Ariel Lavallee says she hasn’t come to Pride for years because she never felt the need to, but in absence of the official Pride parade, it’s important to show support for the younger generation - “having that not exist for the younger generations that might need that, that sucks”
“as someone who grew up with a lot of support, I never needed to see that ... but I know there’s so many people who need to see that, who don’t have that positive environment”
“To be able to see that it’s celebrated, that can be a huge awakening for some people” #yegpride#PrideMonth
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Alberta currently has the highest rate of COVID-19 infections in Canada, at 223 per 100,000 people. With reports of “double bunking” in ICUs and directives to health care workers to be mindful of oxygen use, doctors say Alberta is at a “critical juncture” thestar.com/news/canada/20…
On Tuesday, Alberta reported 1,307 new COVID-19 cases and 10 additional deaths.
“It doesn’t take long to calculate that we’re in big trouble" if this trend continues, says Joe Vipond, an emergency room physician in Calgary. thestar.com/news/canada/20…
Alberta’s government has resisted calls for a two-week lockdown after more than 400 physicians signed a letter urging Premier Jason Kenney to consider a temporary “circuit breaker” in November. thestar.com/news/canada/20…
Racism is a thing that’s hard to quantify, and police-reported hate crimes are a poor indicator of any kind of uptick. But many experts have told me the election of Donald Trump was a definite turning point. Racists are more emboldened, online and elsewhere. 2/14
Depending on where you live, overt racism or hate-motivated violence in Canada is generally pretty rare. When it does happen, we see people and policy makers quickly condemn the incident, without acknowledging the forces that are driving it. 3/14
Sharing event - It's been 10 years since Amber Tuccaro disappeared from the Edmonton area. Her family is holding an event in her honour tonight in Edmonton. I'm taking time off work and won't be covering it but thought some people on my Twitter might want to know about it.
If you're not familiar, Amber's case has received considerable attention over the years because some of her last words were captured in a recording. The family is still pleading for anyone who recognizes the voice to reach out to police. Listen here:
It's been an unthinkable 10 years for the Tuccaros. In addition to losing their family member, they reported having a very bad experience with the police. They were initially told Amber was "probably out partying" when they reported her missing thestar.com/edmonton/2019/…
THREAD - I wanted to see if the opioid epidemic has escalated during the COVID-19 pandemic. The short answer is yes. Some of my findings were alarming - Ontario's chief coroner told me about 50 to 80 Ontarians are dying every week of overdoses, compared to about 44 a week in 2019
In B.C., about 28 people are dying every week of drug overdoses in 2020. Most of these are opioid overdoses. Both provinces set grim records for the most overdose deaths ever seen in a single month recently - in June, B.C. saw 175 deaths, a 130% increase from June 2019
Alberta has also been hit hard by the opioid epidemic, but unfortunately Alberta Health, Alberta Health Services and the Office of the Justice and Solicitor General (who oversees the coroner's office) said they could not provide me any figures in advance of the opioids Q2 report
ICYMI - An employee of the Royal Alberta Museum is accusing the RAM of deeply entrenched systemic racism and has filed a human rights complaint. She says it was so bad it made her resent being Indigenous for the first time in her life. thestar.com/news/canada/20…
Paulina Johnson, who is from Samson Cree Nation, says the RAM was a toxic work environment (especially for Indigenous employees) that left her feeling abused, traumatized and suffering from depression and anxiety. She is currently on unpaid leave. thestar.com/news/canada/20…
She says employees at the museum dismissed her education and expertise because she is an Indigenous woman and refused to respect cultural traditions and protocols, even though she was specifically hired to ensure they were. thestar.com/news/canada/20…
THREAD - A few months ago I called a scientist in Toronto for a COVID interview, but when he noticed I was calling from a 780 #, he said he had a more pressing story to tell me. He said syphilis levels were "off the charts" in Edmonton, and as a result, "babies are dying". 1/9
Syphilis is typically most common among men who have sex with men. But there was a trend clearly specific to Edmonton that troubled Mr Rourke - the outbreaks are occurring in the inner city and disproportionately affecting Indigenous women who are homeless or in the sex trade 2/9
The Women in the Shadows report, detailed further in my story, observed how syphilis infection rates were 20 times higher among Indigenous women compared to their non-Indigenous counterparts. That was in 2005/06, and doctors say the numbers have not improved. 3/9