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When heroes need help
First responders speak about the mental health resources available to them
Mary Clements giving on a talk on vicarious trauma at Holland College on Oct. 23. Jason Mallard photo
By Jason Mallard
Oct. 29, 2019
Insp. Leslie Hadfield has a name for what happens when police officers are in high stress situations.
It’s called adrenaline dumping, said the Atlantic Police Academy instructor.
Adrenaline dumping is when the body releases a hormone called cortisol to help them deal with the situation.
But that cortisol can be very dangerous, said Hadfield.
“It’s poison to the body.”
Hadfield works at the Atlantic Police Academy as a social science instructor.
Police officers face many expectations, she said.
“They’re the ones people look to. They’re supposed to be the strong ones.”
The problem has made news around the country.
Sgt. Jennifer Pound made CBC headlines by sharing her own struggles as an RCMP officer.
Pound has been on sick leave for over two years. She took time off to deal with PTSD symptoms she was experiencing from her job.
Despite being on sick leave for two years she has only recently begun receiving treatment.
Hadfield said the problem may be more widespread than some people think.
A lot of first responders suffer with mental health issues, whether they’re diagnosed or just experiencing symptoms, she said.
“The numbers are between 20 and 30 per cent, but in my experience, it’s closer to 70 or 80 per cent.”
Most first responders simply want to do their part for the community, and if they fail for reasons out of their control it causes them extreme stress.
“They want to help, but they can’t. And that’s hard.”
There are a lot of studies linking physical health to mental health, she said.
“A lot of people that go to the hospital with physical problems are experiencing them because of their mental health.”
The pressure to return is common, she said.
“If they’ve been off for a long time, they might be scared they’re going to be put on desk duty, and very few officers like desk duty.”
A lot of first responders don’t feel comfortable coming forward, she said.
“There’s a lot of scrutiny and stigma.”
The RCMP and first responder groups do recognize there’s a lack of support, said Hadfield.
“There needs to be more. We know we need to do more.”
Mary Clements agrees.
She is an individual and family support worker at the Canadian Mental Health Association in Stratford.
First responders often experience PTSD and other trauma related mental illnesses, she said.
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder can cause people to relieve their trauma in different ways, such as flashbacks, dreams, sensory similarities and other things that may bring them back to their trauma.
“A lot of people don’t realize, in this line of work, the capacity for stress and trauma.”
Stress on someone’s mental well being is usually linked to trauma. And there are all different kinds of trauma and everyone deals with it differently, said Clements.
“There is no right or wrong way to experience trauma.”
It is still important for first responders to seek professional help, she said.
“You need to be in a stable place before you can be support for someone else.”
But it’s hard to reach out, Clements said.
“There still is definitely a stigma.”
It’s important to start tackling that stigma and P.E.I. youth have the right idea, she said.
“Younger people are talking about it a lot more openly.”
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Kitten season hits the Humane Society late this year
Emma Turner nurses a baby kitten who was refusing to eat at the Humane Society on Sept. 26. Jason Mallard photo
By Jason Mallard
Oct. 8, 2019
The P.E.I. Human Society has seen an influx of kittens in need of foster homes this year, said Chayleigh Arsenault.
This influx usually happens in the summer months, but started late this year, because of the late summer, said Arsenault.
She is an animal protection officer with the Humane Society. Which is trying to find foster homes for kittens who are too young to be adopted.
The kitten fostering program has been around since the Humane Society opened in 1974, said Arsenault.
“It’s always existed in one form or another.”
But, the Humane Society recently started to promote it more, she said.
“Within the last couple years we’ve really amped up everything we’ve been doing.”
The program is essential to the Humane Society.
“We are a very small building, with the number of cats and kittens, especially during kitten season, there’s not enough room to house them.”
Fostering kittens allows them freedom under a watchful eye, said Arsenault.
“You’re putting them in homes, so they’re not going to be stuck in kennels.”
A lot of people want to adopt animals during the holidays and the kittens will be ready by then, she said.
“This year we started really late, but we’ll have kittens going available for adoption by Christmas time.”
