Coco Lee: Death of pop icon sparks mental health discussion in China

Fan Wang - BBC News
Fri, July 7, 2023 

Coco Lee was a household name in China.

Pop singer Coco Lee's death has shocked the Chinese-speaking world, and sparked discussions of mental health issues on China's social media.

Lee passed away after being in a coma since attempting to take her own life on the weekend, according to a Facebook post from her older sisters Carol and Nancy. She was 48.

They also disclosed that she had been suffering from depression in recent years.

A household name in China, the Hong-Kong born American singer was remembered for her electrifying energy and megawatt smile on stage and in front of the public. And many people were in disbelief after the news broke late at night on Wednesday.

"I can't believe this. She was always the sunshine girl who loved to sing, dance and smile," a comment liked by more than 3,000 times on the country's Twitter-like platform Weibo reads.

"Is there still any happy person in this world then?" said another top-liked comment.

As tributes poured in, many focused on the mental health issue her family had mentioned.

Hashtags such as "how close depression is near you", "symptoms of depression" have been trending on different online platforms, state media outlets like CCTV, People's Daily and China Daily have put out content to raise people's awareness of depression and mental illness.

"People can feel this has apparently become a more and more pressing matter," says Dr Jia Miao, assistant professor of sociology at Shanghai New York University.

It is symptomatic of an alarming situation facing China: a rapidly growing number of people suffering from mental health issues, and a medical network not yet fully ready to cope.

Depression, or any mental illness, has long carried stigma in Chinese society. The Chinese word for mental illness, 'jingshen bing' sounds similar to a derogatory term for a mad person, 'shenjing bing', and people who have mental health issues would always be seen as someone out of their minds.

Chinese patients were largely underdiagnosed, according to Ke Ren, founder of social media account "Depression Research Institute".

"We would hear things like 'someone didn't get a good grade at school so they jumped off the building',"says Ms Ren. "But we never got a chance to ask those people 'what happened?', and what kind of help they needed."

According to a survey, one in every seven Chinese residents would suffer from at least one type of mental disorder diseases in lifetime.

Over the last 10 to 15 years, as China's economy quickly advanced, pressure on individuals have increased.

Chinese people have been burnt out as competitions at school and in the workplace have become more fierce, and mental health issues have gained attention from society, said Dr Miao from Shanghai New York University.

"As more people found themselves suffering from these issues, they became more willing to share their experiences with their family and friends, and seek professional help, and that changed the attitude towards this topic," she added.

Numbers show that China's depressed population has risen sharply. According to China Mental Health Survey which was released in 2019, one in every seven Chinese residents would suffer from at least one type of mental illness in their lifetime.

Even people who are widely seen as successful began to share their experiences.

In an article published in 2015, Ren Zhengfei, founder of tech giant Huawei, revealed he had once suffered from severe depression and anxiety. Zhang Chaoyang, founder of tech company Sohu, has addressed his past experience of depression several times openly.

The pandemic and China's extremely strict "zero-Covid" policy have also taken a toll on people.

"Mental health issues occurred during the pandemic. [Trouble with] people's income, trouble to find a job - people's anxiety has always been there, and is even increasing," Dr Miao said.

Earlier this year, the death of four young people by suicide at a famous tourist attraction in Hunan province sparked fierce discussion about mental health and social pressure in China.

The Chinese government has been trying to tackle this.

Dr Miao explained schools and universities are now required to have mental health consultants, and in big cities community units have designated people to look after elderly people's mental health.

But one of the most pressing matters is that there are not enough qualified professionals. There were only 64,000 psychiatrists in China by the end of 2021, according to state media China Youth Daily.

"Compare to the fast pace of social awareness, the country has a long way to go on diagnose and treatment in terms of mental health illnesses," added Dr Miao.

Coco Lee: Hong Kong-born singer dies at 48 after suicide

07/06/2023July 6, 2023

Coco Lee — the first Chinese-descent singer to grace the Oscar stage in 2001 — had been suffering from depression for a few years. She had fans around the world.

Hong Kong-born American singer Coco Lee died on Wednesday after attempting to take her own life, her family announced.

The 48-year old had suffered depression in recent years, "but her condition has deteriorated drastically over the last few months,” Lee's sisters said in an Instagram post.

She attempted suicide over the weekend and was rushed to a hospital where she was in a coma.

"Although Coco sought professional help and did her best to fight the depression, sadly that demon inside of her took the better of her,” the statement said.

Lee died in Queen Mary Hospital in Hong Kong, where she had been living.

