drinking

Tuesday November 5, 2019

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, Editorial Cartoonist, The Hamilton Spectator – Tuesday November 5, 2019

Is there lead in your tap water? Canada-wide investigation exposes dangerous levels of toxic metal

Hundreds of thousands of Canadians are consuming tap water laced with high levels of lead leaching from aging and deteriorating infrastructure.

A year-long investigation by more than 120 journalists from nine universities and 10 media organizations, including the Toronto Star and the Institute for Investigative Journalism, collected test results that properly measure exposure to lead in 11 cities across Canada. Out of 12,000 tests since 2014, one third — 33 per cent —exceeded the national safety guideline of 5 parts per billion.

Reporters also fanned out to 32 cities and towns across the country — from Victoria, B.C., to Grand Pre, N.S. — to knock on doors in neighborhoods with older homes. With the help of residents who volunteered to take part, the teams conducted 260 water tests using accepted standards and submitted samples to accredited labs. The results showed 39 per cent of samples exceeded the current federal guideline.

Experts call threats from lead exposure a simmering public health crisis. But many Canadians remain unaware of serious long-term health consequences because government oversight is often lax and secretive.

Canada is blessed with the world’s third largest renewable freshwater supply covering about 12 per cent of the country’s surface area. But while Canada may be a global water superpower with a reputation for snow-capped mountains, crystal clear lakes and free flowing rivers, lead exceedances in tap water are chronic and sometimes extreme, the investigation found.

Test results from samples taken in cities including Prince Rupert, B.C., Regina, Moose Jaw, Saskatoon and Montreal showed lead levels comparable to — and in some cases beyond — those of U.S. cities that have made international headlines for their tainted water. (Toronto Star) 

 

 

Wednesday December 19, 2018

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Wednesday December 19, 2018

December 19, 2018

What you should know about Canada’s new impaired driving laws

Canada’s new impaired driving laws come into force this week, and they change both what officers can ask for and what you can be charged with. 

But the core message from police remains the same: if you’re driving, don’t drink or consume cannabis. And if you’re going to do either, plan for another way home. 

August 13, 2018

“The big message is, there’s no change to the general public. Impaired driving, in all its forms, is illegal,” said Sgt. Sean Harding, the head of the London police traffic management unit. 

“It’s against the law to drink and drive and it’s against the law to consume drugs and drive. We need to make sure drivers have a plan to get home. If you plan on driving, if you plan on consuming, don’t plan on driving.” 

The stricter impaired driving laws come into effect on Tuesday. 

They allow officers to demand a breathalyzer test from any driver, even one who is not suspected of impaired driving. Until now, police had to have a reasonable suspicion of impaired driving if they wanted to demand a breathalyzer test. 

Some lawyers think the new laws violate the Charter of Rights and Freedoms. ‘

February 27, 2014

The new laws also increase the financial penalties for impaired driving and may introduce new “hybrid” charges that deal with drunk-and-stoned drivers. 

“Are people getting the message? To say that people don’t know the rules, you can’t do that. The messaging is everywhere. There’s just a core group of people that make poor choices,” said Harding. 

“We’re still going to be out there, on the streets, looking for impaired drivers.” 

London police stop 20,000 vehicles annually and lay about 400 impaired driving charges. (Source: CBC) 

Thursday June 22, 2017

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Thursday June 22, 2017

LCBO extends hours in lead up to Canada Day as possible strike looms

The LCBO is extending hours amid fears of a last call due to a possible work stoppage next week.

March 4, 2015

With 8,000 unionized workers set to hit the bricks on Monday, the provincial alcohol monopoly some Liquor Control Board of Ontario stores will be open from 9 a.m. until 11 p.m. starting Thursday.

“Extended store hours across Ontario will help accommodate customer shopping leading up to Canada Day and possible labour disruption,” the LCBO said in a statement Wednesday.

“We continue to bargain with the union’s bargaining committee, with the union in a legal strike position as of 12:01 a.m. Monday,” the Crown agency continued.

“To ensure access to the best product selection and to avoid disappointment, customers should shop in advance of Sunday . . . if possible,” it said.

June 23, 2009

“We remain focused on reaching a fair, sustainable and responsible collective agreement. However, in the event of a labour disruption, we have plans to provide some level of service.”

Details on those strike provisions are not yet known.

