Mental Health

The Ontario government has introduced draft legislation it says will compel employers to let personnel “unplug” from the office after hours in an effort to restore some post-pandemic work-life balance which has been eroded by having many employees work from home. If approved, the measure would require companies with at least 25 employees to develop appropriate policies. “The lines between family time and work time have been blurred,” Labour Minister Monte McNaughton said on tabling his bill Oct. 25 [node:read-more:link]

A report based on two focus groups involving 54 employees has yielded a report about racism within Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada. Presented to the department in June but only recently made public, it alleges racist language and marginalization as well as “microaggressions” and stereotyping on the job. [node:read-more:link]

Responding to former employees’ complaints about a “toxic workplace” fraught with racism and bullying, the Royal Canadian Mint says it has accepted all 24 recommendations by independent investigators. “It is evident that although significant progress has been made, a toxic environment remains,” the investigators say in a newly-released report submitted two months ago. [node:read-more:link]

Responding to former employees’ complaints about a “toxic workplace” fraught with racism and bullying, the Royal Canadian Mint says it has accepted all 24 recommendations by independent investigators. “It is evident that although significant progress has been made, a toxic environment remains,” the investigators say in a newly-released report submitted two months ago. [node:read-more:link]

A $1.1 billion Federal Court of Canada lawsuit (Docket No. T-1201-18) against the RCMP for “systemic negligence” in cases of bullying and intimidation in the ranks has survived a Crown attempt to have it decertified. In her ruling earlier this week (Docket No. T-42-20), Federal Court of Appeal Justice Mary Gleason effectively upheld the claim that the RCMP’s internal processes for handling complaintsthe focus of a report last November by retired Supreme Court of Canada Justice Michel Bastaracheare tainted because they rely on the chain of command. [node:read-more:link]

One of Canada’s largest mental health and addictions treatment services, Homewood Health, has admitted that some clients’ data was stolen and offered at auction. The self-described “leaked data marketplace” site Marketo said it had more than 180 gigabytes of the company’s data including documents referencing provincial and national organizations. [node:read-more:link]

The shootings at a U.S. Naval Air Station in Florida has prompted the Department of Defense to order a review of how international students enter U.S. training programs. A Saudi Arabian national killed three Americans before committing suicide. Deputy Defense Secretary David Norquist also has suspended operational training for all Saudi students in U.S. military programs. [node:read-more:link]

Mary Simon, an Inuk from northern Quebec, was sworn in as Canada’s 30th Governor General, the first indigenous vice-regal appointee. In a ceremony held in the Senate chamber, she pledged to use her role to work against climate change, advocate for mental health and work toward reconciliation. “I have heard from Canadians who describe a renewed sense of possibility for our country and hope that I can bring people together," she said. [node:read-more:link]

Two days after the remains of 215 children were found buried near a former residential school in Kamloops, B.C., the federal has directed that flags on all federal buildings across the country be flown at half-mast. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced the decision on social media May 30. [node:read-more:link]

An Ottawa Police Service officer who had been suspended after being notified of a disciplinary investigation, has committed suicide. His death comes as the service has attempted to improve officer mental health and wellbeing while grappling with a year of repeated misconduct allegations. [node:read-more:link]

An internal RCMP report on the suicide of one of its officers has concluded that the federal policy service lacks a strategy for monitoring and detecting potential problems. The report was on the death of Const Jean-Pascal Nolin in Ottawa in March 2016, more than a year after he participated in the police response to shootings on Parliament Hill in 2014. [node:read-more:link]

The RCMP says it is considering revisions to its entrance exam in an attempt to address cultural biases and “outdated criteria.” Dealing with what has been described as racism and a “toxic culture” in its ranks, it has posted a tender for a contractor to provide screening services. [node:read-more:link]

U.S. government departments and agencies have been tasked with developing a plan to address mental health issues exacerbated by COVID-19. The White House has proposed a an “all-of-government” approach to the pandemic’s impact on all vulnerable populations. [node:read-more:link]

An Opposition motion to set up a national suicide prevention helpline has been unanimously approved in the House of Commons. As proposed by B.C. Conservative MP Todd Doherty and if endorsed by the Senate, the 9-8-8- helpline would consolidate all jurisdictions’ suicide crisis numbers. [node:read-more:link]