MARONI, Cyprus — The salty water of the Mediterranean in plain view from Charis Christoforou’s olive farm is no help to the cracked, white earth suffering from a third year of drought. A shortage of rain combined with clouds of dust carried over from the water-starved Middle East has slashed Christoforou’s olive production to a…
Category: Features
‘Learning how to be good allies’: Restoring relationships with Indigenous peoples for reconciliation
VANCOUVER — As Canada grapples with how to achieve reconciliation with Indigenous people, a group in British Columbia has come together to figure out how to restore relations person-to-person. About a dozen people meet once every three weeks at Kristi Lind’s house in the small community of Naramata south of Kelowna to discuss how to…
Renters struggle to find homes as prices climb, availability declines
VANCOUVER — Joanna Fletcher lives in a one-bedroom apartment on Vancouver’s east side with her 10-year-old son. The building has mice and mould, and her new landlord is threatening eviction. While she has plenty of reasons to leave, Fletcher says she’s fighting to stay for as long as possible because she can’t afford anything else…
Lack of friends, language barriers can lead to social isolation, but this group is changing that
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 people like her in our city and, sure enough, when I started looking…
Fighting loneliness with a community of seniors
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…
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
For three years, Heidi Hudson spent her days caring for her ailing father and her nights working on the few contracts she could pick up to support herself. Doctors would say her father, who suffered serious complications following a routine kidney operation, was dying. But as he enjoyed periods of recovery, her role as a…
Uganda’s youth are choosing peace hashtags over violence as elections loom
KAMPALA — 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. “Leadership involves blood,” says Richard Ssenyoga, 23….
How Uganda’s economy has received a boost from hosting refugees
On a small farm in northwestern Uganda, Nyantet Malual proudly shows off the cow she bought with earnings from her last harvest. The ability to own property and provide for her family was only a dream for the South Sudanese refugee when she arrived in the country two years ago. “Now I’m sitting here, I…
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.
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.
Innovation is key to future of B.C. health-care system
More seniors, chronic illnesses, and tighter budgets will add up to mounting pressure on health services in the coming years — but this might not be cause for alarm.
Mixing business and charity
iNotForProfit provides organizations with a customizable smartphone app they can use to promote their causes by integrating their online activities — everything from tweets to donation forms — into one mobile hub.
Lydia Herrle recovering and optimistic one year after collision
Waterloo Region Record Published: May 17, 2013 [web] [PDF] BADEN — Lydia Herrle ran and laughed with friends on the field at Baden Public School, giving no hint that a year ago she was airlifted to hospital with terrible, life-threatening injuries. Herrle, 14, was hit by a truck while climbing off a school bus outside her…
New Hamburg couple struggles with end-of-life planning
Already experiencing a loss of mobility, fine motor skills including writing, and his sense of smell, the 70-year-old has begun to think about and plan his death to ensure the quality of life he wants to maintain is honoured.
Learning to ‘speak up’ about final wishes
No one enjoys talking about the prospects of their own death. But avoiding a conversation could mean not having your wishes carried out in your final days and burdening your family with difficult decisions.
A place to call home
Meeting Dora Fernandes, a funny and joyful woman, it’s hard to imagine she was ever known for never having a smile on her face.
Lunar ambitions take flight
NEW HAMBURG, Canada — Tucked in a corner of an industrial building in New Hamburg that is filled with rubber tires, gears and transmissions is a small area where the future of space exploration is taking shape. Ontario Drive & Gear, makers of the Argo all-terrain vehicle, is fine-tuning a vehicle that it hopes will…
Family upset about hefty fee increases at retirement home for basic services
Staring at bills and letters scattered across a small coffee table, two women anxiously wonder how they can help their mother afford to live in the modest room they’re sitting in.