Health
Pilot Program Encourages Kids to Walk or Cycle to School
Three tri-cities schools have been chosen to participate in a pilot project called the School Travel Plan, designed to encourage more kids to walk or cycle to school.
Housing & Supports for Adults with Mental Illness and/or Addictions
A report released in 2008 by the Centre for Applied Research in Mental Health and Addiction (CARMHA) and SFU shows that homelessness among adults with severe addictions and/or mental health illnesses is prevalent in both urban and rural settings and that providing adequate housing and support for these individuals would result in a net cost avoidance of $33 million/year for the province. Read the full report here.The Happy City
This article explores how cities can change the way streets are used in order to increase happiness. The examples of Paris, where suburban cars will be banned from the city core by 2012, and Bogota, where major streets through the city core became dedicated transit corridors, show how co-operating with one another on the streets makes for a happier city. Read the full article here.Lack of Services for Vancouver's Mentally Ill
A new report by the Vancouver Police Department (VPD) shows that VPD officers are filling the gap left by an inadequate mental health system. Lost in Transition: How a Lack of Capacity in the Mental Health System is Failing Vancouver's Mentally Ill and Draining Police Resources, reports that on average, 31% of calls to the police involve a mentally ill person. In some areas, this number rises to almost 50%.Global Climate Change & Children's Health
What are the anticipated health effects of climate change on children's health? According to a recent policy statement put out by the American Academy of Pediatrics, children are likely to suffer disproportionately from environmental hazards as a result of climatic changes.Schools Blasted for Obesity Epidemic
Dr. Jean-Pierre Després, scientific director of the International Chair on Cardiometabolic Risk at Laval University, believes that schools are to blame for the obesity epidemic among children.