exists in large cities.

Read more here:

CBC News
May 11, 2023

Barenaked Ladies – Lovers in a Dangerous Time (cover)

2023-05-112023-05-11 — Music — 1 min read

Barenaked Ladies – Lovers in a Dangerous Time (cover)

Ontario law federation raises alarm over dwindling number of lawyers in remote areas – CBC News [2023-05-10]

2023-05-112023-05-11 — Justice — 1 min read

The Federation of Ontario Law Associations (FOLA) is raising concerns over access to justice as the number of practising law professionals in rural and remote areas of the province dwindles.

FOLA, which represents 46 district and county associations in Ontario, put forward a motion last week that calls on the Law Society of Ontario to develop a strategy for attracting and retaining law professionals in underserved communities.

“We hear from communities all across Ontario about the lack of lawyers that are moving to fill gaps in service in smaller communities, and these are predominantly northern communities and rural communities,” said Douglas Judson, FOLA’s chair.

FOLA says it’s seeing people leave the profession without succession plans in place, often creating gaps in smaller communities.

Judson, a lawyer in a more rural area of northwestern Ontario, said the shrinking of the bar can also be attributed to a general shrinking of population in some communities and the emerging trend of people practising law virtually.

Read more here:

CBC News
May 10, 2023

Prescribed alcohol program in Halifax to add social activities after finding surprising side effect – CBC News [2023-05-09]

2023-05-112023-05-11 — Substance Use — 1 min read

An evaluation of a Halifax program that prescribes alcohol to people who have struggled with homelessness and alcohol dependency is showing positive results — but it’s had a surprising side effect.

Participants were bored.

“They didn’t need to spend so much time during the day — like mental energy, physical energy — just trying to make money to purchase the alcohol,” Candis Lepage, a Dalhousie University medical student who conducted the evaluation, told CBC Radio’s Information Morning Nova Scotia.

“So their day wasn’t really revolving around sourcing it anymore, and that kind of creates a really big gap when you’ve been doing that for so long.”

The Managed Alcohol Program out of the North End Community Health Centre started in June 2020. It administers pre-set daily doses of beer or wine to clients who are homeless and also dependent on alcohol.

The program aims to reduce harm and move people onto a path to stability and away from the cycle of homelessness.

Read more here:

CBC News
May 9, 2023

Northern Ontario’s 5 largest cities continue to have highest opioid death rates in province – CBC News [2023-05-10]

2023-05-102023-05-10 — Substance Use — 1 min read

Dallas Kosy says he isn’t surprised to hear that northern Ontario continues to have the highest rate of opioid overdose deaths in the province.

Last week, the Office of the Chief Coroner released preliminary figures showing five cities in the region —Thunder Bay, Sault Ste. Marie, Greater Sudbury, Timmins and North Bay — had the highest opioid mortality rates per 100,000 population last year.

Kosy recently lost his brother-in-law to an overdose and has seen first hand the toll the opioid crisis has had in Sudbury.

“All those crosses that signify how large the issue is, I’m sure that’s not even half of the crosses that could be put up,” he said.

“There’s definitely more than what’s shown. I’m sure of it.”

Read more here:

CBC News
May 10, 2023

Inside lobbying efforts to fund London’s new homelessness strategy – CTV News [2023-05-08]

2023-05-082023-05-08 — Housing — 1 min read

Almost three months after it was announced, London’s long-term strategy for addressing homelessness is coming into focus.

In a letter to his council colleagues, Mayor Josh Morgan provides an update on lobbying the federal and provincial governments to financially support the Whole of Community Response to Homelessness.

“The feedback received thus far has been overwhelmingly positive,” Morgan’s update reads.

On Monday, the mayor told CTV News that his pitch for senior government funding has two components.

Read more here:

CTV News
May 8, 2023

70-year-old Ontario biker makes it her mission to protect people at drag queen storytimes – CBC News [2023-05-08]

2023-05-082023-05-08 — 2SLGBTQ+ — 1 min read

If public libraries have become the battleground for LGBTQ rights, Patricia Ginn of Strathroy, Ont., is on the front line.

At 70, Ginn, who regularly sports a black leather vest, says she doesn’t scare easily. She rides a 2023 Indian Dark Horse motorcycle and makes it her mission to support drag queen storytime events across southern Ontario.

Last month, amid dozens of protesters, Ginn, along with three other members of the motorcycle group WindSisters, stood outside the Parkhill, Ont., branch of the Middlesex County Library to support performers at a drag queen storytime, and escort participating families and supporters into the building.

About 100 people from the town, which has a population of fewer than 2,000, were in attendance.

While some of the protesters prayed, others were more aggressive, said Ginn, who came out in her 20s and describes herself as a masculine-presenting lesbian.

Read more here:

CBC News
May 8, 2023