Tag Archives: mental health

Dealer Fees And Extras: Which Ones to Avoid

Featured

Posted on by
Reply

by Shari Prymak

As you approach the final stage of purchasing your new car from the dealership, you will likely be presented with a wide range of extra-cost items which you may not be prepared for. The business office is the place where the dealership takes a final opportunity to sell you on various add-ons before closing the deal. While some of these options might be worth considering, others are simply not worth the money. It is important to understand what you are being offered in order to make a fully informed purchase decision.

Administration/Documentation Fees – Avoid

Many dealerships will try to charge admin/doc fees anywhere from $299 to $799 as part of the itemized breakdown on the new car purchase agreement. It is important to understand that, unlike delivery and destination or provincial levies, this is not a mandatory fee which all dealerships charge.  If possible, ask the dealership to waive this fee from the purchase agreement. Some will be willing to do so in order to close the deal. If the dealer cannot waive the charge, ask for a discount equal to or exceeding the amount of the charge.

Nitrogen Tire Package – Avoid

The idea here is that pure nitrogen helps to maintain consistent air pressure in the tires even through large temperature swings. Given that regular air already contains nearly 80 percent nitrogen, the argument for pure nitrogen is questionable to say the least. In any case, the money spent on this package will have been wasted the next time you fill your tires with regular air. Some dealers charge as much as $400 for this extra, and we recommend passing on it.

Wheel Locks – Avoid

Wheels locking nuts help protect your wheels from potential thieves. For $100 or so, it may be worth the charge on certain cars with fancy wheels, but it offers no value to the average mainstream car, particularly those with steel wheels and hubcaps. Locking nuts can also make tire rotations a major hassle since you have to keep the key in a safe, secure spot.

Window Etching – Avoid

Some dealers will charge up to $500 to etch the car’s VIN into the glass to deter thieves. Again, this is an extra that is not worth its price tag. Most thieves know to look for etching when stealing a car. If you still see value in it, you can purchase a do-it-yourself kit for a modest amount. If the dealer pre-installs etching on their cars and insists on the charge, simply ask for a discount to offset the cost.

Maintenance Plans – Avoid

Maintenance plans allow you to prepay for your car’s maintenance for the first few years of ownership. Although the idea may sound appealing, these plans rarely offer the value they promise. Maintenance plans can cost as much as $2,000 and basically only cover inexpensive items such as oil changes and inspections. With the extended service intervals of today’s cars, the money is better saved for out-of-pocket service visits.

Wheel and Tire Protection – Avoid

Some dealers may offer tire protection for up to $1,000. Tire protection plans are often filled with exclusions, including potholes, curbing, and nail punctures. Without these items being covered, the value of a tire protection package is questionable at best. We recommend passing on this extra.

Rust Protection – Consider

Dealerships typically offer a few options for rust protection, including a spray-on product, wax coating, or even electronic modules which supposedly prevent rust. These products can be priced as high as $1,500 and usually come with some kind of warranty. We recommend skipping the expensive and questionable dealer products and simply go with a time-tested, inexpensive alternative. One solid option is Krown Rust Control, which offers a proven oil spray application that can be very effective when applied on a regular basis. For more details on rust protection, please read this article.

Extended Warranty Plans – Consider

Extended warranty can provide peace of mind and value to those who drive over 20,000 km per year. High mileage drivers are more likely to take advantage of the extra coverage compared to those who only drive 10,000 km per year. An additional 2-3 years of full comprehensive coverage usually costs in the range of $2,500. Less expensive options that only cover the engine and transmission are available as well. It is important to verify that the warranty is a manufacturer plan as opposed to a third party provider. If you are unsure whether you want an extended warranty plan, then wait. You have until the end of the original comprehensive warranty period to decide on this extra.

Lease Protection – Consider

Lease protection is an excellent option to consider for those concerned about returning a car to the dealer at the end of the lease. At a cost of around $1,000, it protects you from potential wear and tear costs, including minor dents or scratches that the dealer could otherwise charge you for. Simply hand over the car and let the dealer deal with those issues.

Paint and Interior Protection – Consider

Dealers often have expensive cosmetic protection products for both exterior paint and interior surfaces. We recommend getting a quote from a reputable independent detailer which may offer far superior products. Vinyl paint protection film, ceramic paint coating, and fabric/leather protectors are all viable options for maintaining the long-term aesthetics of your car. You can even purchase and apply many of these products yourself to save money.

Accessories – Consider

Car accessories such as floor liners, tow packages, dash cams, and remote starters are often best purchased at the dealership. It is important that these items have been approved and tested for your car, and the dealership products will meet this requirement.

