The City of London has moved a step closer to approving a multi-million dollar plan to open a series of neighbourhood service hubs intended to provide life-saving supports and pathways to housing for those suffering through an increasingly deadly homelessness crisis. The plan was […]
Tag: Canada
Kids who go hungry more likely to access care for mental health, substance use: Ontario study – CBC News [2023-07-24]
Toronto resident Rhonda Miller knows how difficult it can be to afford the basic necessities. The 52-year-old lives in an apartment with her daughter and two granddaughters, who are nine and six. Rising rent and food prices mean Miller has to sometimes choose between […]
U.S. father, son drove 2 days to Ontario just for ketchup chips – CTV News [2023-07-22]
An American father-son duo drove for two days in an old army Jeep just to buy ketchup chips in Canada last week. “We only crossed the border to buy the chips,” Rich Lieberman told CTV News Toronto on Saturday after buying 40 burgundy bags […]
Poilievre calls Niagara Falls home ‘tiny little shack,’ apologizes to tenant – CTV News [2023-07-21]
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre says he has apologized to a woman in Niagara Falls, Ont. for calling her home a “tiny little shack” in an attempt to illustrate high housing costs in the area. “Housing costs under (Prime Minister Justin) Trudeau have doubled, and […]
Brant County man swimming across Lake Ontario to raise awareness for mental health – CBC News [2023-07-20]
As he swims across Lake Ontario, swinging one arm over the other for 51 kilometres straight, Jason Kloss may seem alone — but he won’t be. His grandfather, Dick Kloss, and friend, Mike Kuipers, both of whom died during the pandemic, will be in […]
‘This is an investment’: City staff justify London, Ont. homeless hubs plan – Global News [2023-07-19]
City councillors will debate the much-talked-about hub implementation plan to address London’s growing homelessness crisis in a special committee meeting next week. A 46-page report details the steps taken so far, including community engagement, and what immediate steps are needed next, including a request […]
St. Thomas police dismantle homeless camp, frustrating some outreach workers – CBC News [2023-07-19]
St. Thomas has dismantled a well-established encampment where people had set up tents and built make-shift shelters, angering outreach workers who say the people there have nowhere else to go. “What typically happens is they have to see if there’s room in the shelter […]
Who was behind London’s big banana giveaway? Now we know. – CBC News [2023-07-19]
Months after spreading potassium and positivity across London, the man who gave out thousands of free bananas and sparked speculation from hundreds of Londoners has agreed to share his motivations. Tyler Lockhart, 21, says his generosity wasn’t inspired by a thirst for fame or […]
St. Thomas-Elgin YWCA to press forward with tiny homes despite denial of $8M grant – Global News [2023-07-18]
Despite not securing a multi-million-dollar grant, a St. Thomas, Ont., non-profit is still determined to get its tiny affordable homes project off the ground. The YWCA St. Thomas-Elgin says its application for an $8-million grant with the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) for […]
What you need to know about London’s proposed homeless hubs – CBC News [2023-07-18]
The much anticipated plan to help support the homeless population in London, Ont. will include 24/7 wrap around services in hubs that will cost $2.7 million each to run. A new 46-page report to be discussed by councillors next week outlines the details of […]
Arrest the homeless? London, Ont. councillor promotes controversial plan – Global News [2023-07-18]
A city councillor in London, Ont., is coming under fire after sharing a plan to address homelessness that suggested providing support that people need to get off the streets but arresting anyone who refuses assistance. Ward 4 Coun. Susan Stevenson tweeted “London could be […]
London’s ‘game changer’ mental health-care model inspires revisioned plan in Windsor – CBC News [2023-07-17]
Just two hours up Highway 401 from Windsor, Ont., there’s a mental health and addictions crisis centre that is a “game changer” for the London community. Now, a Windsor hospital is eyeing the same model as it plans to re-submit a proposal to the […]
Real estate developers say homelessness, drugs hinder downtown London’s full-scale revival – CBC News [2023-07-17]
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 […]
Former Ontario inmates say complaints system is broken after docs reveal medical concerns, abuse allegations – CBC News [2023-07-14]
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 […]
Thousands of Canadian drug users dying as government red tape limits help, advocates say – CBC News [2023-07-13]
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 […]
A new course teaches Ontario police recruits how to defuse a mental health crisis – CBC News [2023-07-07]
Ontario now offers an 18-hour course that teaches police recruits how to deal with people suffering from a mental health crisis, marking the first time such training has been offered to the province’s law enforcement cadets. The three-day training session was introduced last week […]
‘An outhouse is one of the best things’: Temporary homeless depots begin in city parks – CTV News [2023-07-04]
A meal, water and a portable washroom was a nice surprise for Neil Hammell, who is living in an encampment off Wellington Valley Park in London, Ont., near the Thames River. “There’s no clean down here, there’s just different levels of dirty,” said Hammell, […]
Happy Canada Day!
City council votes yes to fund homeless encampment ‘service depots’ – CBC News [2023-06-28]
London city council is moving ahead with a plan to create four service depots for homeless populations in the downtown core. As London faces an escalating homelessness crisis, the plan to ramp up emergency response supports was pushed forward by city council at a […]
Indigenous Justice and a New Path for Canada’s Prisons – The Tyee [2023-06-26]
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 […]
More supports needed to protect people with schizophrenia from extreme heat, experts say – CBC News [2023-06-24]
British Columbia’s 2021 heat dome killed people diagnosed with schizophrenia at a higher rate than those with any other chronic illness, according to recent findings from researchers at the B.C. Centre for Disease Control (BCCDC). As extreme heat events are forecasted to become more […]
City of Barrie backs down on plan to ban giving food to homeless people on its property – CBC News [2023-06-21]
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 […]
Edmonton MP to file official grievance about Taylor Swift tour’s lack of Canadian shows – Global News [2023-06-21]
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 […]
London councillor called out by colleagues over light workload – CTV News [2023-06-21]
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 […]
Ontario the latest province to stop imprisoning migrants – CBC News [2023-06-16]
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 […]
