Sudbury police chief on opioid impact on community
Northern Ontario Watch
Sudbury Police Chief Sara Cunningham gives statistics on the devastating impact of the opioid crisis in the community and on the front line.
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CTV News
26 minutes ago
- CTV News
A moving company says cluttered, unsafe homes are leading to an increase in challenges
Movers say they're seeing more difficult cases, including homes in extreme disarray, hoarding situations, and units that pose health hazards to workers. A moving company says cluttered, unsafe homes are leading to an increase in challenges A moving company and a pest control company say they've seen a sharp rise in especially difficult moves since the pandemic. These include homes in extreme disarray, hoarding situations, and units that pose health hazards to the workers walking in. Pierre-Olivier Cyr, co-owner of Déménagement Le Clan Panneton, said that before the pandemic, his team would encounter mental health-related moving challenges roughly once a month. But now, he says, 'we're seeing that kind of situation two to three times a week.' He believes the issue has exploded in the past year. In many cases, Cyr said movers show up to an apartment to find no boxes packed, belongings everywhere — or worse. moving Sometimes movers will find things like needles, blood and condoms on the ground. (Submitted by Pierre-Olivier Cyr) 'It's not rare that the movers arrive, for example, at an apartment and they see some syringes, some condoms, some blood on the floor,' he said. 'Sometimes the person [client] is just there sitting, in shock.' Cyr believes these situations are linked to what he sees as a rise in mental health struggles that have persisted since the height of the COVID-19 crisis. 'In the past, people were ready for moving day,' he explained. 'Now we're called to reschedule because they aren't prepared. Other times, we arrive and realize they're hoarders and nothing has been touched.' 'Our movers aren't psychiatrists' The result, he said, is a growing burden on his employees. Not only are they asked to pack up entire apartments, but they must also navigate potentially unsafe conditions. 'Our movers aren't psychiatrists or mental health professionals,' Cyr said. 'So, we've had to put in place procedures to help.' He explained that, if movers walk into a situation with a customer in a mental health crisis, they call a dispatcher at their office right away. 'We manage it as a team, and we train our staff to be ready, but it's different every time,' he added. It's a pattern pest control expert Alexis Laberge, owner of Alextermination, is also seeing. He said he encounters heavily cluttered or unsanitary apartments every week, often in the context of a move. 'These apartments are very dirty and very clustered, which makes it harder for us to treat for pests like cockroaches or bedbugs,' he said. Pierre-Olivier Cyr, Pierre-Olivier Cyr, co-owner of Déménagement Le Clan Panneton, said that before the pandemic, says his team is encountering more mental health-related moving challenges. (Laurence Brisson Dubreuil/CTV) Laberge said the problem is logistical and financial. Treatment requires that apartments be emptied in advance, but when they're not, his team is stuck doing all the prep work. 'For every apartment that's not ready, we lose two to five extra hours,' he said. 'That's not what we quoted, so it becomes extra costs for the owner, the tenant, or the moving company and no one wants to take responsibility.' In one case about a month ago, Laberge said he and his team spent two extra days emptying a severely neglected unit filled with animal and human feces, cockroaches, and mice droppings. 'It was a nightmare,' he said. 'And in the middle of our busiest season.' He says these cases are not just draining — they're emotionally exhausting. 'It creates a lot of stress and anxiety for us, too. But we can't leave people like that. Sometimes, we just do it for free.' Pandemic made problems worse According to clinical psychologist Dr. Natalia Koszegi, these situations can stem from a combination of mental health issues, including compulsive hoarding disorder. Koszegi is the clinical coordinator at the Centre d'étude clinique sur les troubles obsessionnels-compulsifs (CETOC), where she specializes in obsessive-compulsive and hoarding disorders. 'Hoarding is a mental health disorder where people accumulate objects and have extreme difficulty letting them go,' she explained. 'They often feel emotionally attached or justify the need to keep them. Over time, it creates serious clutter.' She added that the pandemic exacerbated existing mental health problems for many people. 'The stress, unpredictability, and insecurity created by the pandemic affected everyone,' she said. 'But for people who already had a mental illness — including those with obsessive-compulsive or hoarding disorders — it got worse.' Koszegi also pointed out that not all disorganized homes are a result of hoarding. She said other conditions like depression, psychosis, or substance use can lead to over-accumulation. hoarding Movers say they're seeing more difficult cases, including homes in extreme disarray, hoarding situations, and units that pose health hazards to the workers walking in. (Laurence Brisson Dubreuil/CTV) But, when it comes to people with hoarding disorders, she said the experience of moving can be 'extremely complex' and lead to people being in crisis. 'Just gathering their belongings and putting them into boxes can take forever,' she said. 'It creates massive anxiety. People worry about losing or damaging their possessions, or being forced to throw them away.' In severe cases, she said, even the thought of packing can trigger distress. 'They might be afraid they won't have space for everything in their new home. It's not just a problem of organization, it's an emotional struggle.' Resources exist to help people navigate these challenges, but Koszegi said access remains limited. 'There are not enough services,' she said. 'But there are some community organizations and even city-level supports that can help people plan or prepare for a move.' She pointed to tools available through the Comité d'action pour le trouble d'accumulation compulsive (CATAC), a Quebec-based network offering peer support and professional resources for people living with hoarding disorder. For Cyr, the message is simple: these can be more than simply messy moves — sometimes, they're cries for help. 'We need to be ready to manage them with care,' he said.
