The novel coronavirus COVID-19 is now a global pandemic with over 300,000 confirmed cases, and 13,000 dead.[1] In Italy, the country now hardest hit by the virus, the medical system has been crippled. So many people are critically ill that there simply aren't enough intensive care beds or ventilators to keep people struggling to breathe alive. Doctors have been left with the horrendous task of having to decide... who gets to live, and who is left to die, often alone.[2] Governments across Canada are closing schools, restaurants, and public facilities, and encouraging everyone to practice social isolation to curb the spread of the disease.[3] Many people are isolating and practicing social distancing during essential trips out to get groceries and medicine. But the stark reality is that too many people are simply not taking this threat seriously.[4] With the exception of essential services such as food, utilities and health care, everyone must stay home. An immediate national lockdown will make sure people take this threat seriously, and we have NO time to waste. Social distancing is our best defence against COVID-19. If we can "flatten the curve" and slow the spread of the virus, fewer people will need critical care all at once.[5] If not, the situation in Italy shows us what will happen: people will die by the thousands. Experts agree. Dr. Michael Warner, medical director of critical care at Michael Garron Hospital in Toronto, says Canada “should have enforced a mandatory lockdown from coast to coast a while ago”, and doctors at the Royal Columbian Hospital in New Westminster just wrote a dire letter to BC chief medical officer Dr Bonnie Henry, warning that we are on the same trajectory as Italy and that we “must close non-essential businesses, and enforce the critical need for social distancing so that the health care system is not overwhelmed.”[6,7,8,9] The lack of mass testing makes the true scale of the crisis in Canada unknown. This is the most critical moment for us to act, right now, while we still have a chance at preventing the virus from bringing our healthcare system to its knees. Sources: [1] Map of Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) Global Cases [John Hopkins University] https://gisanddata.maps.arcgis.com/apps/opsdashboard/index.html#/bda7594740fd40299423467b48e9ecf6 [2] 'A generation has died': Italian province struggles to bury its coronavirus dead [Guardian] https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/mar/19/generation-has-died-italian-province-struggles-bury-coronavirus-dead [3] Coronavirus: Here's what's happening in Canada and around the world on Saturday [CBC] https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/coronavirus-covid19-canada-world-march21-1.5505520 [4] "Call people out:" Dr. Bonnie Henry wants us to get serious about social distancing [Daily Hive] https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/dr-bonnie-henry-social-distancing-coronavirus [5] Flattening the Coronavirus Curve [New York Times] https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/11/science/coronavirus-curve-mitigation-infection.html [6] Canada should be on lockdown to stop COVID-19 spread, doctor warns [CBC] https://www.cbc.ca/player/play/1714164803998 [7] COVID-19: Doctors push for lockdown, warn B.C. could become like Italy [Vancouver Sun] https://vancouversun.com/news/covid-19-doctors-urge-b-c-government-to-take-more-drastic-measures/ [8] ‘We need to do more’: Fraser Health doctors send dire letter to Dr. Bonnie Henry [Abbotsford News] https://www.abbynews.com/news/we-need-to-do-more-fraser-health-doctors-send-to-dire-letter-to-dr-bonnie-henry/ [9] A letter to Dr. Bonnie Henry, B.C.'s provincial health officer, from doctors at the Royal Columbia Hospital in New Westminster https://www.scribd.com/document/452662584/Letter-from-doctors-1 https://www.scribd.com/document/452662585/Letter-from-doctors-2

Our Doctors and nurses deserve our support and they are not only going to be dealing with Covid-19 but also with regular health problems (injuries and illnesses). People with EMR, OFA3, or 80AWFA should be asked to do some emergency basic training ASAP. In the sector of Adventure Tourism; mountain guides, ski patrollers, marine guides, river guides etc., certainly have essential training and skills to offer if/when/where the system is ready for this untapped and poised resource. Also, it's worth mentioning that many people in Adventure Tourism also have Class 4, 3, or 2 Drivers licences and might be wanted for emergency transport.

The University of Ottawa has given non-international students less than five days notice to move out, pack their things and leave campus as a result of the ongoing pandemic around COVID-19. In her address to students, UOttawa Provost and VP Academic Affairs, Jill Scott says that the University is doing this "to protect our students, and the most vulnerable members of the Ottawa community from the risk of COVID-19 infection." What she fails to acknowledge is that those most vulnerable will most likely be those who are unable to find shelter on such short notice or enough money to buy food or store and move their things. Not all students have the luxury of having someone like a relative whose residence they can stay at or who can help them move on such short notice. Further, the University has been facing a mental health crisis recently; resulting in several student deaths on campus, this will only serve to increase the stress facing many of those with mental health issues. We are asking the University to follow the example of multiple jurisdictions like France, the province of Ontario and even President Donald Trump who have all halted evictions for the unforeseeable future due to the virus because of the risk it would cause to these residents once out on the street. Students should not be treated as different from other tenants, they deserve an eviction freeze too.

Climate change isn't a mysterious force, it's a whole bunch of known forces happening all at once, more and more with no chance to recover. Literally death from a thousand cuts with billions of lives. Entire sectors are being wiped out, and what we need to realize is that there is no "after Corona Virus", there will be something else, and then something else on and on. When we say climate emergency, we mean act now. Acting now means rapidly shifting our economy. We don't have time to nickel and dime who gets helped and who doesn't. The super rich got us into this mess, and it's their turn to bail everyone else out for a change. Every Canadian deserves to not have to panic about money while the government makes the rapid changes necessary to shore up our health care and social services infrastructure, and shift our economy away from fossil fuels immediately without leaving anyone behind. We can see what terrible damage slashing social services and ignoring the warnings of experts can bring, and now we know that no one is safe from the consequences.

