New announcement: Commission tackles issue of service dogs

Commission tackles issue of service dogs

By: Mary Agnes Welch

Posted: 02/27/2015 3:00 AM | Comments: 39

Last Modified: 02/27/2015 6:05 AM

http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/local/commission-tackles-issue-of-service-dogs-294332461.html?device=mobile



DISABLED people with service dogs still face confusion and confrontation when trying to eat at restaurants, take taxis or even rent apartments.

And businesses stuck refereeing conflicts between customers want better rules.

That's the upshot of a series of public consultations on service animals held by the Manitoba Human Rights Commission last fall, consultations that were prompted by a boom in service dogs, especially for invisible disabilities such as anxiety or epilepsy.

The commission released its report summarizing the feedback Thursday and recommended more public awareness, including perhaps a TV and radio ad campaign.

"Even today, barriers still exist for individuals who are blind and/or deaf and use service animals," wrote the commission. "It appears, however, that it is individuals with invisible disabilities using service animals who currently experience significant barriers and whose rights are not well-understood by employers, service providers and landlords."

The commission's report comes in the wake of several controversies about service dogs, including the 2011 case of a soldier suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder who was kicked out of a Brandon bar, along with his service dog, Gambler. Master Cpl. Bill Nachuk was told by staff his dog could not be in the bar, even though Nachuk presented the paperwork that certified Gambler was an official service dog. Brandon police, who were also involved, sided with the bar's management. It was against police Nachuk filed a human rights complaint. Police settled the complaint for an undisclosed amount before a formal hearing could take place.

More recently, Winnipeg teenager Mackenzie Lough has spoken out about the harassment she sometimes gets when she brings her Pomeranian into restaurants and stores with her. The small dog is a trained service dog able to help Lough manage her depression, anxiety and social phobia and to detect when she has forgotten to take her medication or may be about to harm herself.

Complaints to the human rights commission about service animals are on the rise. There are currently about 10 complaints working their way through the commission's process, and staffers say they get about one call a week from people asking for information about service animals.

"We have not done enough education in this province, and all of Canada, about the fact that the role of service dogs has really expanded," said commission chairwoman Yvonne Peters, who is blind and has had a service dog for decades.

At last fall's consultations, disabled people said they were fed up explaining to waiters, landlords or store staff the rules governing their service dogs.

"Many thought the simple message to convey to the public was, 'Service animals are allowed wherever the public is invited,' " said the report.

But business owners told the commission they felt caught in the middle, often trying to mediate between a disabled person and other customers who might be allergic or resent the presence of an animal in a restaurant or store.

Scott Jocelyn, executive director of the Manitoba Restaurant & Foodservices Association, said it's unusual for his industry to ask for more regulations, but he said clearer rules on service animals are a must.

He said restaurant owners and staff want clear rules they can rely on when mediating between customers, especially if the animal isn't an officially certified service dog but still important to a person with anxiety or depression as a source of comfort and support.

"It can be complicated to know the right thing to do," said Jocelyn, adding staff never want to find themselves making a judgment call on whether a customer legitimately requires the help of the animal.

The commission's report recommends the province establish a working group on the issue of service dogs, and Jocelyn said he hopes that group will create some kind of certification or standardized identification for animals to help business owners.

maryagnes.welch@freepress.mb.ca

Do we need a better definition of what a service dog is? Join the conversation in the comments below.

Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition February 27, 2015 A4

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New announcement: Mentally ill soldiers are more likely to be let go: research

Mentally ill soldiers are more likely to be let go: research

By Murray Brewster
The Canadian Press

http://metronews.ca/news/canada/1296319/mentally-ill-soldier-more-likely-to-be-let-go/

OTTAWA – New research by National Defence shows that soldiers with mental health conditions, especially those with Afghan war illnesses, are far more likely to be declared unfit for military service and almost 70 per cent of them can expect to be mustered out within 10 years of deployment.

The startling figures are contained in an analysis by the Canadian Forces Health Services Branch, which reviewed the medical files of over 30,000 troops who deployed as part of the nearly 12 year Afghan campaign.

