#this has been: canadian healthcare

[remyxavierr]

I spent yesterday trying to get help, only to find the faults and potholes within Canadian healthcare, especially mental healthcare.

I am going to the emergency room of a hospital today, instead of a mental health hub which is clearly a crock of shit. I am prepared to wait 12 hours if I have to. I need help.

Why won't anyone help me?

[awkward-teabag]

Sadly this won't happen until after countless innocent people fall victim to it and generations are screwed, 'cause yeah, it's an easy play—appeal to racism and xenophobia for votes and so people don't have to think about the cause of their problems actually being capitalism and (largely) white men.

Because we do need immigration and have needed it for a long time.

Housing? That's Canada's top GDP industry by several percent. That's average since it varies provincially but BC's was 17.7% in 2023. The second highest sector was construction at 10.3%. We have a ton of housing already, the problem is private companies and individuals being able to buy up most of the new supply as it comes out.

Canada's real estate is also used as a tax haven like Panama and the Bahamas are used by companies and rich individuals to avoid paying taxes. It's also used to transfer large sums of money and launder money, something at least the previous BC Liberal government knew about and was fine with.

Then came the construction boom where private developers were building around AirBnB and that whole can of worms and people buying "investment property" on a bubble.

The supply is there—dare I say we have an excess of supply—it's just in private hands and a faux scarcity is used to keep prices high.

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Education? Education is one of those sectors that governments slash funding for to make up lowering taxes or increasing funding elsewhere so the budget still looks balanced and that the government looks like it knows its finances (and that the previous government looks like it was bad/hiding money).

Thing is, though, post-secondary institutions have to make up the funding cuts in some way. There are laws they have to follow when increasing tuition for Canadian students but no such laws exist for international students, so they court international students more and more. There's even predatory cottage industries that have popped up to make it easier and to spread propaganda that Canada is where people want to go... so long as the "recruiters" get a cut of it.

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Jobs? Foreign workers are used to keep wages down across the board and funnel more money up. Abuse of it by companies actually goes back to at least 2013. Yes Trudeau expanded it but it was Harper who expanded it first in 2006; it was Paul Martin or Jean Chretien who changed it to included "low-skill work" as, up until that point, it was aimed at high-skilled work such as recruiting foreign doctors.

The Wikipedia page on it has dozens of citations for anyone interested and the controversies section is more than double the synopsis, history, and employment sections combined. Wage suppression and increased unemployment comes up time and again in the cited articles.

One of my favourites is the one that says 65% of the net new jobs in Saskatchewan from 2008-2011 were held by foreign workers. You know, a time period where there was a right-wing provincial government and a right-wing federal government and Justin Trudeau was years away from being prime minister.

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Healthcare? Much like education, it gets treated as a piggy bank to make budgets seem balanced and decades of it being treated as such has resulted in poorer and poorer services. There's also an effort, intentional or otherwise, to make is bad enough so people will accept two-tier or privatized healthcare. That has nothing to do with immigration and everything to do with wanting to privatize national services.

---

It's easy to blame Trudeau and encourage racism and xenophobia for the votes, something Poilievre and conservative parties are very much doing, but this has been in the works for decades and the is the result of unfettered capitalism and neoliberal policies at the provincial and federal level for those decades.

The main thing is the whole thing is finally and very visibly collapsing in a way that its effects can be felt by more than just "kids" but instead of addressing long-standing issues or how multiple governments propped those systems up, more and more bodies are being thrown at it in an attempt to keep it going so nothing has to change.

But you don't see many people concerned about why that is or how unsustainable the systems are. Instead you see people thinking it's immigrants who started it all (with some conspiracies going so far as to say it's a collective effort by foreign governments to destabilize Canada and the immigrants are in on it), often paired with it only becoming an issue in 2015 for some mysterious reason. /s

