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Kitchen sink drama endures

December 9th, 2010 | Posted by pfmarchive in uncategorized - (Comments Off on Kitchen sink drama endures)

Coronation Street brought working class lives to telly and became an international phenomenon

December 9th marks the 50th anniversary of the enduring TV program Coronation Street, one of the early examples of “kitchen sink drama” that emerged in Britain during the 1950s and 1960s. In what was cutting-edge drama, the program “used a style of social realism which often depicted the domestic situations of working class Britons living in rented accommodation and spending their off-hours in grimy pubs to explore social issues and political controversies.” [Source: Wikipedia] It also skillfully mixed comedy and pathos, a Coronation Street trademark approach that continues to this day [opens to YouTube]. (more…)

Shelter strategy criticized

December 9th, 2010 | Posted by pfmarchive in uncategorized - (Comments Off on Shelter strategy criticized)

Nanaimo’s shelter and homelessness strategies need improvement, critics say

Extreme weather shelters in B.C. provide extra emergency shelter space during periods of winter weather when the health and safety of homeless individuals is threatened. Nanaimo’s low-barrier extreme weather shelter was opened earlier this year than in past due to changed  weather criteria. Despite the relaxed guidelines, one advocate wants to see a wet-weather shelter that is open more often. Community activist Wallace Malay has been lobbying the City of Nanaimo for a shelter that is open more often—or all winter long. He’s uploading videos to YouTube and circulating emails calling for a change in approach. (more…)

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AVI 25 years and counting

December 2nd, 2010 | Posted by pfmarchive in uncategorized - (Comments Off on AVI 25 years and counting)

Vancouver Island’s regional AIDS organization continues its work amid change and challenge

On September 17, 1985, five men sat around a kitchen table and decided it was time to meet the challenge posed by the AIDS epidemic on Vancouver Island. That evening saw the birth of AIDS Vancouver Island (AVI), with the founders forming the first board of directors. Now, 25 years later, AVI serves the communities of Greater Victoria, Nanaimo, the Comox Valley, and Campbell River, and also offers services in the Port Hardy area. (more…)

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Poverty knows no seasons

December 2nd, 2010 | Posted by pfmarchive in uncategorized - (Comments Off on Poverty knows no seasons)

But the weeks leading up to Christmas are vital for food banks, charities seeking public help

The public believes that homelessness and poverty are two of the most pressing issues in Canada today. Nearly two-thirds of Canadians ranked poverty, homelessness and related issues as the most pressing social problems in Canada, in a study by The Salvation Army. And over the last two years, food bank use in Canada has risen by 28%—an unprecedented rate of growth. HungerCount 2010—a report by Canada’s food banks—shows that the effects of the recession are still being felt across the country. (more…)

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Not criminally responsible

November 25th, 2010 | Posted by pfmarchive in uncategorized - (Comments Off on Not criminally responsible)

Society’s response to those found not criminally responsible on account of a mental disorder

A number of Canadians have recently been found not criminally responsible for their crimes due to mental disorder. Recent high-profile—and shocking—cases include those of Vince Li in Manitoba, Rostislav Soukonnik in Alberta, Charlene Chambers and Adenir De Oliveira in Ontario, and Kimberly Ruth Noyes in B.C. Each killed while in the grip of mental illness and each was found not criminally responsible due to their mental condition at the time. (more…)

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Over the edge and back

November 25th, 2010 | Posted by pfmarchive in uncategorized - (Comments Off on Over the edge and back)

How a father became delusional, killed his son, and now fights for awareness of the side effects of medications

“David Carmichael lives with loss, sorrow and stigma like no other. In 2004, he strangled his 11-year-old son, Ian. While severely depressed and taking Paxil, Carmichael became acutely psychotic and delusional—he thought Ian had suffered brain damage because of epileptic seizures and would harm others. Charged with first-degree murder, Carmichael was found not criminally responsible on account of a mental disorder.” [Source: Living with mental illness by Joanne Richard, in the Toronto Sun] (more…)

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