Alcohol Policy Update

A Bi-Monthly Newsletter of the Alcohol Policy Network
Feel free to copy & distribute
Vol. 11 Jan./Feb. 1998

"A number of people who experience mental illness also experience addictions problems, and vice-versa... [and they] often report being shunted from facility to facility with little integration. By combining much of what we each currently offer separately, the people we serve are sure to benefit."
- former ARF CEO Perry Kendall commenting on the proposed merger of the ARF, the Clarke, the Donwood and Queen Street Mental Health, July 23, 1997

Alcohol Abuse, Mental Illness: Pathways to Homelessness?

On November 3, a team of researchers from the Clarke Institute of Psychiatry, Wellesley/St Michael's Mental Health Service and Queen Street Mental Health Centre released Pathways to Homelessness, a comprehensive report that examined among other things, the prevalence of alcohol dependence and abuse among adult homeless persons in Toronto. Among the findings:

According to study co-author Dr. George Tolomiczenko, a researcher with the Clarke Institute of Psychiatry division of the newly created Addiction and Mental Health Services Corporation, these findings are conservative estimates that focus on those who report current problems with alcohol. The numbers would be larger if lifetime alcohol problems were considered.

The study underscores the urgent need for detox services, non-traditional intervention models that recognize the scarcity of safe and stable housing of the homeless, and specialized training and outreach team approaches to address concurrent disorders. As the combination of alcohol abuse and antisocial personality also tends to coincide with significant legal issues (41 percent of the sample population had served at least one jail sentence in their lifetime), there also appears to be a role for correctional services in designing court diversion and release programs that consider the clinical issues commonly faced by homeless persons.

Pathways to Homelessness comes at an opportune time. On February 12, the Addiction Research Foundation, Clarke Institute of Psychiatry, Queen Street Mental Health Centre and The Donwood Institute officially joined forces to form the Addiction and Mental Health Services Corporation. According to those supportive of the merger, one of the benefits of the new mega-corporation will be greater attention paid to the special needs of those with concurrent disorders — individuals with mental health and addictions problems who have been inadequately served by both systems in the past. Still, the new corporation — consultations are now under way to find an appropriate moniker — faces tremendous challenges in blending four unique organizational cultures and two complementary, though distinct, fields of practice while building on the legacy of programming, treatment and research excellence of its predecessors.

The Sample Population in the Pathways Study

Most homeless single adults — 93% according to a preliminary survey of drop-in service and program users — use shelters. Given the size of this majority, the project focused on shelter users. Shelter services are managed by organizations reiumbursed on a per diem basis through the City of Toronto's Hostel Services Division. The Division's administrative database was used to generate sampling proportions to ensure that the 300 shelter users interviewed for the Pathways study accurately reflected the wider population in terms of gender, type of shelter, age and level of shelter use. Over 10,000 unaccompanied adult men and women stayed in Toronto shelters for at least three nights during 1995 and increases were recorded in 1996 and 1997.

For more information on the Addiction and Mental Health Services Corporation merger, including the new senior management team, check out the ARF web site. The Pathways to Homelessness study and conference proceedings are posted at http://www.clarke-inst.on.ca/ HSRU/index.html. For more info, contact Dr. George Tolomiczenko, gtolomic@hsru.clarke-inst.on.ca. For a backgrounder on homelessness, mental health and alcohol policy, check out the hot issues section of APOLNET, at www.apolnet.ca. Documents should be posted within the next two weeks.

COMMUNITIES take action!

a forum on culturally-appropriate early intervention and prevention approaches to alcohol-related problems

Come explore the range of alcohol-related problems experienced by ethno-racial communities across the Greater Toronto Area and find out more about innovative approaches to prevention and early intervention. You'll also be able to network with colleagues, discuss opportunities for research and professional development, identify gaps in service and funding, and develop priorities for action.

ABOUT THE AGENDA

The forum will feature presentations by ARF Vice-President of Addiction Services, Patrick Smith; SAPPACY Coordinator, Akwatu Khenti; Kensington Clinic Clinical Counsellor, Ivan Roma; FSA worker Naga Ramalingam; and COPA Outreach Worker, Ewa Swoboda. In the afternoon, hands-on concurrent workshops will focus on three topics:

WHO SHOULD ATTEND?

public health, addictions, social service and health promotion professionals and front-line workers serving ethno-racial communities across the GTA funders, researchers, policy-makers and other key players in health promotion, substance abuse prevention and addictions treatment. ethnic media.