Ark Aid Street Mission closing beds, slashing hours after $1M homeless funding ends

Posted on by
Reply

Daryl Newcombe

Published: April 01, 2026 at 8:58PM EDT

https://www.ctvnews.ca/london/video/2026/04/01/ark-aid-to-slash-beds-hours-amid-1m-funding-shortfall

Ark Aid Street Mission is sounding the alarm a day after a federal homelessness program and city hall’s cold weather response ended.

Executive Director Sarah Campbell says the financial shortfall will exceed $1 million for the frontline agency, forcing several difficult but necessary service cuts for homeless Londoners.

It represents approximately one-third of their operational funding, and means essential services like meals, showers, clothing, washroom access, assessments, referrals, and system navigation will now rely entirely on donor support.

A total of 50 overnight spaces this winter (across three locations) will immediately cease.

The Ark had operated London’s only seven day-a-week open door emergency service outside regular business hours.

Services at 696 Dundas St. will be reduced from between 20 and 24 hours a day — to just four hours.

“We’re currently stepping everything down, starting with the night beds for winter. We will then reduce our daytime hours and by the end of the month, we’ll have just four hours each day,” Campbell explained.

Those remaining hours will be around dinner time.

“We have anywhere between 50 to 70 people through the doors at any one time, and on an average weekend we’re seeing 400 unique individuals come through our space because on Saturdays, Sundays and holidays there are no other open doors,” Campbell added.

Shelter beds inside Ark Aid Street Mission at 696 Dundas St. in London, Ont. (File)

Twelve referral organizations had been utilizing The Ark as a drop-off location for homeless individuals, including London police and local hospitals.

Campbell is disappointed that no other government funding was made available before the previous federal program expired March 31.

“If we have zero government dollars, how do we make sure that we show up for the people who need us, when they need us most?” she asked rhetorically.

Among the other services lost or significantly reduced:

  • 24/7 assessment and stabilization
  • Encampment meal service
  • Basic needs access reduced to five days/week
  • Diversion and pathway-to-home supports

“These are essential basic needs, but they’re also life saving activities,” Campbell explained. “We don’t allow any drug use on site, but we do have overdoses around our building regularly. In fact, we’ve responded to 29 overdoses just since January, so being present here is critical.”

Ark Aid Street Mission is issuing an urgent plea to donors and all levels of government.

“We would like the funding gap filled by the municipal government because that’s the [level of government] we can go to directly, but it’s not their responsibility alone,” Campbell told CTV News. “It was federal funding that had come to the municipality [that ended], so we’re advocating to all levels of government.”

Campbell worries that fewer services, resources and indoor spaces will lead to more suffering on the streets of London.

“I don’t think there’s a person in London who doesn’t know that this is a catastrophe,” she said.

The beds inside The Ark’s Cronyn Warner Shelter are not affected by the funding shortfall, but its funding is scheduled to expire in one year.

Related Stories

Report an Error

Editorial standards & policies

Daryl Newcombe

Daryl Newcombe

Originally Published by CTV.ca Here

Eviction saga highlights effect of treating housing as commodity: UVic prof

Posted on by
Reply

Estair Van Wagner said the letter of the law was followed in Mark Plank’s high-profile eviction case, but not the “human rights element.”

Michael John Lo
Apr 2, 2026 4:30 AM

web1_vka-eviction-20527
Estair Van Wagner, associate law professor at the University of Victoria, outside the UVic Faculty of Law. DARREN STONE, TIMES COLONIST

Listen to this article | 00:04:54 Duration

The near-eviction of a 63-year-old Victoria renter due to missed rent-increase payments brings home the impact of treating housing “as a commodity instead of a home,” says a University of Victoria associate law professor.

Estair Van Wagner said the letter of the law was followed in Mark Plank’s high-profile eviction case, but not the “human rights element.”

“The process of eviction, whether or not it actually results ultimately in the loss of someone’s home, is really traumatizing,” she said in an interview. “We should be building a system where we avoid that at all costs.”

Plank was set to be evicted on Tuesday from his Cook Street Village apartment after he lost a Residential Tenancy Branch hearing that he did not attend.

The self-described computer illiterate had been sent a rental-increase notice, then an initial 10-day eviction notice, via email to an account he does not access without the help of others. His property manager started the eviction process the first month he failed to pay the $24 increase, though his rent payment at the original $828 rate was accepted.

Following advocacy from groups like Together Against Poverty Society and the Victoria Tenants Union, he was able to reach a last-minute agreement to stay in his home.

Van Wagner said many people in situations like Plank’s don’t have the knowledge or confidence to use existing legal protections to help their case. “People will leave at the first instance of being told that they’re evicted without exercising their rights,” she said.

Plank didn’t report the fact that his studio unit had leaky taps and a broken fridge out of fear of jeopardizing his housing, even though a landlord is required by law to fix those issues once they are made aware of them.

