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Canada’s Indigenous mental health program is meant to be a lifeline. Instead, it’s so mired in red tape it seems ‘set up to deter people from accessing’ care
Soon after psychologist Leigh Sheldon opened a mental health clinic in Edmonton in 2021, the desperate calls for help started pouring in. Each call carried an Indigenous voice in crisis. And with each call, Sheldon came to the same depressing realization: the coverage provided by the federal health benefits program for Indigenous people was failing… Read more
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‘Deeply troubling’: Ontario chiefs call for reforms to federal health program after Star/IJB investigation
One of the largest Indigenous organizations in Canada is calling for sweeping reforms to a federal health benefits program that covers mental health care services for some of the world’s most vulnerable patients. The Chiefs of Ontario, which advocates for 133 First Nations across the province, is demanding the federal government immediately review the professional… Read more
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A murder conviction. Sex with an ex-client. Defending residential schools. Critics are alarmed at background of therapists approved for Indigenous mental health program
Dr. Oren Amitay has posted online an article defending Indian Residential Schools. The Toronto psychologist has publicly lauded “the facts” of a social media post that claimed reports of Indigenous children’s bodies being buried in unmarked graves were “all a hoax.” He is also approved by the federal government to provide counselling to vulnerable Indigenous patients. The Non-Insured… Read more
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Mind Games: Healing or Harming Generational Wounds, a mini-documentary
Concerns over Canada’s mental healthcare system for Indigenous people living in Canada sparked a two-year investigation conducted by the Investigative Journalism Bureau (IJB), TVO and the Toronto Star. Mind Games examines alleged failings of mental health services provided to Indigenous and Inuit communities, including red tape, long wait times, and cultural insensitivity Through personal stories… Read more
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Investigative Journalism Bureau podcast collaboration wins U.S. Signal Award for The Ultimate Choice Podcast
The Investigative Journalism Bureau (IJB), in partnership with TVO, the Toronto Star and Piz Gloria Productions, is pleased to announce that The Ultimate Choice podcast has won a Signal Award in the Documentary category for Individual Episodes. The prestigious international competition honours podcasts that define our culture. The Ultimate Choice is recognized with a Silver… Read more
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‘I am deeply troubled’: Head of Ontario law society speaks out after Star/IJB investigation into sexual harassment among lawyers
The head of Ontario’s law society says she is “deeply troubled” by the level of sexual harassment, violence and discrimination within the profession. Jacqueline Horvat said many colleagues reached out to her “expressing their concerns” in the wake of an investigation by the Toronto Star and the Investigative Journalism Bureau, which shone a light on how… Read more
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Your lawyer could be under investigation for sexual misconduct against clients. Why won’t Ontario’s law society tell you?
Shannon needed a lawyer. The Toronto hairstylist was facing a slew of charges, including assault, threatening death, and breaking and entering. As she stood in the courthouse one August 2012 day, she saw a list of lawyers posted in the bail program office. She picked Toomas Ounapuu. That choice began a years-long ordeal during which… Read more
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Growing number of Canadian households contain deadly levels of radon gas, national study finds
Exposure to deadly radon gas in Canadian homes continues to grow, according to a nationwide study conducted by University of Calgary researchers. Nearly 18 per cent of Canadian homes contain radon levels at or above Health Canada’s action guideline of 200 becquerels per cubic metre (Bq/m³) for the carcinogenic gas, according to the national study.… Read more
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Are Canada’s clinical trials in need of reform? Experts weigh in
A recent investigation by the IJB published in the Toronto Star found that private companies in Canada are recruiting thousands of often financially desperate test subjects each year to participate in clinical trials. The question remains – if we want to ensure safer studies for participants and improve critical research, what is the best way… Read more