The analysis focuses on the long-term career impact of service-related mental disorders and how they are impacted by the military's universality of service rule, which requires all members to be fit to deploy both at home and overseas.

In the fall of 2013, a number of soldiers, many with post-traumatic stress, came forward to say they were being declared unfit and hustled out of uniform.

The analysis, by Mark Zamorski and David Boulos, finds that five years after the first deployment, 40 per cent of soldiers with a mental-health diagnosis were likely to have developed career limitations that would lead to being released, compared with 11 per cent with no medical condition.

After 10 years, the figures jump to 68.8 per cent and 19.8 per cent respectively.

National Defence has invested a lot of time and effort to convince soldiers suffering with mental illness to seek help, but a major barrier in the "self identification" campaign has been the worry that once they seek help, their careers are over.

Former veterans ombudsman Pat Stogran said it is a real fear and the new research will come as little comfort.

"The soldiers call it going away to the island of broken toys," Stogran said. "It's a career death sentence and they're not coming back."

Being diagnosed with a career-limiting condition — mental or physical — does not mean an automatic medical release, but it does set the wheels in motion, said Zamorski.

Some people with either depression, post-traumatic stress or anxiety, which make up the bulk of the post-combat afflictions, respond well to treatment and can lead productive lives, said Zamorski.

But they still might not meet the service standard, he cautioned.

"A lot of people are found to be unfit for continued service, even though we know many of them are just great," Zamorski said. "These are people, many of whom we known from our clinicians, are great. Yes, they have PTSD — or they had PTSD and they no longer meet the criteria for the condition. Maybe they have to take medication and they would be fit for just about any other job under the sun, but not for military service."

Stogran said he believes the universality standard needs to be reviewed and pointed to the fact that overweight — or physically unfit — members can obtain a doctor's exemption.

"I could take you on a walk through (National Defence Headquarters) and show you all the plugs in uniform who couldn't do the PT test," he said. "So they've really got to rethink this."

Prior to the Bosnia peacekeeping mission of the 1990s, Stogran said, the army made room for soldiers who may have been broken by past wars, giving them barracks tasks that were essential and but didn't involve operations.

"All that they want to do is still feel like they contribute to the team somehow," he said. "That by itself is very therapeutic."

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New announcement: Federal Budget 2015: Veterans Affairs Programs, Services Project Modest Increase

Federal Budget 2015: Veterans Affairs Programs, Services Project Modest Increases

CP | By The Canadian Press
Posted: 02/25/2015 4:30 am EST

http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2015/02/25/early-projections-suggest_n_6749814.html

OTTAWA - The Harper government's road map to this year's federal budget suggests it is prepared to pour more money into programs and services for the country's veterans, while largely holding the line on defence spending.

Treasury Board President Tony Clement released the 2015-16 spending estimates on Tuesday, even though it's unclear when the budget will be tabled.

The Conservative government's final fiscal plan before this year's election was postponed until at least April by Finance Minister Joe Oliver, who said he needed the time to assess the impact of collapsing oil prices.

The government has been under mounting political pressure to improve the suite of benefits and entitlements for ex-soldiers.

The estimates, which are not the final word on the budget, project modest increases in the amount spent on disability awards and supplementary benefits.

Despite that, overall spending at Veterans Affairs is expected to decline by 1.5 per cent— or $54 million next year, something federal officials attribute to the declining number of Second World War and Korean War veterans.

Veterans Affairs Canada spends just over $3.5 billion per year.

Over at National Defence, another politically-charged portfolio, spending is expected to increase by 1.5 per cent — $280 million — in the coming year, bringing the military budget to $18.9 billion.

Officials say they will be saving $709.2 million in capital costs, some of which is likely related to the cancellation of the army's plans for a close-combat vehicle and delays in acquiring maritime helicopters for the air force.

