C.M. (she/her)

Suicide is in the news again after the recent death of a celebrity. & there are many ppl begging those who are struggling to "reach out" & "get help". While those sentiments are well-intentioned, they aren't always helpful. So, I give to you: Helping a suicidal loved one - a 🧵

@marcportermagee @OpiningTeacher @DDS_MINN What staff are you committing to this? What duty are you pulling them from? If you haven't noticed, there are disabled kids who can't go to school AT ALL b/c of under staffing. There are 35+ kids in a single classroom. And you want someone to privately police individual students?

@OpiningTeacher @DDS_MINN Check out this thread on escalating consequences:

Public schools: “But how will we enforce this cell phone ban?!” Private schools: “We saw you using your phone in hallway. We will give you your phone back next month.”

@servicerotties I was on campus & saw a kid struggling on the stairs with crutches. I asked him which floor he needed to get to. Because there are different elevators, very far apart from one another, to get to different floors. So, it meets the letter of the law, but it is not accessible. #PWD

"We can bring a menu outside to you, and you can wait and we'll bring your meal out to you." That's what a taco place in a trendy shopping district told me on a chilly fall day. Other people were going inside where it was warm and enjoying their meal there. My only option was to wait outside and eat my tacos in the cold. I declined. Nobody wants to sit out on the sidewalk in the cold eating their taco. It's not that I was dressed inappropriately or smelled bad. I wasn't drunk or unruly. It wasn't even the service dog quietly sitting beside me. The reason I couldn't go in was that there was a single small step in front of the door and no way my power wheelchair could get up it. A portable ramp would have easily mitigated the situation, but the restaurant wasn't required to have one so they didn't. If any member of another marginalized community was told they needed to stay outside, there would be protests and people would be up in arms. But here it's seen as completely acceptable when it comes to people with disabilities. There's hundreds, maybe thousands, of buildings like this in our city that are off limits to people like me. This week our Alberta government voted on accessibility legislation that coulda have changed that by making reasonable attempts to remove barriers a requirement, like in this case, having a portable ramp. The entire UCP party voted no. Instead of voting yes to making our province more accessible, they voted to continue segregating people with disabilities when there are reasonable alternatives to include them. This legislation wouldn't have meant small businesses needed to spend mass amounts of money to completely rebuild their locations. Not every place can become completely barrier free. Legislation would have meant making efforts to do feasible things to remove barriers and have staff trained on how to provide accommodations. Things like a portable ramp, or a large print paper menu at the coffee shop whose menu is written on a chalkboard that could be difficult for some people to see. It might mean the next time the lines in a parking lot are repainted, the accessible stalls need to be brought up to current standard. Most people have no idea how inaccessible many things are until one day they become disabled and suddenly even accessing essentials becomes a huge challenge. It would have taken decades, but this legislation would have started the ball rolling to address a lot of these issues. This isn't just about not being able to get tacos though, it also means job opportunities. Up to 70% of the built environment has major barriers. In these places you will find accountants, insurance agents, small retail shops, and a variety of other businesses and services. Sure, the Human Rights Act says there is a duty to accommodate to the point of undue hardship, but that means instead of having a plan in place and offering accomodations, people with disabilities are left to ask, plead, or beg. When told no, the only recourse is a Human Rights Complaint which can take over a year before they even advise if they accept your complaint, and likely another year or so before it's addressed. Because of this, most times it's easier to just go without than trying to negotiate for that accommodation. At some point everyone becomes disabled, even temporarily. That shouldn't mean that you suddenly become a second class citizen. But this week our government re-iterated that it's more acceptable to have a disabled person left outside than it is to require a business to get an inexpensive threshold ramp. I really try hard to be independent and be productive, but it's really freaking hard. I suspect the majority of those that voted against this bill wouldn't have the resiliency to cope with a significant disability if it hit them. But enough said. This second class citizen has dogs to train and obedience trials to get ready for because despite being disabled, I'm dedicated, talented and good at this. -Admin

@Canadiancrazy @guyfelicella This! Exactly! People don't realize it, but we give money to these corporations so THEY get tax breaks & some "we gave $X to charity last year".

@guyfelicella Not to mention its a write off for them

Nothing like a billion-dollar grocery corporation asking broke people at the till to solve child hunger. I’m trying to save 50 cents. You made billions. YOU donate. If I give, it’ll be directly to the people who need it, not through a corporation I have a hard time trusting.

