Author: Linda Givetash
Linda Givetash is a Canadian-South African freelance journalist based in Vancouver, B.C. Her work has appeared in print, digital and broadcast media outlets around the globe.
Lack of friends, language barriers can lead to social isolation, but this group is changing that
This story was for The Canadian Press and featured in The Toronto Star. VANCOUVER — Amie Peacock describes her mother as “a social butterfly,” but when she came to visit her in Vancouver from the Philippines a lack of friends and a language barrier left her miserable and lonely. “I couldn’t imagine there are more…
Fighting loneliness with a community of seniors
B.C. outreach group hopes smartphone app will improve safety of sex workers
VANCOUVER—An outreach group supporting vulnerable women in British Columbia is hoping a cellphone app designed to monitor remote workers in resource industries will help keep sex workers safe. Hope Outreach, a non-profit group that provides support to homeless and exploited women in Kelowna, is partnering with the makers of YodelMe to launch a pilot project…
B.C. First Nations evade evacuation orders to fight fires
B.C. First Nations say fentanyl crisis disproportionately affecting their communities
VANCOUVER — First Nations leaders in British Columbia say they suspect fentanyl is having a disproportionate impact on their communities, but they can’t get the numbers to prove it. Grand Chief Edward John of the First Nations Summit said he’s been asking the First Nations Health Authority (FNHA) and other provincial authorities for the data…
B.C. Greens, riding high in polls, make election hard to call
VANCOUVER — British Columbia’s Green Party has turned the province’s election campaign into an unpredictable three-way race as polls show a phenomenal rise in support. The centre-right Liberal Party, led by Premier Christy Clark, is seeking to hang on to power after 16 years. Clark has repeatedly attacked the temperament of her main opponent, NDP Leader John Horgan,…
How drug potency and online ordering are fuelling Canada’s opioid crisis
VANCOUVER — Illicit drugs have always been a problem in port cities, but experts say the emergence of highly potent synthetic opioids that are fuelling British Columbia’s overdose crisis are slipping through borders in new ways, presenting challenges for law enforcement. International regulations, online ordering and the potency of the drug are among the factors…
Caregiving takes toll on finances, career, health
B.C. climate plan needs carbon tax hikes, major policy changes: experts
VANCOUVER — Experts say they’re not sure British Columbia’s overdue climate change plan will go far enough in increasing carbon taxes and tightening environmental policies to reach the province’s long term goals to reduce emissions. B.C.’s Liberal government is scheduled to announce its Climate Leadership Plan on Friday, but Green party Leader Andrew Weaver said…
Uganda’s youth are choosing peace hashtags over violence as elections loom
At a bustling Kampala market, Desire Karakire listens to a group of young men express their frustrations over the state of their country. Like most of their peers, they’re underemployed and extremely poor—and they feel the only way the situation will change is through violent revolution.
How Uganda’s economy has received a boost from hosting refugees
The number of refugees in Uganda is hitting half a million people, up by 75,000 from 2014. Many refugees like Malual are gaining financial independence because of the country’s progressive 2006 Refugee Act that allows them to work, travel and access public services including education.
Out of the shadows
In rural West Africa, this treatment takes its most violent form with those suffering from mental disorders often left outdoors in the elements, chained to trees for years on end and regularly whipped to force “evil spirits” to leave their bodies. — ALJAZEERA
Praying for a cure
In West Africa, hundreds of people with mental illness live in awful conditions. One organization is fighting for a new approach to treatment.
Rising to meet the demand for palliative care
ARUA, UGANDA — There were no health workers dedicated to palliative care in the West Nile region when Lucy Agaboru first learned of the treatment over 15 years ago — but that has since changed dramatically. Ms. Agaboru is now the head of a palliative care unit at Arua Regional Referral Hospital. It’s a role she…
Canada needs to invest in new hospitals, says health care association
Dr. Richard Johnston knew the health care system was in trouble when he walked down a hallway at University of Alberta Hospital and saw an older woman housed in a linen closet instead of a proper room.
Happy at home
Seventy-year-old Paul Morrison is among 700,000 Canadians living with Alzheimer’s disease or dementia. Despite the diagnosis, Morrison continues to live alone in his Vancouver home. This story is about the people and resources helping Morrison maintain his independence.
A source of hope in early-onset dementia
Retired nurse Nita Levy and her husband, Michael, a retired accountant, established Paul’s Club in 2012. They were inspired to create a program appropriate for people’s ages and abilities after their brother-in-law, Paul, died as a result of early-onset dementia.
Enrolment at private schools growing after B.C. teachers’ strike
Enrolment at independent schools across British Columbia has spiked this year, and the 2014 five-week public-school teachers’ strike is part of the reason, says a spokesman for a group representing private institutions.
Open enrolment policies raise test scores, report says
Apolicy change that gave parents greater choice in where to enroll their children encouraged B.C. schools to “up their game” and improved students’ test results, a new report says.