In the event that workers are not on strike over the Canada Day long weekend July 1, the LCBO is hoping to keep as many as 450 of its 650 stores open with the longer hours that Sunday.

June 26, 2009

However, all outlets will be closed on the Saturday. They will be open Monday even though that is a statutory holiday.

Employees, 84 per cent of whom are part-time, are seeking greater certainty from the LCBO over scheduling and guarantees about eventually gaining full-time jobs.

Premier Kathleen Wynne, who is reforming labour laws this fall to protect workers in precarious employment circumstances better, has warned that “it’s a good idea for government to set an example in terms of good labour practice.” (Toronto Star) 

 

Tuesday February 21, 2012

By Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator, Tuesday February 21, 2012

Strict parental rules about drinking can curb adolescent impulses to drink

Frequent drinking can lead to changes in the processing of alcohol cues that can, in turn, facilitate renewed drinking if an individual’s ability and motivation to reflect on drinking behaviors are insufficient. A study investigating the interaction between automatically activated approach tendencies and the ability and motivation to reflect on drinking behaviors in young adolescents with limited drinking experience has found that stricter parental rules about drinking are highly protective, especially for males.

“With repeated alcohol use, cues that are previously associated with alcohol use – such as the sight of a beer bottle – become increasingly important,” explained Sara Pieters, a researcher at Radboud University Nijmegen and corresponding author for the study. “This might be due to alcohol-induced changes in the brain’s reward system and the formation of memory associations.”

The term “approach tendencies,” Pieters added, can be understood by asking if a person is inclined to approach or to avoid a stimulus. “In most people,” she said, “tendencies to avoid are automatically triggered by threatening stimuli such as a snake, and approach-tendencies can be triggered by appetitive stimuli such as water when thirsty. In heavy drinkers, stimuli that have been associated with alcohol use automatically trigger a tendency to approach.”

“Studies have shown that adolescence is marked by a temporal lag in the maturation of two brain systems, one related to emotional and motivational processes, one to control behavior and thoughts,” added Rebecca de Leeuw, a postdoctoral researcher at Radboud University Nijmegen. “Whereas the former develops relatively fast during puberty, the latter continues to develop until adulthood, around 25 years of age. This means that adolescents are more likely to engage in reckless behavior. (Source: Eureka Alert)

 

Saturday November 4, 2000

November 4, 2000

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Saturday November 4, 2000

Bush admits ’76 drunk driving; Revelation expected to dominate crucial final weekend of campaigning

A deadlocked U.S. election campaign was jarred yesterday by the revelation George W. Bush lost his driver’s licence after pleading guilty to driving while drunk in 1976.

The Texas governor has admitted he had a problem with alcohol in the past but his arrest had been a closely guarded family secret.

“I’m not proud of that, ” the Republican nominee said during a rare news conference in Wisconsin. “I’ve often times said that years ago I made some mistakes. I occasionally drank too much and I did.”

“I regret that it happened.”

With the see-saw presidential election just five days away,  Bush’s campaign team was fretting about the effect of the revelation on voters. “I hope this mistake the governor made 24 years ago would not have an impact in the final days of this election, “said Bush spokeswoman Karen Hughes.

Bush, who campaigned in Missouri before moving on to Illinois and Wisconsin, was arrested in Maine about two kilometres from his family’s retreat in Kennebunkport when he was 30 years old after police noticed he was driving too slowly.

He pleaded guilty to a misdemeanour charge of driving while under the influence, paid a $150 US fine and had his licence suspended in the state of Maine for “a period of time, ” Hughes said.

Bush, holding his first news conference in over a month, said it was no coincidence word of his arrest was made public in the final days before Tuesday’s vote.

“Why now . . . (five) days before the election? I’ve got my suspicions, ” said Bush, not sharing them with a crowd of reporters surrounding him.

Bush had kept word of his arrest a secret from his twin daughters. He insisted he had “been straight with the American people” about his past but he had steadfastly refused to answer questions about his “youthful indiscretions, ” including whethe r or not he used drugs.

The revelation may not put a significant dent in his support but questions about the incident will likely dominate the crucial final weekend of campaigning.

Foremost among those queries might be why Bush chose not to disclose the incident until it was flushed out by a Portland, Me., television station. That kind of attention may put raise questions about his credibility.

Most polls suggest Bush had a slight lead over Democratic nominee Al Gore going into the final weekend of the campaign. (Source: Hamilton Spectator)