@JBradshaw01 @1StarAtaTyme @Educhatter The memo states that there should be a land acknowledgement & that not everyone will stand for the anthem. Cue right-wing meltdown.

@1StarAtaTyme @Educhatter Honestly, I'm still gonna something more specific from the Minister to help me see the problem.

Graduation Ceremonies: Ontario announces new policy. Ceremonies will actually focus on the students, while upholding "apolitical, inclusive, and respectful" values. It's sad this needed to be articulated by the Minister. Common sense is making a comeback #ONTed #ONpoli

@RachelleP433004 @realfinkledusty My high school had commencement ceremonies, and not graduation. I attended 4 - my own, & three as a band member that played for the ceremony. In the wokest city of Brantford, ON. The the super woke 90's. You guys need to stop rage farming.

@realfinkledusty It's not graduation anymore .. not inclusive It's now commencement so as to include those that slacked off and didn't get their credits

Ontario school board announces that this year's graduation ceremonies will be guided by an “anti-oppressive/anti-racist/anti-colonial lens” Canadians are referred to as “citizens of Turtle Island,” and ceremonies are expected to include the Hamilton-Wentworth District School Board's bespoke land acknowledgements. Staff are asked to recognize that “not all learners/guests in attendance may chose to stand” during the national anthem while ensuring what the memo describes as an “equitable celebration” for each student. @HWDSB

@TolerantParadox @TheBreakdownAB And alcohol is far and away the most dangerous, for the user & society.

@TheBreakdownAB Would someone tell Dan Williams and Devin Dreeshen that "all drugs are dangerous" please? Maybe, if they knew that, they'd stop drinking on the job. No, Dreeshen is not at work in this pic, but we hear he has a bit of a drinking (and sexual harrassment) problem in the office...

Mike Ellis today… “This is understanding addiction… addicts want the toxic supply. If it’s something that’s killing people it becomes more desirable for an addict” #abpoli #ableg #cdnpoli

@AngeeGabs I've been told that long-term memory problems are very uncommon. That "most" people recover their pre-ECT memory capabilities within 6 months. But I swear that my memory is worse after ECT & hasn't improved. And I had treatment 4 years ago. 🤷‍♀️

I have memory loss from electroconvulsive therapy (shock therapy). Sometimes people have a hard time understanding that I don’t forget things because they’re not important or meaningful to me. I appreciate my loved one’s patience navigating that challenge.

@ColborneGreg @isaaccallan Or, hear me out, he's a journalist who reports on Toronto & Ontario politics. As his job. Like, if he wrote an in-depth piece on the dangers of drinking & driving, would you say he's PRO-stunt driving because he didn't also do an article on stunt driving? So ridiculous.

🧵: Ontario's proposed FOI changes will likely kill a court order relating to Doug Ford's personal cellphone. They'll also probably end a high-stakes battle involving a former chief of staff and their potential use of personal emails during the Greenbelt. #ONPoli

@aander1987 @Jewels4203 @Pine_Mtn_Girl There is a time & place for respectful discussion about the very complex topic of MAiD. In the days after someone lost a dearly loved family member, after they struggled for years, is NOT the time. Whatever your opinion, please be respectful of this family's grief.

@Jewels4203 @Pine_Mtn_Girl So she drowned to death while completely paralyzed, and you think that was “dignified” and “peaceful”. I’m sorry you believed the lie.

@DianaCMcNally @raghu_venugopal @fordnation Is under the impression that only poor, vulnerable women will have access to pepper spray, if it's made legal? Does he not realize that criminals will also have access to it? Bad people will be able to use this weapon AGAINST vulnerable people.

Don't be distracted. @fordnation wants the focus off of his backroom dealings using his personal phone. And for the record, I don't want pepper spray. I want affordable housing, livable incomes, and accessible, public education and healthcare for everyone.

@Fit4Duty_Ethics Yes. My application with the HRTO is 5 years old this month. I've been through two mediations. One with an adjudicator who had previously been a personal injury lawyer and had NO human rights experience. Don't have your rights violated in Ontario, folks!

Does anyone else know the feeling of having to fight for the truth to be heard for 8 years to then have to put your life in the hands of an HRTO adjudicator?

@The_Brian_Life @ODSPoor The Chinese government would spend half a day looking into Doug Ford & conclude that he's doing more damage to Ontario, and by extension Canada, than they ever could. 🤷‍♀️

I really fucking hate this guy. Such a dirty, lying shit bag. The fucking Chinese communists? Really??? What a pack of morons.

