Kitchener woman allegedly abandoned infant in stroller outside
"A passerby, who attempted to stop the female, was threatened," police said.
National Post, by Chris Doucette, Dec 29, 2021
A woman is accused of dumping a baby girl in the cold outside of a Kitchener home two days after Christmas.
Waterloo Regional Police say officers responded to multiple calls regarding a woman abandoning an infant in a stroller at the side of the road by a residence in the area of Dixon and Eckert Sts. shortly after 11 a.m. Monday.
“The female then attempted to flee the area,” police said in a news release.
The temperature would have been about 1C at the time.
“Through the investigation, police also learned that a passerby, who attempted to stop the female, was threatened,” police said. “Several other individuals assisted police in locating the female.”
A 32-year-old Kitchener woman was arrested and charged with child abandonment, uttering death threats and breach of a probation order.
She is scheduled to appear in court on Feb. 7, 2022.
Shame system hinders men from seeking proper mental health aid
Calgary Journal - By Charlotte Holmes, July 19, 2021
It was a simple questionnaire Chad Guenter filled in while seeing his doctor that finally led to his diagnosis of depression.
Guenter, a firefighter with the city of Canmore, had been struggling for years with personal battles, after his brother was diagnosed with bi-polar disorder as a teenager and other family issues.
He didn’t know why he was feeling the way he was, so he just didn’t address them, until they overtook him.
After being diagnosed with depression, Guenter started taking medication and found healing by connecting with nature.
Homewood Health estimates each year one million men in Canada will suffer from major depression. Statistics Canada has found the suicide rates of men are roughly three times higher than women, in their respective age group.
The issue is such a concern that the Centre for Suicide Prevention has come out saying “men are in crisis.”
Guenter says through his work he has started to know too many people who were taking their lives or attempting to.
Dan McKinnon, a registered psychologist who helped found and bring the Canadian Centre for Men and Families (CCMF) to Alberta says one possibility behind the higher suicide rates among men is their reluctance to seek help.
“Men are brought up often to be agents in their life. To act and adapt and go from there.”
The aim of the centre, which provides research and services and advocacy for men’s issues, is to help individuals with varying needs, from those needing camaraderie to those in full financial strain who have no housing.
McKinnon says stereotypes such as ‘men should be strong,’ or ‘a man shouldn’t cry’ are part of what he calls the “shame system.”
“Those cultural stereotypes of masculinity and North American culture lead to men showing up in a certain way and that way leads to more stress and the stress that men encounter in their lives also feeds into certain mental health conditions for some.”
Guenter saw this with his own father and grandfather, who were more conditioned to show less emotion — something that rubbed off on his own generation.
“As a man, you might appear vulnerable or weak or looked at as someone who might not be able to handle life if they show emotion or break down or just be vulnerable in general about their mental health — or they might be looked at as ‘not a man,’” he said.
Child abuse, youth suicide rates rose significantly during pandemic: report
The National Post, Denette Wilford, Sep 01, 2021
The rates of child abuse and youth suicide attempts soared over the course of the last 17 months, according to a new report published Wednesday.
The health of kids across Canada has declined as they endure – and continue to endure – deteriorating mental health, food insecurity, child abuse, system racism, bullying, discrimination, and poverty, says Children First Canada. School closures and lockdowns played a huge role, as kids spent less time outdoors. Specifically, children in Ontario have experienced the greatest decline in outdoor play and time spent outside. The non-profit declared that children are in crisis, especially as more than six million children across Canada remain unvaccinated as they return to school this month, with no plans in place to protect them.
“Children made enormous sacrifices throughout the pandemic to protect their elders and keep our country safe, but as a society we have failed them,” said Sara Austin, founder and CEO of Children First Canada, in a news release. “Their rights to an education, survival and development have been largely ignored, and the cost of social and political inaction is too high.”
Suicide remains a leading cause of death for young people between the ages of 10 and 19, according to Statistic Canada. In fact, several children’s hospitals saw significant spikes in admissions for suicide attempts during the pandemic.
Headline in print newspaper
Disgusting Act
Headline in website edition
London, Ont. mom gave nude images of daughters, their friends to secret boyfriend
TORONTO SUN, By Jane Sim, July 16, 2021
52-year-old was sentenced to four years in prison for voyeurism and five other child pornography counts
London, ON - Clandestine photos and videos of her daughters and friends, taken while they changed clothes in a bathroom, were made to satisfy the sexual urges of her secret boyfriend.
She kept up the steady diet of images and text messages for almost a decade, while keeping up appearances as a wife, a mother, a Sunday school teacher and a school volunteer.
"I can't say how sorry I am. I don't expect forgiveness but I hope in time they will,' the 52-year-old London woman said tearfully to Ontario Court Justice Allan Maclure before he sentenced her to four years in prison for voyeurism and five other child pornography counts.
"I have prayed for and will continue to pray for healing for all of the victims, because, with God, all things are possible and he can heal them. I'm so sorry,' she said.
That was a bit rich for the judge. Before agreeing to a joint sentencing submission, Maclure took the woman to the judicial woodshed, calling what she did "depraved,' "exploitive,' "offensive,' "perverted' and "utterly disgusting.'
