How widespread are the homeless/mental health/addiction issues in your city/province?

[Doady]

Governments need to focus on mental health instead of medically assisted death, housing, safe injection, whatever. Mental health is the root of all this, especially ever since COVID.

[whatnext]

Originally Posted by niwell

On a similar dark and somewhat ironic note, my 95 year old grandmother who was in hospice for almost a year and repeated "I want to die" every day that entire time wasn't granted the option because she wasn't considered of sound mind to make that decision. This was last year.

A cautionary tale for every person, certainly over 40 to get a will and get a document outlining very clearly what you want done if you become terminally ill, senile etc.

[theman23]

Originally Posted by whatnext

A cautionary tale for every person, certainly over 40 to get a will and get a document outlining very clearly what you want done if you become terminally ill, senile etc.

Barring a change in legislation, a pre-existing directive or will would not be sufficient for medical assistance in dying. You have to apply for the procedure contemporaneously.

[Loco101]

Originally Posted by whatnext

A cautionary tale for every person, certainly over 40 to get a will and get a document outlining very clearly what you want done if you become terminally ill, senile etc.

Everyone over 30 should have a will and power of attorney document.

[Loco101]

Originally Posted by Doady

Governments need to focus on mental health instead of medically assisted death, housing, safe injection, whatever. Mental health is the root of all this, especially ever since COVID.

It's certainly plays the largest roll by far in homelessness and addiction issues.

[someone123]

Halifax Remembrance Day ceremony is being relocated to Dartmouth because the square in the middle of town that has the cenotaph is being used for tents: https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/nova-...outh-1.7005262

[giallo]

• Video Link

[yaletown_fella]

Originally Posted by niwell

I absolutely agree on the working 40 hours a week for a studio apartment part, but I do think there will always be a need for "lesser" forms of housing. The proviso is it should be very, very cheap. Even if we're not looking at those with addictions or other issues lots of bands and other Canadian artists were able to make it in the early 2000s by working part time jobs and living in cheap rooms. Working enough to pay the rent and devoting the rest of your time towards creative pursuits. That's simply not possible anymore.

Great point. As an artist I totally agree. Personally I could see myself back in my 20s being amenable to a small ($700-800 in todays dollars) room with its own ensuite bath. And then some kind of shared 'living' space that'd double as an art studio to collaborate and socialize other artists , shared kitchen and laundry.

[Acajack]

Cue the meme of the dog surrounded by fire saying all is fine!

Drug users have legal right to use anywhere, says B.C. harm reduction nurses' lawsuit

B.C. limit on drug use near a playgrounds and the like is unconstitutional, harm-reduction nurses allege

https://vancouversun.com/news/local-...box=1699813165

[theman23]

Originally Posted by Acajack

Cue the meme of the dog surrounded by fire saying all is fine!

Drug users have legal right to use anywhere, says B.C. harm reduction nurses' lawsuit

B.C. limit on drug use near a playgrounds and the like is unconstitutional, harm-reduction nurses allege

https://vancouversun.com/news/local-...box=1699813165

It kind of makes sense. It doesn’t really seem fair to legalize drug use but then introduce legislation banning it from public places when the vast majority of drug users have no private place to use drugs. Im guessing there are a few high functioning coke heads in the BC NDP or the BC wing of the federal Libs who benefit from these new rules.

[whatnext]

Someone remind me, what would be involved in replacing the Charter of Rights & Freedoms with something not as ridiculous and harmful.

[theman23]

The charter doesn’t seem to be the problem here.

[Acajack]

Originally Posted by theman23

It kind of makes sense. It doesn’t really seem fair to legalize drug use but then introduce legislation banning it from public places when the vast majority of drug users have no private place to use drugs. Im guessing there are a few high functioning coke heads in the BC NDP or the BC wing of the federal Libs who benefit from these new rules.

All of this is so encouraging.

[kool maudit]

Originally Posted by theman23

It doesn’t really seem fair to legalize drug use but then introduce legislation banning it from public places when the vast majority of drug users have no private place to use drugs.

It doesn't, does it? And fairness is of course the highest public good, and the only one that doesn't exist in tension with other values.

[Hecate]

How do you think this will fare for cigarette smokers? They’re addicted, and banned from all sorts of public places? So if someone can shoot heroin wherever they want why can’t I fucking smoke‽

[Acajack]

I remember when I was in high school a teacher evoked (rather simplistically I know) the difference between the American and Canadian approaches to rights and freedoms.

He mentioned that if someone had a big ghetto blaster in the class and wanted to play it loudly, under the US mindset he had an absolute right to do whatever he wanted.

Then he said that in Canada the kid with the ghetto blaster also had the right to do whatever he wanted, provided he didn't infringe on the rights of others.

The Canadian approach always seemed to me to be the most sensible one.

[O-tacular]

Noticed a tent city has sprung up in the trees on this median in the middle of Memorial Drive yesterday.

https://www.google.com/maps/@51.0538...8192?entry=ttu

[MolsonExport]

Originally Posted by Hecate

How do you think this will fare for cigarette smokers? They’re addicted, and banned from all sorts of public places? So if someone can shoot heroin wherever they want why can’t I fucking smoke‽

maybe, just maybe, because people don't want to breath in second-hand smoke?

[Harrison]

Originally Posted by O-tacular

Noticed a tent city has sprung up in the trees on this median in the middle of Memorial Drive yesterday.

https://www.google.com/maps/@51.0538...8192?entry=ttu

Makes sense, a nice, grassy treed area without anyone cutting through (for the most part), plus the white noise of vehicles beside you to lull you to sleep.

Does Calgary have any other areas with a bunch of tents?

In Edmonton we mainly have them around the Hope Mission and along a stretch of the Capital Line LRT right when it leaves the Downtown tunnel heading NE, in addition to scattered campers in the river valley. Doesn't help that we have a severe shortage of permanent shelter beds compared to Calgary, but hopefully that gap will narrow soon.

[whatnext]

This should make every Canadians' blood boil. In BC we recently had our esteemed judiciary rule that it infringed on junkies' rights to bar them from playgrounds.

Two-year-old found with syringe in her mouth at playground taken to hospital in Ottawa
Ottawa paramedics transported a two-year-old girl to CHEO on Saturday after she was found with an uncapped syringe in her mouth
Author of the article: Staff Reporter
Published Feb 11, 2024

Ottawa paramedics transported a two-year-old girl to CHEO on Saturday after she was found with an uncapped syringe in her mouth while playing at a park in the Civic Hospital neighbourhood.

Ottawa Paramedic Service operation commander Paul Morneau said the little girl appeared to have no signs of impairment or need of the opioid antidote naloxone, but was transported to hospital for assessment....

https://nationalpost.com/news/local-...box=1707685454