Latest news with #Sager
Hamilton Spectator
30-05-2025
- Health
- Hamilton Spectator
How Hiding and Seeking saved Randi Sager's life
(ANNews) – The spiritual teaching of the diamond willow tree is embedded in understanding that the tree needs to survive and thrive in its natural environment for 50 years before the fruiting bodies of the plant can share its medicine with us – the diamond willow fungus. During the time of restoration, along with the process of learning and growing, the medicine that the diamond willow tree produces continues to gift us medicine of understanding that all parts of ourselves are gifts, and it is okay to hide until a person is ready to share their gifts with the world. This spiritual understanding is similar to what Randi Sager experienced so far in her learning journey. 'I was born with no identity,' Sager, an Indigenous psychologist, shared. 'I didn't know who I was because my father never grew up with his culture. I was born knowing that I was native but never knew what that meant. My upbringing wasn't the greatest because we moved around a lot and I felt very lost. I had no idea who I was. In 2010 I got my status. I was officially recognized as an Indian, but what did that mean? All I knew was that I could get cheap gas and cigarettes. I floated for a long time. My 20s were quite lost. I had a lot going on mental health wise. Previously, I developed an eating disorder in my early teens as a result of the trauma that I experienced. I didn't know I had an eating disorder. I just knew that whenever stress happened, it would show up. For 20 years I had that. And when I say I didn't know I had it, I was really good at lying to myself when I didn't think I had something.' It wasn't until Sager's last year in her undergraduate studies while she was preparing for grad school in Counselling Psychology that she decided she had to help herself first if she wanted to help others. 'When I acknowledged and identified that I had an eating disorder, I started day-treatment. I went to the only place I knew at the time. It was both one of the worst and most profound experiences of my life because it led me to where I am today. During that time, I didn't engage in any culture. As I was in treatment and the way I was being treated, it felt like my eating disorder was being demonized. I really felt like I was being punished. I was viewed as being resistant when I would question things,' Sager said. 'I remember I was at home and heard a voice say: it is time,' Sager shared and she started to have a very strong pull to go to the Indigenous student center at the University of Calgary. 'I had identified as being Indigenous when I enrolled, but I never went because I was afraid of going, that I wouldn't be accepted because I didn't look native enough, and thought I was going to be rejected. I was welcomed with loving arms. That is when I experienced my first ceremony, it was a Grandmother's Cree tea ceremony. It felt like home. It was like my ancestors were going, 'finally.' When I sat in that circle, I felt like this is what has been missing in my life.' As Sager listened to a story being shared about somebody who had schizophrenia and telling those voices that they can stay – but to stay in the stadium seats, not in the field where the person was, 'it was so powerful that I had a conversation with my eating disorder, I call him ED. I let him know that I didn't need him anymore. He could go to sleep. It was after that that my behaviour stopped.' It was the Elder from the Indigenous centre that taught Sager her relationship with her eating disorder through storytelling. The Elder taught her 'what was missing was my cultural identity and understanding that ED saved my life. That ED had a purpose, but he was no longer a purpose in my life, that he was harming me, but understanding and allowing that relationship with him allowed him to go to sleep.' In that moment, Sager didn't know she was going to become an Indigenous psychologist. she knew she wanted to become a psychologist. She just didn't know what or how to go about it. 'In that experience with the Elder, I wondered why this was not available. I tried the western ways, but it just wasn't helping. That's when I decided I was going to be an Indigenous psychologist. I had no idea what it meant or what it looked like. That is just what I was going to do.' 'Creator was like… 'here you go.' He cleared that path. Everything was really fast and life changing. I had to let go of my old life and really embrace it. [During] my last year of grad school, I would describe my life like my forest burnt down. I was devastated; I had to start new,' Sager said and she trusted Creator that this was where she was supposed to be. 'I went into grad school. I had to indigenize all my courses, I had to do all the extra work, meaning I went out into community, ceremony – that's scary when you are not from here. I had to put myself out there and start creating community. My dad was so nervous for me because he was afraid that I was going to experience what he experienced. I have in a systemic way, but not the way he has. I have experienced the systemic racism, the covert racism, where he experiences overt racism.' At one point early on in Sager's career, she was accused of practicing shamanism by a co-worker who was unaware of Indigenous cultural practices. 