Promotions

UPDATE May 1 2006: If you get a chance please read this press release on this report. Here's an example heading: The Hospital as A Coercive Intimating, Abusive, and Traumatizing Environment. The report was organized by the Coalition Against Psychiatric Assault and put out by the Canadian Alliance for Rights on Health Care. Psychiatric assault is right - some that include death - which should put these charlatans behind bars - if only Ontario's police services actually took s. 15 of the Charter seriously.

I've been under the weather lately - just a chest cold & fever. I could use some more rest for a few more days so I won't be posting for the remainder of the week.

I wan't to promote this documentary until Friday anyway.

For those of you who are out of town and want to catch the film it starts at 7:30 pm - the poster is noted a half hour earlier but that's ok it's a trick we French Canadians have learned to get us places at the right time.

If you do decide to come to the screening it should end by about 8:30 pm. There may or may not be a discussion at the end of the film - this will depend on the audience. It's only intended as a screening and not a thesis motivator. That means I won't be giving a talk just a basic introduction and perhaps some anecdotal information the end of the film.



Jamesville Art Crawl

Sky Dragon is less than a block from Jackson Square which is on James Street you can check out Jamesville's infamous art crawls that is happening the same night. If you take a right North on James (that means turning right off of King William - and yes there is parking right across the street from Sky Dragon for a cost-??).

You can park anywhere on James Street between Cannon and Barton. There will be a number of galleries with co-ordinated openings in this stretch - just watch for the throngs of curious art gawkers and buyers. Many Hamilton artists are a very clever bunch - they have tapped into creating small pieces for small cost to fit tight art collecting budgets to larger pieces for the serious investor.

Here's a few in Jamesville with links to wet the whistle: Mixed Media, Blue Angel Gallery, Loose Canon Gallery, You Me Gallery, Hamilton Artists Inc.

There are galleries popping up in this area almost every month and each crawl brings more and more art investors to the area - so keep in touch with these links - you won't find Jamesville's art crawls mentioned in The Spec.

Talks & documentaries on mental health issues

The Healthy Mind, Body, Planet tour - details below from the Ottawa X Press - is in Hamilton at 7 p.m., at Sky Dragon Community Development Centre (pick link for details). I will be there tomorrow to meet Angela as well as promoting the documentary Prescription: Suicide? that will be screened at Sky Dragon next week on Friday May 5th at 7:00 - cost is $5.00


April 13th, 2006
Bio: Angela Bischoff
Corporate checkup
Riva Soucie
Ottawa X Press

Angela Bischoff's detox plan for a pill-popping generationTypically, mental, physical and planetary health are treated separately by activists, media and policymakers. But Angela Bischoff - whose partner's death, environmental activist and politician Tooker Gomberg, was linked to side effects from depression medication - wants people to make the connection between the three. She's teamed up with other activists to create Healthy Mind, Body, Planet - a multimedia presentation now touring Canada. XPress reached her in Big Cove, New Brunswick.

XPress This campaign looks really rad. Nutshell it for people who don't know anything about it yet.

Bischoff I've joined forces with independent media activists Kelly Reinhardt and Bridget Haworth of www.boilingfrog.ca. I'm focusing on the dramatic rise in antidepressant use while they're making the connections between big pharma and the corporate influences of big oil, big media and the like. In the next three months we'll travel by train to 23 Canadian cities and towns to talk about and document the dangers of antidepressant drugs and the pervasive influence of the pharmaceutical industry in our lives.

XPress What's the big deal about big pharma?

Bischoff They're a half-a-trillion-dollar industry that sells products that often cause injury or death when used as directed, like big oil and tobacco. All three industries know that some of their most profitable products are injuring and killing people, but have hidden evidence, lied about it, hired their own experts to produce phoney, misleading "research," and rely on public funds to pay for the consequences. Meanwhile, people are dying, and families are being torn apart. It's obscene.

XPress What was your motivation for taking this on?

Bischoff Two years ago I was living life fully with my soul mate of 17 years - Tooker Gomberg - travelling through life together, making waves, organizing around environmental and justice issues. We had just moved to Halifax. Tooker was unemployed and sank into a depression, the second of his life. He saw a psychiatrist and agreed to take an antidepressant drug. His agitation increased on the drug until, with the dosage upped to the maximum in just five weeks, the agitation literally sent him over the edge.

Not three weeks later, while at his memorial in Toronto, a friend gave me a copy of a newspaper report: the U.S. Food and Drug Administration had issued a public health advisory stating that antidepressants can cause suicidal ideation in some users. I broke down, incredulous. I immediately immersed myself in this issue, reading everything I could get my hands on.

XPress What did you learn?

Bischoff I learned that one in four users of antidepressants gets agitated on them. This is a very serious side effect. Agitation is a potent predictor of suicide. With 50 million users worldwide, that's a lot of angry, agitated people. Dr. David Healy of the U.K., author of hundreds of peer-reviewed papers and a dozen books, claims that one in 500 users of antidepressants will kill themselves as a direct result of their drug - that's 500,000 suicides!

This has been confirmed by Dr. Dean Fergusson of the Ottawa Health Research Institute. His meta-analysis reviewed data on 90,000 patients from some 700 clinical trials and found that patients were twice as likely to attempt suicide on antidepressants as on sugar pills. And there's a whole host of other side effects that we're never told about, like mania, sexual dysfunction, emotional dullness, weight change, addiction, aggression and on and on.

XPress What are you hearing from people on the road?

Bischoff Our first stop on the tour was a First Nations community, Elsipogtog, in northern New Brunswick. We spent two days meeting people, hearing their stories, and it's a nightmare. Every family is touched by addiction and everything that accompanies it: theft, lies, family breakdown, suicide, all from drug abuse (pharmaceutical and street). This community is begging for solutions, for help. Meanwhile, the pushers carry on, the doctors keep writing "scripts," and the drug industry reaps millions in profits in this community alone. It's a tragedy of unbelievable proportion.

XPress What can we expect at the presentation tonight?

Bischoff We're telling people's stories through theatre, video and spoken word. We've edited together the best video clips we've come across to inform and inspire critical analysis. We're sharing and distributing information. We're listening to others' stories. We're creating a public dialogue. We're brainstorming solutions.

XPress How else can people get involved?

Bischoff They can visit our website: www.greenspiration.org. We've got blogs and video podcasts of interviews we're doing along the way, as well as information, articles and web links about antidepressants and big pharma. They'll also find our own publication, Depression Expression, outlining these issues in depth with references and resources, as well as discussion about alternatives to drugs to treat depression. The back page is about taking action.
More importantly, people can pay closer attention to their friends and loved ones, supporting them during their down times. Proper diet devoid of sugar and processed food, daily exercise and social contact are things you can do to keep yourself healthy and connected.

XPress Okay, activists aren't superhuman. Any guilty pleasures?

