Café Scientifique, A Free Community Event

"Café Scientifique" are events known for their informal and friendly atmosphere. Café Scientifique aims to demystify scientific research for the general public and empower non-scientists to more comfortably and accurately assess science. (Source: Wikipedia)

 Bedside to Bench:  Health Research with Real-Time Benefits       

On June 25, 2018, Dr. Arlene MacDougall moderated a panel of three researchers from London’s Lawson Health Research Institute (the research institute of London Health Sciences Centre and St. Joseph’s Health Care London) who gave presentations on their work in slowing the decline of neurodegenerative diseases.  The researchers use their experience with patients to shape research activities, and to directly apply what they discover to improve their patients’ lives.  Café Scientifique provided an opportunity for health practitioners and interested community members to learn about new discoveries and question the researchers.  

Dr. Jennie Wells clinical and research work involves Alzheimer’s Disease and Geriatric Rehabilitation. She focuses on the potential for non-drug interventions, such as diet and exercise, to slow down the progression of dementia.  As well, Dr. Wells is the principal site investigator in a study of drugs used to treat dementia, mild cognitive impairment and subjective cognitive impairment. 

Dr. Elizabeth Finger described her work in delineating the cognitive and neural systems that are affected in patients with frontotemporal dementia, related disorders, and the patients’ at-risk family members. She noted that persons who suffer from rheumatoid arthritis have an increased risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease.

Dr. Mandar Jog fascinated the audience with illustrations of patients with Parkinson’s’ Disease walking on a specialized mat.  Telemetric data collected from the mat was turned into walking stick figures that illustrated the patients’ gait, e.g., speed, length, pauses, and varied weight of steps along the length of the mat.  Tremor disorders affect a significant number of people and these also can be analyzed by telemetric monitoring and treated.   Application of this research has led to effective treatments.  For example, injection of botulinum toxins in the brains of patients with Parkinson’s Disease results in improved gait.

I came away from Café Scientifique with useful knowledge:  Twelve minutes of meditation a day reduces inflammation of the brain in persons at risk of neurodegenerative disease.  Tai Chi, which combines elements of resistance training, aerobic exercise, and meditation has a triple beneficial impact. But most of all, I was awed by the quality of research being done in London’s Lawson Health Research Institute and the passionate dedication of researchers who spend far more than forty hours per week exploring ang applying knowledge that benefits humanity.  I hope that our government and individual donors will continue to support the health research taking place in London. - Sister Patricia McKeon

Water as a Human Right: water access is divided both locally and globally

As a Blue Community, the Sisters of St. Joseph are raising their awareness about who has clean water and who does not. Social and political inequities are magnified by water. Even though water is foundational to life, it remains exclusive based on wealth and white privilege. Let’s look at this issue for Canada, the Great Lakes, and globally to understand why this the human right to water matters and how we can collectively ensure that everyone has water for drinking and sanitation.

Canada is blessed with over 20% of the world’s freshwater. Accessible freshwater (not frozen in glaciers) makes up less than 1% of all water on mother earth. Zooming into a map of Canada reveals a vast network of water arteries feeding all life in its path. Canada is also one of the richest countries in the world. Ranked #38 for population (almost 37 million people) we rank #8 for top wealth (with 6.4 trillion in wealth). Yet too many people here go without clean water.

The image left is a crisis map. In Ontario alone, there are 80 First Nations living with a Drinking Water Advisory (DWA). These DWAs are a combination of Boil Water advisories, Do Not Consume advisories, and Do Not Use advisories (read about the differences). Based on Canada’s wealth, it’s hard to believe that some people in Canada can not do what most take for granted – turning on the taps with trust. This is not a recent crisis. Some First Nations have not had access to clean water for decades.

Canada does not have consistent and enforceable drinking water standards. Those not living on a First Nation reserve have Provincial water rules and layers of government infrastructure support. First Nations fall under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Indian Affairs and Northern Development and this Federal support is chronically neglected. On March 22, 2016 (auspiciously World Water Day) new Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced $4.6 billion for new infrastructure in Indigenous communities over the next five years. This includes money for water and wastewater systems. This Human Rights Watch article explains the issues and comments more. The Trudeau government has promised to end all DWAs, but the progress has been flat and The Parliamentary Budget Officer has estimated that this spending meets only 70% of the total amount required.