'My instinct was to hide, that I needed to shut down. I realized that in that moment it wasn't me that was wanting to hide, it was my grandmothers – that is what they did to survive. I stood in my power, I didn't hide. I pushed forward. That was the biggest teaching I got from those experiences – to accept who I was – Indigenous and also Scottish and German.' Working from spirit is embedded into Sager's practice as an Indigenous Registered Psychologist. 'I stand in both worlds,' she shared. 'The western world taught me how to navigate that world so I can advocate for my clients. I avoided the helper role for many years. I was afraid of the gifts that I have – those gifts that were given to me. When I wasn't using my gifts, I was getting sick. I learned this when I was doing my research with my participants who gave me these teachings that I still use today. The teachings that I received from my co-researchers and continue to carry in my medicine bag are community, clients, culture identity, spirituality, and empowerment. These are the powerful teachings that are in my practice that are in my daily life and the teachings that I share with clients.'
Yahoo
29-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Child dead, 2 women hurt after being hit by bus in West Vancouver near Horseshoe Bay ferry terminal
BREAKING UPDATE: Police have confirmed a four-year-old boy has died and two women were injured after being hit by a bus in West have confirmed one person is dead and another was injured after a bus collision involving pedestrians near the Horseshoe Bay ferry terminal in West Vancouver. B.C. Emergency Health Services told CBC News it received a call at 3:29 p.m. PT about a motor vehicle incident in the 6700 block of Keith Road. "Paramedics provided emergency medical treatment to two patients," it said in the statement. "One patient was transported to hospital in critical condition. The other patient was transported to hospital in stable condition." Police say they will release more information as it becomes available. Car access in the area is blocked. Crews are in the area of Keith Road and Bay Street, according to DriveBC. West Vancouver Mayor Mark Sager told CBC News he understands there has been a "very tragic accident" involving a Coast Mountain bus. "It's a tragic situation, and I just want to express on behalf of my entire council our profound sadness," Sager said. "Our hearts go out to everybody impacted by this tragic event." B.C. Ferries has confirmed ferry service is not affected, but the company is asking customers to plan with the incident in mind. TransLink says Route No. 257 is currently being detoured but still serving customers near the Horseshoe Bay bus loop. Due to the event, the scheduled event, Taste of the Bay has been cancelled.
IOL News
20-05-2025
- Business
- IOL News
Small increases in defaults: what it means for property repayments and mortgages
For the Human Settlements Sector to achieve its housing delivery mandate, there is a need for all relevant stakeholders to integrate their infrastructure plans leveraging the Intergovernmental Relations (IGR). Image: Simphiwe Mbokazi Data from the credit bureau shows that defaults, however small, have increased in property repayments and mortgages in recent years. Benay Sager, Chairperson of the National Debt Counsellors' Association, told Independent Media Property that while it was still a very small increase, it has risen compared to a few years ago, driven largely by the pressure that homeowners are under. 'The movements are driven mainly by changes in the interest rates, and if you look at interest rates five years ago, they were very low in the midst of Covid. "This created a bit of an artificial boom, and since then, the property sector has really slowed down in terms of new purchases. Similarly, in terms of servicing debt in the property sector, things have become a little bit harder,' Sager said. He added that it is not so much debt levels but interest rates that really impact potential considerations when buying or investing in a property. The NDCA said interest rates really drive property ownership, and they were already seeing the slowdown here. It said that unless the interest rates drop significantly, which is unlikely to happen, they did not see this make-up changing much in terms of who can buy property and the other big dynamics happening there. 'Some parts of the country are becoming more unaffordable, like Cape Town, which probably means other parts that are more affordable will benefit.' Sager said that while the property sector is an open market, and that has to be seen playing itself out, rates are a big consideration from a government perspective. 