VAC: Suicide Prevention Framework for Canadian Veterans
http://www.queensu.ca/conferences/mvhr/images/pdf/presentations/Thompson,_Jim_MVHR2010.pdf
Link: http://www.queensu.ca/conferences/mvhr/images/pdf/presentations/Thompson,_Jim_MVHR2010.pdf
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The Canadian Veterans Advocacy Team.
Wednesday, June 12, 2013
Saturday, June 8, 2013
New announcement: Calgary's Poppy Plaza honours Canada's servicemen and women
Calgary's Poppy Plaza honours Canada's servicemen and women
Bridget Brown, CTV Calgary
Published Saturday, June 8, 2013 4:26PM MDT
Last Updated Saturday, June 8, 2013 6:28PM MDT
Check the Video: http://calgary.ctvnews.ca/calgary-s-poppy-plaza-honours-canada-s-servicemen-and-women-1.1317348#ixzz2VgWDVIUB
ou'll find Calgary's newest gathering place at an address that calls to mind our national day of remembrance: 1111 Memorial Drive N.W. It's now called Poppy Plaza, and it's is designed to commemorate those who have served Canada in our armed forces.
Attending Saturday's official opening were the mothers of two soldiers killed in Afghanistan, Diane Dallaire and Anita Bowes. Both are happy to see the creation of a significant monument in Calgary to the sacrifices of families like theirs.
"They need to be remembered," says Bowes, whose son Chad Horn died in 2008 in Afghanistan's Zhari district of Kandahar.
Diane Dallaire lost her son Kevin in 2006. She says, "they fought for us to have the freedom that we enjoy today, it should not be taken for granted."
That appreciation is visible in the Poppy Place monuments. The 86-square-foot wood plaza is flanked by steel walls that protect it from river ice floes. The steel is untreated, and will eventually oxidize from bright rust to a dark brown.
Councillor Druh Farrell says the design of the area was in part contributed by military members. "We consulted very closely with veterans on the entire project" says Farrell.
The walls of the plaza feature verses and phrases including the Canadian poem In Flanders Fields. The metal words have been cut using high pressure water jets and sand.
Calgary's Mayor Naheed Nenshi and former mayor Dave Bronconnier were among those commemorating the plaza, as well as councilors, veterans, current soldiers and their families.
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The Canadian Veterans Advocacy Team.
Wednesday, June 5, 2013
New announcement: Injured Afghan vet testifies about struggle for benefits, despite warning Read
Injured Afghan vet testifies about struggle for benefits, despite warning
Check the video http://www.ctvnews.ca/canada/injured-afghan-vet-testifies-about-struggle-for-benefits-despite-warning-1.1313295#ixzz2VOqyu000
CTVNews.ca Staff
Published Wednesday, June 5, 2013 10:02PM EDT
Last Updated Wednesday, June 5, 2013 10:04PM EDT
A fourth-generation solider who served in Afghanistan said he felt compelled to disobey orders and speak out about his experience as an injured veteran, regardless of the consequences he may face.
Vancouver-native Cpl. Glen Kirkland barely survived a Taliban ambush in the Zhari district of Afghanistan five years ago, and said he fears he'll have no pension when he's discharged, or be given adequate assistance for covering his medical bills for a long list of injuries.
The 29-year-old recalled the terrifying attack during a parliamentary hearing on Wednesday.
"My tour was one of bloodshed, constant fighting and on the second last day of my tour, my platoon was ambushed by an estimated 120 Taliban fighters," an emotional Kirkland recalled.
He said the rocket that hit his vehicle missed him by "inches."
Three of the five soldiers in the vehicle died in the attack.
"I had to pull myself while on fire, and through gunfire, to try to extract my dead and dying brothers-in-arms."
The attack, Kirkland said, resulted in the loss of 75 per cent of his hearing, the loss of some sight and a brain injury that left him forever dependant on insulin.
"I suffer from PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) so badly that I haven't been able to visit my home in Vancouver for years," he said, with tears in his eyes. "I can't handle the anxiety of being around crowds. Survivor's guilt haunts me every day."
Kirkland recalled the phone call he made to his father while in the hospital in Afghanistan.
"My dad said, 'Don't worry, Canada will take care of you,'" he said. "My dad was wrong."
Kirkland said he had aspirations of becoming a police officer, but his injuries have dashed that dream.
He said he's been denied certain medical aids upon returning to Canada.
"I cried," he said. "Not like a person in pain, but as a person who is totally and utterly defeated."
Kirkland said he's been told to remain quiet about his experience after returning from battle.
"In the past I've been threatened with a dishonourable discharge," Kirkland told CTV News.
However, he said it's important to expose the hurdles some veterans face.
Committee members who heard Kirkland's testimony agreed.
"He has serious, serious injuries," said MP John McKay. "They can boot him tomorrow, and he has no idea whether his medication will be covered, he has no idea whether he'll get any pension, and he's out on his own. It's shameful."