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New announcement: Marijuana for Medical Purposes + Vapourizer / Marihuana a des fins medicales

UPDATE: Jan 26 2015: POC 10 - Marijuana for Medical Purposes + Vapourizer - PDC 10 - Marihuana a des fins medicales + Vaporisateur

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http://canadianveteransadvocacy.com/VACDND_Services-Benefits/?p=74

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New announcement: CANFORGEN VIRTUAL LAUNCH OF A MILITARY FAMILY PANEL PROCESS

CANFORGEN 032/15 CMP 015/15 091504Z FEB 15

VIRTUAL LAUNCH OF A MILITARY FAMILY PANEL PROCESS - LANCEMENT VIRTUEL DU PROCESSUS POUR UN GROUPE DE CONSULTATION DES FAMILLES DES MILITAIRES

UNCLASSIFIED

I AM PLEASED TO ANNOUNCE THE VIRTUAL LAUNCH OF A MILITARY FAMILY PANEL PROCESS


IN OCTOBER 2014, MILITARY FAMILY PANEL PROCESS WAS INTRODUCED AT THE STRENGTHENING RESILIENCE CONFERENCE IN CORNWALL, AS A REPLACEMENT TO THE FORMER NATIONAL MILITARY FAMILY COUNCIL


THE MILITARY FAMILY PANEL PROCESS IS AN ONGOING CONSULTATION DIRECTLY WITH FAMILIES TO INFORM POLICY, BENEFITS AND PROGRAM ADMINISTRATION AS THEY AFFECT MILITARY FAMILIES


MILITARY FAMILIES WILL BE ENCOURAGED TO PARTICIPATE IN THE MILITARY FAMILY PANEL PROCESS THROUGH THE FAMILY INFORMATION LINE BY CALLING 1-800-866-4546, COMMUNICATING VIA EMAIL AT MYVOICE(A) FAMILYFORCE.CA OR THROUGH OUR FACEBOOK PAGE. FAMILIES WHO WANT TO FIND OUT MORE ABOUT WAYS TO SHARE THEIR VOICE, CAN VISIT WWW.FAMILYFORCE.CA

CANFORGEN 032/15 CMP 015/15 091504Z FEB 15
LANCEMENT VIRTUEL DU PROCESSUS POUR UN GROUPE DE CONSULTATION DES FAMILLES DES MILITAIRES
UNCLASSIFIED


REFS: A. CANFORGEN 154/09 CMP 065/09 021424Z SEP 09 - PROGRAMME DE SOUTIEN AUX FAMILLES DES MILITAIRES - PROCHAINES ETAPES



JE SUIS FIER D ANNONCER LE LANCEMENT VIRTUEL DU PROCESSUS POUR UN GROUPE DE CONSULTATION DES FAMILLES DES MILITAIRES


EN OCTOBRE 2014 LA DEMARCHE DU PROCESSUS POUR UN GROUPE DE CONSULTATION DES FAMILLES DES MILITAIRES A ETE PRESENTEE A LA CONFERENCE RENFORCER LA RESILIENCE TENUE A CORNWALL POUR REMPLACER L ANCIEN CONSEIL NATIONAL POUR LES FAMILLES DES MILITAIRES


LA DEMARCHE DU PROCESSUS POUR UN GROUPE DE CONSULTATION DES FAMILLES DES MILITAIRES EST UN PROCESSUS DE CONSULTATION POUR FACONNER LES POLITIQUES, LES AVANTAGES ET L ADMINISTRATION DES PROGRAMMES QUI TOUCHENT LES FAMILLES


NOUS INVITERONS LES FAMILLES DES MILITAIRES A PARTICIPER A LA DEMARCHE DU GROUPE DES FAMILLES DES MILITAIRES AU MOYEN DE LA LIGNE D INFORMATION POUR LES FAMILLES, AU 1-800-866-4546, EN COMMUNIQUANT PAR COURRIEL A MAVOIX(A)FORCEDELAFAMILLE.CA, OU ENCORE PAR LA PAGE FACEBOOK. LES FAMILLES QUI DESIRENT OBTENIR D AUTRES RENSEIGNEMENTS SUR LES MOYENS DE SE FAIRE ENTENDRE PEUVENT LE FAIRE EN VISITANT LE SITE WWW.FORCEDELAFAMILLE.CA

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New announcement: Please Don’t Thank Me for My Service

Please Don't Thank Me for My Service

The New York Times 7 hrs ago By MATT RICHTEL

http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/please-don%E2%80%99t-thank-me-for-my-service/ar-BBhPFEn?ocid=UP97DHP

HUNTER GARTH was in a gunfight for his life — and about to lose.