Bischoff I like to play pool and have a pint of the local microbrew. And black licorice - my favourite.

XPress What are you doing to stay healthy on the road?

Bischoff Bridget quit coffee on day one of the tour, narrowly averting a caffeine withdrawal headache with a shot of propolis tincture. Kelly purchased his last pack of smokes before boarding the train. A native medicine healer told me today that peppermint and mint are good herbs to counter cravings. We all committed to a half-hour of yoga daily, to eating healthily, and to staying positive and supporting each other. We're committed to our own physical, mental and spiritual health - what we call sustainable activism.

Senate Committee to examine tax returns of oil co's

The U.S. Senate Financial committee is requesting the tax records of 15 of the largest oil and gas companies in the United States - from the AP on Yahoo news.

Both Republicans and Democrats sitting on the committee are concerned about high profits and executive compensation when gasoline prices are soaring and gouging drivers. The committee wants a thorough review to determine if the companies are complying with tax laws, close loopholes and examine if executive retirement plans are subsidized by taxpayers.

On Genocide

Ok, so who watched Oprah today? From time to time I like to tune in – usually when I’m exhausted and want to relax with the cats. Today was one of those days but instead of hoping to catch casual conversations with celebrities or the latest home make-over, the topic was serious – Genocide and Crimes Against Humanity.

In Uganda, Sudan and the Congo.

I’ve read Susan Power’s book “A Problem from Hell” America and the Age of Genocide – years ago. A friend asked me why I was reading such a serious book - why not read something more light hearted?

Yes, it was overwhelming, horrendous, depleting. I couldn’t finish the last few chapters and still, even though I want to, am not able to bring myself to read Romeo Dallaire’s ‘Shake Hands with the Devil’.

But for today, I say it now as I said it then, what the HELL is going on in Africa? Why are the most horrendous crimes happening on this continent and it's ignored? I ask myself this and I want to find my friend who has worked for Amnesty International in the U.K researching slavery in the Congo. I want to find him and ask him why? Again.

Thankfully there is one Canadian politician that is acting on this and trying to answer these questions. Someone who has devoted their political career to the subject and is stronger than I -to read the books I can’t bring myself to read – and that’s David Kilgour.

Everyone remembers David Kilgour and his stance on Darfur – who held out for his vote of confidence to bring down the Liberal government on a better federal stance on Darfur. This link gives his compelling argument from his blog back in the fall 2005 – when we ignored him after he cast his vote.

David Kilgour has recently addressed the Oklahoma City University in March of this year. This link provides the transcript of his speech. If you have the inclination to read it – please do. Within the next coming weeks this will be in the news once again as George Clooney documented a recent trip to Darfur and whose goal is to bring it back into the public eye.

In October 2005 the International Criminal Court issued this press release for the warrants for the arrests of five commanders from the Lord’s Resistance Army responsible for crimes against humanity and war crimes.

Journalists have been expelled from Uganda from reporting on these war crimes including Canadian Blake Lambert noted in this report by Human Rights Watch.

As for the Congo, Human Rights Watch has enough documentation here to provide readers who are interested with the equivalency of a book.

This post is my attempt to bring unthinkable acts of violence back into my own consciousness, an attempt to distract myself for a moment to think about things of which I don't want to think, of communicating a sadness I've seen in the eyes of those who've been scarred internally and irrevocably by inhuman acts of humanity.

I hope my readers will allow themselves to think as well, if only for a brief moment, for, like myself, I find it much easier to comfort myself in the softness of my own couch, look out onto my silent view of the bay, listen to the intermittent evening song of a robin than to put my actions into somber thoughts of African nations.

Official Days of Mourning

The Canadian government has a duty to honour all Canadians who have died in officially recognized days of mourning.

Since any future deaths of soldiers fighting in Afghanistan is an unknown event and flags are flown at half-mast when notification of death has occurred until the day of the funeral, it would be disrespectful and confusing to other Canadians who expect that flags will be flown at half-mast on official days of mourning if flags are also flown for fallen soldiers on the same day.

On such day is coming up this Friday. On April 28th is the National Day of Mourning for Canadian workers killed from on-the-job accidents. On this day the flag on Parliament Hill will be lowered to half-mast to honour the dead and improve safety on the job for the living.

The Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety has an officially recognized protocol. The following is an excerpt from their website:

The National Day of Mourning, held annually on April 28, was officially recognized by the federal government in 1991, eight years after the day of remembrance was launched by the Canadian Labour Congress. The Day of Mourning has since spread to about 80 countries around the world and has been adopted by the AFL-CIO and the International Confederation of Free Trade.

The Canadian flag on Parliament Hill will fly at half-mast. Workers will light candles, don ribbons and black armbands and observe moments of silence. Businesses are asked to participate by declaring April 28 a Day of Mourning and to strive to prevent workplace deaths, illnesses and injuries.

The Government of Saskatchewan has protocol on flying flags half-mast in which flags on provincial buildings are lowered, amongst other occasions, on “nationally agreed occasions, such as Remembrance Day, commemorations of police officers killed in the line of duty, workers killed or injured on the job, and violence against women.”

Since the Saskatchewan government recognizes that the federal government has specific jurisdiction on matters of nationally recognized days of mourning as well as international observances their protocol indicates that:

Flags are not normally half-masted for foreign or Commonwealth heads of state or government, as these are recognized by federal jurisdiction; nor for federal Ministers, Senators or Members of Parliament who are not from Saskatchewan.

I agree with Bill Graham that Canadians are proud of their soldiers and want to mourn along with their families in televised services – because we feel as Canadians were are very close to them.

Think about the psychology of having so many televised funerals on the general populace. It’s not about hiding the fact that our soldiers are dying – we know this is going to be a reality because we have been warned beforehand. This is about preserving our spirit as Canadians and not being discouraged because we actually do care – a lot. That’s who we are.

But we also don’t want those who are fighting not to think that we have forgotten about them so one of the ways to do that is to mourn as a Nation, which many of us feel we can best do that by participating in televised ceremonies that respects the privacy of the families.

I don’t think this is a matter of politics as the Liberals and the NDP are spinning. And Jack Layton should know better because the NDP’s support of labour should be respected by recognizing on the job deaths in a national day of mourning that is coming up this week. The Liberals inconsistent use of protocol just underscores their haphazard approach to officially recognized days of mourning that respects all Canadians.

The Zarqawi Tapes

Well, there are news reports that new tapes of ObL of al Qaeda fame and his brother-in-arms abu Musab al Zarqawi in Iraq (apparently Baghdad) have been aired on al Jazeera.

If those reading this blog can understand Arabic this link will open up the video. It's from New BKP a blog devoted to counter terrorism and is archived at U.S. Archive Organization.

