3. News, Health, Housing, Rights, Advocacy
News
“Despite their different circumstances and backgrounds, all of the missing and murdered are connected by economic, social and political marginalization, racism, and misogyny woven into the fabric of Canadian society,” explained Chief Commissioner Marion Buller. “The hard truth is that we live in a country whose laws and institutions perpetuate violations of fundamental rights, amounting to a genocide against Indigenous women, girls and 2SLGBTQQIA people.”
“The National Inquiry’s Calls for Justice, presented as legal imperatives rather than optional recommendations, outline transformative actions in the areas ofhealth, security, justice and culture…”
[More summaries at ST].
Staff of Shelter, Support and Housing Administration will continue to monitor the situation to ensure that space is available for people in need who are looking to “come inside” for warmth and support.
“The integration of our affordable and supported housing programs, high-impact food security programs, skill building, employment, and community-based drop-in programs will create broader and deeper supports for the people who use our services.”
Health
What would you like to see in the Centre?
From the law: The Centre shall put the mental health strategy into action, create standards, measure standards and provide “resources and support to health service providers, integrated care delivery systems and others related to mental health and addictions”. Could this mean money for services that service users want, including community mental health and addiction organizations?
Public Health Cuts -uncut
This year’s cuts have been uncut. BUT cuts to cities, child care, public health, EMS for this year will CONTINUE as planned next year. These changes came because of organizing across the province. “More than 31,000 people in Toronto signed a petition demanding the province reverse the cuts”. Many different groups worked to stop the cuts including ACORN, Progress Toronto, and even the City of Toronto!
Andrea White and Mad Pride on the Rock have been working on an alternative to the usual mental health hospital/institutions:
“Our community needs an asylum in the original sense of the word.
A refuge. A sanctuary…
A place that provides a holistic, non-judgmental, empathic and respectful service to anyone who needs it.
A place to breathe.”
[Language of relaxing, resistance or reclamation?]
This Viral Facebook Post Urges People to Rethink Self-Care
“Shouting ‘self-care’ at people who actually need community care is how we fail people.” Nakita Valerio
“Community care means showing up; it means that when you find yourself in the position of being able to give more than you need to receive, you do so. Depending on who you are and your strengths, this might mean receiving messages from someone who needs to be comforted and heard, bringing dinner to a sick friend or packing up an abused friend’s belongings as part of their exit plan from domestic violence…” [More at ST]
How many research studies have you been part of? How many times have you started a drug and wondered if it was working? …Maybe they didn’t know what they were doing?
Checkout this article from the Atlantic by Ed Wong (May 17, 2019). ‘…Using data from large groups of volunteers, ranging from 62,000 to 443,000 people, the team checked whether any versions of these genes were more common among people with depression. “We didn’t find a smidge of evidence,” says Matthew Keller, who led the project.’
Violence can be fast, sharp, slow, systemic, by psychiatrists, social workers and survivors. Colonization, homophobia, racism, sexism and more cause some survivors (and communities) to be targeted, marginalized and seen as abnormal and not entitled to human rights. This is a heavy book but there are lots of articles to share and learn.
[More details about the book at ST.]
* Housing *
We still need to advocate and reach politicians to make sure they know that we have a Right to Housing (R2H). Get on the email/phone/post office! Interesting Background Document on the R2H
Lots of resources! Melissa Goldstein: You might want to connect with the Housing Now group on Facebook if you want to learn more and stay up to date.
IT BEGINS: EXPROPRIATE 214-230 SHERBOURNE for Social Housing
OCAP Event Thursday, June 13 | 1pm-3pm | 230 Sherbourne St. Rally at Dundas & Sherbourne, followed by march to city hall.
Facebook Event | Lunch Provided Lots more info at ST.
Inspiration from Parkdale Organize
Parkdale Organize is a membership-based group of working class people who organize to build neighbourhood power in Parkdale.
Parkdale fights back against Ford cuts in neighbourhood rally June 6th “at 8:00am, in the midst of our daily grind, over 300 Parkdale parents, students, teachers and workers met on Jameson. We came together to demonstrate our strength in the face of attacks on our neighbourhood.” [More at ST] |