Can't wait til the people complaining about the "impacts" of immigration learn the hard way that immigration was never the problem 🤭. Everything's still going to be bad, folks!

~~~~

[tarysande]

Hi! I’m considering becoming an editor but I’m not sure if it’s the right fit for me. If you don’t mind answering, what was your path like for becoming an editor, and what does the job mostly consist of for you?

Additionally, while I really do like helping other people’s work become better, I get too in my head to release a lot of my own work. Does editing require you to also be a writer most of the time, or could I get by mostly just editing?

Thanks!

Hi, anonymous friend!

These are really good questions for a potential editor to ask.

To (sort-of) answer your question, the amount of writing involved depends on the type of editing, honestly. So, first you have to decide what kind of editor you want to be.

Roughly, editing breaks down into three-to-four types: developmental/substantive, line/stylistic, copy editing, and proofreading. These terms are mixed up and interchanged ... often. Increasingly, line editing includes or incorporates copy editing, which is why I say "three-to-four."

Developmental is the big picture stuff, including manuscript critiques. Books of all kinds usually undergo some kind of developmental editing--by editorial agents, acquisitions editors, freelance developmental editors, etc. In my experience, this is also the kind of editing that requires the most writing and/or the most author/editor interaction.

Stylistic/line editing tends to be editing at the sentence level, looking at diction, structure, clarity, consistency, etc. Copy editing, on the other hand, is what many people think of when they think of editing--it's the mechanics of writing, like spelling, grammar, punctuation.

Proofreading is the rather specialized skill of editing proofs. They're the final eyes on a pre-published piece; they're looking for typos and errors rather than anything that will involve significant authorial changes because a proof page has already been "set" (as it were).

All of these kinds of editing can be applied to many different areas of communication, and the editors who perform them can be self-employed (like me) or work for an employer (i.e., as a more traditional employee). Employee editors might work in-house at a publisher (of books, magazines, academic journals, etc.), or they might have any number of editing-focused roles in business, government, education, etc. Self-employed editors may also end up working as contractors for other companies; this is pretty normal.

Many book publishers, including the Big Five, farm out a lot of their editing these days, by the way. Especially the copy editing and proofreading. So, those particular jobs are dwindling as in-house options. Publishers can pay freelancers less ... and avoid paying benefits. (#capitalism)

I will also say that, especially in jobs with anything to do with marketing or advertising, there's a lot of annoying scope creep where "copy editor" is often expected to be a copy writer, too. Again, it's a symptom of employers wanting to pay fewer people to do more jobs (and it's really annoying).

My path has mostly involved trying as many things as possible and slowly weeding out the ones I don't like. I've pretty much always been self-employed because the personal benefits (setting my own schedule, rates, deadlines) works better for me. That said, I'm Canadian (so I don't have to worry about employer-covered healthcare), and I have a partner whose salary is regular and whose benefits cover me, so I don't have some of the worries a freelancer in the US or a single-income household might have. I'm increasingly working on the development side of things because big-picture storytelling, including writing and editor/author interaction, is my jam. But I have also done a ton of line/copy editing on fiction, non-fiction, academic work, etc.

Without knowing what kind of editing you're looking to get into, it's harder for me to offer suggestions for next steps, but generally, I'd say it's important to get SOME training--whether through a school, a certificate program, or the various workshops and professional development offered by editing associations (Editors Canada, the CIEP, ACES, the EFA, ...there's an Australian one whose acronym has slipped my mind). Researching the flavor of editing you're interested in will probably offer up avenues for study, too. For example, most US publishers/authors use iterations of the Chicago Manual of Style. Most UK publishers/authors use Hart's Rules/Oxford. Academic journals/schools/students have different style guides (APA, AMA, MLA, Harvard, Vancouver). Law uses the Blue Book. It's good to have working knowledge of a few style guides--and then you have to keep up with the changes (Chicago's 18th edition is coming out this year, and I hear some significant changes are afoot--such as fully embracing the singular they!).

The tl;dr here is that yes, there are a lot of writer-editors. But there are also a lot of editors who aren't writers at all, or who have no interest in becoming writers, or who don't want their writing and editing to overlap, or who edit because they like helping people and they value clarity. At the end of the day, editing and writing are two very different hats, and you don't necessarily need to wear both.

...this is already a bit long, but if you have other questions or want me to get more specific about something, please ask!

[every1sno1fangirl]

Happy Hifuumo Friday everyone!

Despite work deciding to jerk me around /again/ this week was really fun. I got to see some relatives I haven't seen in literal years and we had a great time catching up.

I hadn't seen my aunt and uncle since my dad died 7 years ago, before I had even transitioned. But they said I had looked happier and more sure of myself than they had ever seen—which is something I really needed to hear, honestly.

It's hard to feel like you're improving.

As much as you'd like, you can't ever really exist outside of your own head, you know? But I got reassured of that quite a bit this past week, and it really helped.

I only hope I can keep at it—maybe try to find a different job since this one has been so flaky.

I'll think about it. And in the meantime, I am happy to say that I got approved for insurance too—I just have to a little bit longer to go over my actual healthcare options and confirm who my provider will be.

I'm hoping that I can stick with my current providers though.

And also, of course, my current treatment, which has been life-changing as far as I'm concerned.

But I'm just going to take it in stride and enjoy myself for now.

Especially since it was my birthday too. I received really thoughtful gifts that made me cry my eyes out.

A bunch of Canadian snacks, some German snacks, and a German cookbook from one of my best friends who I always badgered for cooking advice in the past and a nice pen.

As well as two notes. I won't say what was in those. Needless to say though, they made me cry a lot.

I consider myself very luck to have the relationships I have. As much as things can go wrong for me at times, they really help me deal with it all. I just hope they know how much I care about them too.

I love you all, I hope you have a great day/night!

[covid-safer-hotties]

Also preserved on our archive! (<-follow this link to access more than 1,000 news and opinion articles about covid and more!)

By Dr. Merrilee Fullerton

The U.K. COVID Inquiry is creating a much-needed push to update Infection Prevention & Control (IPAC) guidelines with respect to the predominant mode of transmission of SARS-CoV-2.

COVID has finally begun to be acknowledged as an airborne disease, but policy hasn't kept up on the issue of aerosol spread, including how to deploy HEPA, UVC, masking protocols and other measures. Successful mitigation hinges on accurately identifying the mode of transmission as early as possible and clearly communicating appropriate guidance.

It’s not that washing hands is bad or should be stopped. It’s just that it shouldn’t be the main message or relied upon to address the transmission of COVID in a meaningful way.

Thorough updating of Public Health and IPAC guidelines with new scientific knowledge surrounding airborne spread is required along with more room for critical thinking and speed during responses to outbreaks of infectious disease such as COVID.

Accurately identifying the mode of transmission is not just an academic exercise. It is key to mitigating death, disease, and disability related to COVID as well as avoiding the massive toll on productivity and the economy that this disease has taken.

There are pivotal lessons to be learned through the U.K. COVID Inquiry which has been ongoing for a couple years, but it has only recently reached Module 3: The Impact of the COVID Pandemic on Healthcare Systems of the U.K. Included in this are issues surrounding transmission mechanisms and Long COVID.

Much can be learned from the U.K. Inquiry. Our Canadian experiences responding to COVID had many parallels to those of the U.K. Countries around the world were similarly impacted since most were following the advice and guidance produced by the World Health Organization which consistently repeated — erroneously — that COVID was not airborne.

The U.K. has proven to be transparent about peeling back the layers of Public Health measures and delving into scientific misunderstandings with respect to the spread and potential mitigation of SARS-CoV-2. The U.K. COVID Inquiry is being chaired by retired judge Baroness Heather Hallett who promised the inquiry would be thorough and fair. Lady Hallett has already provided the first report of the inquiry indicating “fatal strategic flaws” and calling for an overhaul of the national civil emergencies system with ten recommendations, including “a radical simplification of civil emergency preparedness and resilience systems.”

She also recommended external teams should regularly challenge groupthink on the principles, evidence and advice on emergency plans. An important point in the Executive Summary is as follows:

"Advisers and advisory groups did not have sufficient freedom and autonomy to express dissenting views and suffered from a lack of significant external oversight and challenge. The advice was often undermined by ‘groupthink’.”

This is a relatable point as I refer to Chapter 4 in my book, notably pages 74 to 83, where I describe the challenges I experienced in conveying my concerns about SARS-CoV-2 early in the pandemic, including the risk and likelihood of COVID being an airborne disease.

A major independent report by expert witness Professor Clive Beggs was provided to the Inquiry for Module 3. Beggs’ report is essential reading for anyone interested in the COVID pandemic response and future pandemic planning. See below for a series of excerpts highlighting the most significant findings.

Meanwhile, in Canada, instead of calling for a national inquiry into our own COVID response, the federal government has created another agency. On Sept. 24, 2024, federal Ministers of Innovation, Science and Industry, and Health announced the launch of Health Emergency Readiness Canada (HERC).