MP Chris Alexander said: "This is clearly a soldier who feels very strongly he has not been well-served by the system…and we want to improve the system. So if we don't hear from those who have experienced challenges, we're not doing our job."
With a report from CTV's Richard Madan
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The Canadian Veterans Advocacy Team.
Thursday, May 30, 2013
New announcement: NDP Motion: M-422 on the Last Post Fund rejected by Conservatives
Sylvain Chicoine - Député de Châteauguay St-Constant
Yesterday, the Conservatives have let down the veterans by voting against the motion M-422 on the Last Post Fund. The motion called for a financial improvement of the program, an expansion of the eligibility criteria and review the means test. Veterans deserve better than a government that does not meet their needs. Together we will defeat the conservatives to become the NDP government which will listen to the needs and interests of veterans!
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The Canadian Veterans Advocacy Team.
Tuesday, May 21, 2013
New announcement: Veteran told to remove wheelchair ramp after neighbour complains
Veteran told to remove wheelchair ramp after neighbour complains
CTV Atlantic
Published Tuesday, May 21, 2013 6:56PM ADT
A military veteran has been told to remove a wheelchair accessible ramp from his property at a Dartmouth trailer park, after receiving permission to build it.
Frederick Randall says his wheelchair helps him maintain his quality of life for now and he expects he will be confined to it one day.
"I'm a veteran of the Canadian Armed Forces and my back was injured," he says.
Photos
Frederick Randall
Frederick Randall says his wheelchair helps him maintain his quality of life and he would be lost without it. (CTV Atlantic)
Randall has lung disease, suffered a heart attack and, among other ailments, he lives with post-traumatic stress disorder.
"I take 28 different prescriptions a day," he says.
Veterans Affairs bought him the wheelchair and suggested he get a ramp, so Randall filled out all the necessary paperwork and asked the landowners for permission to build it.
"I've showed her how it was being built, where it was being constructed and everything else and she said that's fine by me."
But recently he received a letter saying the ramp needs to be removed, after a neighbour complained.
"He was told that he had to keep the distance from the other trailer," says trailer park owner Bill Whebby.
The Randalls own their home, but Whebby owns the property in the trailer park. He says they can keep the ramp, but suggests cutting into the deck to create more space between the two homes.
"No issue with him having a wheelchair ramp at all…(the issue is) that it's encroaching on the other person's lot," says Whebby.
"Under the building code there are no regulations that would prohibit the construction of a deck based on its proximity to another single-family dwelling, so, from our perspective, the siting of the ramp was perfectly accessible and that's why we did issue the permit," says HRM spokesperson Tiffany Chase.
Randall says he doesn't have the money to move the ramp and he's willing to fight, even if it means going to court.
"If I lose my ramp then I have no means to get out into society."
With files from CTV Atlantic's Kayla Hounsell
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The Canadian Veterans Advocacy Team.
Sunday, May 19, 2013
New announcement: Services and Benefits Offered to Veterans by Canada and its Allies: USA
Mr. Ben Lobb:
That's very interesting.
You guys were faced with some very tough economic times five or six years ago. I was wondering if the level of benefits veterans receive was maintained through all those tough times. Were there cuts at all? How did the department manage through those tough economic times?
That's very interesting.
You guys were faced with some very tough economic times five or six years ago. I was wondering if the level of benefits veterans receive was maintained through all those tough times. Were there cuts at all? How did the department manage through those tough economic times?
Mr. Thomas Murphy – USA VA:
The benefits for veterans throughout the economic challenge were untouched, unchanged. Our Congress and our executive branch of the government determined that they would not go after this, out of respect for the veterans. So we've been very fortunate in that regard.
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Peter Stoffer Sackville—Eastern Shore, NS
When a veteran is having difficulty in the appeal process with your VA, and they go through the levels of appeal and eventually hit the judiciary, does the Government of the United States supply them with any legal assistance to assist them in their argument before the courts?
Thomas Murphy
We do. If an attorney comes in and represents the individual and they advance the claim, if it changes the compensation the veteran is owing in any way, we'll step in and pay what we call EAJA fees. We pay the legal fees, too, through the attorney.
Depending on the circumstances, there are some where those fees are paid by the veteran. We withhold them from the veteran's compensation that they would be receiving from us. It's a combination, depending on the outcome of the case.
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The Canadian Veterans Advocacy Team.
Wednesday, May 1, 2013
New announcement: Country music star Julian Austin wants Canada to care about veterans
Country music star Julian Austin wants Canada to care about veterans
By Jill Kruse
http://cmfmag.ca/en/country-music-star-julian-austin-wants-canada-care-about-veterans
If you ask Canadian musician Julian Austin why he wants to help Canada's military personnel and their families, be prepared, he has a long list of reasons but some lie closer to his heart.
"I guess it stems back to my father, a Second World War Veteran by the name of Harvey McPhee," says Julian. "He was a combat medic on a transport ship that got torpedoed. Maybe that's where the TB came from--being in the diesel and oil infested water for so long before being rescued."
