1) Mental Health App For Canadian Veterans Named After Saskatchewan Mass Stabbing Victim

Courtesy of Barrie360.com and Canadian PressPublished: Nov 11th, 2023

By Jamin Mike

Earl Burns was a veteran of the Canadian military who tried to protect his family and Saskatchewan community of James Smith Cree Nation until his very last breath.

A non-profit app in the works has been named in his honour. The Burns Way chat app would allow veterans to instantly connect with trained military peer supports, while filling service gaps for those who live in rural areas or are isolated.

“Everything at The Burns Way is about human beings supporting other human beings and to facilitate all of that to the idea of connection,” said John MacBeth, founder and CEO of developer TryCycle Data Systems.

He said that when he and his team learned Burns was a veteran, it was obvious that Burns encapsulated “the valour, the courage, the duty” that the app should be named for.

Burns was one of 11 people killed in September 2022 when his former son-in-law went from house to house stabbing people on the James Smith Cree Nation and in the nearby village of Weldon. Seventeen others were injured.

Burns, 66, was stabbed along with his wife in their home. When the attacker drove off, Burns chased after him in a school bus but died along a roadway.

MacBeth added that children were also in the home at the time, and Burns saved them.

“Earl Burns stood in his own doorway and defended the children in his protection, literally, with his life.”

Burns served with the Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry. After leaving the military, he became a father and a grandfather. He competed in rodeos. He also bought his own school bus and drove students every day to school on the reserve.

Macbeth said the family of Burns — specifically his wife, Joyce Burns, who survived the attack — have given their blessing for his name to be used for the app.

The family will also “have a seat at table,” he said.

TryCycle spent 15 years trying to improve Indigenous health care, MacBeth said. The company previously started a similar app called the Talking Stick, which offers anonymous peer support for Indigenous Canadians.

“The Burns Way is basically a reimagination of what we are doing,” said MacBeth.

The Burns Way is designed to offer an “anonymous and judgment-free space,” where messages would be automatically deleted after the chat ends. A user requiring immediate, professional attention would be invited to connect with a support leader through another platform.

MacBeth said cellphones, today, are ubiquitous.

Three weeks ago, the company did a presentation at a legion in Ottawa. “There was a lot of senior veterans there. Every veteran there had a smartphone.”

For those who don’t have a cellphone, a computer can also connect to the service.

The app, which is set to be out in 2024, would be available in English, French, Spanish and 10Indigenous languages, MacBeth added.

He said the company is currently seeking federal funding for the app. About seven or eight veterans organizations have signed on and others are pending.

A spokesperson for the Royal Canadian Legion said it’s pleased to support the project and is advocating for government funding to help get it running.

“We believe that when fully functional as intended, it will greatly benefit veterans by having anonymous peer support from someone with shared cultural and spiritual backgrounds and experiences,” Nujma Bond said in an email.

Chuck Isaacs, a retired Métis sergeant and president of the Aboriginal Veterans Association of Alberta, said, “It’s a step forward to allow the concept that Indigenous people may have some input on the healing of all soldiers.”

2) Ontario Consulting On How To Better Support Job-Seeking Veterans, Military Spouses

Courtesy Barrie360.com and Canadian PressPublished: Nov 10th, 2023

By Allison Jones in Toronto

Ontario is launching consultations on how to address the barriers that veterans and military spouses face when looking for work.

There are about 150,000 veterans in Ontario, with almost a third of them between the ages of 25 and 54, and an estimated 14,500 military spouses, a consultation paper said, which represent some of the highest of those populations in the country.

The consultations, which close Dec. 27, come as Labour Minister David Piccini announced that Ontario is putting $4.3 million toward four projects to help hundreds of Canadian Armed Forces members transition to civilian life and train for jobs.

“Through their training and service, soldiers, airmen and sailors accumulate a wealth of experience and skills that are invaluable for civilian employers,” Piccini said at a news conference. 

“Unfortunately, that connection between their skill set and the demands of civilian jobs isn’t always obvious, as it should be for a hiring business.” 

Despite having good employment outcomes on average, veterans face a higher percentage of unemployment, the consultation paper said.

“It is crucial to understand these challenges and how they prevent or limit the military spouses and veterans from fully participating in the Ontario labour market, and consequently supporting its economic growth,” the government wrote in the paper.

About 8,000 military families move to a new province every year, and Ontario is home to six major bases.

“This geographic mobility poses a fundamental challenge to the employment of military spouses as it can disrupt their career progression, making it difficult to establish continuity in employment,” the government wrote in the paper.

Military spouses are largely female, and 62 per cent have post-secondary education, with 25 per cent in a regulated profession that requires them to register with a new body in each province, the paper said.

The consultation paper cites a 2017 study that found 70 per cent of military spouses say their careers have been adversely affected by their partner’s military service. Another study found that half of the Ontario military families reported that their financial situation worsened after relocating because of reduced working hours and higher living costs, the government said in the paper.

The projects announced Friday as receiving government funding help veterans prepare for in-demand jobs in fields such as health care, software development, cybersecurity and the skilled trades.

A project by the True Patriot Love Foundation is set to help 130 veterans get jobs in health care, and the other projects are being run by Coding for Veterans, Helmets to Hardhats and the Roland Gossage Foundation, which offers programs in cybersecurity, web development and data science.

The True Patriot Love Foundation is also receiving an additional $1.04 million to improve veterans’ access to mental health supports.