The official announcement outlined key features of HERC once it is operational:

Integrated decision making to build life sciences capacity

Strengthened partnerships with industry, academia and international counterparts

The development and maintenance of a Canadian industrial game plan to mobilize research and industry in the event of a health emergency

World-leading innovation to advance next-generation technology platforms

Sounds nice, but how about accurate and timely identification of the main mechanism of transmission and being open to hearing from highly qualified people who disagree rather than engaging in groupthink?

Critical thinking and swiftness are not often features of expanding bureaucracies and, too often, people within large bureaucratic structures must go along to get along to move up the hierarchy. Different perspectives may be seen as a nuisance, or even adversarial to the bureaucracy's stated aims. The ability to be agile in response to rapidly changing circumstances is critical, even foundational, but it's wholly unaddressed by grafting yet another agency onto our suite of existing agencies.

Recall that in 2004 a previous federal health agency was created with a mission to promote and protect the health of Canadians in response to the 2003 SARS crisis: PHAC.

The Public Health Agency of Canada was created to provide “clear federal leadership on issues concerning public health and improved collaboration within and between jurisdictions.” SARS-CoV-2 and the massive multi-year COVID pandemic, which is still ongoing, puts much doubt on PHAC’s ability to do what it was designed to do.

How about another agency then? And no information regarding costing or the additional staff.

HERC is intended to “bridge the gap between research and commercialization, meaning Canadians could get faster access to most relevant and effective vaccines, therapeutics, diagnostics and other products, including when they need them the most."

Faster access is certainly important, but will another layer of bureaucracy really speed up access and do what Health Canada and PHAC could not?

Health Canada was relatively slow in approving much-needed rapid antigen tests for COVID early on, when other countries had already done so. It’s hard to believe that slow bureaucratic processes will become faster with even more bureaucratic processes.

---

Dr. Merrilee Fullerton is the former Ontario Minister of Long-Term Care. Her book chronicling her time in politics, including the events surrounding Ontario's early pandemic response, can be read here.

---

I leave you with a series of excerpts from the UK COVID-19 Inquiry Module 3 concerning significant points from Professor Beggs' report. I expect Baroness Hallett will have recommendations pertaining to the airborne nature of COVID-19 and the failure of Public Health and IPAC to appropriately address the virus' mode of transmission.

Page 24, paragraph 54 and 55:

“While primarily focused on SARS-CoV-2, the discussion here is equally applicable to other respiratory viruses, such as influenza, as well as to TB. Historically, this subject has been largely neglected by the mainstream IPC community, with the result many misconceptions and erroneous ‘facts’ have crept into scientific literature, (culminating) in the WHO and the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) denying in 2020 that SARS-CoV-2 could be transmitted by the airborne route. Therefore, in order to learn lessons from the Covid-19 pandemic, it is important to understand how infectious respiratory particles behave once they have been exhaled into room air."

"... this affords the opportunity for NPIs, such as improved room ventilation and air cleaning, to reduce the viral load and thus mitigate the risk of transmission.”

Page 36, Fomite and contact transmission of respiratory viruses, “Key findings:"

-It was assumed ... that contact transmission was a major contributor to transmission, but there was little evidence of this from studies of other respiratory viruses.

-Evidence for the effectiveness of handwashing in Covid-19, influenza and other respiratory viruses is mixed, showing only modest benefits.

-Transmission through the air is likely more important than contact routes, though occasional contact transmission is also possible.

-The assumption that contact routes are a major contributor to transmission was flawed, and led to many IPC policy-makers, practitioners and researchers requiring a higher standard of causal evidence to accept that airborne transmission was occurring than they required for contact transmission.

Page 41, paragraph 105:

“... evidence largely does not support the historical assumption that the contact and fomite routes make a major contribution to the transmission of respiratory viral infections. Indeed, the authors of the two 2011 PIP reports on influenza both concede this ... stating: "Since the role of hands in the transmission of influenza has actually never been demonstrated, one may hesitate to attribute a great proportion to this pathway.'"

"... it is surprising that at the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, the default assumption amongst the IPC and public health professionals was that the fomite and contact routes made a major contribution to SARS-CoV-2 transmission ... the first confirmed epidemiological association between surface contamination and the transmission of SARS-CoV-2 did not emerge until 2023 ...”

Page 46 and 47, paragraph 115 and 118:

"Many medical and IPC professionals have misconceptions regarding the nature and behaviour of infectious respiratory aerosols. These misconceptions are historical, widely accepted and often repeated in medical textbooks and in scientific papers, despite being factually incorrect."

"While the historical controversy surrounding droplets and aerosols might appear rather academic, in reality, the misconceptions held by the medical community on this subject had a far-reaching impact on the preparedness of the UK and the world for the Covid-19 pandemic, as well as on the IPC measures adopted and the PPE used."

"... IPC advice issued in the UK (and overseas) during 2020 and much of 2021 focused on prevention of SARS-CoV-2 transmission via the droplet, contact and fomites routes, rather than through aerosols."

Page 112, selected Recommendations:

- "i. A more multidisciplinary approach should be taken to future pandemic preparedness by the UK Government, including but not limited to hospital IPC. This should specifically include scientific advice from experts in the physical sciences ..."

-"iv. ... In particular, the duration of time that someone is exposed is of critical importance and should be acknowledged in guidance."

-"vi. There is a need for further multidisciplinary research to better understand how air and infectious aerosols move around hospital wards, so that appropriate strategies and standards can be developed for hospital ventilation systems to mitigate the transmission of infection."

"vii. There is a need for robust evidence and guidelines on the deployment of portable supplementary air cleaning devices (both HEPA and UVC devices) in hospitals, before and during the next pandemic. The evidence base in support of portable HEPA devices, in particular is reasonably strong."

"ix. ... guidelines need to consider the risks posed by patients and HCWs with regard to Covid-19 and influenza on general wards and in non-clinical areas such as waiting and staff rooms, so that prescribed ventilation regimes fulfil their role in the hierarchy of IPC controls to ensure that viral loads in the room air are maintained at safe levels.

"They also need to consider the role that CO2 monitoring might play in ensuring that day-to day ventilation rates in clinical and non-clinical spaces are maintained at appropriate levels."

[whompthatsucker1981]

Help Siraj and his family be safe and rebuild their home

Hey, I'm writing this post in behalf of @siraj2024, who has reached out to me this month for help. Ever since the genocidal campaign on Gaza broke out in October, Siraj, his wife, and 3 children have been forced to relocate 6 times so far, their reality like many other Gazans, of being confined to a cramped tent subject to weather, without access to running water and are food insecure. There is no school for the children to attend, having to tend to daily tasks like fetching water instead of playing, and the precarious conditions and dismantled healthcare have them at risk for illness and disease.

Their family home was destroyed in the airstrikes, and their ultimate goal with this fundraiser is to eventually rebuild the home and repair the damage. The target of the campaign is to reach 82 000 Canadian Dollars, but as of now they have an initial goal of 10 000 CAD to relocate his family to safety as quickly as possible, the current amount in his fundraiser as of now on the 21st of July is 8039 CAD.

His campaign has been verified as legitimate by multiple Palestinian bloggers here such as @nabulsi , and to help you can continue sharing posts of his campaign, and donate if you are able to. There are other ways to help too, as Siraj has reached out to several people willing to help raise funds: there is an art commission raffle organized by @sheplaysbassdotmp3 , and a book raffle organized by @magnus-rhymes-with-swagness .

Please help share and donate/take part in the raffles if you can. Keep his campaign circulating.

@90-ghost @northgazaupdates @sayruq @fairuzfan @fallahifag @sar-soor

[disgruntled-detectives]

I’ve been gaining a lot of followers lately, so here are a few things about me and what I believe in before you hit that follow button.

1: The Jewish community is my first priority here. They are my people. My community. Therefore, antisemitism of any kind is not welcome here. Am Yisrael Chai, motherfuckers.

And because far too many non-Jews have decided to be dog whistling, This includes the term “anti-Zionism.” If you are not Jewish, or someone I know personally, or I see your comments and see that you are actually educated on what Zionism actually is and what it means, any anti-Zionism comments will get you blocked.

1A: this obviously doesn’t mean you cannot criticize or speak out against the actions of the israeli government. Israel is being monstrous in its treatment of the people of Gaza. It is reprehensible, and I personally want and yearn for a two state solution. I believe that both Jews and Palestinians have a right to safety and self determination in that land. Both groups are indigenous to the land, and both have a right to be there. We can agree or disagree on how this is achieved. I am for civil, productive conversations surrounding this. However, if you are not Jewish, Palestinian, or have family or community ties to either group, then I am giving you a lot of side eye.

1B: However, this does not give you carte blanch to go after random Israeli citizens. Do you go after random Chinese citizens for what the Chinese government is doing to the Uyghurs? Do you go after random US or Canadian citizens for their government’s treatments of their Indigenous population? No. Because that’s asinine. Same goes for Israelis. People are not their government.

