Sending flowers to those in need
Atlantic Watch
Florist Neville MacKay shares what types of flowers you can send to a loved one when they are sick.
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CTV News
2 hours ago
- CTV News
Sudbury homeless crisis hits record high amid warmer weather
Greater Sudbury's homeless population hits a record 300 nightly, with people living in 34 encampments accross the city and shelters full. The number of people living in encampments in Greater Sudbury has surged, with local charities and city officials reporting unprecedented demand for services. Go-Give homeless The Go Give Project, a mobile outreach charity assisting the homeless, says it is now helping close to 300 people nightly – the highest number in its history. The organization's programs manager, Ali Farooq and exectutive director, Evie Ali, are shown standing next to the office's exterior sign. (File photo/CTV News Northern Ontario) The Go-Give Project, a mobile outreach charity assisting the homeless, says it is now helping close to 300 people nightly – the highest number in its history. 'This has been a very big jump and a very quick jump,' said Ali Farooq, the Programs Manager for the Go-Give Project. 'Last year, we were seeing just under 200 people. One of our busiest nights was just over 200, but this summer there has been a boom in individuals that we have been serving.' During daytime operations, outreach workers report more than 150 daily interactions with homeless individuals on the streets and in encampments. 'A general lack of places where our unhoused folks can congregate and spend the day,' Farooq said. The City of Greater Sudbury confirms a 34 per cent increase in encampment residents compared to last year. 'We are aware of 200 people actually living in encampments across 34 locations in the City of Greater Sudbury, and that is an increase of 34 per cent over last year at this time,' said Gail Spencer, the coordinator of shelters and homelessness for the city. Shelters are at capacity, but Spencer said outreach workers help connect people with available resources. 'We certainly encourage people to use all the public spaces that are available to them,' Spencer said. 'The Samaritan Centre is open during the day for access to washrooms and food and showers and water and things like that and just to get out of the sun.' The Go-Give Project also operates the Welcoming Streets program, which responds to non-emergency calls about social disturbances downtown. Farooq said calls have increased, exacerbated by addiction issues and a lack of basic amenities. 'Given the combination of drug use as well as addictions, it does intensify the interactions,' Farooq said. 'Also, access to bathrooms, access to clean drinking water – it's a constant need and a need that needs to be fulfilled.' The city said client navigators distribute reusable water bottles, and downtown water fountains are available. However, with rising temperatures and more people living outdoors. The Go Give Project is appealing for bottled water donations.
CBC
2 hours ago
- CBC
#TheMoment a community organization gave a lifeline to pets displaced by wildfires
Parachutes For Pets founder Melissa David discusses the Calgary-based organization's efforts to provide shelter and other support for pets affected by wildfires in Western Canada.
CTV News
2 hours ago
- CTV News
Why B.C.'s secure involuntary treatment may be more ethical than the status quo
Eighteen beds are opening in Metro Vancouver, expanding of involuntary care for people with drug addiction, mental illness and brain injuries. The issue of secure and involuntary treatment for a small number of struggling British Columbians has been extremely controversial, but as the first batch of permanent housing for them is unveiled, it may be that the new approach is more ethical than the status quo. CTV News spoke with several service providers of the new Alouette Homes facility in Maple Ridge, where two vacant government-built group homes have been refurbished with secured doors, panic buttons, and heavy furniture with rounded edges to avoid self harm. They believe months of planning and careful consideration has culminated in a dignified, dorm-like setting, where those with specific overlapping needs can find some semblance of a normal life. Dr. Daniel Vigo, a scientific advisor hired by the premier to recommend a path forward on people grappling with drug use, mental illness, and brain injuries, told reporters that the 18 people who'd be living at the two houses have been in and out of treatment, 'stuck for years in a high security limbo of hospital units.' Later, he emphasized that the tenants of Alouette Homes – and future, similar secured facilities with wraparound services – were those with long-term and repeated interactions with the health-care system. Already locked up Vancouver Coastal Health's director of mental health and substance use told CTV News that while the rooms may appear sparse and spartan compared to a typical home, they'll be adding artwork and providing services for people who've essentially been living in locked hospital rooms. 'A hospital is not a place where you want to be living, per se,' said Dr. JJ Sidhu. 'This is a step in the right direction in terms of the environment being an upgrade.' Sidhu is a frontline clinician himself, and has often encountered patients who begin to lose hope after spending so much time in the hospital, but he says that time and appropriate treatment can greatly improve their health and well-being. While VCH is providing the clinical oversight, medical, and psychiatric treatment on-site, Connective Support Society is providing non-clinical supports to residents. 'That includes a constellation of supports, including things like art therapy, music therapy, connection to individuals' culture,' said the organization's chief operating officer, Liz Vick Sandha, who says her team has been meeting with the incoming residents. 'We're supporting them to make choices around what their room looks like and how they want to choose to spend their day,' she said. While the rooms are private, there are communal bathrooms and other common areas for socializing. A 'family room' provides a sequestered area for residents to visit with loved ones in an area separate from their bedroom and communal living space. The bigger picture While the Surrey Pre-Trial Centre saw the first batch of secured, involuntary treatment beds for inmates with the three concurrent disorders, those are for temporary stays for individuals facing criminal charges. The Alouette Homes are intended as long-term or even permanent housing for those who are deemed unable to safely live on their own. And while there are no bars on the windows and the homes are surrounded by trees and fresh landscaping, the high fences and locked doors are a reminder the residents cannot leave the property unescorted. When CTV News asked who was providing oversight of the use of the Mental Health Act and the implementation of involuntary care provisions – whether secured or not – Vigo insisted that there is a system of education and oversight in place. Read more: Involuntary treatment, insufficient support: Riverview patterns continue post-closure 'My office is working very closely with physicians across the province so that we use the Mental Health Act correctly in a therapeutic manner, which is what is intended,' he said. 'The province has a very robust system of safeguards to ensure that people are receiving care under the Act, have their rights protected and are not receiving care that is inappropriate or unwarranted.' Health Minister Josie Osborne says there are currently 21,000 beds staffed in B.C. for treatment of those with mental illnesses, and they're working to add more. 'We are continuing the work of voluntary treatment and recovery, the work of early intervention,' she said. 'The work of ensuring that people have access to the treatment and recovery service that they need to not be in a situation like this in the first place.'