A lot of these at risk youth have already lived a life of trauma and fear for there own safety. Right now we have a safe space and resource centre and support system with active programming to empower them to have a better chance at being functioning citizens as well as many of them have fallen through the cracks of the system and haven’t been helped when they should have been

Based on recent research and considering a conservative estimate, the prevalence of Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) is 4% in Canada. That means that 200,000 British Columbians have FASD. That is 4 times the amount of Autism. Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) is among the leading causes of cognitive and developmental disability among children in Canada. The effects of prenatal alcohol exposure are vast and varied, but without supports, individuals with FASD can have profound issues with education, daily functioning, mental health, addiction, and social functioning. When unsupported for their disability, rates of FASD are higher in vulnerable populations, including those involved in the child welfare and justice systems. Interventions can have a profound impact on outcomes, however, in BC there are limited to no specialized services for this population. In Ontario, their specialized services funding has been expanded to include families caring for a child or young adult affect by FASD. We challenge the BC government to revisit their FASD strategic plan, look to other provinces, bring together a roundtable of experts, advocates, family members, and individuals with FASD, and recommit funding to finally support the needs of those affected by FASD. All our children deserve better than what they are given for a disability they did not ask to be born with !

Imagine leaving your home to travel abroad to visit after a death in the family, only to find the doors slammed shut behind you by a global pandemic. Imagine flights being cancelled, borders being closed, and panic rising all around you. Imagine living through that isolated, alone, without even the support of a Canadian consulate or embassy. It may sound like a nightmare, but for dozens of Canadians, it's the frightening reality right now. Stranded in Iran as a major pandemic gets underway, these Canadians are trapped and alone - and they need our help. Canadian officials have the power to negotiate a flight to Iran to collect Canadian citizens and bring them home. But so far they have refused. We understand the need to manage resources. But we also understand the moral imperative to look out for each other in times of crisis. Imagine it was you in that situation. Imagine if you were counting on your government, but knew that the only way those politicians would help was if thousands of Canadians spent just 30 seconds signing a petition and making their voice heard. Imagine it - and then be that voice. Let's bring them home.

My son is a disabled person who is currently residing in a Homes for Special Care residence. The Ontario government has been gradually eliminating funding to support programs, as well as income security for people with disabilities in Ontario. There are also significant economic impacts to the province that must be considered as the long term consequences of such funding cuts to disadvantaged people with disabilities inevitably results in simply shifting the real social costs onto other areas of Ontario's social network. There is a serious need to take into consideration the disruption to care and the real economics of imposing changes in the funding to support programs, as well as income security for people with disabilities in Ontario. It is understandable that improvements are inevitably necessary, however this should be thoughtfully considered and applied in incremental steps that will definitely not cause unnecessary wholesale social and economic turmoil. The low costs of supporting inclusion results in a better quality of life, prevents illnesses and keeps people from falling further behind. In contrast the removal of funding for support programs and income security for people with disabilities results in increased and less predictable financial costs to Ontario's economy. Ignoring social support obligations only exacerbates the need for the services that people with disabilities deserve and ultimately need. This neglect simply compounds the misfortunes of the disabled and increases the economic impact on our social network in Ontario. Ontarian's are very cognizant of the simple fact that this is being done so the current provincial government will be able to point to short term budget improvements to support their political agenda. The long-term costs to Ontario's social support network will be realized in much greater social and economic burdens to Ontarian's.

The CPSO made a decision of no neglect without the Operative Report, also the Dr. that did this to me was on the Board. Only to find out we have to hire a Lawyer just to find out what happened, fact is our tax $$ pay for the Dr.'s Medical Malpractice Insurance yet the numbers do not add up. Especially when you see a Patient dying every 17 minutes from a PREVENTABLE MEDICAL ERROR . At Least offer to pay for their funeral or transportation costs to send their dead bodies home. Perhaps a , I'M sorry would be nice. But it continues to happen, our Government "turns a blind eye". Let's start with accountability, make it Dr.s and nurses can be honest , open when an error happens, no recourse or discipline for those who come forward. It helps them and would make those who keep making these errors think twice. So they treat us as a person not a pay check, not an acceptable loss. Imagine the amount of money here in Canada at least, could save. Maybe put back into programs that have been cut. Just a thought.

This is so very important because inaction shows MP Arnold Viersen's and his cronies that sexism and the objectification of women is acceptable and will be tolerated by the CPC. The disrespect he holds for these two women (and by extension, all woman) demands a swift and clear response of removal from office.

There are hundreds of people languishing in prisons in BC, many being young people, who in many instances have only committed minor crimes but are repeat offenders with FAS. In cases I am aware of the judge gave no consideration to the person having FAS and he has been in and out of jail with no treatment available in prison and no sensible alternative on release from prison. Many of these people are vulnerable to use by others in carrying out illegal activities and become the "fall guy". They are often shunned by many and hence seek approval wherever they can find it. The result is we have more persons in society who do commit crimes as they are often unable to understand the consequences of their actions. The cost to tax payers for supporting hundreds, or more likely thousands, of such people in prison is huge. Hence the cost of status quo is both a public safety issue as well as an economic one. And lastly the cost and mental anguish for parents, grandparents, brothers and sisters is beyond belief unless you have walked a mile in their shoes.

It is important because climate change is a human crisis and we need humanity to combat this third world war of the climate on this earth for a safe and better environment for the next generation.Climate change will alter the Earth. But it could destroy humanity 'What we’re doing to the Earth has no parallel in 66 million years, scientists say'