BY SIMONE J. SMITH

The holiday season, a time often associated with joy and celebration, can paradoxically trigger a decline in mental well-being for many. Coupled with the ongoing pressures of inflation, rising crime rates, and the abrupt shift of daylight savings time, particularly in northern regions, these factors can create a perfect storm for individuals struggling with their mental health.

Suicide, a tragic reality, knows no boundaries, impacting people of all ages and backgrounds. In Canada alone, a staggering average of 4,500 lives are lost to suicide each year, translating to approximately 12 individuals per day. The impact of each suicide extends far beyond the individual, leaving a trail of grief and devastation among family, friends, and communities.

On November 30^th, 2023, Canada launched 9-8-8 Suicide Crisis Helpline. It is for anyone thinking about suicide, feeling hopeless, or like they are struggling to cope. The Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) in Toronto, Canada’s largest mental health teaching hospital, leads and coordinates delivery of 9-8-8 nationwide. 9-8-8 is funded by the Government of Canada, through the Public Health Agency of Canada.

A growing network of nearly 40 experienced local and national crisis line partners across the country provide culturally appropriate, lifesaving supports to people who call or text the helpline.

Over the past year, 9-8-8 crisis responders have answered more than 300,000 calls and texts to the national helpline. 9-8-8 answers an average of almost 30,000 calls and texts per month – approximately 1,000 calls and texts per day. In Ontario, 9-8-8 responders answer an average of over 12,000 calls and texts per month (more than 135,000 from the launch to October 31^st, 2024).

The goal of the three-digit helpline is to prevent suicide by making it as simple as possible for people to get the help they need, when they need it most. 9-8-8 provides urgent, live support by phone and text to people in every province and territory across the country in English and French, 24/7, every day of the year.

Last week, I had a chance to speak with Nika Khossravi, 9-8-8 Crisis Responder, and she shared with me her reason for becoming a responder, and the importance of 9-8-8.

“Last year I experienced the loss of a friend to suicide,” Nika shares, “When I was grieving the loss, I did a lot of reflection, and I realized that I did not have the tools to assist my friend. I dug deep and volunteered and learned a lot. What many of us don’t take into consideration is how suicide affects survivors of suicide. We don’t like to say suicide is contagious, but sometimes it becomes more of a reality, especially when someone close to you has committed suicide.”

“What are the biggest challenges you anticipate in ensuring equitable access to the 9-8-8 helpline for all Canadians, including those in remote, rural, and underserved communities,” I inquired?

“It serves every single city in Canada. It is the same as 9-1-1. Let’s be honest, when you are in crisis, you are not thinking about long drawn-out numbers. We want 9-8-8 to become as familiar as dialing 9-1-1,”

“Are there mechanisms for seamless referrals and follow-up care?”

“Responders offer follow calls within 24 hours, and some are able to do referrals to local distress centres. 211 is one of the resource databases that we can provide for them.”

9-8-8 also offers support and advice for people who are worried someone they know may be considering suicide. Whatever you are going through, you don’t have to face your problems on your own. 9-8-8 responders are here to listen. No one who calls or texts 9-8-8 will be turned away. Everyone who contacts 9-8-8 will be assessed for suicide risk.

“What are the initial expectations and long-term goals for the 9-8-8 helpline in terms of reducing suicide rates and improving mental health outcomes for Canadians?”

“We want people to be aware. We are a resource to those who think someone in their lives might be thinking about suicide. We want 9-8-8 to be as familiar to Canadians as 9-1-1.”

By texting or calling 9-8-8, people can connect with a responder who’s ready to
listen and trained to help. 9-8-8 responders work with callers and texters to explore ways to cope when things are overwhelming and find a path to safety. Responder training is informed by evidence, best practices and engagement with organizations representing populations most affected by suicide to ensure that anyone, anywhere, can access the support they need.

For more information and to receive the latest updates, please visit www.988.ca  or connect with them on our social media platforms:
Twitter: @988Canada
Facebook: 988Canada
Instagram: @988Canada
LinkedIn: 988Canada

BY PAUL JUNOR

The announced lawsuit seeking $500 billion against the tobacco companies could potentially be settled. The Canadian Cancer Society (CCS) issued a press release on October 18^th, 2024, in which it expressed reservations. The Ontario government is supportive, but there have been mixed reactions from others.

The proposed lawsuit would dispense the following:

• $24.7 billion over time to provinces and territories, including $6.3 billion up front, and the remainder paid out as a percentage of tobacco company profits, including 85% of net after-tax profits in the first five years, and then 80% declining to 70% in subsequent years, until the $24.7 billion is paid
• $4.1 billion to the Quebec class action plaintiffs
• $2.5 billion to individual victims across Canada beyond the Quebec class action plaintiffs
• $1.0 billion to a Foundation to fund research for the diagnosis and treatment of tobacco-related disease.

Rob Cunningham, lawyer for the CCS and Senior Policy Analyst states, “The approach in the proposed settlement falls massively short and fails to protect the future health of Canadians properly. How can such an approach possibly be justified when we continue to have millions of Canadians who smoke each year and tobacco remains the leading cause of cancer death? This settlement fails to support public health efforts to reduce smoking.”

