Letters to The Sun: Release into the community without support is no answer for those with mental illness and the community

Published Sep 06, 2024  •  Last updated 0 minutes ago  •  3 minute read

The crime scene outside the Queen Elizabeth Theatre on Wednesday. Photo by Arlen Redekop /PNG

Re: Mental illness, violent offences: B.C.’s health solutions are failing its citizens, say experts

With regards to the horrific assaults by a person with mental illness, I would like to give a huge shout-out to an effective community-based treatment program in B.C. — Assertive Community Treatment. 34 multi-disciplinary teams, operating under the auspices of local health authorities, deliver supportive and life-changing care to those suffering with mental illness.

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As a taxpayer and someone who has and continues to support a family member with a serious mental illness, I have run the gauntlet of frequent hospitalizations, police involvement and court engagements, and have seen the disastrous results to our family when the mentally ill member has the right to be in charge of their meds. It’s a no-brainer that that approach does not work. I applaud that my tax dollars are being used for something that does work: the ACT teams.

After a 20-plus-years journey of the very predictable roller-coaster ride of police action that brings hospitalization that results in stabilization and then release into the community with little support, I can say that the past eight years, since the ACT team has entered our lives, have been transformative. Their approach works and delivers a safe environment for the ill, their families and the community.

No need to reinvent the wheel — increase the funding to the ACT teams so they can deliver their programs throughout B.C.

Christine Holmquist, Port Moody

Books should be tax-free — reading is a right

September sees a return by people of all ages and backgrounds to education programs. It’s also the time of year for long-serving community organizations to run their campaigns supporting literacy and reading, such as this newspaper’s Raise-A-Reader program.

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Perhaps this should be the year when we finally see all provincial/territorial/federal governments eliminate sales taxes on books. I urge you to write to your MLA, MP and any/all of the corporate sponsors for these campaigns to recognize the idiocy of this practice in a democracy like ours.

Libraries and learning institutions should not be taxed on the books they purchase for their users. Learners and readers should not be taxed for the simple pleasure and most important basic skill of reading.

Reading is a right, not a privilege.

Laurelle Shalagan, Vancouver

Seniors deserve more accessible options as technology evolves

I work at a public library in a neighbourhood that serves many seniors, and I see every day how they are being let down by our governments, the health-care system, and even their own family and friends.

The City of Vancouver recently published a report called the Seniors Housing Strategy, a report that was presumably written to inform seniors. However, the only way to access the report is by navigating the City of Vancouver website and reading a PDF of the report. This sounds simple enough, but many seniors do not own computers, have vision issues, and cannot read a 100-plus page document on a screen. There are no options to request a print copy, and if they want more information they are asked to sign up for an e-newsletter. This is one example of an ever-growing problem.

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During the pandemic, the Canadian government’s ArriveCAN app was a nightmare for seniors without mobile devices.

I think there is often the assumption that everyone has a family and support system they can rely on to help wade through never-ending changes, but many don’t. Even seniors with support systems are met with frustration by family and friends, and I have seen many seniors show up at the library with a new device a family member or friend gave them without first taking the time to show them how it may be useful to them.

The world is outpacing so many of our seniors and it is taking away their sense of dignity. It would be wise to create more accessible options to a population who need the world to slow down and take a beat.

N. MacNeil, Vancouver

Time to stop changing the clocks

Are we ever going to stay on Daylight Saving Time? The excuse we keep hearing is we have to wait for the west coast of the U.S. to make the change so that we also can. Why? It would make a one-hour difference if we went ahead without the U.S. Would that make any significant difference? No. It’s one hour between Alberta and B.C. Any problem with that? No. Saskatchewan stays on the same time zone all year. Do we have a problem with that? No.

Cherry Groves, Abbotsford

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