The David Suzuki Foundation and the Council of Canadians put out a report called Glass Half Full to evaluate the Trudeau promise. Not only is this Federal promise far from being on track, there are increased fears of the funding gap being closed by water privatization. One way to monitor the updates is by visiting the Water Today maps. Here is a sample of current DWAs for southern Ontario:

Ecojustice has also researched this human rights crisis and makes the following observation:

Being unable to use the water in your home isn’t simply an inconvenience, it is something that poses a serious threat to one’s health and quality of life. Studies have shown that communities that lack access to safe, clean drinking water face significant health risks, including elevated rates of waterborne illnesses, pneumonia, influenza, whooping cough, and other infections. The long history of the drinking water crisis in Indigenous communities is an egregious injustice, and the fact that it has gone unaddressed for so long is unacceptable.

It serves to perpetuate and contribute to existing disadvantages faced by Indigenous peoples in this country due to the ongoing effects of colonialism and systemic racism.

The Council of Canadians is leading a Water Drop letter-writing campaign. Print off this letter template in the shape of a water drop and tell PM Trudeau to keep his promise. Our Federation’s Congregations also call the Great Lakes watershed home. We live, pray, and serve within lakes Superior, Huron, Erie, and Ontario. But some of our water neighbours in the United States are denied water because of price, pollution, and systemic discrimination.

From 2014 to 2017, over 100,000 homes have been denied water. Daily acts of refreshment, sanitation, and feeding are denied because of unaffordable water bills.

Earlier this year, Detroit's Water and Sewerage Department began turning off water utilities for overdue or delinquent accounts. Since April, the department has cut off the water for nearly 3,000 households per week — meaning roughly 100,000 Motor City residents are without water. Entrenched at the bottom of Detroit's current economic crisis, many of those without water are the city's poorest resident. The city’s shut-off campaign has garnered international press attention, and has been called “an affront to human rights” by representatives of the United Nations. VICE News traveled to Detroit to see first-hand how residents are dealing with the water shut-offs, speak with local government representatives about the issue, and discuss possible resolutions with activist groups. Watch the video here

In Detroit, a Great Lakes city bordering 20% of the earth’s 1% freshwater, hundreds of thousands of people are having their water and rights taken away because the City is drowning in a confluence of municipal, racial, and wealth issues. Once servicing 2 million people, the flight of manufacturing jobs has depopulated the city down to 700,000 people. Not only are these remaining people the ones less willing and able to leave, they now have to pay for that major waterworks system with their minor funds. People have to choose between buying food and buying water.

Combined with systemic racism and water privatization, downtown residents pay some of the highest water utility bills in the USA even though they are some of the poorest people in the country. People are fighting back. Detroit’s People’s Water Board Coalition is just one of many groups coordinating water access, policy change, political accountability, and community action.

Hear more voices affected by these shut-offs. Before the crisis, one woman was paying $60 for three months. Now she needs to pay $100 for one month.

But it’s not just Detroit in crisis. Over 5,000 children in Flint Michigan have been poisoned with lead in their water. This 2011 -- 2017 CNN timeline describes the series of system failures that switched Flint’s drinking water source, ignored public alerts, sacrificed human health, and still demands people to pay for their poisoned water. This on-going struggle for clean water also impacts people’s heath and trust in public institutions -- impacts that will last decades.

This CBC report shows the personal and political affects.

A recent Michigan Civil Rights Commission report concluded that “decisions would have been different had they concerned the state’s wealthier, predominantly white communities.” This same Toronto Star article reported that:

“Flint resident Claire McClinton said she’s grateful for the efforts but finds the report “underwhelming.” She said the emergency manager law needs to be abolished, the Army Corps of Engineers should replace the old pipes, and Medicare needs to be made available to “all impacted residents.”

At a water justice gathering in the Fall of 2017, McClinton said, “In Flint Michigan, you can buy a gallon of lead free gas, or a gallon of lead free paint, but you can’t get a gallon of lead free water from your own tap.”

The human right to clean water is also a global issue. In 2010, the United Nations agreed that clean water and sanitation is a human right. The infographic below helps tell the story with 2.6 billion people denied basic sanitation and 884 million people without clean drinking water. 

This Circle of Blue map shows where the human right to water is most critical.

In 2010 the United Nations General Assembly passed a resolution that affirms the human right to clean water and basic sanitation. After originally abstaining from this vote, Canada agreed to this resolution in 2012. According to the Safe Drinking Water Foundation:

The government is obliged to ensure that people can enjoy their basic human rights. There are three levels of obligation. First, the government must respect the right, and not do anything to interfere with the right. In the case of drinking water, this means that the government cannot deny anyone access to safe drinking water.

The second level of the government’s duty is to protect the right, by preventing third party interference. For drinking water, this may involve the establishment of legislation that prohibits manufacturing companies from polluting drinking water.

The third level of obligation is to fulfill the right, when necessary. In the case of drinking water, this may require the government to establish a water treatment plant or construct wells to provide safe drinking water.