3) Canadian Remebrance Day Ceremonies Occur At A Time When Peace Seems Far Away

Courtesy of Barrie360 and Canadian PressPublished: Nov 11th, 2023

Ottawa

Citizens gathered with heads bowed for Remembrance Day ceremonies across Canada Saturday at a time when wars rage in Ukraine and the Gaza Strip and peace seems far off for many.

In Barrie, a parade took place along Mulcaster and Dunlop Streets, and a ceremony at the Barrie Cenotaph, to honour those who’ve fought.

Processions and wreath-layings in Atlantic Canada kicked off the country’s events, with veterans, officials and politicians of all stripes gathering in cities including St. John’s and Fredericton.

Rev. Bob Jones, 92, was a chaplain with the Canadian military for 20 years, and he was at the Fredericton Cenotaph to listen to the names of each fallen soldier as they were read off by officials and to remember what they endured. 

The Second World War concluded when Jones was 14, but he said his military career took him to Israel for six months. 

“When I was there it was relatively peaceful, although the thing was, you never knew what would happen,” Jones said, adding that he regretted not visiting the Gaza War Cemetery while he was there.

“If I had known what we know now, maybe I should have made a special effort to have gotten there.”

Remembrance Day in Canada began with news that doctors at the largest hospital in Gaza said five patients had died after the facility’s last generator ran out of fuel. More than 11,000 Palestinians have been killed in Israel’s war in the Gaza Strip. An estimated 1,200 Israelis were killed in the Oct. 7 attacks by the militant group Hamas — which Canada classifies as a terrorist organization — that set off the current conflict. 

Meanwhile, Ukrainians are bracing for another winter of war as Russia’s invasion continues. 

In a Remembrance Day statement, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau encouraged Canadians to wear a poppy and take two minutes of silence to honour Canadian Armed Forces members who have fought, as well as those who have taken part in peacekeeping missions including training  Ukrainian soldiers. 

“Remembrance Day is an opportunity to recognize members of the Canadian Armed Forces who have courageously answered the call of duty. When it was needed most, they left behind their families and homes,” Trudeau said. “Many returned with severe trauma – or didn’t return at all. Their sacrifice is a debt that we can never repay.”

In Ottawa, the prime minister shook hands with veterans and dignitaries at the Remembrance Day ceremony at the National War Memorial.

Back at the Fredericton Cenotaph, where snowflakes speckled the grey skies, Michele Doran was among the hundreds gathered to pay their respects. Her late father-in-law fought in the Korean War in the 1950s, and she brought her two-year-old son, Max, to the ceremonies to teach him to honour veterans like his grandfather.

“I think it’s really important even for young children to be here,” Doran said in an interview. “We wouldn’t be here today without all these veterans.”

4) 101-Year-Old Barrie Veteran Joined The War Effort Out Of A Sense Of Duty

Courtesy of Barrie360.com

Ian MacLennanPublished: Nov 11th, 2023

William Snow of Barrie wasn’t available to chat on the day an interview was requested.

A friend said he was a little tired.

He just finished mowing the lawn. Not too shabby for someone who is 101-years-old.

A phone chat took place the following day and Snow was quick to engage in conversation about World War 2 and his service.

Mounted on a wall in the living room of his home is a small cabinet displaying his war medals, a picture of himself as a soldier, and his affection for his late wife.

Snow could have served with the British Armed Forces. He was born in Newfoundland, and he was told if he signed up there was no option to serve Canada.

Newfoundland did not join Confederation until 1949.

Wanting to serve with the Canadian Armed Forces, Snow made his way to Toronto in 1942 , where he enlisted.

He admits being unsure what he was getting himself into but signed on because he felt a sense of duty.

“It was everybody’s duty,” said Snow. “We were practically a million people in Canada at the time and probably everybody at the time was doing something for the war. Whether you were on the frontline or in Canada, everybody was helping with the war effort.”

As the only son, Snow says his mother did not want him to enlist.

“She wanted to hang onto me.”

He spent 10-months in England as a driver and training officers. As a member of the First Canadian Radar Battery, his service also took him to Normandy in France as well as Belgium, the Netherlands and Germany. His duties included driving a truck and spotting targets for artillery.

Every time Snow talks to people about the war effort, he finds they only then realize what was sacrificed.

“You volunteered to give up your life for your country,” he explained. “I wondered what the hell I was doing here, because it was something I didn’t have to do.”

On Remembrance Day, Snow will march in the parade in downtown Barrie.

” I will give the salute,” he says. “The good Lord willing, if I am still okay.”

5) Cadets Gather At Downtown Barrie Cenotaph For Remembrance Day Vigil

Courtesy of Barrie360.com

Ian MacLennanPublished: Nov 11th, 2023 2:03amLast Updated: Nov 11th, 2023

A cold rain occasionally magnified the chill November air as local cadets formed a five-person honour guard at the downtown Barrie cenotaph on Friday evening.

Candles were lit at the start of the vigil to signify Canadian soldiers who died serving their country. The candles were placed around the base of the cenotaph and were to burn throughout the vigil.

The Remembrance Day vigil began at 7 p.m. and lasted until midnight, with the second one on Nov. 11 from 6 to 9:30 a.m.

Cadets from the Navy League Cadets Corps Chambly, 102 Barrie Silver Fox Royal Canadian Air Cadet Squadron, 2919 Royal Canadian Army Cadet Corps, and 53 Royal Canadian Sea Cadet Corps Barrie, are taking part in the vigil ahead of Remembrance Day ceremonies on Saturday.

Images – Michael Chorney – At the Scene Photography and Barrie360.com