There’s really only three things someone needs to be a foster family for a kitten, Arsenault said.
“You have to have a responsible adult, a home, and transportation.”
As long as the kitten is being properly cared for, that’s all that matters, she said.
“Treat them like you would your own cat and socialize them with other animals and kids.”
Not all foster homes remain foster homes either.
“Sometimes they end up adopting, sometimes they don’t.”
It’s impossible not to keep them sometimes, she said.
“It’s called a foster failure, we have a lot of foster families that end up falling in love with the kitten. We are perfectly okay with that, we want people to adopt kittens.”
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Local woman speaking out on climate change
Mary Boyd attending P.E.I. climate change protest on Sept. 20. Jason Mallard photo
By Jason Mallard
Sept. 27, 2019
It was a beautiful day in front of the Province House in Charlottetown. The sun was shining, kids were playing, people were mingling, and elderly woman was sitting on a bench.
Mary Boyd was enjoying the sun.
In her hands she was holding a sign that read ‘breaking news: climate emergency.’
Boyd was one of the people attending the climate change protest Sept. 20. She is also the chair of P.E.I. Health Coalition.
The protest was organized by Extinction Rebellion and P.E.I. Youth 4 Climate. Over 50 people attended.
Boyd has spent her life advocating for issues she’s passionate about, and climate change is a big one, she said.
“I’ve been following the climate reports and I’ve always been interested in the environment.”
The problem the world faces is urgent, Boyd said.
“We have about 11 years to turn things around and if we don’t, there will be no human life on the planet by the end of this century, which is only 80 years away.”
Many politicians look at climate change as an opportunity for their own gain, she said.
“I have no time for politicians who use climate change as a campaign strategy. This issue is too serious to play games with.”
That isn’t what leaders are meant to do, said Boyd.
“You have to ask if they’re fit to be in politics if that’s how they see the world.”
When it comes to whose job it is to get the word out, it’s everyone’s, she said.
“The media is very important. If our leaders were showing leadership, they’re very important. But I think the most important of all is the people, the citizens.”
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Olivia Whaton and Eleanor Wedlake at the climate change protest on Sept. 20. Jason Mallard photo
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The other side of the easel
Nude model shares her experience
By Jason Mallard
Sept. 27, 2019
Natalie Bedel often stands in front of her mirror naked, coming up with poses for her nude modelling job.
But she forgets them the minute she walks through the door.
Instead, a million thoughts run through her head, Bedel said.
“Oh God, oh God, oh God, I shouldn’t have picked this pose.
“My foot hurts, my arm is falling asleep, oh God.
“What was I thinking?
“They need to turn the A.C. up, they need to turn the A.C. down. Someone please change this song, it’s terrible.”
It took some time before Bedel was comfortable modelling completely naked.
She started working as a nude model in 2016 with Holland College and still does it on Sundays for the Stratford Live Art group.
Bedel is also an artist and that helps her choose which poses she’ll do, she said.
“I try to do poses that I think are interesting, that show the range of motion of the human body. I try not to pose with my legs wide open though.”
Coming up with poses is the real challenge, she said.
“I’ll stand in front of a mirror, and then when I get to the session I forget everything and try to make some up on the fly.”
It took her awhile to be able to hold the positions.
“It takes practise, and for the longer poses you want to make sure all your weight is resting on something else.”
Staying still becomes an issue when she gets itchy or needs to use the washroom.
“Generally they’ll forgive a quick scratch. You make sure you go to the bathroom before you start, that’s common decency for everyone involved.”
Still, it can be quite relaxing, she said.
“I fell asleep in my first session. It was an hour long pose and I was very comfortably lying down on the mattress the college provided. Apparently, I was snoring a little bit and everything.”
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Nelly Silva Polanco admiring a large gourd at Wintermoor Orchard in York on Sept. 28. Jason Mallard photo
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Hobby turned business
A Charlottetown woman has turned her passion for drawing into an business
Natalie Bedel showing off a doodle she did at a Dungeons and Dragons session on Sept. 23. Jason Mallard photo
By Jason Mallard
Sep. 19, 2019
Natalie Bedel always hoped she could turn her love of drawing into something she could do to earn a living.
