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Join letters call on province to address mental health crisis

Three teachers’ unions and a prominent youth advocacy group are urging the provincial government to bolster mental health literacy in the education curriculum and invest in additional school support workers. In a joint letter issued to Education Minister Stephen Lecce on Monday, the groups also called on the government to include mental health or behavioral reasons as an excused absence under the Education Act. Currently, the act allows for “sickness or unavoidable causes,” but does not explicitly mention mental health. The letter, signed by a total of nine organizations, comes amid a rising mental health crisis among Canadian youth and…
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Feinstein’s future ‘in her own hands’ amid extended health absence from the Judiciary Committee, Durbin says

The future of Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., is “in her own hands,” Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., said Sunday, as Feinstein’s extended absence from the panel due to health issues has some fellow Democrats calling for her to resign. Durbin, who succeeded Feinstein as chair of the Judiciary Committee, said during an appearance on NBC’s “Meet the Press” that the longtime lawmaker has undergone “several weeks of travail” over a health issue involving shingles, but still wants to return to serve the committee. “She said to Chuck Schumer last week that ‘I want to get on a…
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Brain Food – JennifersKitchen

The brain is the most complex organ of the human body. It’s also a very hungry organ. The brain gobbles up about 20 percent of your daily calorie intake. And research shows that the food we eat directly affects the structure and function of our brain. But can certain foods actually improve memory, help us concentrate, make us more intelligent, and help us think more clearly? Research says positively yes. We can make our brains work better simply by feeding them the right foods. Here, some smart foods to add to your meals this week. The Brain Diet Fruits Fruit…
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Employee mental, physical health taking toll on workforce, says Manulife

Employee health is taking an increasing toll on workforce productivity, according to Manulife’s Wellness Report, which calculated an average of 48 days lost per employee due to health-related problems in 2022. According to Manulife, employee absences and presenteeism – when employees report to work but don’t actually work – are costing employers around $645 million annually. Workers aged 18 to 24 show poorer results in mental, physical, and financial health indicators compared to older age groups, correlated with greater losses in overall productivity. Manulife’s tracked decline in employee productivity dates back to 2020, when the number of days lost to…
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Study looks at the link between lithium in tap water and autism

The level of lithium in a pregnant woman’s household’s tap water may correlate to a higher chance of their infant being diagnosed with autism, according to a new study looking at how this environmental factor may impact the prevalence of the neurological difference. The study, published Monday in the peer-reviewed journal JAMA Pediatrics, looked at lithium levels in Denmark’s tap water and compared it to the health records of more than 50,000 children. Researchers believe the results will help us to gain a better understanding of this compound on the brain. “Any drinking water contaminants that may affect the developing…
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Wills Bros Civil Engineering Ltd. – RoSPA Workplace Safety Blog

2019 was a spectacular year for Wills Bros Civil Engineering Ltd. at the RoSPA Health & Safety Awards. As well as being Highly Commended in the Health & Safety Team of the Year, they also achieved a RoSPA Gold Achievement Award. Wills Bros Civil Engineering Ltd. first entered the RoSPA Awards back in 2017, winning a Silver RoSPA Award. Since then, they’ve continued to enter, pushing themselves to win a Gold Award in 2018 and then again in 2019. We spoke to Kieran Doona, Health and Safety Manager at Wills Bros Civil Engineering Ltd. to find out more about their…
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Northern Health suing ship owner for medical expenses

Northern Health is suing a ship owner alleged to have reneged on bills for medical expenses. According to a notice of claim filed March 24 in BC Supreme Court, a member of the crew aboard the Morning Cloud needed emergency medical care while the bulk cargo carrier had berthed at the Port of Prince Rupert in January 2021. The crew member was in hospital for eight days, most of the time spent at Mills Memorial Hospital in Terrace. The cost of the care amounted to $45,489 and because the patient was a foreign citizen, he did not qualify for coverage…
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Online Driving Courses – RoSPA Workplace Safety Blog

In the UK, one of the few growth sectors during the COVID-19 pandemic has been transportation services and in particular, food delivery. By the end of March 2020, revenue in the UK online groceries delivery segment was up by 11.5 % compared to Jan-March in the previous year. Despite the amount of traffic on our roads falling to levels not seen since 1955 during the pandemic, the number of people driving for work to deliver food and other items has increased. In the same month, Tesco added more than 200 new vans and hired another 2,500 drivers. Other supermarkets such…