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On living deeply and dying well

October 20th, 2011 | Posted by pfmarchive in uncategorized - (0 Comments)

What if grief is a skill, in the same way that love is a skill, something that must be learned and cultivated and taught?

With counseling and ceremony, Stephen Jenkinson has for a quarter century been guiding individuals, couples, families and communities through all the human sufferings, sorrows and confusions in life. He is a Harvard-trained theologian, a sculptor and a traditional canoe builder. Stephen is also the subject of the National Film Board documentary Griefwalker, a lyrical, poetic portrait of his work with dying people. (more…)

After the ruling, what’s next?

October 6th, 2011 | Posted by pfmarchive in uncategorized - (Comments Off on After the ruling, what’s next?)

The Insite decision could signal a fundamental change in the way Canadian society approaches and deals with addiction

The Supreme Court of Canada’s decision of September 30, 2011 regarding the continuation of the Insite supervised injection site has been seen as a victory for harm reduction policies and provincial and individual rights. It has also been portrayed as a repudiation of the Harper government’s focus on incarceration and punishment as an approach for dealing with drug-related social and health problems…a triumph of reason over ideology.

Now a larger question looms. What impacts might this decision have beyond the Vancouver supervised injection program—which is the only program of its kind in North America? It seems certain that ongoing ideological battles over harm reduction haven’t ended. But is it possible that the court’s decision reflects a fundamental change in the way Canadian society approaches and deals with addiction and its associated harms?

We look at the supervised injection program—and the court decision—with three guests. (more…)