'Rates have been continuing to increase above inflation over the last several years, so perhaps that should be curbed, as we see a significant portion of consumers' expenses going towards paying rates and electricity and other regulated factors. "If these increases can be curbed, and the entities that provide these services can become more efficient, it will definitely benefit consumers,' Sager said. Commenting on the release of the DebtBusters' Q1 2025, Sager said over the past nine years, electricity tariffs have increased by 135%, the price of petrol has risen by 88%, and the compound effect of inflation is 52%. He said as a result, consumers who applied for debt counselling in Q1 2025, on average, needed 69% of their take-home pay to service debt. This was a significant increase compared to previous quarters and the highest since 2017. The most vulnerable consumers, taking home R5 000 or less per month, use 76% of their income to repay debt. Those earning R35 000 or more spend 77% servicing debt. The ratios for these income groups are the highest since DebtBusters started analysing the data in 2016. Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. 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Advertisement Next Stay Close ✕ Speaking at the DEVAC Infrastructure Summit last week, Thembi Simelane, Minister of the Department of Human Settlement (DHS), indicated that the they were advancing legislative amendments to ensure fair access to home loans and eliminate discriminatory lending patterns, prevent illegal land invasions and fast-track formal township development and develop the Human Settlements Bill to reinforce a spatially just housing delivery system. Simelane said to improve efficiency across the sector, the department is currently expediting the process of developing the Digital Human Settlements 11 Management System (DHSMS), as part of the broader digital transformation strategy of the government, thereby addressing issues of inefficient beneficiary management and unreliable project data. The DHS minister also said that through their various funding sources and key deliverables, the human settlements sector was able to gazette 50 catalytic projects that are to yield 696 280 housing opportunities of mixed typologies such as RDP Walk-Ups, Free Standing BNGs, Social Housing Units, Affordable Rental Stock, Community Residential Units (CRUs) and Serviced Sites. She said typical examples of these projects include projects like Lufhereng in City of Johannesburg, Vista Park in Mangaung, Greater Cornubia in eThekwini, Matlosana N12 in North West and the N2 Gateway in the City of Cape Town. With these projects, the human settlements sector said it aims to accelerate the implementation of the spatial transformation of cities that is aligned with the Spatial Land Use Management Act 16 of 2013, whilst considering that there are limited land parcels that are located closer to work opportunities. Independent Media Property
The South African
19-05-2025
- Business
- The South African
Personal loans hit record high in South Africa as cost of living bites
A growing number of South Africans are turning to personal and payday loans to stay afloat, as the rising cost of living continues to outpace stagnant incomes. A new report from DebtBusters reveals that a staggering 91% of individuals applying for debt counselling in early 2025 had at least one personal loan – the highest percentage ever recorded. DebtBusters' head, Benay Sager, warned that this trend signals a deepening financial crisis, especially among middle- and upper-income earners who are now under increasing pressure. 'Basically, eight out of every 10 rands earned by top-income earners applying for debt counselling are being spent on debt repayments,' Sager said. 'That's the highest we've ever seen. It reflects the severe financial strain facing even those who are traditionally better off.' Although some indicators – like consumer confidence – have shown slight improvement, the financial burden remains immense. Essentials such as electricity, fuel, and food have seen sharp price hikes, while household incomes have remained virtually flat. One of the report's most surprising findings is that debt is growing fastest among the country's highest earners. Traditionally seen as more financially resilient, this group is now increasingly reliant on borrowing to maintain their lifestyles or cover basic expenses. 'This group is under severe pressure,' Sager emphasised. 'The fact that such a high-income bracket is so leveraged shows how widespread the impact of the cost-of-living crisis has become.' The report paints a sobering picture of South Africa's economic health. With many households resorting to short-term borrowing at high interest rates, financial experts warn that without interventions – such as improved wage growth, energy cost control, and inflation relief – more South Africans could be pushed into unsustainable debt cycles. As debt becomes the only option for many South Africans to survive rising costs, financial advisors are urging consumers to prioritise budgeting, seek professional debt advice early, and avoid high-risk lending solutions where possible. Let us know by leaving a comment below, or send a WhatsApp to 060 011 021 1 Subscribe to The South African website's newsletters and follow us on WhatsApp, Facebook, X and Bluesky for the latest news.