“We aren’t providing enough legal education and resources and advocacy to make sure that folks not only know their rights, but feel that they can exercise them,” Van Wagner said.

While the media can highlight cases of so-called “nightmare tenants,” there are more rental units that aren’t being kept to provincial standards than problem tenants, she said.

Ultimately, preventing evictions, particularly for seniors, those with disabilities and others who are vulnerable in society, is the best way to prevent the homelessness crisis in Victoria and elsewhere from getting worse, Van Wagner said.

“The infrastructure around dealing with homelessness is extraordinarily expensive, and it’s expensive both on a very practical level of emergency shelters and services … but also on the long-term health and mental-health impacts it has on folks,” she said.

Van Wagner said better funding of legal services like those offered by TAPS is a good first step.

TAPS lawyer Leila Geggie Hurst said demand for legal help with evictions is extraordinarily high in Victoria, noting her organization’s walk-in capacity for tenancy issues filled up within four minutes on Tuesday morning.

“There used to be a time in the distant past when if a tenant got an eviction notice, they were able to pretty quickly find housing and move elsewhere,” she said.

But now, tenants are more desperate and more willing to fight to stay in their housing because there are fewer affordable options, Geggie Hurst said, adding that the loss of housing often causes a “catastrophic spiral” in someone’s life.

Kaeley Wiseman, a professor at Vancouver Island University’s master of community planning program, said people often assume there’s a safety net for people who are living in aging, cheaper buildings and are displaced for various reasons.

“They assume that people like Mark [Plank] will then get picked up by the non-profit sector,” said Wiseman, who is also principal of Wiser Projects, a non-profit housing development consultancy.

But finding subsidized, non-market housing is getting more difficult “because this provincial budget has axed that safety net,” Wiseman.

Premier David Eby’s government retroactively clawed back hundreds of millions of dollars in the province’s Community Housing Fund in its latest budget, effectively stalling many affordable-housing projects across B.C., including on Vancouver Island, Wiseman said.

The funding crisis in the non-profit construction sector is likely to last for the next decade, and that’s not good when it takes eight to 10 years to build a publicly funded housing project in Canada, she said.

“You can imagine the competition for the units that we have built in the last 15 years … is going to be fierce.”

Wiseman said 15 per cent of housing available in Canada should be non-market, but the actual amount is only around three to four per cent.

“So by cutting all this stuff, Eby has undermined our entire province,” she said.

mjlo@timescolonist.com

Originally Published On Times Colonist Web Site

The Toughest Kind of Love: Don’t Stop Writing Your Story

Featured

Posted on by
Reply

Life is a collection of chapters, and some of them are undeniably painful to read. There is a popular sentiment that offers profound hope: “Don’t give up because of one bad chapter in your life. Keep going. Your story doesn’t end here.” This wisdom acknowledges that struggle is a part of the narrative, but it insists that it is not the final page. It is a call for resilience, a reminder that identity isn’t fixed by moments of failure or despair.

However, if we apply this metaphor to the crisis of homelessness and addiction on our streets, we must ask ourselves: Are we helping people turn the page, or are we simply buying them a new bookmark while they remain stuck in the same chapter?

The current approach to homelessness is often too passive, too willing to enable stagnation. It can be patronizing to assume that someone in the throes of addiction or living on the streets doesn’t need a hard response. By removing all expectations—by offering housing without requiring sobriety or a commitment to rehabilitation—we risk telling people that they aren’t capable of more . We accept their bad chapter as the whole book.

We need a shift from a handout to a hand up. This means coupling compassion with accountability. It means recognizing that allowing someone to continue using drugs without intervention is not kindness; it is a slow form of surrender . A truly compassionate response says, “Your story doesn’t end in addiction, and it doesn’t end on this street corner.”

Programs that are beginning to see success are those that provide shelter and support, but also demand recovery and work . They enforce rules, ban public camping, and use the leverage of the law to nudge individuals toward treatment. This isn’t about punishment; it’s about instilling the self-worth that comes from meeting expectations .

If we want to help people write a better chapter, we must stop editing around the margins of their misery. We must provide the structure and the hard line in the sand that says giving up is not an option. Because their story—and ours as a community—doesn’t have to end there.

follow us on Facebook: The Effort of Investment Will Save Faith’s Message Sent

Statistical Reduction of Homlessness – Housing First | Europe + Scandinavia

Featured

Posted on by
Reply

Housing First is an established concept in Finland since more than 15 years thanks to the Y-Foundation as a pioneer. The Y-Foundation was also one of the founding members of the Housing First Europe Hub.

In 2016 the Finish Y-Foundation together with FEANTSA established the Housing First Europe Hub. The Y-Foundation has been a key player in establishing Housing First as the main response to homelessness in Finland. Since 2007 national policies shifted towards reducing long-term homelessness through Housing First programmes.

