Bold aspirations are not enough
TORONTO—It is quite a promise. But in its recent Throne Speech the Trudeau government pledged it would “ensure Canada is the most competitive jurisdiction in the world for clean technology companies.” It didn’t spell out how we would know it had kept its promise. Until we know, it’s just a boast. While promises come easy, […]
Increase front-line services for those in need
Money and resources for awareness have, and continue, to play an important role in mental health wellness, but the time to shift our focus and provide more funding for front-line clinical resources is upon us. As lawmakers, we can significantly improve access to timely and affordable mental health services for everyone who needs it. Awareness […]
Save the COVID blame game for happier times
CHELSEA, QUE.—Who is to blame for the ineptitude, delay, and confusion that has marked Canada’s response to COVID-19? The provinces (insert premier’s name here) for caring more about keeping bars, restaurants and schools open than keeping citizens safe? That all-purpose scapegoat, the federal government, for being three months late in taking the virus seriously, for […]
The easy fix for climate breakdown is off the table, says Ottawa Valley letter writer
The easy fix for climate breakdown is off the table. Greenland’s ice sheet has passed the melting mark of no return and will disintegrate remarkably sooner than projected. Climate scientists estimate that world sea levels will eventually rise about six metres (20 feet). What will be the collective effect of such flooding? Climate disruption in […]
Canada needs to bring accountability to suicide prevention
Approximately 4,000 Canadians die by suicide every year. From age 10 to 34, suicide is consistently the second leading cause of death in Canada behind accidental death. Some of our northern communities have suicide rates that are among the highest in the world. While the suicide rate in Canada has remained relatively stable over the last 50 years, […]
COVID-19’s the least of Trump’s maladies
HALIFAX—I don’t know what all the fuss is about with Donald Trump. So he’s got COVID-19. That’s the least of his maladies. He’s got a bad case of Hep-C-ish Hyperbole, Malarial Mendacity, and Bubonic Bullying that could be terminal. In the recent debate, he looked like an angry ape stomping Joe Biden like Biden was […]
Joyce Echaquan’s degrading treatment a national disgrace
Joyce Echaquan’s degrading treatment before she died in a Joliette, Que., hospital last Monday is a national disgrace. Echaquan, who turned on her phone in her hospital bed and broadcast a Facebook Live video before she died on Sept. 28, appeared to show her being insulted and sworn at by hospital staff. It’s unclear how […]
Stigma and the opioid epidemic
KINGSTON, ONT.—The extent to which social stigma undermines access to care and a coordinated public health response are important topics in light of the growing opioid crisis. Thinking has been divided. In the first camp, rising opioid deaths are viewed as an important public health crisis and opioid use as a treatable medical condition. Harm […]
Traditional mental health practices for Indigenous university students
REGINA—The demographic profile of Indigenous students includes a range of risk factors for mental stress, including relocating from their home community, and coming from a lower socioeconomic status than the general student population. Others have highlighted a concern for Indigenous students, asserting that if institutions continue to offer “training to Indigenous peoples without a deeper […]
Our COVID-19 journey seems infinite, but remember to check in on the mental health of others
OTTAWA—How are you doing? Thankfully, that’s a question I believe people are genuinely asking as they do a check on the mental health of others during this pandemic. Perhaps, for the first time in a global crisis, people are embracing the importance of speaking openly about the previously invisible struggles they’re having. The stiff upper […]