The Citizen
18-05-2025
- Business
- The Citizen
Record number of South Africans turn to personal loans as cost of living outpaces income
Although consumer confidence has improved and the rollout of the 'two-pot' retirement system has provided some financial relief, more South Africans than ever are using personal loans to make up the shortfall between income and the rising cost of living. Rising Sun reports that DebtBusters' quarter 1 (Q1) 2025 Debt Index found that 91% of consumers who applied for debt counselling in the first quarter had a personal loan, a new record. A further 37% had a one-month loan – also known as a payday loan. 'It's clear that while consumers may feel a little more positive, personal loans, especially one-month loans, remain a lifeline for many, because income has not kept pace with rising expenses,' explains Benay Sager, executive head of DebtBusters. Over the past nine years, electricity tariffs have increased by 135%, the price of petrol has risen by 88%, and the compound effect of inflation is 52%. As a result, consumers who applied for debt counselling in Q1 2025, on average, needed 69% of their take-home pay to service debt. This is a significant increase compared with previous quarters and the highest since 2017. The most vulnerable consumers, taking home R5 000 or less per month, use 76% of their income to repay debt. Those earning R35 000 or more spend 77% servicing debt. The ratios for these income groups are the highest since DebtBusters started analysing the data in 2016. Compared with 2016: Today's consumers have 53% less purchasing power. Although the impact of inflation has recently subsided, average nominal incomes of incoming cohorts are now 1% lower than 2016 levels, and cumulative inflation over the nine years is 52%. There's better news for those taking home R35 000 or more. For them, nominal income has increased by 11% since 2016 – the first significant growth for some time. Consumers in most income brackets spend 25% of their disposable income, after debt repayments, to pay for water, electricity, rates and transport. Food inflation has meant many have had to sacrifice insurance and assurance cover. For people in lower-income groups, who spend a larger portion of their income on food, food inflation has meant that they have experienced 2% to 4% more inflation over the past few years. Top earners have unsustainable levels of unsecured debt. On average, unsecured debt levels are 34% higher than nine years ago, but for people taking home R35 000 or more, it has increased by 90% – the highest ever. Sager says that debt counselling enquiries were 'a bit muted' compared with previous years. He attributes this to uncertainty about the macroeconomic environment, access to retirement funds and some negative marketing against debt counselling. 'Debt counselling is still the best way to help consumers restructure their debt. While the average interest rate for unsecured debt has come down from an eight-year high to 25.3%, under debt counselling, it can be reduced to ~2.5% per annum, allowing consumers to repay expensive debt faster. Vehicle debt and balloon payments can also be paid over a meaningful period by getting the average financed vehicle interest rate of 14.9% a year negotiated down to a more manageable level,' Sager says. The number of consumers who completed debt counselling has increased 11-fold since 2016. Consumers who received their clearance certificates in the first quarter of 2025 paid back over R700m to their creditors. Sager says that interest in online debt management was up by 6% during the quarter, compared with the same period over a year ago, with subscriptions for DebtBusters' online proprietary tools, Debt Radar and the Debt Sustainability Indicator, now exceeding R1m. Breaking news at your fingertips… Follow Caxton Network News on Facebook and join our WhatsApp channel. Nuus wat saakmaak. Volg Caxton Netwerk-nuus op Facebook en sluit aan by ons WhatsApp-kanaal. Read original story on At Caxton, we employ humans to generate daily fresh news, not AI intervention. Happy reading!