"We are thankful to God for giving us such a kind angel," her sisters wrote on Instagram.

Lee's career in music extended around 30 years.

Lee was the first Chinese singer to establish herself in the American market

Astrid Stawiarz/Getty Images

Who was Coco Lee?

Lee, born in British-ruled Hong Kong on January 17, 1975, was a beloved personality in Asia for her vocal riffs and soulful ballads.

Her fluency in Cantonese, Mandarin and English helped Lee to have a fan base not only in Hong Kong, China and Taiwan, but also in Southeast Asian countries like Singapore and Malaysia, as well as Australia and the US.

Lee was initially a Mandopop singer, and was hugely popular in the 1990s and 2000s.

In 1996, her debut album "Coco Lee" became the best selling album of that year in Asia.

She was the voice of heroine Fa Mulan in the Mandarin version of the Disney hit Mulan and also sang the Mandarin version of the movie's theme song "Reflection."
Coco Lee performing at the Oscars

In 1999, Lee debuted her first full English-language album, "Just No Other Way," which featured more R&B-influenced hits like "Do You Want My Love."

From that album, "Before I Fall in Love" was chosen as the theme song for the Richard Gere and Julia Roberts rom-com "Runaway Bride."

Lee performed one of her songs, "A Love before time" from the film "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" — at the 2001 Academy Awards, which made her the first Chinese descent singer to grace the Oscar stage.

ara/wd (AP, Reuters)

Editor's note: If you are suffering from serious emotional strain or suicidal thoughts, do not hesitate to seek professional help. You can find information on where to find such help, no matter where you live in the world, at this website: https://www.befrienders.org/

Australian Official Calls BS On ‘Big Baby’ Donald Trump Jr. After Tour Delay


Ed Mazza
Thu, July 6, 2023

An Australian government official blasted Donald Trump Jr. after the son of the former president postponed his speaking tour of the nation.

Trump’s promoter implied the government was trying to keep him out, but Home Affairs Minister Clare O’Neil said in a since-deleted tweet that the real reason is that Trump’s “a big baby who isn’t very popular.”

Trump had been scheduled to speak in Brisbane, Melbourne and Sydney starting on Sunday for a visit that attracted protests on social media and a petition signed by more than 20,000 people urging the government to ban him from entering.

His promoter on Wednesday announced a postponement with a hint of conspiracy.

“It seems America isn’t the only country that makes it difficult for the Trumps,” Turning Point Australia wrote on Facebook. “Hold on to your tickets, this is a short delay nothing more #CancelCulture.”

But O’Neil said no one is stopping Trump from coming, and suggested another reason for his postponement: “Geez, Donald Trump Jr is a bit of a sore loser. His dad lost an election fair and square — but he says it was stolen. Now he’s trying to blame the Australian Government for his poor ticket sales and cancelled tour.”

“Donald Trump Jr has been given a visa to come to Australia,” O’Neil continued. “He didn’t get cancelled. He’s just a big baby, who isn’t very popular.”

O’Neil’s comments sparked backlash and the tweets were deleted. One lawmaker call the minister’s comments “childish.”

Turning Point Australia told Newsweek that Trump’s visa was issued on July 5, just 24 hours before he was scheduled to travel.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said Trump’s visa was “dealt with in the normal way,” and Immigration Minister Andrew Giles said all visa applicants are treated equally.

“Now I‘d be really clear about this. I don’t share many of Mr Trump’s views but that is entirely irrelevant to decision-making,” Giles said, according to News.com.au. “He is entitled to express them if he meets the requirements of the Migration Act.”

Giles also took a zing at Trump’s popularity in the country.

“It may of course be that the reason for the postponement goes to the lack of enthusiasm for ticket sales, rather than any of the issues that they’ve raised,” he said.

CANADA

Advocates want national standards for including LGBTQ identities in medical records

The Canadian Press
Thu, July 6, 2023 



Correcting health-care providers who assume he's heterosexual gets tiring for Jeremy Long, who wants his queer identity to be acknowledged and counted in electronic health records.

"It's taxing on a person's mental health and their ability to be understood by the world and to have to constantly feel like it's a piece of the fight of coming out again and again, which can be retraumatizing," the 38-year-old said from Vancouver.

"People aren't always asking questions that lead to more understanding. They're just labelling and so to have to correct that, it feels exhausting."

Long, who came out at age 15, said LGBTQ patients too often face judgment and feel unsafe when they seek care.

Advocates are pushing for the inclusion of gender, sex and sexual orientation (GSSO) information in electronic health records through a co-ordinated and standardized approach across the country.

