We Day and the Teck Initiative

Hello everyone! Next week on October 18^th, 2012 is Free the Children’s annual We Day event in Vancouver.  Free the Children is a Canadian charity that ensures the wellbeing and rights of children worldwide, as well as getting youth involved in combating humanitarian violations and injustice. We Day is a continuation of this belief, as Free the Children host events across Canada for the purpose of educating young youth in humanitarian issues, and promoting the message of getting involved. One of the messages this year is Zinc deficiency in children, which affects many worldwide.  In conjunction with We  Day, Teck is promoting their twitter campaign “One Tweet One Life”.  On the dates of the We Day events, Teck will donate 50 cents per retweet of the  @ZincSavesLives We Day message towards Zinc treatment.  The treatment costs 50 cents to administer, so every retweet received will save a child from the effects of Zinc deficiency.  So next Thursday, be sure to retweet the message “One Tweet One Life", and help rid the problem of Zinc deficiency.

Happy Thanksgiving and National Family Week

Hello everyone! As I am writing, I hope that everyone is looking forward to this upcoming Thanksgiving weekend, spent with those dearest to us.

This week is National Family Week; it’s a week dedicated to celebrating the importance of our families, and how important our families are within our lives.  Under the administration of the Canadian Association of Family Resource Programs, National Family Week has for twenty years celebrated the importance of families within Canada.

The spirit of National Family Week is perfect for this upcoming Thanksgiving.  We have so much to be thankful for, especially for our loved ones and families.  On that note, I again wish that everyone has a fantastic Thanksgiving weekend!

National Organic Week

This Week is National Organic Week, as Canada comes together to celebrate the illustrious Canadian organic food and materials industry.  Organic products can be seen as the most environmentally friendly option that a consumer has in purchasing both food, and other products such as organic cotton clothing.  By utilizing environmentally friendly farming techniques, the growth of organic goods causes minimal harm to the environment.  In addition, these techniques also keep the growing environment fertile, and maintain the quality of Canadian farmland.  When one purchases organic products, they can be sure that they have undergone a thorough approval before they are sold on store shelves.

What can you do to celebrate organic week?  One way would be to make an active effort to buy locally produced organic foods.  The BC government is investing money to make locally produced foods more available to consumers.  With the many farms in Richmond, this provides a great opportunity to begin to purchase locally grown food.  Buying local both supports the local agriculture sector, and reduces the environmental costs of the transport of food.  Help us celebrate Organic Week.

Be More Than a Bystander

I am writing today to spread the word about “Be More Than a Bystander”, a new initiative between the Ending Violence Association of BC, and the BC Lions.  Over the course of two years, with the guidance of an advisory group composed of experts in the field, members of the BC Lions football team will raising awareness based on four main steps.  Step one will be forty BC Lions facilitated workshops aimed at youths from grade eight to twelve that hopefully encourage youths to step in and not just be a bystander.  The second step is training coaches of amateur sport on the issue, so that they can pass down the message to their players. Third, throughout Vancouver and Surrey there will be an advertising campaign designed to promote the importance of taking action against Women Violence.  Finally, an educational film will be developed promoting a positive message that it is not cool if you disrespect women, and that you should be more than just a bystander.  This project will hopefully reduce the number of women that are victims of various forms of violence, such as domestic and sexual assault.  Also, it will try to make it just as much as a men’s issue and have a positive effect on certain attitudes and behaviors that result in violence against women.

For more information, please visit www.endingviolence.org.  

Child Care Month in B.C.

It is my pleasure to rise in the House today to recognize and celebrate the upcoming month of May as Child Care Month in B.C.

Every year in May, the B.C. government, families, child-care providers, early childhood development professionals, community organizations, and municipalities join together to commemorate this important month.

It’s about shining the spotlight on child-care providers – and the important work they do each and every day – for young children and their families!  These children are our youngest learners – and they are growing, learning, and thriving, thanks in part to the dedication of child-care providers across the British Columbia.

The high quality of child care in this province is evident - and it definitely shines through when you walk through the doors of child-care facilities.  Child care providers in family child care environments and in group child care centres organize and offer an array of play-based learning activities for babies, toddlers, and children.