And what she said about a higher power healing everyone came off "as both offensive and trite.'
"For you to so easily say God will heal them is to trivialize what's occurred to these children and their families and perhaps to trivialize your own responsibility, " Maclure said.
The judge's sharp comments came after hearing what the woman did with her daughters and playmates during a 10-year extramarital affair, plus the emotional victim impact statements from parents who once called her a friend.
A court-ordered publication ban is in place to protect the identities of the victims.
Assistant Crown attorney Andrea Mason told Maclure the London police found images of two sisters, one of whom was seven years old, and some of two other sisters from another family, on the man's electronic devices.
Police traced images to the sisters' mother, arrested her and searched her home. She admitted to the affair and to taking nude photos of her daughters and their friends to send to her boyfriend. The photos police found were taken between 2014 and 2020 showing her daughters in the bathtub, and all the girls dressing or undressing.
Mom gave nude images of daughters, their friends to secret boyfriend
Clandestine photos and videos of her daughters and friends, taken while they changed clothes in a bathroom, were made to satisfy the sexual urges of her secret boyfriend.
Proceeds from her book to fund school programs
The London Free Press, by Jane Sims, July 15, 2021
EDITOR’S NOTE: This story contains details that may disturb readers.
Clandestine photos and videos of her daughters and friends, taken while they changed clothes in a bathroom, were made to satisfy the sexual urges of her secret boyfriend.
She kept up the steady diet of images and text messages for almost a decade, while keeping up appearances as a wife, a mother, a Sunday school teacher and a school volunteer.
“I can’t say how sorry I am. I don’t expect forgiveness but I hope in time they will," the 52-year-old London woman said tearfully to Ontario Court Justice Allan Maclure before he sentenced her to four years in prison for voyeurism and five other child pornography counts.
“I have prayed for and will continue to pray for healing for all of the victims, because, with God, all things are possible and he can heal them. I’m so sorry," she said.
That was a bit rich for the judge. Before agreeing to a joint sentencing submission, Maclure took the woman to the judicial woodshed, calling what she did “depraved," “exploitive," “offensive," “perverted" and “utterly disgusting."
And what she said about a higher power healing everyone came off “as both offensive and trite."
“For you to so easily say God will heal them is to trivialize what’s occurred to these children and their families and perhaps to trivialize your own responsibility," Maclure said.
The judge’s sharp comments came after hearing what the woman did with her daughters and playmates during a 10-year extramarital affair, plus the emotional victim impact statements from parents who once called her a friend. Read More ..
White House Gender Policy Council - 2021
A Gender Policy Council That's Sexist ... and Racist?
Opinion - Warren Farrell, Best Seller Author, Feb 15, 2021 
Every new president vows to heal the very divide his party and opponents have spent the last year and billions of dollars magnifying. Invariably, the plea translates into "unify by agreeing with me."
One of President Joe Biden's first policies appeared to bridge the gender divide by creating a White House Gender Policy Council. As someone who served on the Board of the National Organization for Women in New York City, I have seen enormous progress in women's issues, and a need for more.
Simultaneously, for a half century, millions of parents of boys and I have witnessed an ever-growing boy crisis. We see it hurting not only boys, but the fathers they may become, and our daughters who seek future young men worthy of their love.
By creating a council for "gender policy" rather than a council for "women," Biden seemed to be heeding the warning embodied in Betty Friedan's The Second Stage: The liberation of women will plateau if attention to men's issues does not follow.
The Gender Policy Council's mission is to help only women and girls. Boys are left out. Fathers are left out. Men are left out. Even transgender people and gays are left out-if they are male.
Politically, this is understandable: Men dominate corporate and political power structures. That's a valid half of the gender picture. Here is the missing half: The U.S. currently has seven federal offices of women's health, and none on men's health.
The neglect of men's health has contributed to the decreasing life expectancy of males for the past three years. Boys and men die sooner of nine out of the 10 leading causes of death. Obesity is a bigger problem among boys. Boys are twice as likely to die from opioid overdose, and to be street homeless or living in their parents' basement. They are more likely to be addicted to video games, pornography and alcohol. More alarming, boys commit suicide at four times the rate of girls.
Learning My Rights with Mousewoman
Board Book
by Morgan Asoyuf
Highly recommended by the Canadian Children's Rights Council
The tiny but mighty Mousewoman is a legendary figure in the oral and visual practices of Northwest Coast Indigenous cultures. She is both grandmother and oracle, able to travel in and out of the spirit world. Mousewoman sits on young people’s shoulders in crucial times, whispering advice and knowledge. She protects and guides young people by helping them avoid or escape bad situations, and is never afraid to stand up to bigger beings.
This book brings to life the timeless lessons of Mousewoman—lessons that embody the principles outlined in the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child and the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.
Alyson Schafer on Spanking and Corporal Punishment of Children
Alyson Schafer is a psychotherapist and one of Canada's leading parenting experts. She's the author of the best-selling "Breaking the Good Mom Myth" (Wiley, 2006) and host of TV's The Parenting Show a live call-in show in Toronto, Ontario.