I speak and understand very little Arabic but had a friend watch and listen to the latest al Zarqawi video with me. It was obvious Zarqawi was reading from a teleprompter and his performance came across like an infomercial.

My buddy was a journalist in his country of origin so he got to the main points of the message. It's in no way complete, fully accurate or translated word for word. I'm presenting the jist of it here:

The message is for the unbelievers (kafirun). The Christians & Zionists are attempting to colonize the Islamic Nation (umat al Islam). He says we, as in Muslims, have to thank God for this opportunity to fight (the unbelievers).

He tells America that their soldiers can't sleep so they have to take sleeping pills (drugs) to help them sleep. He tells the United States and those helping the push for democracy in Iraq is against the Islamic Nation (umat Islamia). The support for democracy that is advertised in Iraq daily is nothing - it is a joke. The new Iraqi government is theatre. This is a Christian and Zionist plan, in which we aren't going to allow this plan to be successful.

Those Iraqis who help the United States in Iraq is like a poisoned dagger in the heart of the Islamic Nation. We announce again those who help the United States by making a government without using Sharia al Islam (Islamic law) - we will fight them.

Americans and those helping them (the Iraqi government) are sons of the Devil (shaytan). The Iraqi Parliament are unbelievers and ignorant (ie idiots). They play with the people's (nas) minds to change them from Islam and direct them the wrong way. The Christians behind this are against Islam and they are son's of the Devil (shaytan).

Where are you brave men in Baghdad? Where are you fursan (fighters who ride horses ie braver than brave) in Mosul? Where are you brave men in Kurdistan? Where are you sons of Salahadin Aubi? (Kurdish Islamic leader who fought the Crusaders in al Quds (Jerusalem), who, incidentally, spared Jewish and Christian women and children). Where are you to help us fight?

We thank God that we made an organization of Islamic shura* in Iraq, sooner or later, to ensure that by our authority, Sharia (Islamic law) covers all of Iraq so that God's name is everywhere and I am a soldier for this very important purpose.

* (religious consultation of the people in the community are used to solve every problem that a group of individuals faces starting from within the family, to the problems of the community and continuing even to the political affairs)

Greater Toronto Transit Authority

This is absolutely excellent news. I’m a big fan of the TTC (Toronto Transit Commission) and Hamitlon-Burlington-Oakville has transit agreements in place, although somewhat piecemeal, they still make commuting into these cities attainable and affordable.

One transit card for all these communities will make commuting easier by allowing flexibility, seamless transfers and the ability for spontaneity. It also means that individuals living in one area have the flexibility to look for work in other areas that provides consistent, low cost and dependable service.

It would be great if low-cost bulk ride transportation cards were available for purchase, for example 10 trips to a particular destination for a particular price, could be extended to other corridors such as Windsor-Ottawa from Toronto or other hubs. This would make visiting family members affordable and also increase tourism in places that would not otherwise have been considered by other Ontarians.

And now for a twist.

There is one odd fact about many Hamiltonians. Quite a few people have told me they have never been outside of Hamilton – in one instance not even to Toronto! Some have never been past Kitchener. This tells me that there is opportunity here for other communities across Ontario to market themselves in Hamilton. Believe me, adult Hamiltonians could use to learn what’s outside their borders and how other communities live. There are probably an equal number of ‘outsiders’ new to Hamilton that don’t like it here. We all seem to agree on its’ description - Hamilton is weird.

There is quite a difference from living in Southern Ontario ie London – Windsor, to living here. These smaller cities seem to have a grasp on progressive and professional thought and development. But with that, I do have to say, progressiveness doesn’t always come with sensitivity.

The one thing that I did notice when I moved to Hamilton and was struck by, is the friendliness of the teenagers. They aren’t hard edged like they are in Windsor or aloof like they are in London. They are respectful, engage in interesting conversations and are just plain nice what ties this in to transportation is that most of these observations were gleaned from rides on the bus.

Teenagers! On a bus!

Someone somewhere is doing something right.

Blogger down, chickens fly

I would have liked to have gotten the previous post up earlier - but for many of you bloggers you've probably noticed that Blogger was down all day after numerous complaints from the blogosphere. Apparently it was "broken".

For those of us voyeaurs addicted to ourselves by posting our most intimate experiences - this was a little rough patch.

In any case it was a long day so here is a video link to prove it - who says chickens don't fly?

A ridiculous and futile act

Here's an excellent article from The Seattle Times - Biggest number of offenders are "registered counselors" Here's an excerpt:

To be a manicurist in the state of Washington, you must take 600 hours of training and pass both a written exam and a skills demonstration.

To cut hair, you need 1,000 hours of training and the two tests.

But to be a registered counselor, someone who will help guide troubled clients through some of their most difficult life challenges, you need take only a four-hour AIDS-awareness class. That's it — that and a $40 registration fee. You don't even need a high-school diploma.

That sounds like an invitation for trouble — and it is.

In Ontario to call yourself a social worker or social service worker you have to be registered with the College of Social Work and Social Service Workers. If a person identifies themselves as a Social worker and they're not registered it's an offense under clauses 46 and 47 of the Social Work and Social Service Work Act.

Where this is a problem are in women's shelters. Some shelters in Ontario are run better than others but in Hamilton ethically and legally run women's shelters are elusive.

Interval House and Mary's Place are two such shelters in Hamilton that hire individuals that have either been through the shelter system, studied criminology, psychology and even anthropology. But that doesn't make them social workers.

Yet it isn't unusual for these shelter workers to identify themselves as social workers ready to comply with some very strict professional rules of conduct. What makes it more nefarious is that these individuals are equated as health care professionals as far as Hamilton's physicians are concerned. So it also isn't unusual for these "social workers" to collect personal health information and disclose that personal health information to nurses acting a physicians within Hamilton's mental health care "system". The psychiatrists believe that this "personal health information" is credible and use it to the detriment of their patients.

Good Shepherd is the governing body of Mary's Place and is one such agency that hires ex-cons/drug addicts to "counsel" their clients in a number of programs through-out the Hamilton area - mainly in housing situations. These staff members have access to the personal health information of individuals who are suffering from some very severe illnesses. None of the staff, including those who have studied psychology or social work that work for Good Shepherd are registered with the College of Social Work or the College of Psychologists.

The lengths that the staff working for such shelters and agencies would go to include stating they are above the law. The manager of Mary's Place stated to me in a taped conversation that she didn't have to comply with any of Ontario's legislation or federal for that matter - including the Criminal Code of Canada and the Human Rights Code.

What seems apparent is that this bestowment of rights above the law is given by the City of Hamilton, the Ministry of Health and Long Term Care and the Ministry of Community and Social Services from whom they get their funding.

In a published letter to the editor of the Hamilton Spectator in 2004 a "doctor" from Dundas Ontario, wrote how hard the staff worked at Mary's Place, telling the public they were ethical and deserved a raise in pay.

