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Organizing body of Alcoholics Anonymous in GTA opens doors to secular groups

February 7th, 2017 | Posted by pfmarchive in uncategorized - (Comments Off on Organizing body of Alcoholics Anonymous in GTA opens doors to secular groups)

aa06nw2369“We learned we don’t need to put up with the dogmatic approach,” said Mr. Knight, a member of the Unitarian church. “It’s unnecessary and unhelpful.”

TORONTO — In 1934, Bill Wilson guzzled four beers on his way to a hospital where he saw a Godly light and swore off alcohol for life – a spiritual awakening that would form the foundation of his 12-step Alcoholics Anonymous program. Until this week, the Toronto-area umbrella organization that co-ordinates Alcoholics Anonymous in the region sought to uphold Mr. Wilson’s holy vision by ostracizing groups that offered a secular interpretation of the 12 steps.  Read the rest of this article at The Globe and Mail…

Turning responsibly towards death: A Jewish pastoral perspective

February 6th, 2017 | Posted by pfmarchive in uncategorized - (Comments Off on Turning responsibly towards death: A Jewish pastoral perspective)

picture 735pfr-banner-post-1Rabbi Laura Duhan Kaplan says that while we don’t know what happens on the ‘other side’ of death, we can prepare for it ‘on this side’ by letting go of attachments and grievances, and respond to death by learning to support the bereaved

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Inuk artist Susan Aglukark says sex abuse is at the root of indigenous suicide crisis

February 6th, 2017 | Posted by pfmarchive in uncategorized - (Comments Off on Inuk artist Susan Aglukark says sex abuse is at the root of indigenous suicide crisis)

 

aglukark.jpg.size.custom.crop.775x650Sexual abuse is a “dehumanizing and demoralizing” root cause of the youth suicide crisis that has been ravaging remote northern outposts in recent years

Some nights, Susan Aglukark still wakes up drenched in sweat. It’s been 42 years since the acclaimed Inuk singer endured sexual abuse, including being photographed naked, as an eight-year-old girl living in remote Rankin Inlet — a trauma from which she now considers herself about 80 per cent healed. The rest, she knows, will never be completely gone. “I’ll always have triggers,” Aglukark, 50, said in an interview. “Being photographed is a trigger.”  Read the rest of this article at The Toronto Star…

How to help when someone you know may have an eating disorder

January 31st, 2017 | Posted by pfmarchive in uncategorized - (Comments Off on How to help when someone you know may have an eating disorder)

Picture1You may find it difficult and stressful to approach someone you care about who has an eating disorder. You may wonder what to say, or be worried about what will happen as a result

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‘It’s hard to look at her kids,’ sister says of Vancouver fentanyl victim

January 31st, 2017 | Posted by pfmarchive in uncategorized - (Comments Off on ‘It’s hard to look at her kids,’ sister says of Vancouver fentanyl victim)

january-30-2017-mary-purdy-died-jan-17-2017-of-a-fentanMary Purdy died Jan. 17 of a fentanyl overdose at home. Her two boys sat beside her lifeless body for hours until they were discovered by an ex-boyfriend, who had come to check on her

Mary Purdy baked homemade cupcakes, played the piano and lived for her two young boys. Friends describe her as a leader in the Downtown Eastside, where she’s known by many as “Auntie Mary,” while her sister remembers her as a loving and generous spirit whose smile could light up a room. But on Jan. 17 Purdy died in her south Vancouver home — one of the latest victim’s of B.C.’s fentanyl crisis — leaving behind her two sons, a six-year-old and a four-year-old.  Read the rest of this article at The Vancouver Sun…

Drastic cuts to business association funding will impact Nanaimo’s downtown

January 30th, 2017 | Posted by pfmarchive in uncategorized - (Comments Off on Drastic cuts to business association funding will impact Nanaimo’s downtown)

chek news downtown nanaimoStore owner predicts that, without action to change what is happening in downtown Nanaimo, the area will become similar to Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside

On a sunny Saturday Nanaimo’s downtown is shining. But many business owners say it’s a daily struggle to keep their doors open here. “Well that one’s empty, that one’s empty. This one’s virtually empty,” says Cliff Wiltshire pointing at empty storefronts. Wiltshire runs the Rasta Troll pipe shop and says his female employees feel unsafe coming to work here.  Read the rest of this article and watch video at CHEK News…