What does this issue obligate you to do? How can we amplify this human rights message to a wider audience? - Paul Bain c/o Blue Communities Now 

Thoughts on Canada Day by a Newcomer

Phillipa Tom is a refugee from Zimbabwe who fled for safety to Canada about four years ago.  She settled in Peterborough with help from Casa Maria Refugee Homes, and is now living in an apartment in The Mount Community Centre where I also reside.  Phillipa kindly agreed to be interviewed on her experience of Canada Day.

Question: How do you spend Canada Day?

Phillipa: For the last two years I have gone to the local parade here in Peterborough. I like to watch the floats, the people gathered, and I really enjoy the brass bands as they march through the streets. Then I walk down to Del Crary Park where the multicultural Canada Day Celebrations are held.  You can taste something different from the local food venders who come from all over the world, but I usually don’t buy anything. There is lots to do there with multicultural entertainment and sports events, and craft displays of all kinds. Then I go home and tell my friends and family what I saw.

Question: Is there a similar celebration in your homeland?

Phillipa: Oh yes.  We celebrate Independence Day in Zimbabwe on April 18. Great crowds gather for music with singing and dancing, and lots of speeches from visiting politicians. In the afternoon there will be a soccer game.

Question: Do you notice any difference in the way we celebrate our country?

Phillipa: Here people celebrate with great respect for their country. You can feel the love they have for it.  In an oppressed country it is not the same.

Team Building With A Purpose

It’s a well- known fact that team building occurs when colleagues work together, share fun and even volunteer for a worthy cause.  Such activities enhance workers’ lives and create a healthy work environment.  That’s exactly what happened on June 19^th when twenty staff members and two Sisters of St. Joseph formed a team for the Big Bike ride.  Giddy excitement, casual dress, sunshine and good humour made for a perfect day to head to downtown London and participate in the annual Heart and Stroke Foundation’s annual fund raiser.  

After registration and posing for photos, the ride began from Pall Mall Street.  The assembled gang piled onto the long red bicycle made for not two but at least twenty-two.  Under the red and white banner announcing, “Sisters of St. Joseph”, off they peddled in unison down the street smiling, waving and cheering.  They disappeared out of sight, around the corner, down busy Wellington Street and through various side streets.  Younger, stronger staff set the pace while others pedaled furiously to stay on even keel.  Honking horns spurred on the cyclists until the route was completed and the gigantic red bicycle crossed the finish line.   As the St. Joseph’s riders dismounted the contraption, they cheered for a job well done and rejoiced at their fund-raising contribution of $1,500 for the Heart and Stroke Foundation.  Those staff members who were unable to participate in the ride, made generous donations to the event.

The next day, no limping or complaining of aching joints was apparent.  Smiles prevailed.  Some danced around the dining room describing the outing as exhilarating, fun, entertaining, wonderful, unforgettable. Our staff had taken yet another step in making already cheerful workers even closer allies. - Sr. Jean Moylan

A Father's Day Reflection

As the father of five and a grandfather of seven (almost eight!) I look forward to Father’s Day.  When I reflect on my role as a father, I think it can be summed up as nurturing the love which is at the heart of our family.

As a husband and father, I think first of all my wife, Clare, who is central to our family.  As a couple we have worked together to create a family which is pretty special – if I do say so myself! As parents, our love is the source of what energizes our family. 

Clare and I have had our share of joys – births (including twins in two generations!), family camping, graduations, weddings, new jobs, etc., etc.

We have also had our share of tribulations – miscarriage, mental illness, death of a newborn grandson, job losses, and especially the death of our Kevin, a victim of drug addiction. The strength that comes to me as a father has certainly helped bear these trials.

The high school I taught at in Peterborough (St. Peter’s) has as its motto “Through Trials to Triumph”, and I have always thought that this sums up our family life and my role as a father.  We have all suffered with and supported each other through various difficulties, and now as a family we enjoy a closeness which is special to us.

A very poignant confirmation of the success Clare’s and my life in creating family came as I followed Kevin’s coffin after his funeral.  As we walked to his grave I had a very strong feeling of joy come upon me and I thought “We’ve done something right!”  Despite the pain and sorrow of the moment, the outpouring of support from a huge variety of people – our friends (some of whom we hadn’t seen in ages) and many more friends of Kevin and of our other children made my spirit soar – "Yes, we've done something right – in the midst of this deep time   of grief for a son whom we supported the best way we knew how."

On this Father’s Day I am very thankful for Clare, for our children and their spouses, and, of course our grandchildren. 

I am blessed indeed!

Joe Keast, Archivist/Librarian for the Peterborough Sisters