The media relies on Alyson's comments and opinions. you can find her interviewed and quoted extensively in such publications as Cosmopolitan, Readers' Digest, Canadian Living, Today's Parents, and Canadian Families.
You can read Alyson's thoughts.
Auditor General of Ontario
Disasterous Report on the Family Reponsibility Office FRO 2010
80% of Telephone calls don't get answered
Payers and recipients do not have direct access to their assigned enforcement services officer
"There is only limited access to enforcement staff because many calls to the Office do not get through or are terminated before they can be answered."
"The Office is reviewing and working on only about 20% to 25% of its total cases in any given year."
"At the end of our audit in April 2010, there were approximately 91,000 bring-forward notes outstanding, each of which is supposed to trigger specific action on a case within one month. The status of almost one-third of the outstanding bring-forward notes was "open," indicating either that the notes had been read but not acted upon, or that they had not been read at all, meaning that the underlying nature and urgency of the issues that led to these notes in the first place was not known. In addition, many of the notes were between one and two years old."
"For ongoing cases, the Office took almost four months from the time the case went into arrears before taking its first enforcement action. For newly registered cases that went straight into arrears, the delay was seven months from the time the court order was issued."
Ontario's child financial support collection agency has big problems
Ontario's Family Responsibility Office has many problems
Quote from Ontario Government Ombudsman -"an equal opportunity error-prone program,."'
Support recipients not getting their money.
Men who've been meeting their court-ordered obligations have trouble getting the FRO to stop taking payments when it's supposed to. Read More ..
"Canada's National newspaper for professional women"
Does the FRO have a feminist perspective?
When families fall apart, they can make for the bitterest of enemies. The intensity of their hostility, the personal rhetoric, the posturing and positioning, and the utter faithlessness of remembrance in the relationship's good deeds and consequences is a breathtaking phenomenon. It's as if the positive qualities and countless achievements are struck from history as a revisionist might strike the Holocaust. Into all of this the family court system wades, often inelegantly. Divorce lawyers drive up the emotional and financial toll of separation and transformation. Family and friends frequently collude to make things worse.
And when government decides to rear its head, well, it's a mess for all the world to see. Witness the recent attention on Ontario's euphemistically branded Family Responsibility Office. A job in advertising doubtlessly greeted the person who came up with its title, because it suggests some sort of feel-good missionary work to hold together the sanctity of the institution. Read More ..
"Canada's national newspaper for professional women"
The Family Responsibility Office Under Scrutiny
On June 9, 2005 the McGuinty government announced the passage of Bill 155, legislation that promised to increase enforcement, improve fairness and enhance efficiency at the Family Responsibility Office (FRO).
However, the legislation did not address the problem of accountability and, as things now stand, the FRO is a threat to every Canadian affected by a government regulated support and custody arrangement system. Think of George Orwell's 1984 and you'll have a good picture of how issues are handled at the FRO.
They have legal power to extort money from Canadians, but are not responsible or accountable for their actions.
Last year an FRO staff member decided not to wait for a court date to review the financial status of an out-of-work truck driver and took it upon themselves to suspend his license because he was, understandably, behind on his payments, having lost his job earlier in the year. Although he was looking for work, the FRO cut off the only way he knew of to earn a living. His suicide note explained how he'd lost all hope. Is this what we want FRO to be doing? Read More ..
Wicked mum murdered son, 8, with electrical cables after he caught her in sex romps with his granddad
The Mirror, UK, October 19 2016
Vicious Veronica Panarello throttled her son Loris to death and abandoned his body in a remote gully after he found out about the fling.
The "manipulative" mum, wept as she was jailed for 30 years at a court in Italy on Monday
A wicked mum who brutally murdered her eight-year-old son after he allegedly discovered she was having an affair with his grandfather has been jailed.
Vicious Veronica Panarello throttled her son Loris Stival with electrical cables and abandoned his body in a remote gully after he found out about the fling.
The "manipulative" mum wept as she was jailed for 30 years at a court in Italy on Monday.
Panarello, 28, had tried to pretend her son had been abducted to cover up the horrendous killing in November 2014.
Panarello throttled her eight-year-old son Loris to death with electrical cables. Read More ..
New Brunswick woman ruled responsible in burning of baby's body
ST. STEPHEN, N.B. - A New Brunswick judge says a woman who burned and dismembered her newborn son is criminally responsible for her actions.
Becky Sue Morrow earlier pleaded guilty to offering an indignity to a dead body and disposing of a newborn with the intent of concealing a delivery.
Judge David Walker ruled Friday that the 27-year-old woman may have been suffering from a mental disorder when she delivered the baby but that that was not the case when the baby's body was burned and its remains hidden.
It is not known if the baby was alive at the time of birth.
At a hearing last month, the court heard contrasting reports from the two psychiatrists. One said Ms. Morrow was in a "disassociated" mental state when the crime occurred. The other said she clearly planned her actions and understood the consequences.
Canada's
national "Child Day"
November 20th
Canada's "Child Day" is held on November 20th each year as designated by the Parliament of Canada in 1993.
It commemorates the United Nations adoption of two landmark documents concerned with the human rights of all children and youths. Read More ..