Aug 25, 2017
Globe and Mail – Mike Hager
B.C. medical marijuana firm issues recall over tainted drugs
A significant recall of medical marijuana has arrived. The problem seems to have been identified by spot checking done by Health Canada where two banned pesticides have been found in a sample from a firm called Broken Coast Cannabis Ltd of Victoria, BC. The company was one of the first to get a medical marijuana license from Health Canada in 2014. No one has suffered health problems to date and the discovery was around trace amounts. There seems some confusion around how much of the product was sold, thus far described as “three batches” that were tested. https://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/british-columbia/bc-medical-marijuana-firm-issues-recall-over-tainted-drugs/article36087259/
The Crime Report (US) – Ted Gest
Governors Face Up to Criminal Justice Reform
The US Council of State Governors, with funding from the federal Department of Justice has begun an innovative program intended to spur on reform of the state justice system. The project is called “Face to Face” and involves having the governors themselves visit prisons and other centers for corrections and meeting with actual inmates. One participant, Governor Nathan Deal of Georgia, a Republican, reflects: “I have learned through my own experience that criminal justice policy decisions are best made when they prioritize the needs and challenges of the people they ultimately impact.” Another governor, Dannel Malloy, a Democrat from Connecticut urged: “a more thoughtful approach to criminal justice policy that focuses not only on data and numbers but also the people behind those numbers.” The project is also drawing in people other than governors involved in the corrections process. https://thecrimereport.org/2017/08/14/governors-face-up-to-criminal-justice-reform/ Related article: Governing – J.B. Wogan Governors Pay Prisoners Face-to-Face Visits http://www.governing.com/topics/public-justice-safety/gov-governors-criminal-justice-system.html
National Observer (Canada) – Carl Meyer
McKenna gets advice from scientist muzzled by Harper
Federal Minister of the Environment Catherine McKenna is seeking out environmental scientists silenced by the Harper government to look again at the threat to the earth and Canada from ozone layers in the atmosphere. The link offers a comprehensive and current status report on David Tarasick’s 2015 recommendations on the discovery of the Artic Ozone Hole. The link assess as well the interim damages and changes and the need to re-establish monitoring sites closed by Harper but ignored by the Liberal government. http://www.nationalobserver.com/2017/08/24/news/mckenna-gets-advice-scientist-muzzled-harper
Policy Options – Vathsala Illesinghe
Canada’s Gender-based Violence Prevention Strategy
“With so little investment in immigrant and refugee issues, the strategy may not help the groups that are most vulnerable to gender-based violence.” The article examines the gender based domestic violence among the vulnerable Indigenous and immigrant population who are more likely victims with the LGTBQ communities. The article also questions the effectiveness of the distribution of the $100 million over five years applied to dealing with the government report. http://policyoptions.irpp.org/magazines/august-2017/canadas-gender-based-violence-prevention-strategy/ Full Government Report: It’s Time: Canada’s Strategy to Prevent and Address Gender-Based Violence https://www.canada.ca/en/status-women/news/2017/06/it_s_time_canadasstrategytopreventandaddressgender-basedviolence.html
Toronto Star – Wendy Gillis
Cops in schools denounced at raucous police board meeting
Toronto police have some three dozen School Resource Officers who are stationed daily in schools in Toronto. A review of the wisdom and practices of the police on site was to have been completed before the school re-opening but has been delayed until the following year. The delay has given rise to considerable discontent with the failure to complete the review and with the critics of the police presence which, say the critics, simply sets up the “school to prison” pipeline already extensive in the US. https://www.thestar.com/news/crime/2017/08/24/cops-in-schools-denounced-at-raucous-police-board-meeting.html Related article: Toronto Star Editorial (Aug. 23, 2017) Police board should order review of cops-in-school program https://www.thestar.com/opinion/editorials/2017/08/23/police-board-should-order-review-of-cops-in-school-program-editorial.html Related article: CBC News (Opinion: Aug 25, 2017) Matt Gurney Don’t wait for an outcome in the Dafonte Miller case: fix Ontario’s police oversight system now http://www.cbc.ca/news/opinion/dafonte-miller-case-1.4243956
FCJ Refugee Centre (Toronto)
Refugee Forum – Realities at the Border and vulnerable communities; New Guidelines on proceedings involving sexual orientation and gender identity and expression
This forum will update on two significant refugee matters: the recent surge of mostly Haitian refugees from the US over the land border; and the recent changes in documentation to allow an individual to use transgendered identity on passports.
Sept 19 from 9AM to 3PM at Salvation Army Harbour Light – 160 Jarvis Street, Toronto ($10 cash donation at the door for lunch)
For more information: cteves@fcjrefugeecentre.org
Registration: https://refugeeforumseptember19.eventbrite.ca