As a result, in Finland, the utilisation of emergency and temporary accommodations, such as shelters, hostels, and temporary supported housing, has significantly declined. The number of homeless individuals residing in hostels or boarding houses decreased by 76% from 2008 to 2017. This reduction is attributed to the widespread adoption of prevention strategies, the replacement of outdated models of communal supported housing with Housing First and housing-led approaches, which largely replaced emergency shelters.

ARA, the Housing Finance and Development Centre, has also been involved in the implementation of Housing First in Finland since the start through subsidising new and renovated homes as well as giving housing advice to municipalities.

As a result, Finland is one of the only European countries that registers decreasing homelessness numbers. The country’s goal is to end homelessness in Finland all together.

Finland has managed to reduce homelessness in recent years, but homelessness as a phenomenon is still alive and well. The homelessness situation often escalates in the context of social and economic crises.

Originally Published on https://housingfirsteurope.eu/country/finland/

Family demands BC safety, justice and insurance reforms

Featured

Posted on by
Reply

It’s been four years since they lost their son in a crash near Crescent Spur

Bob Mackin, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter | Jan 1, 2026 10:39 AM

A transport truck jackknifed on the highway near Crescent Spur at around 2 p.m. on Dec. 21, 2021.

 A transport truck jackknifed on the highway near Crescent Spur at around 2 p.m. on Dec. 21, 2021. SUBMITTED PHOTO

Nate Peebles died in a collision after a transport truck jackknifed on the highway near Crescent Spur at around 2 p.m. on Dec. 21, 2021.

Nate Peebles died in a collision after a transport truck jackknifed on the highway near Crescent Spur at around 2 p.m. on Dec. 21, 2021. PEEBLES FAMILY PHOTO

Listen to this article

Peter Peebles vows never to drive in British Columbia again.

“It’s too dangerous,” Peebles said in an interview with The Citizen.

The Sherwood Park, Alta., power engineer was raised in Prince George, studied at BCIT in Burnaby and worked in Kamloops. He settled near Edmonton in 2009 and met his wife, Erika, a human resources manager, in 2011.

“I grew up driving those mountains,” he said. “I played minor hockey my whole life in Prince George, I grew up driving down those highways for hockey games, right between Fort St. John to Kamloops. My father worked for the department of highways his whole career. Driving those highways was a part of our lives.”

Four years ago, Peter, 50, and Erika, 44, learned the hard way that they could no longer rely on BC roads to be safe or insurance to support them in a time of need.

At Christmastime 2021, Peter installed a set of new winter tires on his four-door 2015 Dodge Ram pickup truck just in time to take Erika and their children on a road trip to spend the holiday with extended family in Prince George.

He said he was not in a hurry and continues to regret not stopping for a midday meal in McBride — all because of what happened on the snowy Highway 16 near Crescent Spur, 45 kilometres west of McBride.

Around 2 p.m. on Dec. 21, 2021, according to a witness, an eastbound Dart Transport Volvo semi-truck, driven by Manpreet Dhaliwal, passed another eastbound vehicle over a double solid yellow line on the two-lane highway. The truck accelerated in the westbound lane; Dhaliwal lost control. The truck and its empty trailer jackknifed across the highway.

Peter said he was driving westbound to the summit of a hill and suddenly discovered the truck and trailer barrelling toward his Dodge Ram, across the entire highway. He remembers Erika yelling for him to “hit the ditch” before the head-on collision.

Nate, who was looking forward to Christmas in a few days and his fifth birthday the next month, was in the back seat behind the driver’s seat.

He suffered a serious head injury and was airlifted to Edmonton but succumbed the next day.

Peter was hospitalized for six weeks with leg fractures, a crushed foot and facial injuries and required three surgeries.
Since then, the family has struggled.

Peter and Erika say the system failed their family and they want change for the sake of other families.

Change needed

As they recovered, the Peebles reached out to politicians and bureaucrats on both sides of the border to urge stronger licensing of truck drivers and companies, better law enforcement and highway maintenance.

The most that BC has done since then, Peter said, is crack down on commercial truck drivers who collide with overpasses.

“It’s so far out of whack in British Columbia,” he said.

“So, damaging infrastructure, compared to citizens,” Erika said.

BC’s Ministry of Transportation and Transit told the Citizen it regularly monitors and assesses highways for improvements and routinely reviews highways after fatal or serious incidents to ensure they meet safety and functionality standards.

“The review conducted following this incident did not identify any changes required as a result of this incident,” said a statement provided to the Citizen.

Peter found out, through the Alberta Public Carrier Profile, that Dart Transport vehicles had been involved in three other injury-causing crashes earlier in 2021. He wonders why authorities don’t have zero tolerance, almost eight years since 16 people died when another Alberta company’s truck was driven through a stop sign in Saskatchewan and plowed into the Humboldt Broncos’ hockey team bus.

