The Controversial Cat

The Canadian Cannabis Caper: A Constitutional Crap-shoot For those Canadians who were prepared to hear the Canadian Public Prosecution Service’s appeal to the Ontario Superior Court on the constitutionality of Health Canada’s access to medical marijuana legislation, it appears they will have to wait. Originally set to be heard this week on March 5 and … Continue reading »

Who Will Anti-Bully Legislation Really Help? When it comes to drafting and implementing anti-bully legislation, such as the Ontario Provincial Government’s Bill 13 in schools, some say better late than never, others say it is time enough, and still more ask “why bother?” The question is who is this legislation really going to help?  More to the point, … Continue reading »

Will Ayahuasca Become The Next Best Medical Treatment for Heroin Addiction? Back in 1922, Dr. Frederick Banting gave a young boy with incurable diabetes a dose of insulin that he developed in his experimental laboratory located at the University of Toronto.  At the time no one, not even medical professionals, knew if it would be safe, or if it would work … Continue reading »

Emotional Regulation Holds the Answer to Prevention of Teenage Suicide? At first glance, the offer to pay someone for having recently attempted suicide would seem unethical at the very least, and insensitive to those who treat the topic as a taboo contagion at best.  However, researchers at Duke University Health obviously don’t think it’s such a bad idea … Continue reading »

Canadian Hypocrisy over a Case for Euthanasia:  Baby Joseph Vs the Tracey Latimer Case The case for euthanasia? It’s a topic that evokes emotional turmoil like no other when compassionate, caring family members are forced to make life and death decisions about their loved ones. Judgements arise, contradictions are found, and quality of life issues hit … Continue reading »

Delivered from Slavery? Illinois plans on housing for persons with a disability On August 30, 2011, the state of Illinois moved to propose a settlement to a class action lawsuit that would curtail the state’s use of nursing homes as suitable housing for persons with a disability. Instead, the state proposes to offer recipients subsidized … Continue reading »

How to Not Get Killed:  Make Tactical Scene Assessment a Priority Quite often, when we see someone in trouble, in obvious distress, unconscious, or even engaged in a fight, our first reaction is to jump in and help.  In these emergency circumstances we tend to act on impulse, based upon our values.  After all, our heart is … Continue reading »

Article first published as United Nations takes on a Proactive Stance Against Domestic Violence with Firdaus Kharas’ No Excuses on Blogcritics. On Monday, April 18, 2011, the United Nations held a press conference to promote the work of the award-winning animator and producer Firdaus Kharas. No Excuses is a human rights campaign that features a … Continue reading »