1C: Hamas is a terrorist organization. They are not freedom fighters. They are monstrous as well. What they did on October 7th 2023 was the single biggest Jewish massacre since the Holocaust. They need to answer for that. They need to release the hostages. Simple as that. That being said, racism or Islamophobia of any sort will get you blocked.

Okay. That out of the way…

2: Sex work is real, valid, work and it needs to be legalized, regulated and sex workers need and deserve protection and workers rights like any other worker.

3: UBI is one of the best things we can do for people.

4: People need to be creative. And not everything has to be a side hustle. People wouldn’t need a side hustle if they could survive on their wages.

5: We don’t invest nearly enough in the arts and humanities. STEM is necessary too, but humans need art. We’ve been creating since before we had language.

6: best way to end homelessness? Give them homes. The data shows again and again and again that just giving someone a home goes an enormous way to helping them get back on their feet. It helps the economy, it helps the job force and most of all, it helps them.

7: Healthcare should be free for all.

8: Abortion rights are human rights. Abortion is healthcare. Abortion access is vital and necessary.

9: while I think that children are obviously humans and deserve and need more spaces where they are welcomed and catered to, adults need adult only spaces too. Kids do not belong at wineries, bars, concerts (that aren’t geared for kids of course) and breweries.

10: you are not a temporarily embarrassed billionaire. Wealth inequality especially in America is disgusting. The rich only got that way by exploiting the poor and the working class. Your anger shouldn’t be directed at the dentist who makes 200k a year. Your anger should be directed at the billionaire who hoards so much wealth, they or their descendants could never even hope to spend it all. They could snap their fingers and end homelessness, world hunger, etc. Eat them.

11: ANYTHING anti-trans will get you insta blocked. TERFS; go eat a knife.

12: our puritanical views towards sex and sexuality does us all a huge disservice. Everyone involved is a consenting adult? Go for it. Your kink may not be my kink, but sexual freedom and liberation are everyone’s benefit.

13: Everything bagels are the best bagels.

[sparksinthenight]

Have a Heart Day 2024

This is a letter I wrote to the Canadian Government for Have a Heart Day 2024. I am asking the government to stop discriminating against First Nations children, to stop giving them inadequate services, education, and support, to stop treating them unequally compared to non-Indigenous children, and to stop taking them away from their loving families. I really hope that you read my letter and that you either copy paste it or write your own, and email the Canadian government yourself.

Hello. Our names are ____ and we are people from various parts of so-called Canada. We are writing to you to ask that you ensure the government stops discriminating against First Nations children, by signing a Final Settlement Agreement on Reform that meets and goes beyond the Agreement in Principle on Reform, and by following the Spirit Bear Plan and enshrining it into law. 

First Nations children and families on reserves are being discriminated against in many ways. Most communities do not receive the same amount of and access to social services that non-Indigenous people receive. Most communities do not receive as good quality social services as non-Indigenous people. While there has been progress, Jordan's Principle, which is about meeting children's needs, is still not being properly applied. Most children don't have access to an equal quality of education as children off reserves, and many children receive very inadequate education services. And, very horrifyingly, children are being separated from families who love them and want to take care of them. This all needs to stop. We need to make, follow, and enforce laws that stop this discrimination. 

First of all, let's talk about the fact that social services are inadequate on most reserves. As you know, the federal government funds services on reserves that the provincial or municipal governments fund elsewhere. The government generally funds services on reserves far less than services are funded off reserves. These include education, water infrastructure, housing, financial assistance, transportation, basic infrastructure, utilities, healthcare, mental healthcare, addiction support, job training, childcare, youth programs, cultural programs, recreation programs, libraries, child welfare, and more. These services are human rights and should be well-funded for everyone. It's not fair that non-Indigenous people have better services to better meet more of their fundamental human rights and basic needs while people on reserves don't. 

The fact that people don't have access to the services they need is part of why there are high levels of poverty on reserves. Ongoing and historical racism, trauma, and discrimination have caused a lot of people on reserves to be poor. And this lack of services is part of that discrimination that is causing people to be poor. If people had the healthcare, education, housing, childcare, mental healthcare, addiction support, cultural support, job training, basic food and water, disability support, and other things they needed, they would be able to have the peace of mind, mental strength, knowledge, support, and resources necessary to pull themselves and their communities out of poverty. Also, since there is so much poverty on reserves, these communities need even more services to help meet their basic needs and human rights. 

Services delivered need to be good and effective for the communities they are delivered in. This means that services need to meet each community's different needs. Because each community has different needs due to different connectivity to the outside world, poverty levels, local prices, etc. Service providers need to first see what services people need and how to best deliver them, then work out how much money is needed. Money should be the last thing considered. What each person, family, and community needs should be the first thing considered. And of course, services must all be culturally sensitive and relevant. 

And part of why services are so low quality, as well as part of why so much discrimination and cruelty happens, is because Indigenous Services Canada has biases in its systems and people, and must be reformed. Indigenous Services Canada doesn't listen to experts about what communities need and how things should be done. They don't try to do their actual job, which is ensuring good services are provided to Indigenous people. They need to be reformed and communities need to lead their own service provision. 

The Spirit Bear plan must be properly implemented and properly followed. It must be enshrined in law and the law must be completely enforced. The Spirit Bear Plan is the following:

"Spirit Bear calls on:

CANADA to immediately comply with all rulings by the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal ordering it to immediately cease its discriminatory funding of First Nations child and family services. The order further requires Canada to fully and properly implement Jordan's Principle (www.jordansprinciple.ca).

PARLIAMENT to ask the Parliamentary Budget Officer to publicly cost out the shortfalls in all federally funded public services provided to First Nations children, youth and families (education, health, water, child welfare, etc.) and propose solutions to fix it.

GOVERNMENT to consult with First Nations to co-create a holistic Spirit Bear Plan to end all of the inequalities (with dates and confirmed investments) in a short period of time sensitive to children's best interests, development and distinct community needs.

GOVERNMENT DEPARTMENTS providing services to First Nations children and families to undergo a thorough and independent 360° evaluation to identify any ongoing discriminatory ideologies, policies or practices and address them. These evaluation must be publicly available.

ALL PUBLIC SERVANTS including those at a senior level, to receive mandatory training to identify and address government ideology, policies and practices that fetter the implementation of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission's Calls to Action." This information is from the First Nations Child and Family Caring Society. 

Another huge factor contributing to the inequality faced by many First Nations children is the fact that Jordan's Principle isn't being properly implemented. 

The federal government, not the provincial government, typically pays for the services on reserves. But many times disputes arise about who should pay for a service, and the children don't get the services non-Indigenous children would get as a matter of course. Jordan's Principle is named after Jordan River Anderson, a young disabled boy from Norway House Cree Nation who passed away in the hospital after the provincial government and the federal government couldn't decide which one should pay the costs of his healthcare. The Principle states that if a First Nations child needs something for their well-being, they need to be given that service first and payment disputes should get addressed later. This includes medical, psychological, educational, cultural, disability, and basic needs support. Non-Indigenous children get these supports without having to ask because they have access to many more and better services. These supports are human rights that everyone deserves, especially children going through generational and contemporary trauma. 

Jordan's Principle is not being properly implemented, and this is hurting kids. Though there has been much progress, Jordan's Principle requests, which are for things children need, are often denied, which goes against children's rights. Indigenous Services Canada, which runs the Jordan's Principle approval process, doesn't have an adequate complaints mechanism to hold to account its provision of the Principle. The government isn't making data available on whether they're meeting children's needs. Many children have delays in getting help, including time-sensitive medical, psychological, educational, and development help. 

The application process, though easier than before, is still difficult and many families don't have adequate help and guidance through it. As well, most doctors don't know which children are eligible for Jordan's Principle supports, 40% don't know which services are covered, and ⅓ don't know how to access funding through it.

Long term reform is needed. An Agreement in Principle on long term reform has been drafted by the government and First Nations advocates, and it looks promising. It talks about increasing funding for Jordan's Principle services and trying to root out prejudice in the system. But the Agreement in Principle is not legally binding. It's not something the government has to follow, or is following, but rather what they claim they might do eventually. Negotiations for the creation of a Final Settlement Agreement based on the Agreement in Principle were underway but have been on standstill for months. A Final Settlement Agreement would be legally binding and would if done right increase the chances of achieving change. 

