The lineup has been announced for this year’s Forest City Film Festival (FCFF) in London, Ont., with several films focusing on social issues that hit close to home. The local film festival runs from Oct. 14 to 22, showcasing about 70 films, including features, […]
Tag: Canada
Prison overdose prevention program expands to Ontario – Global News [2023-09-14]
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 […]
Agencies urge city for continued security at outreach spaces facing escalating violence – CBC News [2023-09-14]
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 […]
Some Ontario church leaders say Christians discriminating against people who are LGBTQ get the Bible wrong – CBC News [2023-09-14]
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 […]
If Trudeau wants to fix housing, London is a good place to start – CBC News [2023-09-14]
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 […]
‘I almost died in there’: Former inmates of London, Ont. detention centre speak out – CTV News [2023-09-13]
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 […]
Trudeau announces $74M to help London, Ont., build 2,000 new homes – CBC News [2023-09-13]
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 […]
Staggering mental health, addiction stats push northern First Nations to call for emergency declaration – CBC News [2023-09-13]
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 […]
An overdose prevention site for inmates is coming to this Ontario prison – CBC News [2023-09-12]
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 […]
Disability and the prison system – Briarpatch [2023-09-07]
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 […]
How Prescription Heroin Is Saving Lives – The Tyee [2023-09-12]
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 […]
As Yellowknife reopens, work is being done to bring back the city’s homeless population – CBC News [2023-09-11]
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 […]
Canada ranks as second-best country in the world in 2023: U.S. News – CTV News [2023-09-08]
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 […]
How more homeless encampments in Ontario signal a housing crisis out of control – Global News [2023-09-09]
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, […]
Naloxone kits should be available in nasal spray, injectable version across Canada: panel – Global News [2023-09-08]
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 […]
Instead of waiting months, this Nova Scotian saw psychiatrist in days under new program – CBC News [2023-09-08]
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 […]
‘Hate’ campaign seemingly targets youngest and most impressionable in our community – CTV News [2023-09-07]
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 […]
Just four organizations bid to operate London’s first homeless hubs – CTV News [2023-09-06]
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 […]
‘Life or death’: LGBTQ2 people warn on dangers of school pronoun policy changes – Global News [2023-09-01]
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 […]
Saskatchewan, New Brunswick naming changes means ‘life or death’ for trans kids: Ien – CTV News [2023-08-31]
Canada’s minister for women, gender equality and youth says policies in Saskatchewan and New Brunswick that require parental consent before students under 16 can have schools use their preferred pronouns and names puts transgender and nonbinary kids in a “life-or-death situation.” And while Marci […]
24 Sussex may be replaced with new residence for PMs, feds say – Global News [2023-08-29]
The prime minister’s problem-plagued official residence could be replaced instead of restored, though the government says its plans are not complete. A spokesperson for Procurement Minister Jean-Yves Duclos said building a new residence is among the options being considered as the department comes up […]
Ottawa warns LGBTQ travellers they could be hit by U.S. state laws – CBC News [2023-08-29]
Global Affairs Canada has updated its travel advisory for the United States by warning LGBTQ people that some state laws may affect them on their travels. “Some states have enacted laws and policies that may affect 2SLGBTQI+ persons. Check relevant state and local laws,” […]
Meta’s news block hits Indigenous communities harder, Six Nations publisher says – CBC News [2023-08-29]
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 […]
Poor mental health, violence among threats to children in Canada: report – CTV News [2023-08-29]
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 […]
Bruce County mayor resigns after accusing First Nation in Ontario of being ‘poor and unclean’ in recording – CBC News [2023-08-29]
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 […]