The Community-Based Research Centre, based in Vancouver, released a report Wednesday calling for all jurisdictions to add more fields on medical forms that would capture the full diversity of sexual orientation and gender identity.

Michael Kwag, the centre's executive director, said that information is either misrepresented or not properly collected in Canada's health-care system. Including it would make it easier to plan for services the LGBTQ community needs, improve access to appropriate care and lead to better health outcomes, says the centre's report.

"Lesbian, gay, bisexual or queer people do have unique health needs and at times also experience higher rates of physical and mental health issues," Kwag said of issues such as depression, anxiety and sexually transmitted diseases including syphilis.

Trans people may also not be screened for breast, cervical or prostate cancer if their electronic health records are not updated, he noted.

Kwag said clerical and administrative workers, as well as health-care professionals, should be trained to better understand sex and gender as distinct concepts. Sex refers to someone's physical characteristics, such as male, female and intersex, and gender is how people identify themselves.

He also cautioned health-care workers about the harms of "deadnaming" patients and using incorrect pronouns, which can happen if medical records are not updated to reflect gender identity.

The research centre's report recommends Health Canada work with provinces and territories to encourage adoption of evolving terminology to include LGBTQ identities in health records.

In an emailed response, Health Canada said collecting standardized data on gender, sex and sexual orientation is a critical step to understanding health-care inequities and discrimination.

Work led by Canada Health Infoway, the Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI) and Statistics Canada tries to encourage all jurisdictions to adopt common technical and data standards, including the recording of a patient's gender, sex and sexual orientation.

"These commitments are expected to improve the quality and safety of patient care and provide decision makers with a more complete picture of the health-care system."

Francis Lau, a retired researcher at the University of Victoria's school of health information science, said that four years ago, he created an ongoing working group on sex, gender and sexual orientation with Canada Health Infoway, a federally funded non-profit working to improve health-care delivery through use of digital records.

Lau, who co-chaired the group until recently, said it released a national plan two years ago for provinces and territories to consult with various community groups about collecting and using information related to gender, sex and sexual orientation. Some provinces, including Alberta and British Columbia, have published standards on those issues.

An Alberta Health Services spokesman said provincial standards were developed in 2019 to collect patient information on diverse genders and sexual orientation at all health-care settings and pharmacies as part of a system called Connect Care.

It is expected to be rolled out next year and will include pharmacies.

However, data on sex assigned at birth is requested only if it is clinically relevant and a patient can choose not to disclose any information, he said.

B.C.'s Health Ministry released a "GSSO Health Information and Guidance" document earlier this year about the collection of data to "support trauma-informed care that addresses barriers to access such as misnaming, misgendering, outing and missed opportunities for preventive screening.

It includes guidance on using yet-to-be-specified coding to record people's negative experiences in the health-care system, such as transphobia, "worries related to gender expression and "cisnormative bias," or the assumption that everyone's gender identity matches their biological sex.

Lau said the Canada Health Infoway working group is trying to come up with coding in medical records for various sexual orientations and for those who may be gender fluid or do not want to disclose that information.

"The action plan only talks about what needs to be done," Lau said. "It left the when, how, who to the jurisdictions and organizations, the governments, because you need time and resources to do it."

This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 6, 2023.

Canadian Press health coverage receives support through a partnership with the Canadian Medical Association. CP is solely responsible for this content.

Camille Bains, The Canadian Press

Pleas for help as Montreal's LGBTQ Village falls victim to addiction, homelessness

The Canadian Press
Fri, July 7, 2023



MONTREAL — The Village, Montreal's historical LGBTQ neighbourhood, has become the scene of homelessness, addiction and crime, with locals suggesting that its social problems are being imported because of the district's history of being an inclusive space for marginalized people.

Richard Fitzgerald, who has lived in the Village for 46 years, says he has witnessed a slow decline.

"Twenty years ago it was a really lively place and it was known around the world." Now, he said, "you come here at night and it's scary. There's violence. There's a whole problem of people who have drug problems, mental health problems."

In response, the city has boosted police presence in the neighbourhood just east of downtown and assigned a two-person psychosocial intervention team to direct vulnerable people to resources. In June, it released a plan to revitalize the neighbourhood and deal with homelessness and mental health.

But residents and business owners say the measures are insufficient, and they lament that the municipal government helped create the problem by concentrating services for vulnerable people into one area without the necessary investments to properly care for them.

"They don't have anywhere to go," Fitzgerald said, sympathizing with people struggling with drug and mental health problems, whom he called "victims of a system."