Child care also gives young children a chance to interact and socialize with other young children – an important part of the early years.  What this means for families – is peace of mind.  It means that parents can pursue career, education and training opportunities, knowing their children are safe, happy and well-cared for.

We are very fortunate here in B.C. to provide many options for parents – ranging from large, group child care facilities, to smaller, family- based care.

Many child care programs are tailored to meet diverse needs - Aboriginal child cares offer cultural programming for children to help them stay connected to their cultural roots, and programs are available for young parents who are still in school.

Child-care providers and early learning professionals – caring, committed and skilled individuals who take on the important role of helping to care for our children – carry out their extremely valuable work throughout the year. THe annual Child Care Awards of Excellence – honouring child-care professionals, organizations, and local governments who have demonstrated outstanding service to children and families – will be held on May 11 in Vancouver.
The B.C. government is also recognizing the valuable service child-care providers provide by proclaiming May 17 as Child Care Provider Appreciation Day.

Mr. Speaker, I ask that the members of the House join me in celebrating Child Care Month and the extraordinary work of thousands of child care professionals across the province.

Purple Day

Yesterday, March 26, 2012 was Purple Day for Epilepsy Awareness.  MLA Guy Gentner rose in the house and shared a personal story of a childhood friend who had epilepsy.  This friend and his parents wouldn’t talk about what was happening to him.  Epilepsy has long been a stigmatized disorder due to various misconceptions and myths about what epilepsy is and what causes it.  These misconceptions include fears of contagion, stemming from the idea that epilepsy is a disease rather than a disorder, and fears that epilepsy is a sign of psychological disorder, which it is not. 

Epilepsy refers to a diverse set of chronic neurological disorders which are characterized by the occurrence and reoccurrence of seizures.  A seizure is an event which is caused by excessive neuronal activity in the brain.  Seizures vary in their manifestations: they may cause convulsions, loss of motor control, and temporary changes in psychic state.  One seizure does not indicate a diagnosis of epilepsy; those with epilepsy have multiple seizures.  Approximately 300,000 Canadians are living with epilepsy.

Purple Day was started in 2008 by young Cassidy Megan from Nova Scotia when she was just nine years old.  Motivated by her own struggles with epilepsy, she sought to bring awareness to the disorder and, in so doing, destigmatize it.  The movement Cassidy started is now recognized worldwide.  For more information on Purple Day, and for information on ways in which you can support those with epilepsy, please visit www.purpleday.org  and www.epilepsyfoundation.org .

The Therapeutic Relationship with Pets

I would like to dedicate this post to Jane Dison, the executive director with the B.C. Coalition of People with Disabilities.

Comfort, solace, companionship, and bonding are all basic human needs. Dr. Corn of UBC talks about one of the newest trends in medical research, which focuses on the relationship between people and their pets and the effect this has on their physical and mental wellbeing.

The scientific data is unequivocal in showing that dogs can be a significant factor in reducing stress responses in all people, and can have a major beneficial effect on special groups, such as persons with physical and mental disabilities, seniors and others who may be socially isolated.

The medical recognition of the significance of the human-animal bond and its influence on human psychological health has become a subject of serious research. Human findings include: lower blood pressure, relaxed heart rate, regular breathing and less muscle tension — all signs of reduced stress. Individuals with disabilities are particularly susceptible to stress. Up to 25 percent of people who seek the services of general practitioner do so for depressive and anxiety disorders.

Depression is considered to be much more disabling, socially and physically, than many chronic conditions. Although depression can be caused by many factors, one of the most common is loneliness. People who lack human contact often benefit from pet ownership and the emotional bond that pets provide.

Recently researchers looked at a group of people 60 and older living alone or only with a pet. Non–pet owners were four times more likely to be diagnosed with clinical depression than were pet owners of the same age. The evidence also showed that pet owners required fewer medical services and were more satisfied overall with their lives.

In the year 2010, Dr. Arby Fine edited a stunning collection of chapters on animal-assisted therapy, theoretical foundations and guidelines for practice, in which the authors explore the animal-human bond — from the use of animals with individuals with autism spectrum disorder, to human-animal interactions in successful aging.

Animals have become an important part of the lives of many people of all ages, and there are now numerous studies to support the beneficial effects, both physiological and psychosocial.