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March-April 2017

What are Canadian politicians saying about supervised injection sites?

A look throughout the country, city by city

This Magazine

Vancouver’s Insite facility. Photo courtesy of Vancouver Coastal Health. Ottawa: The feds “I’ve made it very clear to my department that there should be no unnecessary barriers for communities who want to open supervised consumption sites.”—Jane Philpott, federal health minister Progress report Bill C-37 was tabled in December 2016 to simplify the process of opening […] More »
March-April 2017

Medical users are wary about Canada’s impending legalization of cannabis

It could affect affordability and accessibility, critics say

Larkin Schmiedl@LarkinSchmiedl

Photo by The Canadian Press Images/Lars Hagberg After decades of court battles that won chronically ill patients the right to use cannabis as medicine, many wonder whether the impending legalization of recreational pot will trample over the progress they’ve made. A government group tasked with creating a framework for legalizing and regulating cannabis published its […] More »
March-April 2017

Canadian university students aren’t getting the mental health care they need after graduation

Universities offer students mental health care to deal with the challenges of post-secondary education. But what happens when they graduate? On the tricky navigation of counselling after school

Carine Abouseif@carineabouseif

Illustration by Matt Daley “Open or closed?” “Closed, please.” I click the wooden door shut. I walk past the poster-lined office, climb the stairs out of the building, and emerge onto the sunny Ryerson University campus in downtown Toronto. I trudge to the subway, shuffling onto a northbound train just as the door closes. I […] More »
March-April 2017

From hearing to hard-of-hearing to deaf: A journey through sound

Sarah Vermette

There are many videos online of people hearing for the first time through a cochlear implant. The adult recipient typically cries tears of joy. This was not my experience. When the sound was turned on at age 24, it caused physical and emotional discomfort. It shook my world. I spent the next few days sleeping […] More »
March-April 2017

This Alberta animal-assisted therapy takes an inventive approach to mental health care

Eileen Bona's Dreamcatcher Nature-Assisted Therapy Association uses animals to put Canadians back in touch with nature

Laura Eley

Photo by Stephanie Willis, Falling Leaves Photography Thirty minutes due east of Edmonton, where the traffic signals turn from streetlights to stop signs, is the town of Ardrossan. Here, you’ll find the Dreamcatcher Nature-Assisted Therapy Association, perched on 40 acres of lush, tree-lined, and trailed land. Founded in 2003 by psychologist Eileen Bona, Dreamcatcher has […] More »
January-February 2017

These reusable pads are changing women’s periods across the world

Lunapads tackle the ongoing cost and environment waste of traditional menstrual products

Courtney Dickson@dicksoncourtney

Photo courtesy of Afripads Madeleine Shaw had been making reuasable cloth menstrual pads for six years when she met Suzanne Siemens at a community leadership course in 1999. The women instantly clicked over their shared goals around business and social change, and together, they decided to take Shaw’s pad project to the next level. “When I […] More »
January-February 2017

2017 Kick-Ass Activist: Dexter Nyuurnibe

In 2012, Dexter Nyuurnibe tried to take his life. Now, he’s a leader for greater mental health awareness among Canadian youth

Emily Rivas@RivasEmily

Dexter Nyuurnibe has the ability to command attention in any room. The 24-year-old is well-spoken, well-dressed, and charming. He’s a self-proclaimed lover of people, pugs, poutine, and unicorns. He’s that guy at the bar who ensures everyone is having a good time. He’s also probably the last person you would think would be struggling with mental […] More »
January-February 2017

A company headed for New Brunswick wants to pay Canadians to donate blood

After the 1980s tainted blood scandal, recommendations called for voluntary blood donation in the country. But that could change.

Emily Baron Cadloff@EmilyBat

In 1992, Michael McCarthy visited his doctor hoping for answers. McCarthy had been feeling sick for years—fatigued, with aching joints and pain in his abdomen. “They said, ‘By the way, you have hepatitis C,’” McCarthy recalls. “I said, ‘What’s that?’ And they said, ‘Don’t worry, it’ll take years to kill you.’” McCarthy is among thousands of hemophiliacs who used […] More »
November-December 2016

Inside the Canadian government’s plans to help thousands of homeless veterans

A 2015 study found nearly 2,250 veterans use emergency shelters on a regular basis

Tyler Hooper@thooper8

Photo by the Canadian Press/Paul Chiasson The federal government is preparing to offer rental subsidies to homeless veterans as part of a draft strategy called Coming Home. The plan is meant to address the staggering reality that almost 2,250 veterans use emergency shelters on a regular basis, according to a 2015 study by Employment and […] More »
November-December 2016

Is Bill C-225 a stepping stone to restrict abortion rights in Canada?

Behind the controversial bill that, if passed, could add charges to offences committed against pregnant individuals where the fetus is also harmed

Courtney Dickson@dicksoncourtney

A photo posted by @mmeijuu on Sep 11, 2016 at 12:28pm PDT Cassandra Kaake was seven months pregnant when she was murdered in 2014, leaving her family and friends to deal with not one, but two tragic losses. In the wake of Kaake’s death, Jeff Durham, father of the unborn child, whom the parents planned to […] More »
November-December 2016

Why B.C. needs more doctors trained in addictions medicine

Even with a shortage of doctors in the province, understanding substance use is imperative

Courtney Dickson@dicksoncourtney

British Columbia is facing widespread doctor shortages, and among the province’s limited supply of physicians, strikingly few are trained in addiction medicine. According to a study released by the B.C. Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS, only 25 B.C. doctors have passed the American Board of Addiction Medicine’s (ABAM) exam, the North American standard for addiction training. […] More »