May 5, 2014
Canada.com – Stephen Maher, Postmedia News
Things would be different if we were talking about 1,186 murdered or missing white women
The Library of Parliament Committee spent a year studying violence against Aboriginal women and in March issued a report in which a national inquiry recommendation was deleted by the conservative dominated committee. RCMP have put the number or murdered and missing women at 1166 but because of government protocol could not release that information to the Parliament Library Committee. The government has answered all critics with the $25 million in the budget to confront the violence but the funding does not start until 2015 and then its $5 million a year with other expenses included in the $5 million ($1.3 million per year for a national DNA databank). As Maher remarks, in 2012, the government spent $26 million on a public inquiry into missing salmon. http://www.canada.com/news/Things+would+different+were+talking+about+murdered+missing/9801810/story.html
Ontario Schizophrenia Society
Strengthening Families Together (SFT) Online Project
A ten part series of on-line educational videos around mental health issues. The videos are about 20 minutes long.
Episode 1: What is Mental Illness?
Episode 2: Schizophrenia
Episode 3: Mood and Anxiety Disorders
Episode 4: Coping as a Family Part One
Episode 5: Coping as a Family Part Two
Episode 6: Treating Mental Illness
Episode 7: Understanding the Mental Health System
Episode 8: Mental Illness, Addictions, and Criminal Justice
Episode 9: Living with Mental Illness
Episode 10: Striving for Change: Advocacy
http://schizophrenia.on.ca/Looking-For-Help/Strengthening-Families-Together-(SFT)-Online-Proje
LSJ.com (Lansing, MI) – Barbara McQuade and Patrick Miles Jr.
Prevent crime by aiding our released prisoners
Here`s a novel proposal. Given a recidivism rate in Michigan of 66%, two well known state US Attorneys are suggesting that the solution is in providing assistance immediately before, during and after release. Calling ‘tough-on-crime’ mantra platitudes at best, the two attorneys have called for a summit at Cooley Law School in Lansing. http://www.lansingstatejournal.com/article/20140503/OPINION02/305030027/Barbara-McQuade-Patrick-Miles-Jr-Prevent-crime-by-aiding-our-released-prisoners?nclick_check=1
Toronto Star – Kenyon Wallace, Rachel Mendleson and Dale Brazao Data analysis by Andrew Bailey
Broken Trust: Two faces of justice
How many Ontario lawyers in the last ten years have violated their clients’ trust? Would you believe that 261 have absconded with more than $61 million though only 12 have done jail time. The Upper Canada Law Society does not report violators to police since there are lawyer-client confidentiality issues involved. Still some critics are calling for an end to the practice of a professional body governing itself. http://projects.thestar.com/broken-trust
Globe and Mail – Bill Curry
Job-vacancy rate plunges as Tories drop Kijiji data
One has to wonder the influence of the Kijiji data used by the conservatives to suggest that Canada was experiencing job vacancies and skills shortages that could only be solved with foreign workers. Having dropped that part of the data, the job vacancy rate has dropped to 1.5%, considerably less than the 4% the feds predicted. http://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/economy/jobs/ottawa-adjust-labour-data-raising-questions-about-national-skills-shortage/article18457198
Globe and Mail – Gloria Galloway
Conservatives put First Nations education bill ‘on hold’ after Atleo quits
The Conservative government has gotten the new Aboriginal Education Act to the second reading stage but have decided in the light of the resignation of AFN Chief Shawn Atleo to suspend the bill pending clarification of the future of the AFN. Atleo’s decision to step down was both a surprise and consequence of widespread opposition and allegations of paternalism in the ACT. http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/conservatives-put-first-nations-education-bill-on-hold-after-atleo-quits/article18460523 Related article: CBC News First Nations education act ‘on hold,’ minister’s office says http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/first-nations-education-act-on-hold-minister-s-office-says-1.2632390