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Provincial support for volunteer caregivers By Laura Williamson Hospice Durham's future is no longer operating on a shoe string thanks to a $105,500 provincial grant. This non-profit community based volunteer organization, organization, that gives support to individuals and families with life-threatening illnesses, illnesses, has had its programs sta- balized by this additional source of funding. The money given to Hospice is used for core funding. It pays for the buildings rent and salary of all their part-time workers. The office is used for volunteer volunteer training, bereavement groups, and meetings. Funding for Hospice Durham is part of a $1.2 million in grants to the Region's community service organization announced recently. "We have come a long way in our development, and have become a crucial part of palliative care in Durham Region," said Cheryl MacLeod, Executive Director of Hospice Durham. "This new base funding from the Ministry of Health means that the future of the agency is secure ! " . . ^"Hospice- ^Durham . has, touched the lives of many families through its team of dedicated volunteers and equally dedicated staff," said Durham MPP John O'Toole. "Last year, Durham's MPPs were alerted alerted to Hospice Durham's growing caseload and their need for more funds. We brought this priority to the attention of the Minister of Health and long-Term Care, the Hon. Tony Clement, and we are pleased to see that funding will be increased by approximately 145%. "Hospice Durham volunteers volunteers and staff have helped numerous families cope with the most difficult time in their lives - the terminal illness illness of a loved one," said Janet Ecker. "I am very pleased that Minister clement has recognized their commitment and the value of the service they provide with this significant increase in funding." "Our government recognizes recognizes the vital work of Hospice Durham and encourages their service to continue in our community. I'm very pleased with today's announcement and extend my appreciation to the r .voJunteer,s at . Hospice' ; PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT Knowing the difference between this and this could save your life. If you are considering a MedicAlert® membership there's something you need to know. Some stores are selling bracelets that look very similar to MedicAlert. These imitation bracelets may not contain medically accurate information about you and they cannot connect an emergency physician with your medical record. In an emergency, only MedicAlert provides instant information on critical medical conditions or allergies and gives the emergency team immediate access to your medical record through the MedicAlert® 24-hour Emergency Hotline. MedicAlert is not sold in stores. You can obtain a registration form through your family physician, by calling 1-800-668-1507 or online at www.medicalert.ca Canadian MedicAlert® Foundation Is a national registered charity dedicated to protecting and saving lives. CD MedicAlert Lets You Live Life. www.medicalert.ca HiMtclicAlcrt ii .1 RtHiilrrrd trademark and Service Mark Durham for their commitment commitment to this worthy cause," says Jim Flaherty. "I am pleased that we are able to assist such a worthwhile worthwhile organization," said Jerry Oullette. "This funding means that residents in Durham Region will continue continue to have access to support and care that they need, when they need it." The Province of Ontario provides $500 million in base funding for community support services across Ontario. The latest allocation allocation for Hospice Durham and other community agencies agencies will e'nsure that these organizations will continue to provide very important services. Because of the growing popularity of Hospice Durham many new volunteers volunteers are needed. The next training session will be five Thursdays from May lst- May 29th, 9am-4pm at. the Whitby office. If you have any questions about the training days, or about Hospice Durham contact Kathryn Roberts at 905-623- 3691. Fullest? Habitat for Humanity would like to thank the thousands of volunteers from all across Canada who have been busy building homes in 2002 with families in need of decent, affordable housing. We're going to need more volunteers next year in order to build more homes and hope than ever before. Are you living life • to the fullest? Come and see what all the fun is about! Volunteer, join a committee, or donate building materials and supplies. i$r % Habitat for Humanity Call Habitat for Humanity at 1.800.667.5137 40 Albert Street Waterloo, ON N2L3S2 Email: habltat@hibltat.es www.hibltat.ca The Quebec election is drawing a lot of attention as of late. With three serious contenders, contenders, the race appears to take policy relatively seriously, as opposed to the typical personality-driven personality-driven event elections tend to be. Still, the personalities and potentials of each of the contenders contenders is spoken about. Thus the Action Démocratique du Quebec's (ADQ) Mario Dumopt, for instance, is spoken about in personal terms-does he have political savvy, is he mature enough to lead Quebec, what are his instincts, and so on. These questions are important, to be sure, but certainly not more so than the policy he is pushing. Alas, personality is what entertains, it is what brings the electorate out to the polls. In a significant proportion of races, what matters is whether or not you are liked. This time around in Quebec, however, the race will be won or lost in serious part as a consequence of the policy. Take the ADQ's initial jump into politics. Quebecers seemed to be ' interested in a new approqçh to governance. Now far be it for me to predict hove this 'distinct society' collectively feels, but I suspect that the initial initial popularity of M. Dumonfs ADQ rested on an urge to talk about something other than sovereignty sovereignty for a change. And here the ADQ has the most to offer. They're platform upheld the flat tax, urged greater private health care options, and touted the school voucher system system as a viable way to improve the education of Quebec's kids. These sorts of proposals were dramatically different from the standard Quebec fare of turning to the government for solutions, and increasing its influence, by increasing its pockets, in general. general. Unfortunately, M. Dumont has decided to back track on a few planks in his policy--a move that has raised eyebrows amongst those? interested in the character of the politicians. Does this back tracking represent represent poor initial judgment? A lack of leadership ability? An overemphasis on polling and focus groups? Polling, however, does reveal the general mood of the electorate at a given point in time. And one poll, a Canâda.cbm poll, last time I checked, had 31 per cent of respondents hoping for an ADQ victory, with 57 per cent for the Liberals, and a mere 8 per cent for the Parti Québécois. Granted, the votes are from across the nation, and do not necessarily reflect the wishes of Quebec voters who will ultimately ultimately decide the election. But what it does show is an interest in the policies of the ADQ generally. generally. Whether or not Quebecers see things as a lot of us do is a separate issue, one that will, i, ultimately,_be..decided on April 14th when markings will appear on actual ballots. As I see it, a strong showing by the ADQ would change Quebec's political landscape, and would open up discussions that veer off the beaten track. This is necessaiy since Quebec ranks 52nd out of 60 North American jurisdictions in standards standards of living. Something has to break; it is imperative that some kind of new vision enter the Quebec marketplace of political ideas. Teen power drinking on the rise Alcohol and parties go together for many teens, and problems associated associated with this mixture are well- known, like drinking and driving and unplanned sexual activity. But there arc also health risks to drinking drinking large amounts of alcohol at one time, like blackouts, vomiting, and unconsciousness - in other words, alcohol poisoning. In recent group discussions, parents were shocked to find teen binge or power drinking on the rise. The 2001 Ontario Student Drug Use Survey, conducted by the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, found that in the four weeks prior to the study, over 40% of grade eleven students had drunk five or more drinks at one time •- enough to make them sick. • Choose not to drink at all sometimes, especially if driving, taking medications or using other substances. Or just because you don't want to. •Alternate alcoholic drinks with water or pop. • Set your limit at the beginning of the evening and stick to it. One drink per hour is the maximum. •Choose beer or drinks with watcr/soda content over 'shots'. A beer has the same amount of alcohol as 1-1/2 oz.of liquor, but unless you're chugging the beer, the shots get into the system faster. For more information, contact Parent Action on Drugs at 1-877-205-9279 or www.parcntactionondrugs.org. 11ère arc some tips from young people people for reducing the risks. If your kids won't listen to you, maybe they'll listen to their peers. mm PARENT ACTIOn'dRUGS Prevention. KdocHlIon. Support.