The school system is also horribly unfair. Many First Nations schools on reserves get less funding than schools off reserve, with an average of 30% less funding per school. They don't have adequate funding for computers, software, technology, sports equipment, field trips, labs, lab equipment, extracurriculars, cultural learning, job training, and the list goes on. They don't even have enough money to have adequate heating, good quality infrastructure, adequate and safe ventilation, enough textbooks, and reasonable class sizes. Many schools don't have a safe and appropriate learning environment. All children, including First Nations children, deserve good education. 

There is no clear plan to eliminate education and employment gaps.

The government claims it's negotiating with Indigenous groups but there's no evidence that they're actually doing anything to lower inequality. They also claim that they're funding education on reserves equally but all the evidence says they're not. You need to actually, genuinely fund education on reserves adequately and equitably, and make sure that children on reserves are actually receiving a good and equal and equitable quality of education. 

A lot of communities don't have self-determination over their own education systems, meaning they can't teach about the history of their people and other important cultural knowledge. First Nations children need and deserve to learn about their culture, about the ecosystems their people are connected to and how to interact with those ecosystems, their history, their language, their traditions. And if communities have self-determination over their own education systems, and they have adequate resources and funding from the government, they'll be able to teach these things so that children grow up proud of who they are. 

And what is perhaps the most horrible thing is that so many children are being separated from families who love them. This is the most traumatic thing that can happen to a child, and all children deserve and need to be with the families who love them. 

At the height of residential schools, many children were separated from their families. Currently, 3 times as many children are in foster care, away from their families. One tenth of First Nations children have been in foster care. Children in foster care experience higher rates of physical and sexual abuse and do not get as much cultural immersion. Not to mention, even in the best circumstances, they're away from their families. 

Most Indigenous children in foster care have loving families that try their best to take care of them, who they want and need deeply. But their families are poor or mentally ill or disabled, or have other factors that make it hard for them to meet their children's needs. Preventative support like financial, housing, health, and mental health aid could keep many families together. If child and family service agencies have the resources and the empathy to help families with what they need so that families stay together, that would be a great relief. Child and family service agencies need adequate money, infrastructure, and personnel to give families real help instead of taking children away. Most agencies do not have these. Programs that help the wider community such as healthcare, financial aid, housing services, mental healthcare, parenting classes, food support, community programs, youth programs, cultural programs, pregnancy support, and others would greatly decrease the number of children taken from their homes. Most communities do not have adequate levels of these programs. 

Child and family service agencies need to be completely reformed, and should be led by First Nations communities themselves. Most child and family service agencies are not. This is especially important since there is bias against First Nations people in many agencies. Some communities are getting the opportunities to start their own child and family service agencies, but most communities do not have this opportunity. Canada needs binding laws to ensure child and family service agencies are led by First Nations communities and are based in the unique culture of each community, which they often aren't. Each community has unique needs depending on local prices, remoteness, poverty levels, and other factors. The way child and family services should be funded is by first seeing what services the children truly need, then seeing how to best deliver them, then determining how much money will be needed. 

There is a promising Agreement in Principle on Reform, created by the government and First Nations advocates. It discusses increasing funding for child welfare services and trying to root out prejudice in the system. However this is not a legally binding agreement that the government has to follow. It's just something that they claim they'll maybe do in the future. A Final Settlement Agreement based on the Agreement in Principle would be legally binding. It would, if done right, enact more funding and reform. But negotiations for this have been on pause for months. Canada needs to implement evidence-based solutions to keep kids with their families. This means creating a legally binding and well-enforced Final Settlement Agreement on Reform that meets and goes beyond the Agreement in Principle on Reform. 

Some communities are trying a new funding model for child and family services that may give more funding, allowing them to do more preventative services instead of taking children away. However, the results of this new funding model are not clear yet, and most communities do not have the opportunity to be funded by it. And there is no guarantee that the new funding model will be applied to all communities if it indeed does work. There is no guarantee that enough funding for prevention services will be given to all communities, whether or not the new funding model works. 

The government often promises to create reform or adequately fund things, but they don't follow through on those promises. If the government does make progress, safeguards need to be in place to stop them from backsliding. 

So here are our asks for you: 

-Implement the Spirit Bear plan and adequately fund all social services on reserves. 

-Make sure all services are available de facto just like they are off reserve. 

-Fund cultural services and make sure all services are culturally-rooted. 

-Eliminate all discrimination and bias in service providers. 

-Listen to experts such as doctors and teachers, the community, and community-led service providers. 

-Allow and help First Nations communities to lead their own social services rooted in their own cultural values. 

-Keep funding flexible and adaptable to changing needs. 

-Have adequate accountability measures for all service providers. 

-Make a binding law to adequately fund all social services and have communities lead social service provision. 

-Create a binding law to ensure that once you start adequately funding social services you don't stop. 

-In a reasonable timeframe, reach a Final Settlement Agreement on Long-Term Reform that meets and goes beyond the Agreement in Principle. 

-Make sure all Jordan's Principle requests in the best interests of children are accepted. 

-Give presumptive approval for Jordan's Principle requests under $250.

-Support organizations and communities already providing Jordan's Principle services. 

-Accept urgent requests within 12 hours and non urgent requests within 48 hours. 

-Don't require more than one document from a professional or elder for making requests. 

-Make data available on Jordan's Principle provision effectiveness. 

-Make sure all supports are given in a timely manner without delays. 

-Make it easy and convenient for families and professionals to make Jordan's Principle requests. 

-Fund schools on reserves as much as schools off reserve. This includes funding for computers, libraries, software, teacher training, special education, education research, language programs, cultural programs, mental health support, support for kids with special needs, extracurriculars, ventilation, heating, mold removal, vocation training for students, and more. 

-Make sure all schools have the resources, funding, and support necessary to teach culture. 

-Make a clear joint strategy to eliminate the education and employment gap.

-Make sure all school staff are non-discriminatory. 

-Make sure communities have self-determination to create culturally rooted education. 

-Adequately fund child and family services on reserves, and make sure they can hire enough people and have good infrastructure.

-Stop discrimination within child and family service agencies. 

-Allow and help all First Nations communities to lead and run their own child and family service agencies that are based on their cultural values. 

-Enact evidence based solutions to keep families together. 

-Don't take children from families that love them. 

-Have and fund adequate preventative services so families can take care of their children and no child is taken away.

-Keep funding for child and family services flexible and responsive to each community's needs, and listen to communities to learn what their needs are.

-Have adequate accountability in child and family services so that any underfunding, discrimination, or failure is stopped and remedied. 

-Family support needs to start at or even before pregnancy.

-Fund culturally-based healing of people who have been harmed and are being harmed by the government's discrimination. 

———

Find your MP here: https://www.ourcommons.ca/en/members

justin.trudeau(at)parl.gc.ca- Prime Minister Trudeau

chrystia.freeland(at)parl.gc.ca- Deputy Prime Minister Freeland

patty.hajdu(at)parl.gc.ca- Minister of Indigenous Services 

gary.anand(at)parl.gc.ca - Minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations

[philsmeatylegss]

Fundraisers for people/families trying to escape genocide

Have come across so many Palestinian people and family struggling to find funds to escape (which is ridiculous itself). Wanted to compile a list of as many as I can find with a small summary for those interested.

A plea for Humanity to help my family escape gaza

Summary: Thaer Aburaida is a student completing residency in Germany. However, her family of 15 are stuck in Gaza. The youngest being triplet babies with little access to formula. There are also a 2, 3, and 4 year old. Funds will be used to help them escape as well as healthcare as they are currently sick.

Emergency: help me evacuate my family from Gaza