He and seven other Marines were huddled in a mud hut, their only refuge after they walked into an ambush in Trek Nawa, a Taliban stronghold in Afghanistan. Down to his last 15 bullets, one buddy already terribly wounded, Mr. Garth pulled off his helmet, smoked a cheap Afghan cigarette, and "came to terms with what was happening."

"I'm going to die here with my best friends," he recalled thinking.

I didn't know any of this — nor the remarkable story of his survival that day — when I met him two months ago in Colorado while reporting for an article about the marijuana industry, for which Mr. Garth and his company provide security. But I did know he was a vet and so I did what seemed natural: I thanked him for his service.

"No problem," he said.

It wasn't true. There was a problem. I could see it from the way he looked down. And I could see it on the faces of some of the other vets who work with Mr. Garth when I thanked them too. What gives, I asked? Who doesn't want to be thanked for their military service?

Many people, it turns out. Mike Freedman, a Green Beret, calls it the "thank you for your service phenomenon." To some recent vets — by no stretch all of them — the thanks comes across as shallow, disconnected, a reflexive offering from people who, while meaning well, have no clue what soldiers did over there or what motivated them to go, and who would never have gone themselves nor sent their own sons and daughters.

To these vets, thanking soldiers for their service symbolizes the ease of sending a volunteer army to wage war at great distance — physically, spiritually, economically. It raises questions of the meaning of patriotism, shared purpose and, pointedly, what you're supposed to say to those who put their lives on the line and are uncomfortable about being thanked for it.

Mr. Garth, 26, said that when he gets thanked it can feel self-serving for the thankers, suggesting that he did it for them, and that they somehow understand the sacrifice, night terrors, feelings of loss and bewilderment. Or don't think about it at all.

"I pulled the trigger," he said. "You didn't. Don't take that away from me."

The issue has been percolating for a few years, elucidated memorably in "Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk," a 2012 National Book Award finalist about a group of soldiers being feted at halftime of a Dallas Cowboys game. The soldiers express dread over people rushing to offer thanks, pregnant with obligation and blood lust and "their voices throbbing like lovers."

The issue has also surfaced, at least tangentially, with Brian Williams's admission that he'd exaggerated about being in a Chinook helicopter hit by enemy fire. In explaining his failed memory, the NBC News anchor said: "This was a bungled attempt by me to thank one special veteran and by extension our brave military men and women veterans everywhere, those who have served while I did not."

The idea of giving thanks while not participating themselves is one of the core vet quibbles, said Mr. Freedman, the Green Beret. The joke has become so prevalent, he said, that servicemen and women sometimes walk up to one another pretending to be "misty-eyed" and mockingly say "Thanks for your service."

Mr. Freedman, 33, feels like the thanks "alleviates some of the civilian guilt," adding: "They have no skin in the game with these wars. There's no draft."

No real opinions either, he said. "At least with Vietnam, people spit on you and you knew they had an opinion."

"Thank you for your service," he said, is almost the equivalent of "I haven't thought about any of this."

For most of us, I suspect, offering thanks reflects genuine appreciation — even if ill-defined. It was a dirty job and someone had to do it. If not these men and women, then us or our children.

Tim O'Brien, a Vietnam vet and the author of the acclaimed book "The Things They Carried," told me that his war's vets who believed in the mission like to be thanked. Others, himself included, find that "something in the stomach tumbles" from expressions of appreciation that are so disconnected from the "evil, nasty stuff you do in war."

The more so, he said, "when your war turns out to have feet of clay" — whether fighting peasants in Vietnam or in the name of eradicating weapons of mass destruction that never materialized.

But doesn't their sacrifice merit thanks? "Patriotic gloss," responded Mr. O'Brien, an unofficial poet laureate of war who essentially elevates the issue to the philosophical; to him, we're thanking without having the courage to ask whether the mission is even right.

It's hard to assess how widespread such ideas are among the men and women of today's generation. So, rather than try to sum up what invariably are many views on the subject, I'll relate more of Mr. Garth's story.