"This is where they come, and the city encourages it because they try to say this is an inclusive area. I think the mentality is that the gay community is more open to marginality than the rest of the city."

Christian Généreux co-organized a march Tuesday through the Village streets in an effort to get the municipal, provincial and federal governments to address the district's social ills. Généreux said his neighbourhood's problems have been partly "imposed" on it.

He pointed to the city's decision during the COVID-19 pandemic to temporarily convert a large hotel in the area into a homeless shelter. “It imported to the Village problems that are not specific to the Village,” Généreux said.

“All this combination of factors makes it so all of this is grouped in one neighbourhood, and it creates pressure, a lack of security, and as the governments don’t provide the resources needed, these people find themselves in the streets with the problems they have.”

The Village has long been a hub for community organizations and services for marginalized people, said Bruno Laprade, a spokesperson for an LGBTQ organization and local historian who has been giving tours of the neighbourhood for 17 years. Commercial vacancies following the deindustrialization of the area in the 20th century meant non-profits and other groups could take advantage of lower rents, he explained.

He says the Village's problems have been compounded by a drop in tourism due to competition from LGBTQ destinations in other cities and even from other commercial areas of Montreal.

In the late 1990s and early 2000s, another scheme to revitalize the area that focused on attracting tourists eventually led the city to create a summer car-free zone on the strip of Ste-Catherine Street that runs through the Village, one of the first such programs in the city, Laprade said. Now, popular annual car-free zones in other parts of the city are drawing crowds, too.

Montreal's latest plan to bring people back to the Village includes an effort to redefine the neighbourhood's identity, with public art and memorials dedicated to the LGBTQ community, more extensive summer and winter programming, and the refurbishment of Ste-Catherine Street.

But change can't come soon enough for some.

Alain Guenette, manager of Bar Rocky, said he briefly closed his patio this year because his customers didn't feel safe sitting outside. "It's really dangerous there for us," he said. "It was scaring the customers." Bar Rocky has reopened its outdoor seating area, but Guenette said he's still not satisfied with the city's progress: "They really need to do more because this is really unpleasant."

Danny Jobin, owner of three bars on Ste-Catherine Street, said he has noted a decline in business as the number of unhoused people on the streets grows, and he wants the city to take action. "We need a lot of help from the government and the city," he said.

Généreux said there have been plenty of forums and reports over the years about how to help the Village. Now it's time to take action and to allow the area to recapture its place as a worldwide destination where people can celebrate diversity.

“We know what we have to do,” he said. “What it takes now is a sense of urgency to act on the part of all the governments concerned … it takes a global action plan, it takes resources on the ground.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 7, 2023.

— With files from Sidhartha Banerjee

---

This story was produced with the financial assistance of the Meta and Canadian Press News Fellowship.

Thomas MacDonald, The Canadian Press

ALBERTA

Tsuut'ina Nation receiving funds for addiction support


Local Journalism Initiative
Fri, July 7, 2023

The need for more beds and more funding to help fight the drug epidemic in Alberta is constantly a topic of concern, with recent numbers showing an alarming rate of overdosing across the province.

Opioid deaths are on the rise in Alberta, with the province seeing 179 fatalities in the month of April alone, according to Health Analytics Alberta.

As a result, treaty seven territory – Tsuut’ina Nation – will be receiving up to $30 million in capital funding from the provincial government for the construction of a new addictions recovery community with 75 beds and an annual capacity of 300 patients.

A memorandum of understanding was signed by Premier Danielle Smith, Chief Roy Whitney and Minister of health and addictions, Dan Williams, on Wednesday for the new development.

However, the new Tsuut’ina recovery community will not be the only one built across the province as the provincial government has announced 11 total locations will receive funding in due course.

Both the Blood Tribe and Lethbridge are on the list to erect a new recovery community, with the government announcing it has partnered with the Blood Tribe, Enoch Cree and Tsuut’ina nations.

The premier says it is important to give all Albertans a safe place to recover from drug addiction, no matter who they are.

“Everyone deserves the opportunity to heal and recover from the illness of addiction,” said Smith on in a press conference at the Chief Joseph Big Plume Building in Tsuut’ina. “This includes Indigenous people living in Alberta.”

Smith says the importance of working with Indigenous leaders is paramount to the success of any program on First Nations land.

“While more supports and services are clearly needed, we believe meaningful progress can only be achieved with the guidance and leadership of First Nations communities,” said Smith.

Meanwhile, she says the federal government is failing Albertan Indigenous people, but the provincial government will step up and fill those roles as required.

