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A mother’s story of her son’s addiction

March 22nd, 2012 | Posted by pfmarchive in uncategorized - (Comments Off on A mother’s story of her son’s addiction)

June Ariano-Jakes shares a search for answers and the lengths she went to in trying to help her drug-addicted son

June Ariano-Jakes is the mother of five adult children and the grandmother of four. While she worked by day as a Licensed Childcare Provider, June spent literally thousands of nights poring over books and articles in the search for answers to help her son Nathan battle what would become a twenty-year-long heroin and cocaine addiction.

Addiction: A Mother’s Story is June’s account of addiction through a mother’s eyes. The book portrays the progression of Nathan’s addiction as the chapters unfold, how his addiction progressed to devastating and life altering circumstances and how it affected Nathan, his family and his mother. (more…)

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Ever heard of a book club in a prison?

March 15th, 2012 | Posted by pfmarchive in uncategorized - (Comments Off on Ever heard of a book club in a prison?)

Organizer and Anglican priest Rev. Carol Finlay is pioneering the Canadian version of a successful U.K.-based model

In 2009 Carol Finlay visited a medium security penitentiary in Kingston, Ontario, and told a small gathering of inmates that she had an idea: she wanted to start a monthly book club there. To her surprise, the men indicated that they would like to start immediately.

Since that time, a number of similar clubs have sprung up, mostly across Ontario. The book clubs promote literacy, self-awareness, and confidence.

We will hear from Carol Finlay, the executive director of Book Clubs for Inmates, and with Kevin Pinto, who was starting his life again outside of prison, in a rebroadcast from March 2012.

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Reconciliation is a personal journey

March 15th, 2012 | Posted by pfmarchive in uncategorized - (Comments Off on Reconciliation is a personal journey)

Columnist reflects on the generational impact of Canada’s residential schools and coming to terms with the after effects

The Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada (TRC) has been making its way across the country, collecting more than 3,000 personal statements from Aboriginal residential school survivors. Chief Wilton Littlechild, one of the commissioners, has stated: “Residential schools operated in Canada for well over a century. In the same way, the reconciliation process will have to span generations. It will take time to re-establish respect. It will take time and commitment to reverse this legacy.” (more…)

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The cost of keeping people poor is high

March 8th, 2012 | Posted by pfmarchive in uncategorized - (Comments Off on The cost of keeping people poor is high)

Governments say they can’t afford poverty reduction policies but fail to consider the cost paid for consequences of poverty

Poverty is a hardship for those who experience it; it’s also costly to society. Governments say they can’t afford poverty reduction policies like investing in new social housing, increasing welfare, or providing universal access to child care. But they fail to consider the resources spent, year after year, paying for the consequences of poverty.

British Columbia has the highest poverty rate in Canada [opens to PDF] and no plan to tackle it directly. A recent private member’s Bill proposing a BC Poverty Reduction Act, if adopted, would see the government develop a comprehensive poverty reduction strategy within one year, including legislated targets and timelines to reduce poverty in the province. (more…)

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The social costs of policing Victoria’s poor

March 8th, 2012 | Posted by pfmarchive in uncategorized - (Comments Off on The social costs of policing Victoria’s poor)

A peer research project confirms that police have become the de facto first responders for drug and mental health issues

Cuts to health services and income supports for people living in poverty, including those with disabilities involving mental health and illicit drug use, have contributed to a situation where police now act as de facto “first responders” to health-related issues on city streets. The costs of policing poverty are high, and are not limited to the financial costs of spending more on approaches that do not work. (more…)

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Urban agriculture’s seedlings are growing: Community challenges

March 1st, 2012 | Posted by pfmarchive in uncategorized - (Comments Off on Urban agriculture’s seedlings are growing: Community challenges)

Interest in local agriculture is surging—whether it’s urban, rural, roof-top, or front-yard—and the benefits may be huge

Urban agriculture is surging in British Columbia and across North America, resulting in a growing network of small-scale farms, rooftop, back- and front-yard gardens, and community gardening initiatives. The potential benefits to the gardener-farmers and communities have also become apparent—including the alleviation of poverty and waste, the promotion of sustainable development, reductions in crime, an increased sense of community, improved nutrition, and a host of ecological benefits. (more…)