HOW MUCH DOES IT COST?

The early bird registration fee is $10 and covers refreshments, lunch and workshop materials. If registering after March 20, the fee is $15. Space is limited. Please register well in advance.

DATE, LOCATION & REGISTRATION INFO

The session will take place on Friday, March 27, 9 a.m.to 4 p.m., in the lower level of the Lillian H. Smith Public Library, 239 College Street, Toronto, 1 block east of Spadina. It is sponsored by the ARF, APN, OPHA Anti-Racism Committee and the Ethnocultural Coalition on Access to Addiction Services. To register, please contact Ana Almeida, 416-367-3313 ext. 23, Email:apn@opha.on.ca. 416-367-3313 ext. 27 or Meral Kesebi, 416-595-6770.

Alcohol Policy Round Up

"Got any local alcohol policy news you'd like to share? E-mail, fax or mail us the info and we'll get the word out."

Warning labels bill back on order paper

On October 2, Bill C-231, An Act to amend the Food and Drugs Act (warning labels regarding the consumption of alcohol), received first reading in the House of Commons. The bill is sponsored by Paul Szabo, the Mississauga South MP who shepherded a similar initiative to public hearings during the last Parliament only to see it die on the order paper when elections were called. The bill seeks to amend the Food and Drugs Act by adding the following section: "No person shall sell a beverage containing more than half of one per cent alcohol by volume unless it bears a clearly printed and legible label, in the form and print size prescribed by the Governor in Council, that warns the consumer that alcoholic beverages impair the ability to operate vehicles and machinery, may affect the health of the consumer and may cause birth defects if consumed during pregnancy." No word yet on when — or if — the bill will come up for second reading. For more information, please call MP Paul Szabo's Ottawa office, 613-992-4848.

Minister to consider LCBO report

On February 20, the Ontario Liquor Boards Employees' Union, currently in contract negotiations, announced that it would be conducting a series of strike votes between February 22 and March 9 in response to rumoured government plans to privatize 326 liquor stores and warehouses across the province. According to OLBEU sources, the report on options to modernize Ontario's current liquor retail and distribution system prepared by Arthur Anderson Associates will include proposals to contract out LCBO warehousing and distribution facilities in Thunder Bay, London, Ottawa, Whitby and Toronto; replace liquor stores in smaller communities with franchises or agency stores; and allow grocery stores in larger communities to sell a full line of alcohol products alongside the LCBO. The report is set to go to MCCR Minister David Tsubouchi at the end of March. The Minister will then decide what recommendations, if any, to take forward to Cabinet. For more info call Maurice Simms, Ministry of Consumer and Commercial Relations, 416-326-8535 or John Coones, Ontario Liquor Boards Employees' Union, 416-712-2912.

MOH releases core program guidelines

In February, the Ministry of Health released the final version of the new mandatory core program and service standards for public health units across the province. The document focuses efforts in three areas: the prevention of chronic disease and injuries, family health and infectious disease control. Substance abuse prevention is woven throughout the guidelines, particularly in the section on injury prevention. Here the Ministry would like to see a 20% reduction in the rate of alcohol and other substance-related injuries or deaths by 2010. In a bid to reduce the risks associated with alcohol and other drug use, it also includes as objectives to reduce the proportion of adult Ontarians who consume more than two drinks per day by 20% and to achieve a similar reduction over the coming decade in the rate of Ontarians who use illicit, non-medicinal and psychoactive substances. To view the guidelines, visit the MOH web site or APOLNET Hot Issues at www.apolnet.ca.