Myself, knowing how the staff really work at the shelter it cited, decided to find out if this "doctor" actually existed.

He didn't.

He wasn't a member of the College of Physicians and Surgeons, the College of Psychologists, a chiropractor, an eye doctor or even a professor at McMaster University. The only 'doctor' that existed with a similar name was a Ph.D in Guelph that specialized in industrial psychology. His office staff confirmed with me in writing that he did not write the letter and he did not live in Dundas.

I confronted the editor of the letters to the editor page at The Spec and wanted to know why they published a letter by a bogus doctor? The editor stated nervously that he was new to the position and said I should be an 'investigator'. Hmmm

Who sent the letter? I wouldn't put it past Mary's Place staff or someone associated with them to write a fake letter. I also wondered if someone at the Spectator wrote the letter themselves.
What was important is that The Spec didn't check to make sure that the letter came from a credible source and published it.

Yes, there are laws and regulations that are on paper in Ontario. Those who are expected to enforce these regulations often don't so the administration of justice becomes a farce.

Actually it's not becoming a farce, it is a farce - a ridiculous and futile act. Because there is no enforcement agencies like these, hospitals and physicians can get away with some serious violations of law.

And they know it.

Guniea pig calls to the FBI

I always find it interesting who puruses my blog. Lately I've been getting spam in my email from the Nigerian letters scam wanting me to send money after they've crawled my site. Some of the searches are comical. This one searched guniea pig calls to the fbi - whatever that means -but it's where it comes from that is more telling.

Domain Name bsnl.co.in ? (India)
IP Address 59.92.39.# (NIB (National Internet Backbone))
ISP NIB (National Internet Backbone)
Location Continent : Asia
Country : India (Facts)
State/Region : Tamil Nadu
City : Madras
Lat/Long : 13.0833, 80.2833 (Map)

Language English (United States)
en-us
Operating System Microsoft WinXP
Browser Firefox
Mozilla/5.0 (Windows; U; Windows NT 5.1; en-US; rv:1.8.0.2) Gecko/20060308 Firefox/1.5.0.2
Javascript version 1.5
Monitor Resolution : 1280 x 800
Color Depth : 32 bits

Time of Visit Apr 22 2006 11:31:23 pm
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Visit Number 5,001

When vindication is a little bit sweet

There are, on some occasions, where I like to give myself a pat on the back otherwise known as vindication on something that I have questioned our law enforcement agencies about but they have chosen to fluff off. That vindication usually comes by proof of an audit report.

In this case the audit comes from the United State’s Department of Justice, Office of the Inspector General – Audit Division from their March 2006 audit report on the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Efforts to Protect the Nation’s Seaports.

Do you remember when American politicians were up in arms over Bush’s decision to allow a company from the United Arab Emirates run American ports? Well the Hamilton Spectator knew about the breaches in our own port security at Pier 8 but instead chose to print an article that made American politicians look racist.

The ignored reporting on the fact that the federal Ministry of Transportation was investigating the Hamilton Port Authority for not having security in place to account for the ships crew when leaving the ship – in violation of Canada’s accountability to the International Ship and Port Facility Security Code or the ISPS Code. (details in this post)

A former C.S.I.S agent and a Liberal Senator pointed out on national television that what the Americans should really be concerned about is if their ports didn’t comply with the ISPS Code, not who runs the company that runs their ports.

But reporting that Hamilton’s Port Authority wasn’t complying with the ISPS Code wouldn’t have been good politics for The Spec since two high profile politicians – ex-Liberal M.P.P Toni Valeri (see post Income…Trust?) and the Mayor of Hamilton, Larry Di Ianni, have political donors that sit on the Port’s board. The one individual was named in the Valeri’s real estate deal and the other donated to Di Ianni’s mayoral campaign. Mayor Di Ianni has been recently charged under the Ontario Elections Act from obtaining money from donors over the donation amount.

As a response The Spec’s editors tried to convince it’s readers that Di Ianni, even though he committed an illegal act, still had integrity in order to protect their political investment as they had supported his candidacy.

But in this post last year, I asked the hypothetical question based on evidence reported in various news media, including The Spec, what if these individuals had access to the individual who was purportedly looking for nuclear material at McMaster’s nuclear facility - as reported by the F.B.I - and attempted to smuggle the material on board a ship that had no security detail on who reported off and on the ship?

As the U.S. Department of Justice's audit says on page 9:

"We are concerned that the FBI may not be devoting its intelligence resources to assessing high-risk maritime areas. For example, although terrorists have indicated a strong desire to use a WMD and vessels can be used to transport a WMD for detonation in a port or elsewhere, none of the FBI’s intelligence reports assessed the threat and risk of terrorists smuggling a WMD in a shipping container aboard a cargo ship."

It gives me some piece of mind to know that at least the American Department of Justice and I think alike. It gives me no piece of mind to know that our law enforcement agencies in Ontario - including the Ontario Civilian Commission on Police Services - are more than happy to treat these concerns with indifference.

Who needs Dyanetics when there's Club Med?

This article from The Spec has a prima facie expose on The Church of Scientology - you know, those descendents from alliens who use electronic tests to determine your spiritual disorders - all for a cost.

If those wanting to pay to be Scientologists I have a cheaper, actually free, alternative to proposition you on.

Come to Ontario and take a psychological test that isn't approved for use in the United States to diagnose Adult Attention Deficit Disorder (ADHD) but psychometrists here will gladly use it to diagnose you with it here. And don't worry about the cost - the federal government pays for it.

Once you have been screened and have a diagnosis based on fraudulent tests you are legally considered "disabled" and now qualify to have a membership into the Ontario mental health system also known as 'Club Med' (med standing for medication).

Once your initiation has taken place in Club Med, which entails interviews with intake officers, (ex-cons posing as health care professionals) you'll give them all of your historical data so they can transcribe it with a condition of their choice. It doesn't matter that what you have said isn't what they wrote because once you've accepted membership you have signed over your personality to the Director of Membership.

Once the scribe fabricates the history, the Director of Membership reads it and looks over some test questions that were predetermined by a guy named Freud who was stoned on cocaine when writing his thesis. From this clinical data they determine what type of person they wish you to become based on these tests and, depending on how much historical evidence they had to alter, will put you on a course of medication that will definitely improve the symptomology of the predetermined state they needed to fill a quota. Once the drugs kick in they will thus appear to make the personality of their choice apparent.

Don't worry if you have troubles in the beginning and start to protest the methods and ideology. This is normal and many members go through this phase. If this is the case the intake officers will direct you to Membership Services who tell you that many individuals go through the process and its nothing to worry about only to sit back and enjoy the ride.

Once your personal will has been adequately depleted you will told that your new personality will take hold shortly and you will eventually come to believe it. Once broken in you then qualify for the most prestigious of awards (and, of course, a benefit to science) and that is to be a research subject that will justify the tests the government is paying for proves the brilliance of the researchers. This secures the researcher's time share at Punta Cana in the Dominican Republic.