Bedel has spent her life devoted to art, from fingerpainting in kindergarten to receiving her diploma from the video game design program at Holland College.
Her art ranges from doodles to caricatures to line art to still life. She’s been doing it for as long as she can remember, Bedel said.
“As long as I could hold a pen, I’ve been drawing.”
Last March, she got her wish. During the 2019 Entertainment Expo in P.E.I. she began doing art commissions.
It was a no-brainer, she said.
“If I’m good at something, I should get paid for it. It motivates me to work faster.”
But she isn’t drawing the kinds of things she anticipated, said Bedel.
“I was expecting to get more weird requests, but they’ve all been pretty vanilla.”
Most have been portraits or animals.
So far, Bedel has taken 10-15 commissions, and she does them in the order she receives them.
She is able to make sure she’s not overwhelmed by doing the commissions individually, she said.
“I can take many commissions, but I can only do them one at a time.”
She also does this to make sure that she’s giving the same care to each project.
“If I let myself get distracted with one, others become neglected.”
Bedel has had other artists critique her pricing, she said.
“[I charge] apparently much below my skill level.”
It’s something many artists struggle with.
“Especially new artists, they don’t want to price themselves too high, so as a result a lot of decent people tend to lowball themselves.”
Right now her pricing is set at the minimum wage per hour, plus the cost of materials, however, commissions aren’t a reliable source of income, Bedel said.
“Commissions are not steady enough.”
Still, Bedel plans to make a living out of her art.
“My long-term plan is to get a steady job with a studio or what not, doing art for them.”
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A Charlottetown woman’s love of knitting
By Jason Mallard
Sept. 19, 2019
Natalie Bedel sighed as she sat on the couch next to her grandmother, Marjorie Livingstone.
While the older woman was enthralled with the Young and the Restless, the ten-year-old was bored.
After complaining about being bored for 20 minutes Livingstone waited for a commercial before going upstairs.
When she returned she was holding a basket full of different kinds of yarn, two needles, and a knitting book.
“I know what will entertain you,. Here, knit,” she said as she handed the basket to Bedel and sat back down.
“I don’t know how,” replied the young girl.
“You know how to read?”
“Yeah,” Bedel replied.
Her grandmother shrugged and motioned to the book.
Ever since that first encounter with knitting 22 years ago Natalie Bedel found a passion for fibre art.
But, the craft hasn’t always been easy. In her younger years when Bedel would hit a wall she’d just give up.
“I tried to make a hat and it didn’t fit my own head so I gave up in frustration.”
But, she always comes back to the hobby because she needs it, she said.
For Bedel also faces an extra challenge, she said.
“I’m left handed, all the design techniques are backwards to me.”
She didn’t let that stop her, though.
“It’s a creative outlet.”
Plus, it’s a good way to keep herself busy, Bedel said.
“It keeps my hands busy, because if they’re not doing something they’re usually getting into trouble.”
She is very advanced for someone with no formal training, she said.
“I can look at a design and recreate it with 99 per cent accuracy.”
A few months ago, she decided to make her boyfriend a gift. She knitted him a vape cozy. Suddenly, friends and family were asking him where to get one.
Bedel is now opening an Etsy shop, which her boyfriend plans to manage in the upcoming future.
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Local man caught forging documents to help Syrian refugee
By Jason Mallard
Sep. 20, 2019
Charbel Jreij wanted to help a Syrian woman stay in Canada, he didn’t expect it to land him in court.
The woman was concerned that applying as a refugee would take too long, so she wanted to apply under a work permit. But, she couldn’t find work.
Jreij used to own a business, and decided to sign papers saying she had been hired. However, Jreij wasn’t allowed to sign those papers as he no longer owned the business, and she had never been hired.
Jreij stood before Judge John Douglas in Charlottetown provincial court yesterday to explain.
Jreij asked the judge for a discharge of the case because he had no prior record. Douglas approved the discharge, against crown prosecutor Lisa Goulden’s request.
The one condition of the discharge is he must make a $1,000 donation to the Newcomer’s Association within 30 days.