Summary: Rawan AbuMahady, a 30-year-old Palestinian-currently residing in Canada, is a social worker and researcher who grew up on Gaza. She is recovering from PTSD due to what she has witnessed. Her younger sisters and parents still remain in Palestine, however. Her younger sisters, Hadeel (24)and Ayah(22 years old), has been expereincing severe panic attacks and have no access to food or clean water. Her mom has Type 2 Diabetes and was scheduled for eye surgery. However, she has had no access to insulin or any medical care for the past 3 months. Despite Rawan’s relentless efforts to reach the Canadian embassy and multiple international NGO’s through various channels, she has not received any help. However, her family has found a way to escape to Egypt for $7,000 each. While Rawan is financially independent and proud of the life she has made, she cannot afford a fee this high. As her family needs more than just fleeing to Egypt. Funds will first go to passes to get to Egypt, and any extra funds will go to transportation costs between Al-Nusierat camp to Rafah City, costs for any more travel, and possibly helping with food and shelter.

Gaza: Help my family afford emergency surgeries

Summary: Nouran is an artist whose family has suffered injuries during the bombings. The injuries are brutal. Her brother lost his right eye and ear, and suffered a skull fracture. Shrapnel has destroyed his right ear canal, and he’s completely deaf on that side. Nouran also lost her right eye. She also suffered major soft tissue trauma to my forehead and scalp. Her dad has completely lost his right calf muscle and can no longer walk without support. He can’t get surgery right now because there are no doctors here that know how to give epidural anaesthesia. Her mom has an untreated broken jaw and can no longer eat solid food. In the time since she was injured, she has lost over 14kg. All donations will go to treating their wounds. Medicines like antibiotics, anaesthesia, and pain relief are extremely expensive and difficult to get because of supply issues. They are also low on food with savings going fast. She has family in Ireland who can help with travel after they can escape, but they need help immediately with their health.

help a family have a chance in life

Summary: Dr. Haya Ahmed Hegazy is a 28 years old Obstetrician and Gynecologist. Despite her and her family themselves having to flee, she has been doing everything she can to provide free healthcare to fellow refugees, including helping woman give birth safely. She needs money to escape with her family where she hopes to complete her studies and return to help with more knowledge

Help Abdallah Zaqout and Family of 10 Evacuate

Summary: Abdallah Zaqout, a young man who has recently watched his friends be martyred, and his family of 10 need help escaping Gaza. His family includes multiple young children, sleeping in leaking tents and suffering intense anxiety. You can find Abdallah @/abdallah_zaqout on Instagram and the creator of the fundraiser is taking questions on their Instagram, @/tigerlily4448

Help me and my family to escape from Gaza war!

Summary: Thaer Inshasi, is a radiologist living in the Gaza Strip. He has five siblings, one with a two year old child. All ten family members are currently living in a 3*3 room with no electricity, gas, or human toilet as well as no access to clean water or food. He is trying to find asylum for him and his family in Belgium. He needs $40,000 to get to Egypt and $40,000 to get him and his family to Belgium.

Help Moaiad escape Gaza to become a Doctor

Summary: Moaiad Aljamal, 21, lives in Gaza and is a 3rd year medical student trying to immigrate to Egypt to complete his degree. When attending school in Palestine, he was in the top 2 percentile of his classes. He plans to be a Cardiothoracic Surgeon. He has a family of nine all still stuck in Gaza, living in a refugee camp close to the border. The $8,000 will be used to help Moaiad cross into Egypt where he plans to finish education and hopefully make enough money to help the rest of his family leave.

Help my family evacuate Gaza

Summary: Rana Muneer is currently stuck with his family of five in the Gaza Strip, including her husband and three children. Her husband is supervisor in the ministry of heritage and she is a teacher. She has been forced to flee several times and is very low on supplies, including supplies for their two year old who still needs diapers and milk. They also have little access to medicine, food, and water. All funds will be used to buy supplies immediately for survival and to help flee.

Help Evacuate My Family from Gaza

Summary: Mahmoud Zaqout is attempting to raise money to help him and his family flee to Egypt. His sister is living in inhumane conditions in a refugee camp after recently giving birth. Her, her husband, and three other children are all sick, starving, and traumatized.

Help me rebuild my life & rebuild my family's home

Summary: Ali from Gaza is raising money to pay off debt from his bombed clothing store. His home has also been bombed. He and his family, including young children, are desperate to escape and, though he’s already done so much to work tirelessly for his family, is willing to do it again to resettle his family. He is looking to escape and have a safe net of money to recover as he starts over.

Help my Arabic teacher and his family flee Gaza

Summary: Mumen and his wife, Aya, and their 5-year-old daughter, Zaina, lived in Gaza City until the extreme bombardment started in October, along with his two parents, Ghazi and Zainab, and 10 siblings. Mumen, Aya and Zaina fled by foot, walking south, with nothing but whatever money they had on them. Along the way they were shot at "mockingly" (shooting at the ground just by their feet) by Israeli soldiers - one of many traumatic experiences they have endured. They have received the news their home has been destroyed. They have come to selling Aya’s jewelry to get by. They have almost raised enough money to cover the cost for him and his eight family members to escape to Egypt, but they still need basic necessities. In the event they cannot escape, all funds will be used for necessities

Help me REUNITE with my family.

Summary: Ola Masoud, her husband, and her children were very fortunate to escape to Egypt from Palestine before it was too late. However, her brother, Mostafa Masoud, and his family remain stuck in Gaza. They are relying on wood to make fires. They are a family of nine, two children studying medicine, all with dreams. Each member of the family needs at least $6,000 CAD for each family member to leave Gaza. All money will be to pay for permits for them to do so.

Help my family to escape GAZA

Summary: Sondos Maher, 27, is a mother of three. Her and her husband have studied hard to achieve their dream life. However, she has been forced to leave her husband behind and flee with their children. She is hoping for raised $7,000 for the Rafah Crossing permit, $500 for the fees of travel and transportation from Gaza to Egypt, and $20,000 will go towards shelter/house rental in Egypt, resettling, buying clothes, urgent healthcare, and other humanitarian needs for a few months up to 1 year.

Sondos ran a YouTube channel showcasing their family. Please check it out.

Help My Family Escape Gaza: A Journey to Safety

Summary: Mohmad Abumery is raising money to help his family of six escape Gaza, including 11 year old Farah, medical graduate, Faiza, and his grandma. His family has started showing symptoms of mental illness, specifically PTSD. Both his father and grandma suffer from hypertension and are facing constant low stockage of the their medication. His mother is a humanitarian who raised $2 million for humanitarian projects in Gaza. However, she currently resides in the Netherlands and is in great suffering wondering if her family will live. Funds will cover airplane tickets, egyptian border security clearance, living expenses in Egypt, and moving expenses to the Netherlands to reunite with their mother.

Help Somaia Escape War

Summary: Somaia Adunada, 29, resident of Palestine, was preparing to travel to the USA to pursue her master's degree in English literature when October 7 happened. An air strike killed her sister and injured her and her family. Basic necessities have been a struggle from the start. The only way for Somaia to travel now is to pay "coordination" fees for travel permits, which have risen from $300 to $9,000, an amount she cannot afford. The funds raised will cover the coordination fees, the cost of her flight to the USA, and any other associated expenses.

Help My Friends' beloved Family Escape Gaza

Summary: Run by a friend, this fundraiser is for Mahmoud Shakshak. He is a student currently living in Türkiye, however, he is originally from Gaza where his family is still trapped. Funds will be used to help his family cross the Egyptian border to find refuge. This family consists of retired Sadi, 65, and his wife, Amna, 57, Mohammed, 33, his wife, Hanan, 33, and their children, Sadi Jr., 6, Ahmed, 5, and Mohammed Jr., only 101 days, Walaa, 35, Muhannad, 36, Bashar, 8, Raed, 27, and Zeena, 15. They are project managers, computer engineers, social workers, and beloved family. Funds will be used for travel fees, housing, and medical treatment, specifically for the months old child.

Help my family and I to evacuate from Gaza

Summary: 17 year old Shaymaa Abudalu is stuck in Gaza with her family, including her parents, her siblings Sarah, 12, and Lana, and Layan, 9. They need $50,000 CAD, mostly to help escape to Egypt, but also for visas, and basic necessities such as food, clothing, medicine, and shelter

Help my mother and sisters escape war in Gaza

Summary: Hasan Abuolba is a licensed realtor in Buffalo NY and a permanent resident in the US, however she has been separate from her family since 2014. Her five sisters, mother, aunt, uncle, and their children are all still stuck in Gaza. Her mom is a single mom of five children. They have had to walk everywhere with only a backpack of supplies. Three weeks ago, their refugee camp was bombed. She is trying to raise money to help her increasingly traumatized family escape, starting with her sisters, the youngest 12 and 13. Any additional funds will be used to help her aunt, uncle, and their minor children.

HELP REEM & HER FAMILY ESCAPE GAZA

Summary: Reem lives in Rafah with her husband, four children, and mother in law, 80. Funds will be used to escape with her 9 family members. Specifically, passport fees, Evacuation Fee/Egyptian Coordination, visa application fees, transportation to get to the border, Flight from Cairo to destination, and other living costs. Make sure to not give any percentage at checkout to Gofundme. She is allocating over $3,000 in assumption to go to Gofundme.

Help me get out of Gaza To save my life

Summary: Ola Louz has been a resident of Palestine her whole life. She has been displaced four times and has dealt with a lifetime of trauma. Ola has received a scholarship at the Asian University in Bangladesh. The scholarship would help her complete her university studies, which she can not continue in Gaza. All donations would be used to helped her escape to Egypt and then to Bangladesh.

Help our family evacuate Gaza and find safety

Summary: Ramzi Saud and Sarah Tahhan are attempting to help their family flee to safety. They are now living in Khan Younis in a house of 60 people with scarce food, no potable water, and no electricity still with constant bombs. Funds will go to Rafah border crossing for 9 people, Passport fees for 9, and money for rent and living expenses for two months. They have currently raised enough money to start setting up their escape, but still need more.