But all is not lost. Once you've come to terms with your new brand you now qualify for government funding and won't have to work a day in your life. You'll be able to go bowling, make baskets, draw some art that shows how, even you too, can become a somewhat functioning addition to the human race. Just think of all the cigarettes you can smoke and the coffee you can drink? Now that's Nirvana!

And all of this for free, compliments of the governments of Ontario and Canada. So who needs dyanetics when there is Ontario's Club Med?



This was a public service announcement sponsored by the Friends of Psychiatrists Foundation, Industry Canada and the Ontario Visitors Convention Bureau. All rights reserved.

The Plague infects woman

Woman in Los Angeles contracts bubonic plague from squirrel fleas - from the L.A. Department of Health Services

Original story came from the L.A. Fire Department's blog.

Taxing Tax

What kind of country taxes tax? Canada is that kind of country.

The Toronto Sun editors are leading the revolt or in Canada's case, loathing of the reduce-the-debt tax that is being taxed on gas purchases.

Everything about cars is expensive. Purchasing one, insuring one, maintaining one and filling one. And having had to quit employment in Windsor because the damn city couldn't offer good transit services (gee I wonder why when the only individuals to sit on the transit board were labour & business reps) it was my way of making a political statement not to purchase a car.

And to make the decision easier after I moved to this wonderful city of Hamilton, I had my car stolen so I didn't bother to replace it and the public transit is excellent anyway. So I will benefit from the proposed tax credit by purchasing a monthly transit pass.

But that doesn't mean any reasonable person would accept taxing tax and accept outrageous fuel costs. So that being said

Dear Prime Minister Harper:

What they said.

Caledonia

The Caledonia land barricade is in the front and centre nationally. After the Ipperwash crisis with the Ontario Provincial Police acting politically they have now backed down from enforcing a court injunction to evict the alleged occupiers to avoid an escalation of violence after yesterday’s dawn raid.

The Hamilton Spectator has some good coverage after the fact in today’s news.

I think the actions of the O.P.P were appropriate, which now allows the decisions of land claims to be put back into the proverbial courts of our wussy politicians.

Here is an example of the typical Canadian Waltz at it’s extreme quoted from The Spec:

"The federal government has said the dispute is a provincial issue. And yesterday Ontario Aboriginal Affairs Minister David Ramsay called on his federal counterpart Jim Prentice to appoint a personal envoy to take part in the talks with the Confederacy, which has been delegated to deal exclusively with land claims by Six Nations Chief David General and the elected band council"

There is no doubt that the protesters will loose the political battle because of their violent reactions that are well documented in the press.

But the worst political fall-out is towards both levels of government, in particular the federal government for ignoring these situations and which had also caused the problem with Ipperwash.

The eyes of the world are now falling directly on where they should be falling – on Ontario’s Aboriginal Affairs Minister David Ramsay and Federal Aboriginal Affairs Minister Jim Prentice. It's as if the door to the outhouse shitter has opened while these two share a stall and are caught dumping with their pants down around their ankles.

Now that the O.P.P has removed the back-drop and distraction of escalating violence - it now allows the rest of us to see where the problems actually lay - in the attitudes of indifference of our governments towards our aboriginal communities and unresolved land dispute claims.

This has to be resolved politically and legally – not by violence. If there is legal documentation that disproves the protestors then it needs to be brought to the fore –and if there isn't then Part II of the Charter in the Constitution Act of 1982 has to be upheld.

Here's what it says:

Section 35 (3) “For greater certainty, in subsection (1) “treaty rights” includes rights that now exist by way of land claims agreements or may be so acquired".

So if the problem that exists in Caledonia was a land claim that has been in contention since prior to the Constitution Act of 1982 it should be considered "in the process of acquiring"

Section 35.1 (b) also includes that representatives of aboriginal peoples will be invited by the Prime Minister of Canada to participate in discussions if there is a Constitutional conference to amend sections 91.24 or 25 of the Constitution Acts of 1867, 1982

Section 91. 24 of the 1867 Constitution Act states quite clearly that the Legislative Authority of the Parliament of Canada is responsible for “Indians, and Lands reserved for the Indians”. (The language isn’t great but that’s what it says)

Section 25 of the Charter says that the right under the Charter does not revoke or restrict any aboriginal treaty or other rights or freedoms that pertain to aboriginal peoples of Canada. Including those that were recognized by the Royal Proclamation of October 7, 1763* or “any rights or freedoms that exist by way of land claims agreements or may so be acquired”.

*Portion of the Royal Proclamation of October 7, 1763

And whereas it is just and reasonable, and essential to our Interest, and the Security of our Colonies, that the several Nations or Tribes of Indians with whom We are connected, and who live under our Protection, should not be molested or disturbed in the Possession of such Parts of Our Dominions and Territories as, not having been ceded to or purchased by Us, are reserved to them. or any of them, as their Hunting Grounds.--We do therefore, with the Advice of our Privy Council, declare it to be our Royal Will and Pleasure. that no Governor or Commander in Chief in any of our Colonies of Quebec, East Florida. or West Florida, do presume, upon any Pretence whatever, to grant Warrants of Survey, or pass any Patents for Lands beyond the Bounds of their respective Governments. as described in their Commissions: as also that no Governor or Commander in Chief in any of our other Colonies or Plantations in America do presume for the present, and until our further Pleasure be known, to grant Warrants of Survey, or pass Patents for any Lands beyond the Heads or Sources of any of the Rivers which fall into the Atlantic Ocean from the West and North West, or upon any Lands whatever, which, not having been ceded to or purchased by Us as aforesaid, are reserved to the said Indians, or any of them.

And We do further declare it to be Our Royal Will and Pleasure, for the present as aforesaid, to reserve under our Sovereignty, Protection, and Dominion, for the use of the said Indians, all the Lands and Territories not included within the Limits of Our said Three new Governments, or within the Limits of the Territory granted to the Hudson's Bay Company, as also all the Lands and Territories lying to the Westward of the Sources of the Rivers which fall into the Sea from the West and North West as aforesaid.

And We do hereby strictly forbid, on Pain of our Displeasure, all our loving Subjects from making any Purchases or Settlements whatever, or taking Possession of any of the Lands above reserved. without our especial leave and Licence for that Purpose first obtained.

And. We do further strictly enjoin and require all Persons whatever who have either wilfully or inadvertently seated themselves upon any Lands within the Countries above described. or upon any other Lands which, not having been ceded to or purchased by Us, are still reserved to the said Indians as aforesaid, forthwith to remove themselves from such Settlements.