The BC ministry said it has been improving compliance and enforcement since October 2021, when Mandatory Entry Level Training became a prerequisite for a Class 1 driver’s licence. Other mandatory measures include electronic logging devices in commercial vehicles (since August 2023), speed limiters (April 2024) and in-cab devices to warn if a dump box is raised (June 2024).

Peebles said it took almost a year-and-a-half for Alberta’s minister of transportation to respond.

In September, Devin Dreeshen said in an email that Alberta has “strengthened its commercial driver training system to improve competency and oversight.”

Dreeshen emphasized the April replacement of Alberta’s Mandatory Entry Level Training curriculum with the new, four-tier Class 1 Learning Pathway.

Dreeshen’s letter also said Alberta pulled eight commercial carriers from continued operations in 2024 and issued 184 penalties after 470 audits and 149 investigations.

No accountability

Peter Peebles said he is most shocked by the lack of accountability through BC’s auto insurance and justice systems.

In May 2021, the NDP government switched to no-fault insurance, a system that ICBC branded “Enhanced Care.”

Premier David Eby was the attorney general who wanted to make insurance more affordable, ease the burden on courts and improve ICBC’s bottom line. He famously called the Crown monopoly on basic auto insurance a “dumpster fire.”

But under the new system, unless the driver who is liable for causing an injury or fatality on BC roads is convicted of a criminal violation, victims cannot sue for compensation.

Peebles said the RCMP did not conduct a forensic investigation, so Crown prosecutors opted to charge Manpreet Dhaliwal under the Motor Vehicle Act for driving without due care and attention, rather than the Criminal Code charge of dangerous driving causing death — which carries a maximum life sentence.

Dhaliwal was found guilty. Last July, Provincial Court Judge Michael Brecknell sentenced him to 60 days in jail, a $1,480 fine and $30,000 in restitution.

“Nothing in this decision will return a young child to his family,” Brecknell said in his sentencing reasons. “Nothing in this decision will properly address the enduring grief the family has and will continue to experience. Nothing in this decision will alleviate the guilt felt by the person whose actions bring him before the court for sentencing. The purpose of this decision is to impose a just and appropriate sentence.”

Brecknell left it to the superintendent of motor vehicles to decide the fate of Dhaliwal’s licence.

The restitution order is a fraction of the $218,551.44 the Peebles asked the court for replacement of the pickup truck, compensation for medical costs, loss of work and opportunity, and costs of Nate’s funeral.

Dhaliwal appeared for his sentencing hearing by web conference from India. The court was told he was there to care for his mother, ill with sepsis.

The Prince George court registry says Dhaliwal’s arrest warrant remains outstanding and no fine has been paid. Peter and Erika have not seen a penny yet in restitution and they wonder if they ever will.

Dhaliwal’s lawyer is Brij Mohan in Edmonton. Sukh Kalkat, the lawyer who represented Dhaliwal at the July 14 sentencing, told Brecknell that his client had been “psychologically destroyed.”

Asked by the Citizen about Dhaliwal’s status, Kalkat said by email that “we can provide no updates about this case or any other comments.”

Peebles said he was surprised the judge ordered both jail time and restitution, but as long as Dhaliwal does not spend time in jail or make the ordered payments, there will be no accountability.

“I had no idea how accommodating we were to accused individuals,” Peter said. “That’s very upsetting.”

Peter is also alarmed that the Alberta government is poised to follow BC’s lead and adopt no-fault insurance by 2027.

In a statement to the Citizen, BC’s Ministry of Attorney General said the “Enhanced Care model is designed to provide people with benefits to support their recovery after a crash, ensuring help reaches them faster rather than getting caught up in lengthy legal processes.”

That includes medical rehabilitation, income replacement and, in the event of a fatality, grief counselling, funeral expenses and death benefits.

There is a glimmer of hope for reform for people like the Peebles. The NDP amendments to the Insurance (Vehicle) Act that enabled no-fault insurance require a special, all-party committee of MLAs to be struck by May 1, 2026, in order to conduct a comprehensive and independent review. The special committee will have a year to hear witnesses and report back to the legislature with recommendations.

“This process ensures ongoing assessment of compensation, long-term care, and supports for people injured in crashes, including survivors,” the ministry said.

For the time being, Peter and Erika Peebles say they will do their best to make it a happy Christmas.

“Christmas will never be the same for anyone. Christmas isn’t Christmas. Christmas is the anniversary of losing our son,” Peter said.

Added Erika: “The only thing that’s kind of carrying us through is just trying to find that purpose and do something that it does honour our son and try and make it better for our children and for other children.”