He grew up in Florida, son of a Vietnam vet, grandson of a decorated World War II vet, himself a bit of a class clown who drank his way out of college and wound up working the docks. The Marines offered a chance to make something of himself and, despite his parents' pleadings otherwise, to fight.

It wasn't what he romanticized. First training and waiting. Then the reality that he might die, along with his friends — 17 of them did, in action, by accident or by suicide. And, he now asks, for what?

His ideas about the need to prove himself slipped away, along with any patriotic fervor. He hates it when people dismiss the Taliban as imbeciles when he saw them as cunning warriors. To Mr. Garth, the war became solely about survival among brothers in arms.

Like that day in September 2011 when Mr. Garth was surrounded in the hut. A last-ditch call for help over the radio prompted a small group of fellow Marines to run three miles to save the day, one of them carrying 170 pounds of gear, including a 22-pound machine gun and 50 pounds of ammo.

THE thanks Mr. Garth gets today remind him of both the bad times and the good, all of which carry more meaning than he has now in civilian life. Hardest is the gratitude from parents of fallen comrades. "That's the most painful thank you," he said. "It's not for me, and I'm not your son."

He struggled to explain his irritation. "It's not your fault," he said of those thanking him. "But it's not my fault either."

So what to say to a vet? Maybe promise to vote next time, Mr. Freedman said, or offer a scholarship or job (as, he said, some places have stepped up and done). Stand up for what's right, suggested Mr. O'Brien. Give $100 to a vet, Ben Fountain, author of the "Billy Lynn" book, half-joked, saying it would at least show some sacrifice on the thanker's part.

Mr. Garth appreciates thanks from someone who makes an effort to invest in the relationship and experience. Or a fellow vet who gets it. Several weeks ago, he visited one of his soul mates from the mud hut firefight, which they refer to as the Battle of the Unmarked Compound. They drank Jameson whiskey in gulps.

"We cried in each other's arms until we both could tell each other we loved each other," Mr. Garth said. "We each said, thank you for what you've done for me."

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New announcement: Confidence in VAC management plummets to new low:internal staff poll

Confidence in Veterans Affairs management plummets to new low: internal staff poll

Check this link due to pictures: http://www.pressprogress.ca/en/post/veterans-affairs-sees-confidence-management-plummet-new-low

Veterans Affairs has gone from bad to worse. Just ask its employees.

Four in 10 of the department's staff have lost confidence in their senior management -- a rate far higher than the broader public service.

While the Conservative government has been in damage control mode over the veterans file for the better part of the last year, recently replacing embattled minister Julian Fantino and trying to rehabilitate their image to "undo the damage done to [the] party's pro-military reputation," the new internal survey suggests the problems at Veterans Affairs Canada may run far deeper than they'd like to admit.

The newly released 2014 Public Service Employee Survey presents dramatic numbers showing that a plurality of rank-and-file public servants have lost confidence in the management of the Veterans Affairs Canada.

When asked if "I have confidence in the senior management of my department or agency," 41% answered in the negative while only 38% answered in the positive. That's in contrast to the broader public service, where only 27% answered in the negative while 53% answered in the positive.

Since 2008, the number of VAC employees who say they're not confident in management has increased by 19%, while the number who say they are confident in management has fallen by 23%. Noticeably, the number who "strongly disagreed" that they had confidence in managers also increased 12% since 2008:



Another sore spot for VAC employees is "lack of stability" in their department.

Rising sharply by 21% since 2008, 48% said their quality of work "always" or "often" suffered due to lack of stability at VAC, while an additional 29% said "sometimes." Only 20% said "rarely" or "never":



You'll start to notice a pattern developing here:



What about Conservative cuts to the public service? Could those be having an impact on morale?

When asked if their quality of work suffers from "having to do the same or more work, but with fewer resources," a full 58% answered in the negative while only 17% said lack of resources wasn't effecting the quality of their work.

This also marks a sharp increase from 2008 when 16% fewer VAC employees cited problems with resources:



Amidst ongoing criticism on the file, the Conservatives announced in December that they'd be making new hires to VAC.

But it doesn't sound like VAC employees are terribly confident management will "resolve concerns raised in this survey":

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