And whereas great Frauds and Abuses have been committed in purchasing Lands of the Indians, to the great Prejudice of our Interests. and to the great Dissatisfaction of the said Indians: In order, therefore, to prevent such Irregularities for the future, and to the end that the Indians may be convinced of our Justice and determined Resolution to remove all reasonable Cause of Discontent, We do. with the Advice of our Privy Council strictly enjoin and require. that no private Person do presume to make any purchase from the said Indians of any Lands reserved to the said Indians, within those parts of our Colonies where, We have thought proper to allow Settlement: but that. if at any Time any of the Said Indians should be inclined to dispose of the said Lands, the same shall be Purchased only for Us, in our Name, at some public Meeting or Assembly of the said Indians, to be held for that Purpose by the Governor or Commander in Chief of our Colony respectively within which they shall lie: and in case they shall lie within the limits of any Proprietary Government. they shall be purchased only for the Use and in the name of such Proprietaries, conformable to such Directions and Instructions as We or they shall think proper to give for that Purpose: And we do. by the Advice of our Privy Council, declare and enjoin, that the Trade with the said Indians shall be free and open to all our Subjects whatever. provided that every Person who may incline to Trade with the said Indians do take out a Licence for carrying on such Trade from the Governor or Commander in Chief of any of our Colonies respectively where such Person shall reside. and also give Security to observe such Regulations as We shall at any Time think fit. by ourselves or by our Commissaries to be appointed for this Purpose, to direct and appoint for the Benefit of the said Trade:


Child care in Canada

Harper on the Conservative child care initiative from CTV

"It's going to take us a year to put the space creation plan in place. But as I say, we're willing to consult with parents on the best way to proceed over this year," he said.

Notice that Harper says his government is going to consult with parents not provinces. This is a breath of fresh air. Empowering parents to make their own choices and not having a government force choices down their throats or having to put up with more bureaucracy.

Yes, there are going to be challenges. But now that the power is in the hands of the people then organizations that provide child care and governments will have to start listening better.

I just hope the Ontario government doesn't confiscate and steal the money that Ontario Works recipients will be getting from this child care plan.

That would be just too Ontario wouldn't it?

Report calls for Canadian patient safety board

The National Post features an article on its front page a report from the Canadian Patient Safety Institute commissioned by Health Canada. One of the recommendations is to establish an agency to protect patient safety.

Yes, this sounds all well and good, but it’s just another report on health care. We have laws in Ontario that is supposed to protect patients but they are 1) not enforced or 2) obstructed.

The main reason is because billions of dollars are spent on agencies, like the College of Physicians and Surgeons and the Health Professions Appeal and Review Board that do better to protect doctors and hospitals than patients. Not only that the Physician Protection Services receives approximately 30% of its budget from public money from the Ministry of Health and Long Term Care to protect doctors when they face medical malpractice suits.

So yes, we are paying provincial sales tax; G.S.T and income tax so a portion of that money goes to the Ministry of Health to pay doctors to kill, disable or psychologically torment us. But the government won't cover our legal fees to fight them.

Conundrum

Ask me what I’m afraid of?

I’m not afraid of much as I have been through quite a bit. But I have a simmering unease and sense that my life is not in good hands by our health care "professionals" if I need it to be while I am residing here in Hamilton. So far, I have only met one doctor I truly trust (as opposed to "like") as the rest have a mean streak in them that I have never seen anywhere else in Ontario.

Most (I said 'most', not 'all') health care professionals that I have met in Ontario are ethical, honest and comply with the law. But I’ve yet to meet a Hamilton physician that is. They behave as if they are above the law and they are. Those agencies, including the Ministry of Health – those that are supposed to be protecting the public - let them get away with it because they know they can. There are limited legal resources for those who have money and none for those who don’t.

Why is it this way?

I have no idea. Status quo. Political power. Belief that political economy gives one more privilege than others. Extortion. Incompetence. Indifference. Attitude. Discrimination. Lack of media attention. Media cover-up.

Or perhaps it’s because the Deputy Minister of Health was an executive from Hamilton Health Sciences so he puts in a good word so Hamilton’s hospitals can kill at their leisure.

Who knows why one area in the province is worse than another? Lack of provincial standards is one answer. Enforcement is another. Lack of political power in the least.

Bad hair days

I'm sure all of us have gone through a bad hair day or two.

The Windsor Star reports on a study that some women refrain from social situations because of them.

Me? huh I've got some nappy-assed hair going on. My ex used to call me Medusa - after a nights sleep it stood up and out in coiled splendor like the snakes on the Greek myth's head.

What I cared too much to control when I was a teen became contempt as I got older. On my worst bad day - after I couldn't undo some extensions I had put in three weeks before - I just cut the damned things off.

Yep. I did that Frida Khalo thing. I had those extensions on the floor before you could say "it took you how long to put those things in?"

Then I got out the shaver and went to town. I did such a bad job the hairdresser asked if I had been through chemo-therapy. Dad had thought I had changed my sexual orientation and mum was pleased that I had finally gotten my hair out of my eyes.

But not all was lost. I loved not having hair to condition, comb and worry about. I thought I could come to terms with my greys but we didn't see things mutually so I did the platinum blonde route and got my nose pierced.

Now it's Medusa-lite as hair gels, molds and paste adorn my dressing table shelves like seagulls to french fries - my hair knows who's boss - intitially.

After a few hours it takes over when I least expect it or know what I actually look like - that is until I'm able to look into a mirror. It's then I wonder how it ended up in the contorted shape that was never intended. Some water and a finger comb later it is somewhat presentable but even a minor effort on my part only angers my hair and it contorts, frizzes and is just plain naughtier in a matter of minutes.

But that is all hair going down drain because there is always the electric shaver.

$2 million restitution for Russo case

Damn! Those editors at the Toronto Sun are fiesty - and I'm loving it.

Dear Minister Bryant:

What they said.

Brinks employee steals cash

Brinks employee gets 18 months in jail for stealing $40,000 - The Spec

Elderly woman get ticket for walking slow

Ok, now this is just down right cruel.

More biker massacre theories

The Spec has some interesting theories into the biker massacre – mostly derived from an ex-surete de Quebec officer – who had much experience with the subject. For one thing the Quebec officer noted that the Hells Angels posted their denial prior to the victims being found. I guess that little internet date stamp when posting gave it away?

As an observer and someone who knows nothing about this lifestyle, there are a few things that don’t make sense.

Yes, the O.P.P arrests were quick – but why would 5 individuals stick around – in a house that is owned by a well known biker known to police – when 8 individuals were lying dead not far off?
John Tory, the Ontario PC leader has been lambasting Liberal Solicitor General Monte Kwinter on why the O.P.P didn’t have the intelligence to anticipate it – due to lack of resources.

I’m sure it’s not only lack of resources plaguing the O.P.P. I’m speculating that they had the intelligence – but it wasn’t documented or ignored - just like they ignored my complaints about possible thefts of license plates from the MTO offices in Mississauga used to put on stolen cars.