Article Originally Written by Bob Mackin for the Prince George Citizen

End of Life in the 21st Century and The Costs Associated With Passage

Featured

Posted on by
Reply

Poor people in Canada pay for funerals through provincial social assistance programs (like BC’s Ministry of Social Development or Ontario Works), the federal Canada Pension Plan (CPP) Death Benefit.

Many today are choosing simpler, lower-cost options like direct cremation, with funeral homes often guiding families through these limited financial resources. Government aid covers basic services, but often falls short of average funeral costs, requiring families to supplement or choose minimal arrangements.

  • Government Financial Assistance
    Provincial Programs: Most provinces have programs, often through social development or welfare ministries, to help with funeral costs if the deceased’s estate and family can’t pay.
  • British Columbia: The Ministry of Social Development and Poverty Reduction provides assistance, covering basic services, burial/cremation, and interment, working directly with funeral homes.
  • Ontario: Ontario Works helps cover basic funeral expenses for those in need, with a process involving your local office.
  • Federal Program: Canada Pension Plan (CPP) Death Benefit: A one-time payment of $2,500 (a flat rate) is available if the deceased contributed to CPP for a minimum number of years, helping families with costs.
  • How the Process Works
    Contact the Ministry: After a death, the legal representative (executor) contacts the provincial ministry (e.g., Social Development) to see if the estate qualifies for assistance.

Work with Funeral Homes: Funeral directors are familiar with these programs and guide families to choose services within the available budget.

Ministry Pays the Funeral Home: If approved, the ministry pays the funeral home directly for approved services, which may cover cremation or burial and other basic costs.

  • Cost-Saving Options
    Direct Cremation: This is often the most affordable option, as it avoids embalming, viewing, and elaborate ceremonies.
    Simplified Services: Choosing basic services (no casket upgrades, flowers, or extensive visitations) keeps costs down.

  • Challenges
    Funding Gaps: Government funding often doesn’t cover the full average cost of a funeral, leaving a significant gap for families to fill.
    Limited Choices: Financial constraints restrict choices, making it hard to provide the send-off families desire.  

Peace to All and Best Wishes to All in the New Year of Life and it’s passing encounters.

theurbansurvivor.org

New cancer treatment with fewer side effects to be trialled in UK

Featured

Posted on by
Reply

Up to 280 patients from seven countries will be recruited globally for the trial

Jane Kirby | Originally Published on The United Kingdom’s “Independent” Newspaper 2025

Saturday 06 December 2025 00:01 GMT

A groundbreaking trial for a prostate cancer treatment with fewer side effects has launched in the UK.

Backed by the Government-funded National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR), the trial will examine whether Aquablation – a therapy using robotics, AI and real-time imaging – works as well or better than traditional surgery, known as radical prostatectomy.

Radical prostatectomy involves removing the entire prostate gland in a bid to cure men of prostate cancer. The treatment is suitable for men whose cancer has not spread outside of the prostate gland or has spread to the area just outside the gland.

However, the operation carries a risk of serious side-effects, such as infection, erectile dysfunction and urinary problems.

Researchers hope Aquablation will minimise these issues.

The therapy is currently used in some centres to treat benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH).

The treatment is suitable for men whose cancer has not spread outside of the prostate gland
The treatment is suitable for men whose cancer has not spread outside of the prostate gland (Getty/iStock)

Aquablation involves a robotic-assisted, high-pressure waterjet. Surgeons can also map the entire prostate in real time with ultrasound.

Using the technique, medics find cancerous tissue to remove while avoiding surrounding nerves and muscles associated with erectile function and the bladder.

The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust in London is the first hospital in Europe to recruit a patient to the trial, which is being run in seven countries.

Overall, 280 patients will be recruited globally, all with early-stage, localised prostate cancer who have already decided to have surgery.

Philip Charlesworth, consultant urological surgeon at the Royal Marsden, said: “For men with prostate cancer confined to the prostate, curative options are excellent, however, we are becoming increasingly focused on the side-effects of the cancer treatment and how we can embrace new technology to maintain a man’s quality-of-life following their surgery.

“This trial is measuring Aquablation therapy, which uses a robotic approach to surgically remove the cancer, and to preserve a man’s ability to remain continent and maintain sexual activity.

“The potential for this trial is very exciting. It has an opportunity, depending on the results of the study, to add an alternative surgical treatment option for patients with localised prostate cancer across the globe.

“The ultimate aim, and my passion, is to improve prostate cancer treatments so that they cause less harm and are less invasive for the patient.

“I feel that this is an incredibly exciting prospect for the future of prostate cancer care.”

The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust in London is the first hospital in Europe to recruit a patient to the trial
The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust in London is the first hospital in Europe to recruit a patient to the trial (Getty)

Other potential treatments for localised prostate cancer include active surveillance or monitoring of the cancer and radiation.