“Unfortunately, over the past four years, we’ve seen the federal government abdicate its responsibility in this area,” said Smith. “They’ve significantly decreased federal support to Indigenous communities for both addiction and healthcare.”

Even so, Smith says this new recovery community will provide support for even more people to get help while potentially rewriting the book in the process.

“I’m confident that this partnership between our two governments will change the way addiction treatment is provided,” said Smith.

Williams says, while addiction is a problem for the province as a whole, the Indigenous communities are in the greatest need for immediate support.

“The addiction crisis has touched all corners of this province, but First Nations and Indigenous communities have been hit particularly hard,” said Williams.

He says this is not the first recovery community, nor is it the last.

“This is the third, with more to come, of our recovery centres that are being located on First Nations territory,” said Williams.

Echoing the Premier, Williams says the Alberta government will “not wait for the federal government” and they will support those struggling with addiction immediately.

“We are going to make it our goal that every single Albertan has access to treatment,” said Williams. “No matter who they are or where they come from.”

Furthermore, he says the recovery communities will offer holistic and long-term treatment for patients.

“They can stay for up to one year at this facility and we’re hoping that we’ll have this underway in early 2024,” said Williams.

He says these recovery communities will create a safer province for everyone, including those suffering from addiction.

“We are committed to keeping our communities safe and supporting those who are most vulnerable,” said Williams.

Chief Whitney says the announcement of the recovery community holding a whopping 75 beds is more than welcome to those in Tsuut’ina.

“It was (surprising) and happy to hear that it’s a 75-bed unit,” said Whitney.

He says the drug crisis is only becoming worse and worse as time goes on.

“The reality and severity of drug abuse is changing,” said Whitney. “… These drugs are coming after our young people.”

Whitney says he agrees with the UCP approach to fighting the drug problem, though he accepts others may feel differently.

“It’s time for solutions,” said Whitney. “Of course, there will be differences of opinion for how to manage the growing drug abuse problem in Alberta, but weighing in on those solutions, I stand with the Premier and her cabinet on the track that they are creating.”

Furthermore, he believes the answer to solving this problem is not by providing drugs in a ‘safe’ environment for those with addiction issues.

“How can a solution of drug abuse be more, and cheaper drugs handed out by government? That is not a solution, that is just helping addicts die faster.”

He says the Tsuut’ina government is committed to supporting their people through love, support and guidance.

Construction is set to begin on the Tsuut’ina recovery community in 2024 and there is no date yet announced for ground to break in Lethbridge or the Blood Tribe.

Justin Sibbet, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Lethbridge Herald

Talking with Tóta in Kanesatake

Local Journalism Initiative
Fri, July 7, 2023 

When Kawisaiénhne Albany was a child, she loved to listen to her raksótha, a lifelong speaker of Kanien’kéha. It didn’t matter that she couldn’t understand his words.

“I just knew whatever my grandfather was saying, it sounded really special and sacred,” said Albany.

So when, at age 21, she decided to take a leap of faith and enrol in the Ratiwennenhá:wi Kanien’kéha immersion program at the Tsi Ronterihwanónhnha ne Kanien'kéha Language and Cultural Center, she had a goal in mind: to understand and speak with her grandfather, John Cree.

Now she can.

“It’s awesome. It’s a real good feeling,” she said.

Albany graduated from Ratiwennenhá:wi on June 19, just one of three students in her cohort. The group spent four hard-scrabble years together immersed in the language four days a week. One year, they even faced the added challenges that come with remote learning and shoddy Zoom connections, making the words even harder to parse.

“It’s kind of like a family at the culture centre,” said Albany. “Anybody who joins, we kind of become friends, and we all have each other’s back and help each other out.”

Albany bonded with her classmates over their mutual desire to do their part to strengthen the language by becoming speakers of Kanien’kéha, a tongue that has only a few thousand fluent speakers in the world, perhaps even fewer.

“I wish everybody would learn because we don’t have a lot of first-language speakers left,” said Albany. “Kanesatake has the oldest Mohawk language. We’re losing so many speakers who know the old words, the old language.”

She sees it as the responsibility of herself and other language program graduates to help and encourage others in the community to learn, maybe even formally – many of the current teachers are in their 70s and 80s and are getting ready for retirement.

“As our graduate class, we have to step up and help these new students who need help to understand, and anybody in the community too, and to encourage everybody,” said Albany. She acknowledges, however, that she still has a lot more to learn – she speaks to as many elders as she can to glean their wisdom and knowledge.