This was proven by the Auditor of Ontario in his 2005 audit here and here.

Or perhaps it's the O.P.P's attention to detail - like charging lawyers for fraud and theft (not) as mentioned here or doctors for sexual assault as listed in here. Might as well throw this one back in for the sake of throwing it back in. And this one.

Hype

For all the media hype surrounding bikers – especially in London – I’m quite surprised that membership numbers are so little.

That’s why another factor doesn’t make sense - if the Bandito numbers are so little – then why is it necessary to make an internal cleansing wiping out a large percentage of its population? And if the numbers are so little – why is it so hard to obtain intelligence?

It’s my opinion that the O.P.P had the intelligence beforehand and that is why they were able to make the arrests so quickly.

And the guy who worked for surete de Quebec’s theory makes more sense – that wiping out a large number of Banditos will give the Hells Angels less competition and allow them to run more of a monopoly in Ontario.

And then there's the crazed drug deal/frenzy resulting in a massacre...

$10 million from the feds into secretive airport contract

Whew! I was getting worried about the Hamilton Spectator - becoming bored with their news. That is until Saturday when they launched another investigative report series on Hamilton's secretive airport contract with the City of Hamilton.

The first part is here

What is most important about these articles is that the writers have compared Hamilton's airport to other airports run in Canada - in particular those run by the same company.

It's been a complaint of mine that the Spec didn't compare how the City of Hamilton is run or other institutions for that matter, with others in the province. Now they are starting to look outside the box so it becomes more apparent that this City is strange.

Although some Spec reporters, those covering the antics at City Hall, think it's run the same every where. At least I've had the opportunity and experience living in different cities in Ontario and I can say, with some accuracy, that NO, it is not the same every where.

I have never seen such blatantly disregard for legislation and other areas of regulation as I've seen in Hamilton. It's so open that it is quite beyond me how it continues without anyone doing anything about it. And my complaints about The Spec lately have been that they are better at covering up the news than reporting it.

I just wish there were more investigative reports from The Spec than one every 8 months.

These are the links to the second part of the report in three articles: 1, 2 and 3

Here are some highlights:


But not all municipalities chose to run their own airports when Transport Canada handed them over. A handful went to the private sector instead, turning the management of their airports over to companies that specialize in the field.

Each municipality negotiated its own unique deal with the private operators and demanded different levels of access to the private company's financial data.

But few, if any, agreed to the level of secrecy that Hamilton did when it signed a lease with TradePort International Corp.

[...]

TradePort won the competition and on July 1, 1996, took over managing, financing and running the airport under a 40-year lease with the city.

Its three shareholders are -- in order of size of ownership -- YVR Airport Services of Vancouver, Westpark Developments Inc., owned by Hamilton businessman Tony Battaglia, and Labourers' International Union of North America, Local 837, headed by Joe Mancinelli.

[...]

Ten years into its lease agreement with TradePort, the city has no idea how much money the airport or its operator makes, how much the company pays its top people or how money flows within TradePort's complicated corporate structure

[...]

You're not allowed to know how the city financed a mysterious $4.5-million land deal at the airport last year -- or even why the city bought the land.

[...]

You're not allowed to know what kind of security the city received when it allowed TradePort to obtain a $15-million leasehold mortgage in November 2004.

And even though the airport is owned by the taxpayers of Hamilton, you're not allowed to see key elements of TradePort's lease agreement with the city

[...]

Although TradePort has received almost $10 million from Ottawa, the city says it has never been paid a share. In fact, the city wouldn't know what a proper share would be because it has never exercised its right to access TradePort's books.

[...]

If Bill C-27 had passed, YVRAS would have been required to prepare separate financial statements showing how it specifically accounted for money generated at its airports in places such as Hamilton and Moncton.

Bill C-27 would have also required airport operators to hold annual public meetings.

[...]

One of Bill C-27's opponents was the Liberal party's Stan Keyes, the former Hamilton West MP. In fact, Keyes was a member of the Standing Committee on Transport, and former parliamentary secretary to the Minister of Transport.

FYI read this web post on the Labourers' International Union of North America (LIUNA) by the Federal Bureau of Investigations that includes this union as labour raketers in the United States.

Unemployment Rates in Canada

Rates per province for March 2006 with numbers from StatsCan

Alberta 3.4
Manitoba 4.2
British Columbia 4.4
Saskatchewan 5.3
Ontario 6.1
Nova Scotia 7.8
Quebec 8.5
New Brunswick 9.2
Prince Edward Island 12.0
Newfoundland & Labrador 15.7

National Average is 6.3 % - a 32 year low

The Western provinces are doing great - Alberta is kickin' butt

Hamilton's Brown Bess figures out West

The eye is on Hamilton via Small Dead Animals. Those out West shouldn't be surprised really, this is Hamilton after all - now those on the outside looking in are getting to know what it's like living here.

The editor seems oblivious to the fact that the Brown Bess musket has been requested by the Canadian War Museum to use as an exhibit - which means it will be encased in plexiglass in a secured gallery - duh

This has more to do with ignorance and disrespect for historical artifacts and becomes more bizarre after The Spec has requested stories and artifacts from Hamiltonians for its "Memory Project".

Here are The Spec's articles on the subject here, here (the very unusual editorial piece - almost like the one supporting the Mayor's interpretation of "integrity" after being charged under the Elections Act) and here.

Update: From the April 12 Spec - Brown Bess is donated to Battlefield House in Stoney Creek

Here is a post on the War of 1812 from Hamilton's Memory Project blog - the Brown Bess was used in this war.


This post is just for reference and is older than 160 yrs (more like 200) but it ties in with Stoney Creek and Black History month.

A little known book called Broken Shackles, Edited by Peter Meyler is the story of Old Man Henson. This story inspired Harriot Beecher Stowe to write "Uncle Tom's Cabin", which apparently helped to foment hostilities between abolitionists and non-abolitionists in the United States Civil War.

In it, it has some great historical reference to the War of 1812 in a chapter called The Picket (page 37). A sweeter note is this passage in the chapter called John Hall (pg 42) which I've included an excerpt:

"They were all taken to the County of Frederick, near Winchester in Virginia, and kept as prisoners until the end of the troubles between England and the United States, early in 1815. Then, instead of being delivered up or exchanged, they had all been made slaves, except a few who effected their escape, among whom was one of Hall's sisters.

Hall, who was himself part Indian*, had been a scout with the Indians under Tecumseh, and had skirmished all along the way between the Detroit and Niagara rivers. At Stoney Creek, near the last named river, he had been bayonetted in the leg, and although he did not think it very serious at the time, the wound was still troubling him. He never dreamed of being made a slave, but a slave he had become, and was owned by one of the most cruel and passionate slave owners of Kentucky."