The new trial is sponsored by the US company, Procept BioRobotics.

To date, there are more than 25 centres globally recruiting patients for the trial.

The four UK centres are the Royal Marsden, Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust, the Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust and Norfolk and Norwich University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust.

The trial comes after Health Secretary Wes Streeting said earlier this week he was “surprised” by the decision from scientific advisers to limit prostate cancer screening.

In a draft recommendation, the UK National Screening Committee (UKNSC), which advises the Government, said prostate cancer screening should not be made routinely available for the vast majority of men in the UK.

It said it would not recommend population screening using the prostate-specific antigen (PSA) test because it “is likely to cause more harm than good”.

Experts are expecting data within two years from a large trial launched by Prostate Cancer UK into whether combining PSA with other tests, such as rapid MRI scans, could lead to a recommendation for population-wide screening.

For now, the committee will put forward only a recommendation to screen men with BRCA1 and BRCA2 genetic mutations – which puts them at far higher risk of prostate cancer – every two years, between the ages of 45 and 61.

Main symptoms of prostate cancer

Prostate cancer usually starts to grow on the outer part of the prostate. If this happens, it can cause changes to the way you pee, such as:

  • finding it difficult to start peeing or straining to pee
  • having a weak flow of urine
  • “stop start” peeing
  • needing to pee urgently or often, or both
  • feeling like you still need to pee when you’ve just finished
  • peeing during the night

Other symptoms can include:

  • erectile dysfunction (being unable to get or keep an erection)
  • blood in your urine or blood in your semen
  • lower back pain and losing weight without trying to (these may be symptoms of advanced prostate cancer)

Speaking on Wednesday on BBC Breakfast, Mr Streeting said he was surprised by the decision.

He said: “I’m looking very carefully at why the national screening committee reached that decision.

“I’ve always said these things have got to be based on science and evidence, not on politics.

“But the recommendation did surprise me.

“This is contested. I’ve got people in the prostate cancer community and not just really prominent patients and celebrities and politicians who’ve used their experience and their voice in this debate, but among scientists and researchers.

“This is a draft recommendation. They consult on this for three months, and then we have to make a final decision.

“What I’m going to do is get some of those leading, best scientific voices and competing opinions around the table to thrash this out, to really interrogate the data and make sure that when I come on your programme having made a decision, it’s the right decision for the right reasons, the best evidence and the public can then understand why we’ve made the decision and the scientific community can understand why we’ve made the decision.

“But I am interrogating this data and recommendation because it did surprise me.”

Many experts argue that the PSA test is not very reliable because men with a high PSA level may not have cancer, and some men with cancer have a normal PSA result.

A positive test result may lead to unnecessary treatment for slow-growing or harmless tumours, leaving men at risk of side effects such as incontinence and erectile dysfunction.

But others argue that current evidence supports wider testing.

Homeless Prevention Program | BC Housing 2025

Featured

Posted on by
Reply

Homeless Prevention Program

The Homeless Prevention Program provides portable rent supplements and support services to individuals in identified at-risk groups facing homelessness.

About the program

The Homeless Prevention Program is an initiative aimed at providing individuals in identified at-risk groups facing homelessness with portable rent supplements and support services to help them access rental housing in the private (non-subsidized) housing market.

The rent supplements and support services help recipients access rental housing in the private (non-subsidized) housing market and community-based services.

The Homeless Prevention Program operates, in many instances, as an enhancement to the existing Homeless Outreach Program / Indigenous Homeless Outreach Programs and targets individuals at transition points that put them at greater risk of homelessness.

Cost: None. Services are free.

Am I eligible?

To be eligible, you (or someone you know) are at immediate risk of homelessness. This includes:

  • Youth transitioning out of foster care
  • Women who have experienced violence or are at risk of violence
  • Individuals leaving the correctional or hospital systems
  • Individuals of Indigenous descent

Age

Services

If you are eligible and approved, the rent supplement can assist with:

  • Your rent
  • Your damage deposit
  • Costs that help you secure housing (for example, getting identification)
  • Transportation to a housing opportunity
  • Storage for your belongings as you wait to move into a new home
  • Ensuring access to utilities (for example, heat and water)
  • Moving expenses
  • Home start-up items

You cannot use the rent supplement for:

  • Rent, if you are already receiving a subsidy
  • Expenses not related to housing or this Program
  • Clinical health and treatment services
  • Medical or clinical staff expenses
  • Daycare expenses

Please contact an outreach worker for full details. An outreach worker will be able to determine what you are eligible for.

Who to contact

Contact a Homeless Prevention Program Service Provider or go to the nearest Emergency Shelter and ask to speak to staff.

Outreach staff will ask a few questions about your situation and income to determine your eligibility.

Note: Rental supplements are intended to be temporary.