He recalls the struggles his family had after his father had to retire early and when he worked as an orderly at the DVA Hospital in Saint John, New Brunswick.
"Of course his pension was small and times were lean after that. I look back later in my life thinking how was it that a man as great and incredible as my dad had to worry about where his next dollar might come from, or where next week's groceries were coming from to feed his family. A man that who selflessly gave of himself for King and country and asked nothing in return should not ever have to worry about anything after what he and thousands of others went through. They all should've been set for life."
"I have always been a proud Canadian but throughout my younger years getting in trouble with the law, I lost my way for awhile, letting my patriotism slip a bit and taking this country for granted like so many of us did. I guess it was places like Bosnia, Southwest Asia and Afghanistan where I had gone to perform for the troops, that it really, truly brought back my never again unwavering patriotism and the true meaning of what it means to be a Canadian and to live in a country as great and wonderful as Canada."
Julian says it made him much more aware of those who sacrificed and continue to sacrifice for our way of life here. And when he and his wife Angela visited France two years ago he was touched by every monument and battlefield where Canadians, Americans, British, French, Australians, Irish and others, fought and died.
"I could not hold back my tears for those selfless wonderful souls who gave all to save the blessed free world. We truly owe our Veterans and those who have paid the ultimate sacrifice in the name of world peace and freedom. We truly do. This is just one of a million reasons why I am motivated and want to help our Veterans in any way I can, for I am a grateful and thankful Canadian."
This past year Julian received the Queen's Diamond Jubilee Medal for his contributions on behalf of the Canadian Veteran's Advocacy, a group which advocates for Canadian Veterans. More recently he was notified that he will be receiving the Governor General's 'Caring Canadian Award'. He says this latest accolade has inspired him to do something more for Canadian Veterans who are struggling for the benefits and compensation he says they so rightly deserve.
This past week he created a Facebook page dedicated to this cause called 'Canada Cares'. Through Canada Cares he hopes to raise funds and awareness to help Vets get what they deserve.
"At this moment "Canada Cares" is just a Facebook page," says Julian. "It's a name and an idea I have had kicking around inside my head for a few years now and I want to see it turn into a legitimate organization that assists those of our many Veterans who are truly in need of help on many different levels. As a grateful nation we need to especially address the growing issue of homeless Veterans living on the street as this is so wrong. We the grateful citizens of Canada need to be the voice that's so desperately needed to represent our Veterans on all levels when taking on Parliament. We need to start our own "Citizens Army" to defend the rights and entitlements for those who once stood on watch to defend and protect us no matter the threat. I hope and pray Canada Cares will be able to help and to help other organizations that are already in place for Veterans."
Julian says he would like to organize a cross country "Canada Cares Christmas" with many of my his friends in the music industry to raise money to care for our homeless Veterans particularly.
"I also want to challenge "ALL" grateful and thankful Canadians to donate a minimum of $1 or whatever amount they want to donate to a couple of reputable charities here in Canada that already exist to assist with our Veteran's needs. When I was over in Bosnia and Afghanistan we would go to "Canada House" to have coffee and sit and talk with the troops. You knew that that was a little piece of Canada--even in a hostile war torn countries like these--you knew that was a piece of home away from home.
"We need to bring this familiarity to our Veterans living on the streets here in Canada, and we need to fight to get the government behind us and put in place the much needed funding to help our homeless heroes. There at "Canada House" they can once again find their self worth of being a human being with a purpose. There perhaps we can help them find employment and their own place to call home and help them return to society as respected members of society instead of forgotten about members of society."
Julian recalls the case of Veteran Fabien Melanson from New Brunswick, who went on a hunger strike to fight Veteran Affairs for his home. Fabien ended up losing his home his dogs and his "self-esteem" because of a mix up on paper which he says probably had to do with understaffed, overworked and under-funded programs at Veteran Affairs.
"The government needs to give the needed funding to organizations such as Veteran Affairs so that those who work there can look after all of our Veterans needs without issue."
He hopes that his organization Canada Cares will make the right kind of noise to motivate the government in power to do what is right for those who volunteered to defend this country.
"It will take a little bit of time to get everybody on board but we will do this. We have to find successful companies and sponsors with deep pockets from all across Canada who are also grateful and thankful Canadians to help us rent buses from all parts of Canada and make our way to the front lawn of the Parliament buildings to stand with our Veterans with a very loud message to the government.
"Our government gives more to people who land here in Canada everyday in the form of money, jobs and housing who are not yet Canadian citizens. But then they seem to ignore and turn their backs on the Canadians who have served Canada fearlessly and without question. I have to ask, why? As a grateful nation we have to come together, both civilians and military alike, from every part of Canada and show our government that there are still too many of us LOUD and PROUD CANADIANS left, to just stand by and watch nothing being done for our heroes here at home. God bless our heroes everywhere."
For more information about Canada Cares visit the Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Canada-Cares/504861949551534?fref=ts
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The Canadian Veterans Advocacy Team.
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