policy and strategy

The Ontario Cannabis Store has released their first-ever three-year social responsibility strategy!

The strategy's key pillars are:

1.      Sustainability: Establishing a Foundation for Sustainability
2.      Inclusion: Creating a Diverse & Inclusive Industry 
3.      Knowledge: Advancing Cannabis Knowledge & Promoting Responsible Consumption

Attendees will learn about an innovative project led by The Centre for Research and Innovation for Black Survivors of Homicide Victims (The CRIB) and the Canadian Mental Health Association, Ontario Division, designed to explore the impact of homicide on the mental health and well-being of Indigenous, African, Caribbean, and Black, and Racialized survivors of homicide victims and their service providers.

2021 Ontario Psychiatric Association Expert Series: IMPROVING INEQUITIES IN CARE

Session I: Transcending Barriers: Improving Access to Care for Trans-Identified Individuals

Monday, May 31, 2021 – 7:45 pm - 9:30 pm EST

Dr. Albina Veltman (McMaster)

Session II: Opportunities for Antiracism Advocacy in Mental Health Policy & Practice

Monday, June 14, 2021 – 7:45 pm - 9:30 pm EST

Dr. Jessica Isom (Yale)

Sign up for 1 session or both!

From the Health Law, Policy and Ethics centre

The Canadian Public Health Association's Cannabis and Public Health Forum will be held virtually on June 16-17, 2021.

Oral and poster abstracts and symposium submissions are invited. The deadline is March 25.

The pandemic has had far-reaching impacts on Canadians, including on alcohol use and sales, and on changes to alcohol policy. Recent polling data suggests that around 20% of Canadians have been drinking more during the COVID-19 pandemic. At the same time, many provinces and territories have relaxed alcohol sales and consumption regulations during the pandemic.

In February, this series of webinars will explore evidence-informed alcohol policy and responses relating to alcohol during the COVID-19 pandemic.

This session will provide examples of from different countries on how to influence policies around elections at a local level.

Register for this webinar.

Please join us for a Facebook live stream conversation on cannabis and racial (in) justice in this country.

No discussion of cannabis can be adequately addressed without considering the criminalization of cannabis and its legacy. By reflecting on the historical impacts of cannabis policy, we hope to discuss how to better move forward regarding cannabis use, mental health, and anti-racism efforts in policy, programs and resources.

For knowledge translation purposes I would like to post my recently completed thesis which focuses on cannabis policy and older adult (55+) use of cannabis for therapeutic purposes from a critical realist perspective (qualitative research).

Link: https://ir.lib.uwo.ca/etd/7541/

This new policy brief explores the potential impact of COVID-19 on mental health and suicide rates, provides insight into which potential risk and protective factors to monitor, and highlights the existing opportunities to influence these trends.

The University of Ottawa Centre for Health Care Law, Policy and Ethics is working to open the dialogue on health care and practice change, which may well help us with system level change.  One effort is to have open presentations that bridge and explain the dynamics between our laws, policy and practice, shared and recorded via virtual presentations.

The National Collaborating Centre for Healthy Public Policy (NCCHPP) invites you to participate in a webinar to explore how Health in All Policies can help address inequalities and act on the social determinants affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.

This webinar is presented in partnership with the Global Network for Health in All Policies (GNHiAP), the National Health Commission Office of Thailand and the World Health Organization.

This webinar will be offered on two different dates and times to facilitate participation from all over the world:

The Mental Health Commission of Canada (MHCC) is pleased to share an early rapid environmental scan that identifies policy considerations and emerging issues related to the mental health impacts of COVID-19.

DOWNLOAD THE RAPID SCAN

"The Association for Canadian Studies and Experiences Canada are inviting children between the ages of 12 and 17 to participate in this short online survey (6-8 minutes). "

Virtually CAHSPR will focus on the impacts of COVID19 on Canada’s health system, as we explore A COVID Informed Vision for the Future of Healthcare and Health Services and Policy Research. We have a group of spectacular speakers and panelists lined up to discuss their views and observations on what the COVID pandemic has taught us about the delivery of healthcare in Canada, and the impacts of these lessons on health services and policy as the system evolves in response to the pandemic.

This webinar is hosted by the Canadian Observatory on Homelessness, Bernie Pauly.

Harm Reduction during COVID-19 is a challenge being felt widely across the sector. How can frontline staff keep their clients safe? What policies and interventions exist? How can managed alcohol and safe supply programs be implemented in response to social isolation and social distancing requirements?

Recent regulatory changes in Ontario affect how alcohol can be served and sold at events hosted on municipal property. Some of these changes may increase the risk of health harms to patrons, event staff, and the public due to alcohol use, which remains a leading, preventable cause of disease, injury, and death in Ontario. Municipalities have the authority to reduce these potential risks by requiring events to adopt additional mitigation measures; this also has the benefit of reducing liability to the municipality.

This Globe & Mail opinion piece reminds us that very few Canadians can access good mental health care, and those that can are the ones that have the financial means to afford it.

Those most in need are the most consistently failed by the system.