Originally published on the British Columbia Housing Program website.

The Politics of Poverty in the Developed World

Featured

Posted on by
Reply

Capitalism’s Dual Role

Poverty in the developed world exists as a paradox: affluent nations with vast resources still grapple with systemic inequality, homelessness, and food insecurity.

This reality underscores how poverty is not merely an economic issue but a political one, shaped by policy choices, power dynamics, and the structural forces of capitalism.

While capitalism has driven unprecedented wealth creation, its association with poverty reveals a complex interplay of exploitation, inequality, and insufficient social safeguards.


1. The Structural Roots of Poverty in Capitalist Systems
Capitalism’s core mechanism—profit-driven markets—has historically generated prosperity but also entrenched inequality.

In developed nations, poverty persists despite economic growth because wealth concentrates at the top. For instance, the top 10% of earners in the U.S. control 70% of wealth, while the bottom 50% own just 2.6%.

This disparity stems from policies favoring capital over labor, such as tax cuts for corporations and weakened union protections. The decline of unions, from 34% of U.S. workers in the 1950s to 10% today, correlates with stagnating wages and rising precarious work.


Capitalism’s “creative destruction” also perpetuates poverty. Technological advancements and globalization displace workers, while austerity measures—often justified under neoliberal ideologies—slash social safety nets.

For example, post-2008 austerity in Europe increased poverty rates, particularly in Greece and Spain, where public spending on healthcare and education was curtailed.


2. Political Choices: Reinforcing or Alleviating Poverty?
Poverty in developed nations is not inevitable but a product of political decisions.

Governments shape economic systems through taxation, labor laws, and welfare programs. The U.S., despite its wealth, has a higher poverty rate (11.6%) than peer nations like France (8.1%), partly due to weaker social transfers.

Countries with robust welfare systems, such as Nordic nations, demonstrate that poverty can be mitigated through progressive taxation and universal healthcare.
However, corporate influence often skews policy.

Lobbying by wealthy elites undermines reforms like minimum wage increases or affordable housing initiatives. For example, the 2017 U.S. tax reform disproportionately benefited high earners, exacerbating income gaps.

Similarly, privatization of public services—a hallmark of neoliberal capitalism—shifts costs to individuals, deepening poverty among low-income households.

3. Globalization and Its Discontents
Globalization, while boosting aggregate growth, has unevenly distributed benefits. In developed nations, offshoring jobs to low-wage countries decimated manufacturing sectors, leaving communities in “rust belts” like the U.S. Midwest or northern England.

These regions now face entrenched poverty, with limited access to high-skilled employment. Meanwhile, corporate profits soar: Apple’s $394 billion revenue in 2023 starkly contrasts with the 44 million Americans living below the poverty line.

Political globalization—trade agreements and deregulation—often prioritizes corporate interests over workers’ rights. The North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), for instance, displaced U.S. factory workers while enriching multinational firms.

4. Capitalism’s Contradictions: Growth vs. Equity
Proponents argue capitalism reduces poverty through innovation and growth. Indeed, extreme poverty globally fell from 94% in 1820 to 9.6% in 2015, largely due to market expansion. Yet, in developed nations, relative poverty—measured against national standards—remains stubborn.

The U.S. federal poverty for a family of 4 is 19 times higher than the global threshold of $2.15 day, yet 37 million Americans still fall short.
Critics highlight that capitalism’s focus on profit often neglects human needs.

For example, pharmaceutical companies prioritize lucrative drugs over affordable medicines, leaving millions in debt or untreated 11. Similarly, speculative housing markets in cities like London and San Francisco price out low-income residents, fueling homelessness.


5. Pathways to Reform: Reimagining Capitalism
Addressing poverty in developed nations requires rebalancing capitalism with equity-driven policies:

• Wealth Redistribution: A 1% tax on billionaire wealth could fund global poverty eradication.

• Labor Empowerment: Reviving unions and mandating living wages can reduce income inequality.

• Social Safety Nets: Expanding programs like universal childcare and housing subsidies, as seen in Finland, lifts marginalized groups from poverty.

• Green Transitions: A Global Green New Deal could create jobs while combating climate-driven poverty.


Conclusion: A Political Imperative
Poverty in the developed world is neither accidental nor natural—it is a political outcome.

Capitalism’s role is dual edged: it generates wealth but distributes it inequitably. Tackling poverty demands dismantling systemic barriers through progressive taxation, corporate accountability, and robust social policies.

As philosopher Lisa Herzog notes, markets prioritize “moneyed desires over unmoneyed needs”. Redirecting this focus toward justice and equity is not just an economic necessity but a moral imperative.

The choice lies with policymakers: perpetuate a system where poverty coexists with opulence or forge a new paradigm where prosperity is shared. The latter path, though fraught, offers the only route to a just society.