While learning the language has brought obvious benefits, Albany was surprised to find how it reoriented her mind. It was no surprise to her raksótha, however.

“We always say when we have Mohawks speaking, there’s laughter. There’s always laughter,” said Cree. "It’s a language that brings out the good in you.”

Kanien’kéha lends itself to storytelling in a way English does not, he added.

“I was trying to get her to understand that it’s good to learn the language, but also with the language comes the culture,” he said.

Cree has noticed more and more people have become interested in learning Kanien’kéha, something he feels is beneficial for the community.

“It makes me very proud that she’s strong in her language,” he said.

He provided moral support as Albany worked through the program, buoying her in moments where she was losing hope that she’d ever become proficient in speaking a language not exactly known for being easy to learn.

“Sometimes she felt she wasn’t going to get it, and we kept saying just keep going,” he said. “All of a sudden it’ll change. All of a sudden everything will make sense to you.”

The cultural component of Kanien’kéha is not lost on Albany. “Everything we say goes back to what’s on Earth and what the creation story is,” she said.

“Everything has been provided for us. Everything we have on Earth is what we need to survive in life. Our language goes back to all those different elements that we have on Earth.”

Albany feels the language has reshaped the way she relates to her own identity. “When you do learn it, you really learn a lot about yourself and who you are as Kanien’kehá:ka and Onkwehón:we,” she said.

“I think it’s the best thing I did to really find who I am. A lot of people who don’t know what to do with their lives, I think learning the language and the culture is one of the best ways to really find yourself and be happy.

“We all have lost identities. We don’t know who we are because of residential schools and stuff like that. Doing this really makes you proud of where you come from and how far our people have come, too.”

Albany is now 25 years old and has her whole life ahead of her, which means some aspects of her future are less than clear. There is at least one thing that she knows for sure, however.

“The school did a great job getting me to where I am now,” said Albany. “Now I have to go out and keep it alive.”

gmbankuti@gmail.com

Marcus Bankuti, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, The Eastern Door

PUSHING PRIVATIZATION

Saskatchewan has longest waits in Canada for hip and knee replacement surgeries

The Canadian Press
Thu, July 6, 2023 

NDP Leader Carla Beck

REGINA — A Saskatchewan NDP health critic says the province not only has the longest wait times in Canada for hip and knee surgeries, it ranks well below other jurisdictions.

Matt Love, who is the rural health critic for the Opposition party, pointed to recent data by the Canadian Institute for Health Information that showed median wait times for knee replacements was 467 days in Saskatchewan last year.

Manitoba came in second-last for knee replacements at 336 days, while the wait times in most of the remaining provinces ranged from 210 days to 284 days. Ontario had the shortest waits at 117 days.

“We’re not even in just last place, we’re in a category all our own, way at the bottom,” Love said Thursday.

“And these aren’t just numbers, these are Saskatchewan people, people who are waiting in pain for procedures that should have been delivered months ago.”

Love also pointed out in the recent data that median wait times for hip replacements were 309 days in Saskatchewan last year.

Alberta and New Brunswick tied for second-last on hip replacements at 232 days. Ontario had the shortest waits at 108 days.

While Saskatchewan fared better on other surgeries, Love said wait times overall haven’t budged or have increased over the past five years.

The COVID-19 pandemic also made wait times worse, as procedures were halted during the early days of the pandemic. Many employees also left the profession or burned out, Love said.

The Saskatchewan Party government has said it has been hiring more health-care employees to address wait times. Since December, 485 graduate nurses and five registered nurses from the Philippines have been hired.

The government also plans to increase the number of surgeries completed this year, including having some done in private clinics.

In March, the province signed a $6-million agreement to send patients to Calgary for hip and knee surgeries as a way for people to get help sooner. Patents must pay for their travel.

NDP Leader Carla Beck said she isn’t convinced these plans will work.

“There is the ability within the public system, if there were the will, to expand the capacity of operating room hours to increase availability to existing surgeons in the province, right now,” Beck said Thursday. “What we lack is political will.”

Beck said the government should also hire more staff and work with employees to ensure they don’t leave.

She said employees are “begging to be at the table.”

“We need to take them on it,” Beck said. “If this government is going to continue to show that they’re not interested in finding solutions, we’re saying we are interested in those solutions.”

In an emailed statement Thursday, the government said it's aiming to have a wait list of fewer than 25,000 patients by March.

It also said it has expanded existing operating room space and that "surgical slates" have been added.

