Feb 21, 2022
The Conversation (Queen’s) – Linda Mussel
The end of the ‘freedom convoy’ in Ottawa: Why rejoicing when occupiers get arrested isn’t the answer
Says Mussel: “Carceral enjoyments – — the satisfaction in seeing others punished through state institutions — and this is exactly what we’re seeing happen in Ottawa right now – is a term coined by political scientist Andrew Dilts. It refers to a type of satisfaction that arises from witnessing the “social death” of other people through carceral action — such as arrest and confinement in jail… And social death (coined by sociologist Orlando Patterson) refers to the end of a person’s ability to function as a social being. It happens when people are set apart from the rest.” Mussel is a post-doctoral fellow at the University of Ottawa and an affiliate of the Criminalization and Punishment Education Project. https://theconversation.com/the-end-of-the-freedom-convoy-in-ottawa-why-rejoicing-when-occupiers-get-arrested-isnt-the-answer-177498
BC Tyee – Amanda Follett Hosgood
‘De-Task’ the Police, Says Former Toronto Mayor – A policing crisis has a former politician demanding change. A Tyee Q&A.
Former Toronto mayor John Sewell became critical of policing in the 70’s when gays were the target of Toronto police. Now his focus is the RCMP policing of the Wet’suwet’en territory in northern BC. He has published a new book entitled Crisis in Canada’s Policing he “lays bare a toxic police culture that suffers from cronyism, racism, sexism and a lack of accountability. Sewell describes countless reports designed to improve policing that have gone unheeded…He makes a case for “de-tasking” police by reallocating resources to organizations better positioned to prevent violence and crime.” The link offers an Q /A interview between Hosgood and Sewell in the light of his new book. https://thetyee.ca/News/2022/02/16/De-Task-Police-Says-Former-Toronto-Mayor/ Related article: BC Tyee – Crawford Killian Can Canada Count on Its Police? As protesters aim to destabilize our democracy, the question becomes paramount. https://thetyee.ca/Analysis/2022/02/14/Can-Canada-Count-On-Police/
Communities of Support and Accountability (CoSA) – No more victims…
Circles of Support and Accountability (CoSA) in Canada is facing a funding crisis. Funding from the federal government is about to run out…and there’s too much at stake to let that happen!
CoSA addresses a critical issue affecting all our communities – the traumatic impact of sexual offences on vulnerable people – CoSA offers an effective prevention strategy.
If funding for CoSA Canada (the national association that distributes funds to all CoSA sites) from the federal government is not secured beyond March 2022, 25% of the 15 CoSA sites across Canada risk closure and the remaining sites will be forced to dramatically reduce capacity. This means approximately 100 participants in the program (annually) will no longer receive these services. CoSA’s sustainability – and indeed, community safety – are on the line.
At a time when we are divided, upset and angry as a nation, it may be important to draw back the anger and act to prevent good works from failing. Many have perhaps never heard of CoSA but its achievements are enormous, and threatened by political indifference. CoSA’s mandate is to invite participants, known as core members, into a year-long agreement (renewable) with 3 or 4 trained volunteers, who meet regularly to assist with daily challenges, role-model pro-social choices, and hold the core member responsible / accountable for his past and future behaviour.
The volunteer investment of time and energy in 15 sites across Canada are enormous but reaps a prevention rate only dreamed about in more conventional re-entry programs. Although volunteer driven, CoSA programs are managed by skilled staff, who are supported by boards of directors, advisors and relevant professionals. It takes a community!
CoSA is cost-effective, at 10% of the cost of federal incarceration (18% of provincial); the effective community outreach to approximately 100 individuals/year prevents countless more victimization.
“The research is overwhelmingly clear: A 2018 study demonstrated that participating in the CoSA program significantly reduced sexual recidivism, lowering the risk for new sex offences by 88%. Twenty-eight studies in several countries show that CoSA dramatically reduces reoffending. Supporting and expanding CoSA prevents further sexual victimization. CoSA has the potential to prevent the victimization of 200 or more Canadians annually and achieve all measures in Bill C228, the Framework to Reduce Recidivism, that received Royal Assent in June 2021.”
CoSA began in 1994 in Hamilton, Ontario and, due to its success, not only operates across Canada but in many countries world-wide. What a loss it would be if this remarkable community safety measure was forced to discontinue in Canada!
CoSA Canada is asking you to flood your MPs with requests for funding of this better way to prevent sexual victimization. The federal funding for CoSA runs out in March 2022 and needs to be renewed.
Please attach and reference this Letter to MPs (sent to all MPs from CoSA Canada). E-mail lists for MPs and Senators (Insert your postal code): https://www.4mycanada.com/contact-mp-senator Snail mail addresses for MPs: https://www.ourcommons.ca/Members/en/addresses
National Newswatch – Glen Pearson
Anatomy of Hate
“I’m no fool, and I’m not blind to what’s going on in the country. Canada’s peaceful middle is slowly being edged off the stage by what were once fringe elements of the political world. Both sides of the political spectrum have resented the placid, stodgy, almost inevitable pace of Canada’s middle-class, and have worked relentlessly to strip it of its power. Activists from the Left have continually pressed for the nation to accelerate, to catch up to the pressing realities of human rights, racism, gender inequities, poverty, environmental decay, and economic justice. Those from the Right continually complained that things had already moved too quickly and that there was a pressing need to return to the country’s roots, espousing a more traditional way of being. Both have had their moments in the sun. But, until recently, they had been unable to topple the middle-class dominance from its pedestal.” https://www.nationalnewswatch.com/2022/02/17/anatomy-of-hate/#.YhJhVpZOk2w Related article: London Free Press – Glen Pearson Did our once proud Canadian institutions fail us or did we fail them? “We now appear to be in one of those periods where we sense we are losing more than what is being gained.” https://lfpress.com/opinion/columnists/pearson-did-our-once-proud-canadian-institutions-fail-us-or-did-we-fail-them Related article: Toronto Star – Robin V. Sears The situation in Ottawa shows our police governance is broken – Police services boards are handcuffed by the laws governing them, and the RCMP has an accountability structure that would make an autocrat smile. https://www.thestar.com/opinion/contributors/2022/02/20/the-situation-in-ottawa-shows-our-police-governance-is-broken.html
Pew Foundation (US) – Sheri Doyle & Vanessa Baaklini
Lifesaving Addiction Treatment out of Reach for Many Americans – A state-by-state look at care provided by opioid treatment programs, a critical facility
The special Outreach report opens with a gruesome reminder of one of the real cost of opium addiction in the US: “More than 100,000 Americans died from a drug overdose between July 2020 and June 2021—a staggering increase over the previous 12-month period.” Only 11% of the 2.7 million Americans addicted get medication to treat the disease. Further, the reason for such poor response, seems inconsistency in public health policy, geography, and insurance coverage. The review presents a state-by-state analysis. https://www.pewtrusts.org/en/research-and-analysis/articles/2022/02/17/lifesaving-addiction-treatment-out-of-reach-for-many-americans