Help Salma escape agression on Gaza,secure insulin

Summary: Hayam Abu-Shaaban, 37, is residing with his family on the Gaza Strip. She is a mother of five, the older 15 and the youngest 4. One child, Salma, has suffered with diabetes since age 2. There is a constant low stock of insulin and the price continues to rise. Funds will be used to relocate to Egypt, purchase Salma’s insulin, and to get settled with necessities.

Help me to evacuate from Gaza

Summary: Khaleel Al-Najar, 29, is a husband and father to his baby daughter, Ghazal. He needs 30 thousand dollars actually to be able to leave Gaza and to reach Egypt with his wife and daughter, and another 10 thousand dollars to live in Egypt for a year until finding any suitable job there would be greatly helpful.

Help Shahd's Family Escape Gaza!

Summary: Arabic teacher, Shahd Safi, 22, and her family are trying to leave Gaza for Egypt. Egyptian officials require $5,000 to $10,000 USD for every family member, a number frequently fluctuating. Shahd’s family consists of herself, two brothers, one sister, and her mother. Once in Egypt, her mother will no longer be able to receive her salary. Funds will be used to help escape and resettle while the family finds a new source of income.

Help Ula escape Gaza

Summary: Ula ElHindi is a Palestinian feminist activist who has dedicated her life to fighting for peace and women's rights in the Gaza Strip. She needs $7,000 USD to escape to Egypt and leftover funds will be used for relocation and necessities.

Help us evacuate our family out of Gaza

Summary: Awesta and a few of her family members escaped to Egypt as the genocide began, but her brother, his wife, and his children, Hamdi (11), Hala (9), and Amir (3), have been stuck, along with her parents, her father which has a heart condition and is running low on medication. In total, Awesta needs money to help six people escape to her. Hamdi, Hala, Amir, their mother, father, and grandfather out of Gaza. She plans to show receipts of where the money is spent as it comes in.

Emergency: Help Sukar’s family get out of Gaza

Summary: Fundraiser on behalf of a family in Gaza trying to cross into Egypt. They are a family of 7 and are comprised of 2 elderly parents, two young men, a young girl, and a set of twin boys under the age of 18. For them to get through the border, it will cost around $7,500-8,000 USD (10,000-11,000 CAD) per person. Currently, they are waiting for a registry list to open so they can sign up to leave. It’s a little difficult because there are people who are scamming Gazans out of their money.

Help Yousef escape Gaza and treat his cancer

Summary: Youseff Abu Saeed is a photojournalist from Gaza. He has cancer and only began chemo briefly before the genocide. His cancer has a recovery rate of 95%, but with a bombed home and spotty access to chemo for over 100 days, he is suffering. Funds will go to him and his family escaping Gaza and to fund his treatment.

Rescue the Tanani family from the Gaza War

Summary: Ali Tanani is trying to save the rest of his family from Gaza. Though he has the ability to leave, his wife, who is nine months pregnant, and their children are not. Him and his friends have broken down costs to the following: Legal Fees from immigration attorney, Administrative and consulting fees, US Customs and USCIS filing and priorty fees, Petition to Michigan Congress and other outreach efforts, Transportation out of Gaza and into safe zone, Medical care, Temporary lodging, shelter and food supplies, and income loss results in them needing $52,980 USD

Safe Passage for Nadin

Summary: Nadin is a young girl who, from age 10, she was 10, has fought for Palestinian rights and she got a special title from the International Commission to Support Palestinian Rights (ICSPR). All funds will go to helping her and her family of 8, including her father who was brutalized by occupiers, finding refuge in Egypt and money to help them start anew.

Follow Nadin @/nadinabdullatif on Insta

Supporting Mohammed

Summary: Mohammed, affectionately called Mo, left his home in Australia last year to spend time with his family in Palestine. His plan was to stay a few years, get a job on an NGO and give back to his community. However, his plans were stopped on October 7. Mo is the current caregiver to his elderly parents, who he thankfully able to help evacuate to Australia. However, much of his family, including his siblings, remain stuck. He and his families are still in shock and are overwhelmed. All money will go to helping his family escape.

URGENT EVACUATE: GazaWar Destroyed My Family Again

Summary: Hasan Alaloul is currently trying to raise money for him and his family in Gaza escape. They have been suffering since 2021, where they were previously attacked by Israeli forces. His father, Dr Mooein Al-Aloul الله يرحمه , and his mother and little sister were also seriously injured. Their house was finished being rebuilt only six months before October 7, 2023. The funds will be used for travel through the Rafah border crossing to Egypt and essential needs such as temporary housing, food, medical care and basic necessities for his family until they can establish a more stable situation where we can begin the process of rebuilding their shattered lives again.

URGENT: Evacuate My Diabetic Kid Out of GAZA WAR

Summary: Mariam is a wife and mother of three children, one of whom is a 7-year diabetic kid. Her twin children are also two years old are also deprived of diapers, milk, and medical check-ups, drugs, and clean water and food. Kenan, the diabetic child, dreams of being a scientist, but is currently beyond suffering. Funds will be used to help Mariam, her husband, and her children cross the Rafah/Egypt border, which she needs $8,000 USD each, visas, passport fees, airplane flights, and basic living costs for six months, including Kenan’s insulin.

URGENT: HELP US ESCAPE GAZA & STAY ALIVE!

Summary: Dr. Nusaiba fawzi Abu Mustafa is a 24 year old on an internship MD from Gaza. However, she had to stop her studies due to the genocide. Her and her family, including 4 girls, two children, and a 92 year old grandmother, are currently very near the Egyptian border. $5,000 are needed for them to cross. All funds will go to that.

Urgent: Help My Family Escape War in Gaza

Summary: Bahaa Alsawalhi is a Gazan and a current master's student in Medical Systems Engineering in Germany. He needs help with funds to help his family of 15 escape to him. His family has been separated to different refugee camps and are desperate to reunite. Their homes are bombed. They are married with children and pets they deeply love. $80,000 is needed for all of them to obtain a Rafah Crossing permit

This is his Instagram

[radioactivedotcom]

i get what you mean but some of us actual enjoy the game and genuinely don't have the same issues as you with bugs. Yeah there are issues. But it's still a fun game. Pissing on the people who enjoy it and are happy to pay for it isn't going to make the game better. Especially since the last few packs have been really good? Like...

EA has never cared about customer enjoyment. If the majority of people pirate the game, they aren't going to change anything about it, they'll just shelve it.

I don't wanna start a whole debate on this, so I'll answer this one ask and that's it.

First, yes, I fully understand that there are a ton of people who very much enjoy playing the game. But I want you to consider this... If someone has bought all the expansions, all the packs, all the kits... they've spent over 1 200,00$.... The sims is a great game, but it is not a game worth that much money. Or at the very least... it shouldn't be. This should be an unacceptable price tag. If the basegame came out with all the available content that exists for the sims 4, but at that price... who the fuck would buy that.

Being scared that the game will be shelved, that they won't ever make another game ever again... You're just saying, eh, this kinda sucks but I'm absolutely powerless to do anything about this, so I don't care, I'll keep participating in this vicious cycle.

It's not true though. You aren't powerless. Because EA knows they can make money out of the sims franchise for a loooong time still. And they've invested a shit ton into it. They won't give up on it that easily. If people stop buying while saying: I'm not buying because you're charging too much. Or, I'm not buying because this content isn't polished enough, or whatever else people have as valid complaints... Then yes, if enough people did that, I believe it would change EA's business strategy. They would try to make a thing so good people can't resist buying it, instead of just making trailers that seem great, but with a product that ends up not nearly as polished and well-thought-out as advertised. I don't know if you've watched people reviewing the latest expansions, but even on a technical level, no one's been impressed. Yet people still buy, so of course EA won't change their strategy.

Big companies like EA want to make you believe that there's nothing you can do even though YOU'RE THE CUSTOMER, it's YOUR money, and you DESERVE a product worth that hard-earned money. Same way companies never want their employees to unionize, and the government wants you to think it's normal not to have free healthcare. (though i'm canadian so it's, you know, a different problem here concerning healthcare)

Anyway, I'm rambling and my socialism is showing lmao. But tbh, this is a very moot point, because me making this post is never ever in a million years gonna make a DENT in EA's pocket. You are majorly overestimating my influence.

If you wanna keep giving your money to EA, just do it man. I certainly can't stop you.

[vaingod]

so doug ford wants privatization of public hospitals now and is giving private hospitals special privileges to perform more types of surgeries and its going to majorly screw over every single canadian relying on public healthcare but also the decline to far right idiocracy in this country is happening at the speed of light, literally nobody remembers how the Conservatives bought out every public newspaper and media outlet when the piece of vile shit doug got voted in like Canada has always been the usa with rose tinted glasses and extra propaganda about how its Such A Nice Country

[eretzyisrael]

JTA and Andrew Lapin

Almost as soon as the piece appeared online, it began drawing criticism from within the Guernica staff. Founded in 2004 partly in response to the Iraq War and named after Pablo Picasso's famous anti-war painting, the nonprofit magazine has long married literary bona fides and left-wing politics.

Joshua Gutterman Tranen, an anti-Zionist Jewish writer who has published in Guernica in the past, specifically pointed out a passage he found objectionable in which Chen briefly pauses her volunteer work after October 7, writing, "How could I continue after Hamas had massacred and kidnapped so many civilians, including Road to Recovery members, such as Vivian Silver, a longtime Canadian peace activist? And I have to admit, I was afraid for my own life."