"A contract is being finalized for private-sector partners to begin building an orthopedic surgery centre in Regina in 2023-24, providing an additional 3,000 procedures annually," the government said.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 6, 2023.

Jeremy Simes, The Canadian Press

Magic mushroom store in Windsor raided by police a week after opening


CBC
Thu, July 6, 2023

On Thursday, the Windsor Police Service raided the magic mushroom store Fun Guyz, only a week after it opened downtown. (Michael Evans/CBC - image credit)

The newly opened magic mushroom store Fun Guyz was raided by police Thursday afternoon.

The raid happened a week after the store opened on June 29.

A co-owner of Fun Guyz, who said his name was Edgars Gorbans, said he got the news the store was being raided while setting up another location in Montreal.

"It's normal," said Gorbans, "I've been through multiple raids, right? So it doesn't shock me anymore."

Windsor Police Service said in a statement Thursday night they seized 1,120 psilocybin capsules, 184 grams of dried psilocybin mushrooms as well as various amounts of psilocybin-infused products. They also confiscated $5,535.

The raid was conducted by members of the Drugs and Guns Unit.

Windsor was the 11th store location for Fun Guyz — on 395 Ouellette Avenue — with their first store opening six months ago. He said all of them have been raided before.

Owner of Fun Guyz Edgars Gorbans told CBC Windsor this raid was particularly damaging, as police took everything they could, including signage, TVs, and more.

Owner of Fun Guyz Edgars Gorbans told CBC Windsor that police took signage, TVs and more. (Michael Evans/CBC)

What did shock Gorbans this time was around was that police took signs, ATMs, TVs and more, on top of their product.

"With what's in the warrant, they shouldn't be taking TVs ... they're just trying to cause as much damage as possible, to make it hard for us to reopen," he said.

Gorbans said in other raids, Fun Guyz stores have been able to reopen a couple hours after the police leave, and fight every charge they're handed. The same will happen for the Windsor location.

"Once they take the product and leave, they're not coming back to bother us," he said.

Windsor Police Service said they received multiple complaints about the store and the fact that it was selling magic mushrooms.

Windsor Police Service said they received multiple complaints about the store. (Michael Evans/CBC)

Const. Adam Young with the Windsor Police Service was at the scene of the raid. He said police received "numerous complaints" from the community since the store opened.

Young said he couldn't comment on any arrests being made due to the investigation, but Gorbans said no arrests were made.

Police said in the statement a 21-year-old employee present at the store was charged with with possession of a substance for the purposes of trafficking. The service added that the investigation is ongoing.

Though the production, sale and possession of magic mushrooms are illegal in Canada and police have arrested store operators, similar shops are popping up elsewhere in Ontario and across the country.

Gorbans told CBC Windsor shortly after opening most people walk into the store looking to microdose — taking small amounts of a drug at a time — and treat things like anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder and depression, though no psilocybin products are currently approved for medical use.

"They [customers] love that they can come in and speak to someone before they purchase and be guided by someone to do psilocybin," he said on Monday.

Gorbans said the store will likely reopen a few hours after the raid, just like they've done with every other location across Ontario.

Gorbans said the store will likely reopen a few hours after the raid, just like they've done with every other location across Ontario. (Michael Evans/CBC)

Psilocybin is the psychoactive substance in magic mushrooms.

The store does not recommend people use the product for recreational use, he added.

"We're more trying to be basically trying to push people to use them for medical reasons. But obviously, we can't control someone [who] takes more than the microdose amounts available."

FunGuyz makes customers sign waivers when purchasing, and Gorbans says they don't sell to anyone under 19.

For those who don't approve of the storefront, Gorbans asks they take some time to research and asks people to worry about other drugs being used in the city, like crack and cocaine.

"[These are] mushrooms that grow from the ground, right? Not made in a lab," he said.

Ontario Power Generation and province plan 3 more small modular reactors



CLARINGTON, Ont. — Ontario Power Generation and the province are planning three more small modular reactors at the site of the Darlington nuclear power plant.

One SMR is already being built there, with construction of the first unit set to be complete by 2028.

OPG president Ken Hartwick says the planned fleet of SMRs would produce 1,200 megawatts of electricity, enough to power the equivalent of 1.2 million homes by the mid-2030s.

That is around when rising electricity demand is projected to surpass supply by about 5,000 megawatts and Energy Minister Todd Smith has made a number of recent announcements aimed at closing that gap, including a new, large-scale nuclear plant at Bruce Power on Lake Huron.

