Matt Dunae credits his friends – and particularly his now-wife – for sticking with him through the darkest times no matter how hard he tried to alienate them

It’s not hard to compare suicide to a bomb. Like a bomb, suicide happens with abrupt violence, obliterating the centre and leaving a gaping hole. Like a bomb it creates a jagged pile of rubble that survivors are forced to pick through and repair in its wake.  Read the rest of this article at Nanaimo News Bulletin…
Image credit: John McKinley, Nanaimo News Bulletin

What makes a man, “a man?” Strength? Independence? Invulnerability?

That question itself might be outdated and irrelevant, but its implications still have an affect on some men today. Only 4 in 10 men with daily feelings of anxiety or depression seek treatment — which is upsetting when you consider suicide is the seventh leading cause of death for males. Clearly, something isn’t lining up.  Read the rest of this article at The Mighty…

Dr. Paul Hasselback @VanIslandHealth update to council on overdoses & drug use in #Nanaimo https://t.co/W4JRPnk88S pic.twitter.com/N8j6qtYK1g

— People First Radio (@peoplefirstrad) March 16, 2016

RELATED | Overdose deaths surge in Nanaimo (Nanaimo News Bulletin, March 17, 2016)

Looking forward to #WorldBipolarDay #WBD2016! @IMPACTSRC @BarwonHealth @Deakin @WorldBipolarDay @IntlBipolar pic.twitter.com/pnOS6QlICu

— Emma Gliddon (@eglidd) March 10, 2016

An overdue reform called inclusionary zoning stands to transform affordable housing by giving cities power to force developers to build low-income units

It’s being called a “transformational” change, and for once that’s no exaggeration. If Toronto had the power to require developers to build more low-income housing, it could have seen 12,000 new affordable units built in the past five years. Instead, fewer than 3,700 were put in place.  Read the rest of this editorial at The Toronto Star…

Nanaimo’s mild weather makes it easier for people to sleep outside, and the local jail adds to the homeless population because inmates have “nowhere to go when they finish their sentence.”

The hope is that the national data can help communities craft better plans to combat homelessness and organize services, and also inform plans for a national poverty reduction strategy the federal Liberals have promised to deliver.  Read the rest of this article at The Toronto Star…
Image: Paul Chiasson, The Canadian Press