@nejsnave I've lived in Waterloo for 30 years. This party has been going on for decades. Yeah, it’s a nuisance. Every year, there are a handful of partiers taken to hospital, hundreds of minor tickets handed out & minor property damage. NOTHING that even approaches the need for a SNIPER.

it would be funny if it weren't so COMPLETELY OUT OF CONTROL. A SNIPER. On St Paddy's Day. A sniper. An actual sniper. For a street party.

@JenniferAnn56 @nejsnave It was a coerced decision. Living on ODSP necessarily means living FAR below the poverty line. And ODSP doesn't cover medical treatment that could improve one's quality of life (physiotherapy, counseling, massage therapy, etc.). It's not living, it's barely surviving.

@nejsnave Why don't you respect her decision? I am glad that she had the choice and that was the choice she made. I'm sure she didn't do it lightly and it was something she thought about deeply.

We have lost another ODSP warrior. Soneone I have known for years, who fought her way out of homelessness only to suffer from poverty-related health conditions and chose to end her life through MAID. She struggled until she couldn't anymore. She was on our lists until the end. Got no help. A disgusting system. DISGUSTING. My deepest condolences to her daughter, who is now trying to pick up the pieces alone. She kept to herself, not sure how many of you knew her. Please say a prayer for J and A. #onpoli #ODSP

@SylviaJonesMPP I'm confused. Your government has made accessing alcohol SO much easier. And it has been shown to be the most dangerous drug. You don't care about data or science, or the opinions of actual experts. You don't care about Ontarians. ##DougFordIsCorrupt

Our government is taking action to protect local communities and break the cycle of addiction. By ending funding for all drug injection sites in communities with a HART Hub, we are focused on treatment, recovery and safer communities. Learn more: news.ontario.ca/en/release/100…

@yipengGe @andreasereda Thank you for your work & for continuing to advocate for harm reduction. #harmreductionsaveslives

Harm reduction saves lives. The Ontario government's decision to cut all public funding for supervised consumption sites in the province is a deadly policy decision that will result in more deaths from overdoses. Supervised consumption sites are a healthcare service for people who use drugs. To deny and defund medically necessary healthcare services in the toxic drug crisis environment is abhorrent and deeply unjust.

@panagis21 I used to tutor a Greek family in their home. I was usually there shortly after dinner. They *always* offered me food & I always declined. (I don't like talking while eating & tutoring requires talking.) One day, I sat down & food was put in front of me. I was *going* to eat. 😂

My Greek aunt said I looked to thin today and asked why I wasn’t eating. I explained I had a long week in the ICU and there are no scheduled breaks to eat. “If it’s busy, we may go all day without eating.” Greek aunt: “I’m coming to your hospital and demanding change to feed you all!” May God have mercy on hospital leadership if she found them 😬

@CFifeKW I have lived in Waterloo for 30 years. I understand the public's concerns around the yearly St. Patrick's Day parties. But a SNIPER? There is absolutely no reason for such a response. NONE. This is outrageous & @WRPSToday needs explain this decision.

Waterloo police confirmed to The Canadian Press that a photo and video circulating of a sniper monitoring the St. Patrick's Day crowd on Saturday was indeed a Waterloo police officer. cbc.ca/news/canada/to…

@CGWeatherHub @raghu_venugopal @brianlilley And when safe consumption sites are closed, do you think people will just stop using drugs? Or will they be pushed to continue to drugs, but in public places, like parks & public transit? 🤷‍♀️

@raghu_venugopal @brianlilley Does it ever stop to occur to you that, to some people, outcomes are less important than having to hold your kid's hand as he steps over puke & piss on the way to the subway? Cause I sorta vote for whatever seems to lead to less of that.

Since 2024 @brianlilley unscrupulously tried to create a false link between safe consumption sites and deaths from opioids. I break-down why he's wrong. I admit Brian won this battle as Ontario listens to him and not MDs like me - and that's why many more will needlessly die.

@theBrianaMills @redfresds I wrote an article about exactly this! cjds.uwaterloo.ca/index.php/cjds…

Remember when the pandemic hit and everything was remote? Work, education, healthcare. Disabled people had been begging for those to be remote for over a decade until non-disabled people needed it. Two years later they got rid of it. They can accommodate, they just don’t want to.