Quote of the week:

"We'll do it before a class if we know the teacher won't notice, like phys ed." - Mathieu, a 16-year-old pot smoker, commenting on his habit, in Tuesday's La Presse. Several Montreal public schools have given up on a zero tolerance policy for drug possession.

Fathers have rights, too

Gordon Sawyer, the president of the Office of Fathers' Rights, seems to have disappeared, but his mission is rolling along without him.

"We haven't heard from him in several months," says John Pepper Jr., a local lawyer also involved with the group. Sawyer, a 46-year-old father of three, became involved in men's rights after being accused of spousal abuse and being fired from his job as a sports reporter for Radio-Canada in 2001. He was subsequently acquitted and received an out-of-court settlement from the broadcaster after he went without food for 37 days in protest of our government ignoring the plight of Quebec males. Sawyer started back on the burgers only after anxious provincial officials promised a committee to look into the problems of male depression, suicide, separation and other not so fun things. Although Sawyer is no longer around, other groups are happy with the response he generated.

"The new government seems to be taking the committee very seriously," says Sylvain Camus, general manager of Pères séparés.

Camus says that the province gives approximately $35-million to women's groups and just $2-million to men's groups, "but most of that $2-million goes to fight violence, but that's only one of many problems men suffer in Quebec."

The committee, under Health Minister Phillipe Couillard, has been meeting regularly and plans to unveil new male-friendly resources and policies come spring. "We don't want this to be seen as a men against women thing," says Camus. "Male depression, suicide and difficulties caused by marital separation affect women and children as well." » Kristian Gravenor

Reaching out to
psychotic youth

Parents may want to think twice if their teenager is telling them way-out stories, having wilder than usual mood swings and seeing things that aren't there. Instead of being under the influence of hormones or drugs, they might be suffering from the onset of chronic psychosis, something that can be successfully treated if diagnosed early, but is more problematic to fight if left undetected.

The good news, though, is that, as of last week, there is a new program for young people (between ages 14 and 30) who are suffering from a first episode or early onset of psychosis. Set up at the Douglas Hospital in Verdun, the academic/clinical program, called Prevention and Early Intervention Program for Psychosis (PEPP) aims at raising awareness and liaising with community organizations about both the symptoms of early psychosis and making help available to them.

"We're offering comprehensive medical and psycho-social help," says Terry McLean, PEPP's program coordinator of clinical services. "It means making sure the patient sees the same psychiatrist and continues taking their medical treatment, but also case managers can help them when they look for jobs, go back to school or work, help educate their family about the disease, and just generally work closely with them."

Because of the academic nature of the program, however, it will only look at people who have either never completed a 30-day treatment or have never been treated at all. For more information on PEPP-Montreal, call 888-4453. » Patrick Lejtenyi

Teen vaudeville

NDG needs a street worker, but not of the high-heeled, tube-top-wearing variety that once so proudly adorned the sidewalks of St-Jacques. No, what Alex Megelas, fundraising and public relations coordinator for local youth organization Head and Hands, is looking for is an outreach worker who can find troubled kids, wherever they are.

"Basically, right now there is no street worker in NDG, and this is increasingly being felt in the community," says Megelas. "The structure we presently have is great for youth who acknowledge they have needs and are willing to take the steps to resolve them, but for youth who are faced with issues, yet the acknowledgement isn't really there, you have to be able to do the outreach yourself."

So, with the intent of raising enough money to finally hire on said outreach worker, Head and Hands will be sponsoring Carnival Cabaret at Kola Note (5240 Parc), this Friday, Oct. 10. at 9 p.m. In the spirit of burlesque carnival theatre, Carnival Cabaret is promising an eclectic combination of traditional and modern theatre, music and vaudeville.

Outside of a virtual cornucopia of local artists, including the notably gifted Catherine Kidd doing a spoken word thing, and the Dummies, a puppet theatre troupe who incorporate theatre and kung fu into their act, the cabaret will be featuring jugglers, body painting, fortune tellers and sexed-up cigar girls working the aisles. Tickets are but a scant $10 and people are encouraged to dress up for the event. » Chris Barry

REAR-VIEW MIRROR

13 YEARS AGO THIS WEEK
October 11-October 18, 1990

On the cover: Donald Sutherland, in the title role of Bethune: the Making of a Hero, although the Mirror interviews writer Ted Allan. Commenting on the public clash between the two during and after filming, Allan says, "I was afraid Sutherland was going to sanitize the man. The portrayal of Bethune drinking was vital to the story, in that he overcomes such a problem."

• New York-based investigative journalist Karl Grossman writes that NASA is using plutonium to fuel its Galileo and Ulysses probes in order to eventually be able to provide power to the planned Star Wars anti-missile laser cannons.

• In a survey of Fall music releases, the Mirror reviews 21 albums, including Nick Cave's The Good Son, Jane's Addiction's Ritual de lo Habitual and Living Colour's Time's Up.

• "Perhaps the conception of marriage needs serious reworking, to shed its archaic accessories and become the promoter and protector of stable relationships of every kind," writes Ken Monteith, guesting for David Shannon's Out in the City column.

Angel >> Due process Maher Arar's return to Canada from a Syrian prison this week was welcomed by most, but it also pointed out a serious problem facing many Western countries in trying to fight the terrorist threat: the lack of legal representation for those charged with being either terrorists or their sympathizers. The right to a fair and impartial hearing is part of the foundation of a democratic, law-abiding state. When that right is considered inconvenient and then ignored, it sets an extremely dangerous precedent. Arar's case is another drastic example of what happens when legal shortcuts are taken in the supposed war on terror.
Insect >> Looming government boondoggles Oh good, the feds are telling us that another huge, controversial, country-wide initiative won't cost us that much and will make us all safer in the long run. But instead of the (sensible) national gun registry, this time it's the (scary) national identification card. A new report to a Commons committee says the proposal, launched under Immigration Minister Denis Coderre, would cost $7-billion to implement - and that's on the conservative side. That figure is based on estimates for a similar project in the U.K., and may be considerably higher in the long run. Furthermore, there's no proof the system would even work, no matter what the cost.