Cunningham is supportive of the $1 billion funding, which will go towards the foundation independent of the government but expressed concerns that it will not be involved in proactive measures such as: smoking cessation initiatives, awareness campaigns, or public health programs.

Cunningham would like to see specific changes before approval. He notes, “The foundation must have the ability to fund a full range of initiatives to reduce tobacco use, such as smoking cessation and community programs, among others. Moreover, as in the U.S, the settlement in Canada should contain policy measures to reduce tobacco use such as banning remaining tobacco promotion and should require public disclosure of secret tobacco company internal documents.”

Some of the data presented by Canada Cancer Society include:

• Smoking is the leading cause of disease and death in Canada with 16,000 deaths in Ontario and 46,000 in Canada
• The rate of smoking is 11.4% for age 18 and older according to 2023 stats
• About 3.6 million Canadians are smokers

The Canada Cancer Society highlights some of the wrongful actions of the tobacco industry such as:

• Marketing to underage teenagers
• Advertising to women with themes of slimness and fashion
• Denying that smoking caused cancer and other diseases
• Failing to warn consumers adequately
• Using misleading advertising, including for so-called “light” and “mild” cigarettes
• Lobbying aggressively against tobacco control laws

Cunningham states, “Without investing in significant measures to reduce tobacco use, this proposed settlement misses the very intention of the lawsuits in the first place, which is to curtail the damages caused by the tobacco industry. The health disaster caused by the tobacco industry is still ongoing and needs immediate attention, which this proposed settlement fails to do. This is a deal that won’t reduce smoking.”

The three major tobacco companies in Canada include:

• Imperial Tobacco Canada Ltd. (owned by British American Tobacco)
• Rothmans, Benson & Hedges Inc. (owned by Philip Morris International)
• JTI-Macdonald Corp (owned by Japan Tobacco)

Gar Mahood of the Campaign for Justice on Tobacco Fraud acknowledged the settlement is a “Hollow victory. The settlement went from $500 billion in claimed damages (the costs to the health care system for treating smoking-related illness) to just over $24.7 billion. It’s a financial cave-in that will be paid for by current addicted smokers, the most at-risk group in the proposed settlement, and youth who will become addicted.”

“It is a meaningful first step in acknowledging decades of harm,” states Jessica Buckley, President and CEO at the Lung Health Foundation (LHF) notes further, “But financial restitution can’t make up for the loss of life. It can’t make up for the experiences of Canadians who have suffered through lung cancer and COPD. It’s not enough for people who are struggling to breathe right now.”

“It is crucial to ensure that more resources are allocated to lung health prevention programs, research and education efforts.”

She is not sure if the funds will go directly into practical steps. “LHF is pushing fit a Smoke-Free Generation, a move that if enacted, would protect youth from addiction by ensuring that youth born after a certain date would never legally become of age to purchase tobacco products.”

Jacob Shelley, co-director of the Health Ethics, Law and Policy lab at Western University shares that he is pleased that plaintiffs will receive restitution after five years of going through the courts. He states, “It’s not a meaningful individual victory in the sense of like a big payout, but it’s meaningful and there is going to be an opportunity for collection on this claim, which started decades ago, and that there is recognition and an imposition of liability for the failure to warn about the risks associated with the use of this product.”

BY STEVEN KASZAB

The French Press has come upon information that points to the continual import and sale of products from China, which have been harvested using prisoners, camp inmates and forced labor of Uighurs and Falun Gong held in captivity by the Communist Chinese State. Imagine opening a can of tomatoes, potatoes, or peas said to be sold and canned in your country, but the contents are from oppressive, dehumanizing nations: like China, North Korea, or Iran. French lawmakers are investigating such happenings and will in time institute laws forcing producers, packaging firms to identify the source of the products they process and often sell. Will Canada take up such a challenge?

Canadian import rules allow products from China and its third-party partners into Canada willy nilly, with little inspection being done. Examples of products that are harmful to the public can be found in cheap jewelry, which contain chemicals that attack and erode the skin of wearers. Then there are medicines and natural products that have no identifying ingredient. Wooden products made from rotting wood sources, eyeliner that contains mercury and so on. The list is very long, and if the government agencies responsible for the protection of consumers did their jobs it would be longer. Import agencies of the government lack the appropriate number of personnel and the regulations needed to stop importation of items unsavory, or dangerous to the public.

Food is one such item that needs further exploration. Ethnic markets and retail chains that sell fresh, boxed, canned food lack the initiative to demand suppliers supply them, and therefore their customers with the appropriate information about these products, their sources, locations and ingredients. The national government must force the issue through legislation and enforcement. When retail chains who sold legal CDs, DVDs complained about the illegal sale of duplicated products, the governmental authorities went into action raiding the sellers and producers of these bogus products.

Food and medicines are far more important don’t you think? Yet we do not see inspectors in ethnic retail outlets going through products diligently. Wonder why? Could it be a shortage of inspectors or wholesale corruption?

Has the public not made enough noise about the condition of foods offered to them in: grocery, retail, and market fair locations? Simply look at the back of a product and read the label. The more information present the better. No information, no purchase, and if you’re a supporter of human rights, stand up for the little person on the other side of the world unable to stop their own exploitation. Stop buying products from China until they prove they are responsible and civilized members of the international community and free market.