Smith says it is part of Ontario’s plan to meet electricity demand with emissions-free power, though some critics have warned about relying on SMRs as a relatively untested power source. Small modular reactors use similar technology to traditional nuclear power plants, but they are much smaller.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 7, 2023.

Province of Ontario to Deploy Additional GE Hitachi BWRX-300 Small Modular Reactors

July 07, 2023

WILMINGTON, North Carolina—July 7, 2023—The Province of Ontario announced today that it is working with Ontario Power Generation (OPG) to begin planning and licensing for the deployment of three additional GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy (GEH) BWRX-300 small modular reactors (SMRs) at the Darlington New Nuclear Project site. A total of four BWRX-300 SMRs are now planned for deployment at the site east of Toronto.

“OPG and the Province of Ontario have staked a leading position in the deployment of new nuclear with a project that will offer significant energy and economic benefits to Ontario and Canada,” said Jay Wileman, President & CEO, GEH. “As a global clean energy leader, the Province of Ontario is an ideal home for this innovative project. We look forward to working closely with the SMR project partners as we build a fleet of new reactors together and demonstrate nuclear project excellence here in Canada.”

Today’s announcement about three potential additional units builds on January’s announcement about a contract to build a single BWRX-300 at OPG’s Darlington site, the first commercial contract for a grid-scale SMR in North America.

“We are looking forward to a long partnership with OPG as we turn the BWRX-300 design into a reality here at the Darlington site,” said Sean Sexstone, Executive Vice President, Advanced Nuclear, GEH. “The Ontario supply chain has embraced the BWRX-300 project and we are encouraged by the leadership we have seen to meet manufacturing quality and schedule requirements to support this project and our integrated team.”

Advanced nuclear technologies like the BWRX-300 are a key pillar of GEH’s energy transition leadership. In addition to helping customers achieve decarbonization goals, the BWRX-300 is designed to reduce construction and operating costs below other nuclear power generation technologies. Specifically, the BWRX-300 leverages a unique combination of existing fuel, plant simplifications, proven components and a design based on an already licensed reactor.

GE’s support for the Canadian nuclear industry dates to the early 1950s. The company helped build the first Canadian nuclear power plant, the Nuclear Power Demonstration (NPD) reactor that became the basis for the entire CANDU fleet.

Bell Media brands urge readers to download apps as Meta, Google block news

The Canadian Press
Fri, July 7, 2023



TORONTO — Some of Bell Media's news brands are urging their social media followers to download their apps as Meta and Google move away from linking to Canadian news sites.

CTV and BNN Bloomberg issued Instagram statements recommending people seeking their news look directly on their websites or visit their apps.

CBC News prodded readers to make a similar move earlier this week.

Other media companies including Toronto Star owner Torstar Corp., TVA and Videotron owner Quebecor Inc. and broadcaster Cogeco Inc. have suspended advertising on Meta's platforms.

The federal government, as well as the province of Quebec and the City of Montreal, said they plan to do the same.

The moves come after Parliament last month passed the Online News Act, which will force digital giants to pay media outlets for content they share or repurpose on their platforms when the act comes into effect later this year.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 7, 2023.

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Meta funds a limited number of fellowships that support emerging journalists at The Canadian Press.

Torstar holds an investment in The Canadian Press as part of a joint agreement with subsidiaries of The Globe and Mail and Montreal’s La Presse.

The Canadian Press

SNC-Lavalin to sell Scandinavian division in first big move in its strategic review

The Canadian Press
Fri, July 7, 2023 


MONTREAL — SNC-Lavalin Group Inc. says it has made a deal to sell its Scandinavian engineering business to a French consulting firm, the first big move under its strategic review.

SNC-Lavalin says the sale to Systra Group, which specializes in public transport, will yield about 80 million pounds, or roughly $136 million.

SNC launched a strategic review in March, eyeing asset selloffs as the company looked to pivot away from cash-draining fixed-price construction contracts and sharpen its game as a pure-play engineering firm in green energy and infrastructure.

As other possible divestitures, CEO Ian Edwards has pointed to SNC's seven per cent stake in the Hwy. 407 toll road near Toronto and to Linxon, a joint venture with Hitachi Energy that focuses on electrical substations.

RBC Dominion Securities analyst Sabahat Khan says the Scandinavian segment generated marginal profits and about $95 million in revenue annually — less than two per cent of SNC's yearly total.

The agreement to sell the division, which employs 750 workers in Denmark, Sweden and Norway, is expected to close in the fall, subject to regulatory approvals and customary closing conditions.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 7, 2023.

Companies in this story: (TSX:SNC)

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