"The moment in the Guernica essay where the Israeli writer – who never considers why Palestinian children don't have access to adequate healthcare b/c of colonization and apartheid – says she has to stop assisting them getting medical support because of 'Hamas,'" Tranen tweeted. "This is genocidal."

Chen's essay is not the first time progressive Jews and Israelis have been condemned for being insufficiently critical of Israel. The official movement to boycott Israel, for example, called for a boycott of Standing Together, an Israeli-Palestinian coexistence group that opposes the war, saying that the group promotes "normalization" of Israel. And when Haymarket Books, a left-wing publisher, recently announced a book co-authored by longtime leaders of the anti-Zionist group Jewish Voice for Peace, it drew sharp criticism on Instagram – in part because one author, who supports boycotting Israel, is married to an Israeli and has family members in Israel.

For some Jews who have questioned their place in progressive and literary spaces since October 7, Guernica's retraction offered new evidence of a toxic discourse in which no Israeli or Jew can pass muster.

"THIS is what was beyond the pale? This essay of nuance, lived experiences, fears, hopes, and continuing to strive in her own way for peace?" tweeted Sara Yael Hirschhorn, a historian of modern Israel who has written about her own struggle to sustain her liberal Zionist outlook after the attack, after reading the retracted piece. "Obviously this is just a bigoted decision about an Israeli and Jewish author … This virtual burning of books is bareknuckled antisemitism."

Emily Fox Kaplan, a Jewish writer who had shared the essay before it was retracted, wrote that she saw the criticism of Chen's essay as part of a much wider dynamic.

"The problem, when it really comes down to it, is that it presents an Israeli as human," she tweeted. "The people who are losing their minds about this want to believe that there are no civilians in Israel. They want a simple good guys/bad guys binary, and this creates cognitive dissonance."

Some non-Jewish writers also lamented the piece's retraction.

Matt Gallagher, a war correspondent who is also a veteran and who opposes the Israel-Hamas war, said his own work had benefited from reading thoughtful authors whose perspectives were different from his own.

"If you want the war in Gaza to end, as I do," he tweeted, "shouting down calm Israeli voices mulling the ruin of it all isn't going to help."

[allthecanadianpolitics]

Source options for data about COVID-19 in Canada

COVID-19 Hazard Index

Communicates about COVID-19 risk, addresses misinformation

Publishes the Canadian COVID Forecast approximately every two weeks

The Hazard Index is calculated from 3 equally weighted categories: 1) Current infections and spread; 2) Healthcare system impact; 3) Mortality.

If you’d rather not check the website, Tara Moriarty (@MoriartyLab on twitter) regularly shares data visualizations outlining risk and what you can do to take precautions.

Canadian COVID-19 Wastewater Surveillance Dashboard

The wastewater dashboard shows the concentration of COVID-19 in wastewater samples from different sites.

Provides links to regional and local wastewater surveillance dashboards as well

Provincial and Territorial COVID-19 Data (update and reporting schedules vary)

British Columbia

Alberta

Saskatchewan

Manitoba

Ontario

Quebec

Newfoundland and Labrador

New Brunswick

Nova Scotia

Prince Edward Island

Yukon  *note: the data dashboard has been decommissioned

Northwest Territories wastewater monitoring

Nunavut *has not updated since April 2022

[harmonyhealinghub]

Honouring Truth and Reconciliation Day: Remembering the Importance of Orange Shirt Day

Shaina Tranquilino

September 30, 2023

In recent years, there has been a growing recognition of the importance of truth and reconciliation in acknowledging and healing the wounds caused by historical injustices. Canada's Truth and Reconciliation Day, recognized on September 30th annually, serves as a crucial reminder that understanding our past is essential for building a more inclusive and harmonious future. In conjunction with this day, Orange Shirt Day stands as a poignant symbol of remembrance and reflection concerning the devastating impacts of residential schools. This blog post aims to shed light on both events' significance and highlight why they deserve our attention.

1. Understanding Truth and Reconciliation:

Truth and Reconciliation Day holds immense value as it acknowledges the painful history experienced by Indigenous peoples in Canada due to colonization policies such as the Indian Residential Schools system. The objective is not only to remember but also to foster an environment where dialogue, empathy, and understanding can flourish between Indigenous communities and non-Indigenous Canadians.

2. Recognizing Orange Shirt Day:

Orange Shirt Day complements Truth and Reconciliation Day by focusing specifically on raising awareness about residential schools' traumatic legacy. Initiated by Phyllis Webstad's story when her new orange shirt was taken from her upon arrival at a residential school, this day reminds us of the countless children who were stripped of their culture, language, identity, dignity, and familial bonds.

3. Learning Lessons From Our Past:

By commemorating these days collectively, we acknowledge that recognizing historical wrongs paves the way for healing intergenerational trauma. It prompts us to reflect on how similar systemic injustices persist today within various societal structures—education systems, healthcare disparities, judicial processes—among others.

4. Promoting Education & Awareness:

Educating ourselves about Indigenous history should extend beyond one designated day or month; however, Truth and Reconciliation Day provides an opportunity for all Canadians to engage in learning about the diverse cultures, traditions, and contributions of Indigenous peoples. It encourages us to become active participants in reconciliation efforts by challenging stereotypes and fostering inclusive spaces.

5. Fostering Reconciliation:

Reconciliation is a journey that involves listening, understanding, respect, and dismantling systemic barriers. On this day, let's strive for meaningful reconciliation by recognizing the rights of Indigenous peoples and promoting their self-determination while building bridges between communities based on mutual trust and understanding.

Truth and Reconciliation Day signifies an essential step towards healing historical wounds, acknowledging past injustices, and promoting unity among Indigenous and non-Indigenous communities. Together with Orange Shirt Day, it reminds us that we must confront uncomfortable truths if we genuinely seek reconciliation in our society. Let us embrace these days as opportunities to learn from our history, amplify Indigenous voices, work towards positive change, and build a future where cultural diversity thrives within an atmosphere of truth, compassion, justice, and respect for all.

[lesbi-nyan]

thank you everyone!!! i got my meds!!!

there was some dumb hassle with my pharmacare coverage. my deductible is still 0. apparently my coverage has been reduced to 70% because its basing my income from 2 years ago 2022 and i had a better job back then. whereas prior i had lower income/ no job so i had 100% coverage. so i have to pay $200 in the year before i get the full coverage this year, even tho the year is almost over.

when 2025 starts, i SHOULD have 100% coverage again because it'll base my income on 2023 and i was unemployed again with 0 income. and ig in 2026 it'll be based on my 2024 income which is also pretty low.

i called pharmacare and the guy said i can do an income review now based on my 2023 notice of assessment to see if they'll approve my 100% coverage early/ for the rest of the year too. Canadian healthcare. would have been nice to recieve a notice that my coverage had changed, but no lol.

so the meds today costed me nearly $90 oof. ~nya

[covid-safer-hotties]

Also preserved in our archive

by Betsy Ladyzhets

About 1.9 in every 100,000 people were hospitalized for COVID-19 during the week ending October 26. (Note that these are provisional data.) COVID-19 test positivity has decreased 4%, from 5.0% of COVID-19 tests returning positive results during the week ending October 26 to 4.8% of tests during the week ending November 2. SARS-CoV-2 concentration in wastewater has decreased 4% between the week ending October 26 and the week ending November 2, and the national wastewater viral activity level is “low,” per the CDC. SARS-CoV-2 concentration in wastewater has decreased 1% between October 23 and October 30, and the national wastewater trend is “low,” per WastewaterSCAN, Our moderate lull between surges continues. COVID-19 levels in the U.S. remain lower than typical for this time of year — though still much higher than the true lows in 2020-2021. While the expected winter wave has not picked up yet, it remains important to take precautions against SARS-CoV-2 and other viruses, particularly as H5N1 continues to spread.

Wastewater data from the CDC, WastewaterSCAN, and Biobot Analytics all indicate that coronavirus spread has remained at moderate levels and relatively consistent over the last couple of weeks. The CDC’s national average of SARS-CoV-2 levels in wastewater has dropped by just 6% in the last two weeks of available data, and the average from WastewaterSCAN has dropped by under 1%.

This current plateau remains at about half the SARS-CoV-2 level at this time last year, according to both wastewater data sources. But it is still several times higher than what I consider the true lows of COVID-19 spread earlier in the pandemic, such as after initial vaccinations in spring 2021.

At the regional level, infections are starting to increase in parts of the Midwest and Northeast, according to wastewater and some healthcare system data. The CDC’s state-level modeling estimates report that infections are “likely growing” in Pennsylvania, Indiana, and Arizona, and either declining or not changing in all other states, as of November 5.

The Midwest and Northeast tend to see cases increase for the winter earlier than the rest of the country, thanks to colder weather driving more indoor gatherings. Variants usually also play a role, but XEC — the latest variant of concern — is spreading somewhat more slowly than other, past competitive lineages. It caused around 30% of new infections between October 26 and November 9, per CDC estimates.

While COVID-19 remains at more moderate levels, the avian flu H5N1 continues to spread in dairy farms. A recent CDC study found that, across 115 dairy workers tested for H5N1 antibodies, eight were positive — indicating infections are more widespread than has been reported. The Canadian government also just reported a suspected case there, in a teenager from British Columbia. Plus, WastewaterSCAN has identified H5N1 spreading in Los Angeles and several other California cities; it’s unclear at this time whether these sewage data indicate disease in humans, animals, or both.

Health officials continue to say the risk to the general public from H5N1 is low — people who work with animals are at more risk — but these ongoing infections offer another reason to continue masking and taking other precautions.