The judge took into account that Jreij had no previous record and he had cooperated fully with the investigation.
The Syrian woman is now living in Canada as a legal refugee.
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Guilty Breach
By Jason Mallard
Sep. 20, 2019
A Charlottetown woman charged with allowing a man to breach his parole pleaded guilty in Charlottetown provincial court yesterday.
Monique Doiron allowed Paul Lombardi to breach his probation requirement of having no contact with her.
Judge John Douglas discharged her under two conditions. Doiron must abide by the no-contact rule and be on 12 months probation.
On Dec. 11, 2018 Doiron and Lombardi attended the same party.
Lombardi told her his probation was over and the no-contact rule was no longer in affect.
She should have double checked, she said.
“I understand I shouldn’t have taken his word, like I did at the time.”
The judge took into account Doiron is a mother and has no criminal record.
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Local man pleads guilty to impaired driving
By Jason Mallard
Sept. 20, 2019
A Charlottetown man pleaded guilty to an impaired driving charge yesterday in Charlottetown provincial court.
Carl Wonnacott was charged with impaired driving after he drove to his mother’s house while drunk.
He was sentenced to $1,500 fine to be paid in the next 12 months, a victim surcharge of $150, and no driving in public for 12 months.
On Aug. 30 around 9:30 police were dispatched to Wonnacitt’s mother’s house.
They issued a breathalyzer. His levels were over 120.
Video surveillance also showed he drove himself to the house while impaired.
The judge did take into account the man had no record and had already served one night in jail.
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Drinking buddies barred from drinking together
By Jason Mallard
Sept. 20, 2019
Two Charlottetown men pleaded guilty to a single count of mischief for the same crime yesterday in Charlottetown provincial court.
Kenneth Hoddinott and Joseph Handrahan were charged with mischief, both pleading guilty. They were both given a lesser charge for pleading guilty.
Handrahan and Hoddinott received 12 months of probation and they must get treatment for their alcohol issues They are not allowed to go near the residence where the crime was committed.
Hoddinott must also pay a $100 victim surcharge.
The two men are also not allowed to be together when intoxicated, as it only leads to trouble, said Judge John Douglas.
“You can still be friends, you just can’t go out drinking together.”
On July 30 the police were dispatched to 91 Kings St. when a woman came home to find two drunk men in her home.
She knew one of them, but not the other.
There was no evidence of forced entry, the police suspect they got in through an unlocked window.
If Hoddinott gets the proper treatment he shouldn’t cause anymore trouble, Crown Prosecutor Lisa Goulden said.
“His problem is the alcohol.”
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Islanders prepare of hurricane Dorian
Badereddin Alsadi restocking empty water shelves at Superstore on Sep 6, 2019. Photo by Jason Mallard
By Jason Mallard
Sept 6, 2019
Hurricane Dorian isn’t expected to cause any serious harm, the main concerns are flooding and power outages, said P.E.I. CBC meteorologist Jay Scotland.
Those are the only two major concerns to consider from coming hurricane this weekend, he said.
Dorian is expected to hit the island starting Saturday morning, and run until Sunday afternoon.
The harshest conditions are expected to be seen overnight, he said.
“Heaviest rainfall and harsh wind conditions will happen overnight Saturday and into Sunday.”
Hurricane Dorian will touch down on the island as a category one hurricane, Scotland said.
“Category one means the speed is at least 119 km/h or greater up until 154 km/h, which is a category two.”
The Saffir/Simpson Scale for tropical storms classify hurricanes on a scale of one to five, with one being the least severe.
The classification is based on the speed in the eye of the storm, said Scotland.
“It has nothing to do with how heavy rainfall is or how harsh winds are, it’s all about the speed.”
Islanders should be prepared for flooding and losing power, he said.
With the hurricane only hours away, citizens are busy getting out to the stores for extra water and non perishables.
Islanders are really stocking up for it, said Superstore employee Christopher Biggs.
“Yesterday wasn’t too bad, but today everybody and their grandmother has come in.”
It isn’t unusual to see the grocery store so busy before a hurricane, he said.