National Post
32 minutes ago
- National Post
Cull of B.C. ostriches over avian flu concerns halted pending an appeal
A flock of nearly 400 British Columbia ostriches that gained international fame after they were ordered killed due to an avian flu outbreak have been given a stay of execution — at least for now. Article content The Federal Court of Appeal has granted the stay that pauses the potential cull at Universal Ostrich Farm in Edgewood, B.C., which was ordered by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency in December and has become embroiled in court processes. Article content Article content Article content Article content 'You guys are safe until the appeal, we're going for the appeal,' she said, referring to the pasture of large birds. Article content She said the stay would be for about another month during the appeal process. Article content The farm's owners have argued the animals have developed herd immunity against avian flu and are valuable to science. Article content The inspection agency has said the type of avian flu infection at the farm is a mutation not seen elsewhere in Canada. It remains firm about the need to cull the herd. Article content 'There is no safe and feasible alternative to disposal of the ostriches at (Universal Ostrich Farm) that could effectively address the current risks to animal and human health posed by the outbreak,' Dr. Cathy Furness, deputy chief veterinary officer for Canada, said in an affidavit. Article content Article content Her affidavit says the agency typically culls birds after a positive test for avian flu within three days, but due to the 'protracted disease response (and) time associated with these legal proceedings,' environmental contamination has occurred for substantially longer at the farm than on any other premises subject to the agency's rapid disease response. Article content Article content 'The quick destruction of infected and exposed birds prevents a large amount of virus from accumulating on the infected premises,' the affidavit says. Article content 'Members of the public have also posted images on social media platforms which demonstrate that they are in very close proximity to ostriches and within the quarantined area.'
CTV News
an hour ago
- CTV News
‘It's not easy living with scleroderma': Raising awareness about a rare autoimmune disease
A Nova Scotia woman knows first-hand how tough it is to live with scleroderma. It's a condition referred to as the 'hard word disease.' While many people may have never heard of scleroderma, it impacts thousands of people. About one in 2,500 Canadians live with some form of the disease, including Michelle Richard from Nova Scotia. 'What it was like at the beginning was a whole lot different than what it's like today. So, in the beginning, I was quite ill with the disease, and so I think there was this almost a survival mode coming into that,' said Richard. 'I ended up on dialysis. There were a lot of issues, but slowly I started to recover from that and then adjusted to a new normal as a lot of us in our community say.' She was diagnosed 25 years ago, and at the time, she didn't think she would still be here today. 'You can have five to 10 years depending on the severity, and because I was quite severe, it was like, 'OK, well, get things in order,' but surprise! Here I am. I turned 60 and I'm grateful to have been able to reach that milestone,' she said. Scleroderma, which literally means hard skin, is a rare autoimmune disease that causes the body to produce too much collagen. 'It's very hard to describe,' said Scleroderma Atlantic president Jason Doucette. It can affect people of all ages, races, and gender, but it is more common in women between the ages of 30 and 50. 'It can be an invisible and it can be a visible disease,' said Doucette. 'Visibly you can have your digits or your fingers really crumpled up for example. You can have a tightened mouth, tightened skin, or it can be invisible. So, it can affect your internal organs, your kidneys, your heart, your lungs, all of that.' Doucette first got involved with Scleroderma Atlantic in 2013. His mother was initially diagnosed with Raynaud's phenomenon which further progressed to scleroderma. She passed away in 2012. 'After she passed away, I decided to look up the scleroderma organization and came to their first walk here in 2013, and I just loved the organization. It was a small community, and I just wanted to get involved and give back,' he said. June is Scleroderma Awareness Month, and Scleroderma Atlantic has been hosting its Make a Move fundraisers in cities across the region. 'It's not easy living with scleroderma, but June is a time for us to be able to come together, to connect and learn from each other,' said Doucette. Richard is grateful to have such a supportive community – one that is always ready to welcome more people. 'The Nova Scotia community has really developed, and we've been able to spread out to P.E.I. and New Brunswick and Newfoundland,' she said. 'We want people to know that we're here, and that you don't have to be alone. We're here. We'll help you, and we'll help you when you're ready.' Make a Move for Scleroderma takes place at DeWolf Park in Bedford, N.S., on Saturday. Organizers hope to raise $30,000. The money will go toward supporting the physical, mental and financial health of those living with the disease. For more Nova Scotia news, visit our dedicated provincial page