* is refering to the loss of native population from European encroachment documented on pg 15 of The Iroquois in the War of 1812...excerpt:

"So large were Iroquois losses and so great was the adoption process over the period of contact that the adopted individuals (native, white, and black), their descendants and the off-spring of mixed unions integrated within the Six Nations outnumbered the 'pure' Iroquois."

So indeed, Stoney Creek has some very important historical perspectives in both countries.

Tamil Tigers added to terror list

The federal government has added the Tamil Tigers to it's list of terrorist organizations - from the National Post

Lot's in this article about the Liberals obstructing this addition for example:

Last month, Human Rights Watch reported that LTTE supporters had been going door to door in Toronto since late 2005 extorting money from Tamil-Canadians to finance a "final war" for independence.

Although the Tigers are one of the most active terrorist groups in Canada, the Liberals had refused to outlaw their activities, some say because the party was afraid of angering Tamil-Canadian voters in Toronto.

If any of my readers have read Stewart Bell's book 'Cold Terror' you'll read on page 56 & 57 that Paul Martin ignored the CSIS signet to refrain from attending a fundraising dinner thrown for the Liberals by the Tamil Tigers in Toronto.

When concerns about Canadian - in particular Toronto - extortion and fundraising was fueling continued violence in Sri Lanka, Martin and the Liberals used the race card.

From The NP's article:

On three separate occasions, CSIS asked the Cabinet to list the Tigers, most recently a year ago, but the Liberals would not do so, saying they did not want to interfere with Sri Lanka's peace process.

The former Canadian ambassador to Sri Lanka, Martin Collacott, said the previous government's refusal to outlaw the Tigers left the LTTE relatively free to operate in Canada. He said that has actually hindered peace efforts.

"Once Canada designates the Tigers as terrorists and clamps down on their fundraising, they are much more likely to enter into serious negotiations with Colombo," he said.

He said the Liberal position that banning the Tigers would hurt peace efforts was based on partisan political considerations.

"The Tigers and their supporters in Canada and particularly Toronto had become adept at delivering votes from the Tamil community to Liberal candidates at election time," he said.

"And, as long as this support continued, the Liberals were prepared to let the Tigers have virtual free rein to carry out their activities in this country."

The decision brings federal counterterrorism policy in line with the Federal Court of Canada, which has already ruled that the Tamil Tigers qualify as a terrorist group.

Here is a list of terrorist group profiles with links from the Dudley Knox Naval Post Graduate School in the U.S.

Here is a good article from the CSIS on passive terrorist activities in Canada that governments like the Liberals have allowed to proliferate. And this one is a list of the CSIS's priorities including transnational criminal activity.

James Judd, the CSIS director, gives a good talk to the YMCA in Ottawa about the role of CSIS and includes discussion how their errors have undermined its credibility.

More legal ridiculousness in Ontario

It never ceases to amaze me how the government of Ontario passes legislation but it isn’t enforced.

What is the point of making law if those who are supposed to administer it don’t understand law in the first place?

A couple of days ago I got a call from a mediator from the Ontario Privacy Commission telling me that they weren’t going to investigate St. Joseph’s Hospital in Hamilton for deceitfully and fraudulently collecting and disclosing personal health information.

I was told that there was no transition clause in the new legislation that health care providers had to comply with consent requirements prior to the November 1, 2004 when the legislation came into force.

Repeatedly I have expressed that the O.P.C ‘officials’ has not read a very thorough complaint, which included documentation of section 18 (7) of the Act. I also informed the ‘mediator’ that Ministry counsel had informed me that a clause exists to protect individuals from the May 2004 Royal Ascension date and the November 2004 enforcement date. It states:

Transition
(7) A consent that an individual gives, before the day that subsection (1) comes into force, to a collection, use or disclosure of information that is personal health information is a valid consent if it meets the requirements of this Act for consent. 2004, c. 3, Sched. A, s. 18 (7).

The O.P.C mediator tells me that the Ministry is always making up clauses in the Act and letting complainants know.

I was also told that my file was 4" thick. Strange. My evidence that I sent was about 1" thick. I wonder where they got the other 3" inches?

The O.P.C mediator also told me that I should be so lucky that no other health information custodian was willing to sit down with a complainant to go over all the illegal concerns.
Wow! I should be so lucky! I should be so lucky that the O.P.C enforces this legislation too I guess?

It took the O.P.C over a year to even acknowledge a complaint I filed under the new Personal Health Information Protection Act in March 2005. I had the threaten the Registrar with a human rights complaint for not protecting my legal rights under s. 15 of the Charter and s. 1 of the Human Rights legislation in order for the guy to send a letter as they are legislated to under Part IV sections 56 and 57of the Act.

About six months after I filed the complaint, even though there was no acknowledgement letter, another O.P.C ‘official’ told me that they didn’t have to follow a Supreme Court of Canada decision that clarified medical records included notes made by health care staff. Those notes are what is contentious – and obstructed and ‘hidden’ by the hospital that would prove that they violated consent and disclosure laws.

I already have the evidence that proves they contacted non-health care providers but the O.P.C has chosen to ignore it – continually telling me, yes they have read my complaint.
The Ontario government has given authority to individuals who are clearly ignorant of law and are making up the Act undermining the rights of the individuals who are least able to protect themselves.

To make matters worse, I spoke to a great lawyer yesterday and learned that, in his opinion, no one is complying with the Act – at least in Hamilton.

Great.

Welcome to Ontario. Or better yet, stay the hell away from Ontario.

Coffin goes to jail

Paul Coffin gets 18 months for defrauding the government of $1.5 million dollars - CTV reports

Ok, so he gets jail time. Good. But 18 months from a possible 34? Why are there no mandatory sentences for an amount of money stolen?

Correct me if I'm wrong, but don't white collar theifs get 5 to 10 years jail time in the United States?

Easter launch

For all of you da Vinci Code readers - here is the alleged translated version of the Gospel of Judas

Coercion by threat of harm by Ontario's physicians

This is a very good article in today's Toronto Star on the reasonableness – or the unreasonableness - of the Canadian Medical Protective Association’s legal protection and funding of doctors.

The Ontario public is funding the excruciatingly high costs to legally defend doctors – as The Star reports “the figure is $185 million and next year it will be $210 million — while each doctor's premium contribution remains fixed at the 1986 rate”

What is more of a concern is the appearance of extortion or forced coercion by threat from Ontario physicians in 1996 to threaten to harm patients by withdrawing medical services if they don’t get continued financial support

As the Star states: “former health minister Jim Wilson cancelled the subsidy when the cost rose to $52 million that year. But obstetricians threatened to stop delivering babies and other high-risk specialists said they would stop performing risky operations. Wilson backed down and eventually resigned.”

Rally for rights, Danes organized by Vic student - News

From the UoT's The Strand - Rally for rights, Danes organized by Vic student - News