“Every freaking time there’s a big storm everyone panics and comes in for their chips.”
However, it’s not as busy as some shoppers anticipated, said shopper Daina Matthie.
“It’s quieter than I expected.”
Usually the Superstore is a lot busier after a hurricane warning, she said.
“I was expecting a lot more traffic through the aisles.”
The storm warning isn’t cause for huge concern if you’re prepared, she said.
“I feel like I’m pretty well prepared: water, candles, all the good stuff. I’m not worried.”
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‘We manage today, as we plan for tomorrow’: Terry Bernard
Charlottetown city budget is balanced for 2019
Mayor Philip Brown signs budget resolutions at annual budget meeting at City Hall on April 17. Jason Mallard photo
By Jason Mallard
April 17, 2019
The city of Charlottetown brought down a balanced budget with no property tax increases, said the chairman of Finance Committee.
Terry Bernard broke down the highlights of the Charlottetown’s 2019 budget at the annual budget release at City Hall April 17.
The city council voted unanimously 7-0 for the budget. Councillors Bob Doiron, Kevin Ramsey, and Julie McCabe were absent.
The leaders have taken great care to keep within the budget limits and they succeeded, he said.
“The city’s $57.14 million budget is balanced.”
Balancing the budget also means there will no be property tax increase, Bernard said.
“There will be no increase to either the residential or commercial municipal tax rate.”
The city approved the capital program before the federal government committed $3.3 million in Federal Gas Tax funding, so those numbers aren’t available yet, said Bernard.
“Federal Gas Tax funds are forthcoming later this year.”
The city has seen the concern over the housing crisis and has committed to making a positive change, he said.
“The city has stepped forward and developed an Affordable Housing Incentive Program.”
To help aid the affordable housing there will also be changes to the transit system, Bernard said.
“The city will also be investing an additional $500,000 in capital investment in the Regional Transit System.”
The city is also looking to spend an additional $125,000 to expand transit hours and routes to give better service to people, he said.
“A good quality public transit system allows for better access to services and transportation for all.”
However, the Water and Sewer Utility did create an extensive deficit with all the infrastructure upgrades, said Bernard.
“The Water and Sewer Utility started 2018 with a carry-over deficit and ended March 31 of this year with a projected deficit of $1.2 million.”
This will cause water and sewer metered charges to go up, he said.
“The rate increases amount to approximately 32 cents per day for the average residential customer.”
Despite this the city believes it is in a prime position, said Bernard.
“The city remains financially strong and well positioned for its future.”
Coun. Mitchell Tweel stood up to speak on the changes to Simmons Sports Centre.
“One thing I’ve been pursuing for the last couple of years, probably three, is applying to have free swims at Simmons pool.”
It’s important for children who want to be active and play sports have the ability to do so, he said.
“We want our youth to be participating recreationally.”
The council voted unanimously for this motion privately in the weeks leading up to the budget, and Tweel thanked them for that decision.
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Superstore’s healthy impact
Superstore is helping to keep kids healthy with their special deal
Karen Clinton and her daughter Felicity grabbing a free banana at the Atlantic Superstore, June 19, 2019. Photo by Jason Mallard
By Jason Mallard
Sep 6, 2019
One P.E.I. grocery store is offering free fruit to all children 10 and under when they’re accompanied by an adult to promote healthy eating.
For the last couple of years Superstore has had a free basket in their fruits and vegetables for children.
This is a promotion that runs all year to ensure food doesn’t go to waste, said Superstore employee Steve Johnston.
“We have a lot of loose bananas, and if we have a bag of clementines that’s open or a box that’s broken, it’s a place to put them.”
It’s a good way to keep children occupied while their parents shop, he said.
“It’s just something for kids to make them a little happier, to keep kids amused.”
It’s exactly the kind of thing we need more of, said Superstore shopper Rosemary Drake.
“It sounds like a great idea and we should encourage it.”
Children don’t eat as healthy as they should, she said.
“Kids need to start eating the good stuff and keep away from the chips.”
Not just the younger generation, but everyone, said Drake.
“Everyone has to get back to eating naturally.”
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