Beyond the social benefits of living with a pet, the connections that companion animals provide can assist in recovery from addiction and lead to better emotional and mental health for unhoused people.
(Shutterstock)
Many unhoused people have pets, however, accessing health care for themselves and their pets can be a challenge. ‘One Health’ clinics can provide vital health care to unhoused people and their pets.
Most homes and buildings in Canada must generate their own heat, often using carbon-intensive methods.
(Shutterstock)
If passed, B.C.’s Bill 45 will trample over the constitutional rights of unhoused people by ignoring shelter barriers, Indigenous rights and the need for daytime shelter
A store selling psychedelics in Windsor, Ont. Recent police raids on psychedelics stores in Vancouver reflect misplaced attitudes toward drug regulation.
(Shutterstock)
Psychedelics are an opportunity to do better than our past drug control strategies. Adults should be trusted to make the right decisions, but policymakers should ensure they do so fully informed.
Perce, Que. is one of many areas in Canada at risk of coastal erosion. Nature-based solutions may help.
(AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)
As seas rise, it is clear that traditional coastal defence approaches are unable to keep pace. Nature-based solutions offer considerable potential to protect coasts, people and biodiversity.
Polygon fields evolve and change overtime reflecting the flow of water at different stages in planetary history. Axel Heiberg Island, Qikiqtani Region, Nvt.
(Mark Jellinek, Author Provided)
While a seemingly remote and unfamiliar landscape, the Arctic shares many surprising similarities with contemporary Canadian cityscapes.
University engagement with communities, such as the clothing exchange organized by UBC Climate Action Mobilizers, is vital for empowering communities and addressing climate injustices.
(Linda Nowlan)
Linda Nowlan, University of British Columbia and Tim Linsell, University of British Columbia
Often those most impacted by climate change are those least able to engage with climate discourse. Universities have a responsibility to engage with these communities.
People gathered outside of the Consulate General of India in Vancouver on June 24, 2023 to protest the recent shooting of Hardeep Singh Nijjar.
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Ethan Cairns
Hardeep Singh Nijjar is one of three high-profile Sikh political activists to be killed in recent months.
Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, left, walks past Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi as they take part in a wreath-laying ceremony at Raj Ghat, Mahatma Gandhi’s cremation site, during the G20 Summit in New Delhi on Sept. 10, 2023.
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s allegations that India was involved in the murder of a Canadian citizen complicates efforts by Canada and its allies to woo India to counter-balance Chinese might.
A tent on the sidewalk in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside. Cash transfers can help people find suitable accommodations and save governments money.
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck
Researchers found that most homeless people spent the money they received on rent, food and other living costs.
People march to remember those who died during the drug poisoning crisis on International Overdose Awareness Day, in Vancouver, on Aug. 31, 2021.
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck
A police policy of not making arrests for simple possession is a way to essentially decriminalize personal drug use. However, confiscating drugs — even without arrests — can be harmful in many ways.
Canada’s green transition is being hampered by a lack of investment in cycling and EV infrastructure.
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jonathan Hayward
Canada should invest in sustainable transportation infrastructure to accelerate the green transition.
Striking International Longshore and Warehouse Union Canada workers march to a rally as gantry cranes used to load and unload cargo containers from ships sit idle at port, in Vancouver, on July 6, 2023.
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck
We need a new agreement between employers and employees in the B.C. ports that will allow both sides to enjoy the benefits of new workplace technologies.
A Vancouver police cruiser is seen on city streets. The Vancouver Police Department is under fire for the suicide of a police officer and other alleged misconduct that highlight the dangers of the ‘blue wall of silence.’
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck
By reflecting on the violent origins of the Canadian sugar industry, we can bring wider attention to the exploitation underpinning the history of Canadian cuisine.
In 1907, a large anti-Asian riot took place in Vancouver. Here is a colourized photo of 245 Powell St., a stop on a walking tour that retraces the steps of the angry mob.
(360 Riot Walk, Henry Tsang)
A virtual walking tour traces the route of a white mob that attacked Asian communities of Vancouver in 1907. Learning about past contexts may shed light on the recent surge in anti-Asian violence.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Squamish Nation councillor Khelsilem hold a ceremonial paddle after a groundbreaking ceremony at the First Nation’s Sen̓áḵw housing development site in Vancouver in September 2022.
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck
By starting their own entrepreneurial and developmental projects, First Nations are working toward economic prosperity for their communities and furthering reconciliation.
Tents line the sidewalk on East Hastings Street in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside. Cities like Vancouver should not clear encampments when people have nowhere else to go.
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck
Cities are clearing homeless encampments, sometimes violently, without providing those who live there any alternatives. Long-term solutions are needed to help people off the streets.
Damaged wood houses after the San Francisco Earthquake, April 18, 1906.
(Shutterstock)
About 10 million people live in Canada’s earthquake-prone zones. Yet few have practical knowledge of what to do with new early warning system alerts which aim to save lives and protect livelihoods.
Demand for real estate throughout Canada has made housing unaffordable.
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Nathan Denette
As demand grows for real estate and housing prices rise, more people are being priced out of the market. Government intervention is needed to produce affordable housing and control speculation.
Assistant Professor, Dept of Medicine, University of British Columbia and Research Scientist with the BC Centre on Substance Use, University of British Columbia
Professor, David Lam Chair in Multicultural Education, Faculty of Education, cross-appointed to the Social Justice Institute, Faculty of Arts, University of British Columbia