D & D makes headlines

Drinking and driving has been making the headlines lately, and not all the news has been good. Snowmobiling deaths — some two-thirds of which are alcohol-related — are up. So are the numbers of drinking and driving charges, 12-hour licence. suspensions and, in some jurisdictions, plea bargains and reduced penalties for those caught driving with a blood alcohol level just over the legal limit. The Ontario government is determined to jumpstart the fight against impaired driving with the implementation of a series of tough measures ushered in under Bill 138. Starting this fall, first time and repeat offenders must undergo mandatory 12-20 hour education or assessment and rehabilitation programs to get their licences back. The programs, to be delivered by service providers selected through a tender process, are expected to cost participants somewhere between $300 and $500. Meanwhile, the Traffic Injury Research Foundation has released two new reports on the positive effects of Administrative Drivers Licence Suspension (ADLS) and Vehicle Impoundment Programs in Manitoba, and the Ignition Interlock Program in Alberta. While Ontario has yet to introduce ignition interlocks for repeat offenders, ADLS and vehicle impound-ments are now part of the province's road safety plan. For more info on provincial efforts to reduce drinking and driving contact Kathy Dermott at MTO, 416-235-4102. For copies of the TIRF reports call 613-238-5235.

In other merger news...

Banks, municipalities, hospitals, district health councils, public health units and addictions and mental health agencies are not the only ones merging these days. As reported here last year, the LLBO and the Gaming Commission were also slated to become one — and as of February 23 they have. The new Alcohol & Gaming Commission can be reached at 20 Dundas Street West, Toronto, Ontario, M5G 2N6. Tel: 416-326-0450. Email: agco@mccr.onramp.ca. Web site: http:// www.agco.on.ca. Update those mailing lists!

News & Views

Upcoming Events

On Friday, March 20, the Fraser Institute, a Vancouver-based think-tank, will host a daylong conference on Liquor Retailing: Options for the Province of Ontario at the Sutton Place Hotel, 955 Bay Street in Toronto. The conference, rescheduled from last November, will cost $95 until March 19, $105 on site. To register call 416-363-6575.

Useful Resources

Now available: Youth and Alcohol: A Sudbury Regional Municipality Profile. Researched and written by public health nurse, Kim Niceforo, the study is based on transcripts of five adolescent and two parent focus groups. The purpose of these groups was to explore the attitudes and perceptions of teens and parents on the topic of alcohol use. The study found that teen drinking is commonly accepted and to expect teens to refrain from drinking was considered unrealistic. Most teens began drinking at 12 and 13 years of age and obtained alcohol through older friends. Peer pressure was identified as the most common reason for alcohol use among teens. The Sudbury and District Health Unit has used the findings as a basis for program planning in local schools and the wider community. Staff have made presentations to teachers, the board of health and regional council and will be launching educational campaigns targeted at elementary, high school and graduating students over the coming months. They are also promoting the development of alcohol policies in local municipalities. The report costs $8. To obtain a copy or for more information call Brenda Stankiewicz, 1-705-522-9200 ext. 257.

Need the latest info on international alcohol control policies at your fingertips? The ninth and latest edition of Alcoholic Beverage Taxation and Control Policies, a publication of the Brewers Association of Canada, may have what you're looking for. The 600 page resource examines drinking patterns, types and quantities of beverages consumed, regulatory environments, tax systems/rates, and incidence and efforts to reduce alcohol-related problems in 23 countries including the UK, US, Portugal, Italy, Sweden and Australia. Easy-to-use tables and graphs include data up to 1995 allowing for quick comparisons among jurisdictions. $475+GST. For more info visit the new resources section of APOLNET News & Views, http://www.apolnet.ca. To order a copy call Ed Gregory at 613-232-9601.

On February 19-22, the ARF and the Ontario Camping Association (OCA) released Setting A New Direction: A Resource Guide for Alcohol, Tobacco and Other Drug Policies for Summer Camps. The binder includes a video and a step-by-step binder on developing/revising, promoting, monitoring and evaluating camp policies. A similar resource for snowmobile clubs entitled Blazing New Trails: Guiding Your Way Through An Alcohol Policy, was released on January 20 by ARF, the Ontario Federation of Snowmobile Clubs (OFSC), the Ontario Association of Chiefs of Police and the Ministry of Transportation. To order call ARF Marketing Services, 1-800-661-1111. For more information call the OFSC at 705-739-7669, or the OCA at 416-781-0525.

Looking for a resource to help special occasion permit holders plan safe weddings, receptions, fundraisers, conventions and other special events? The SmartServe folks may have what you need: a new video called Special Occasions: A Guide to Responsible Alcohol Service. Launched at the Windsor Regional Forum on Liquor Licensing on February 25, the 20-minute video complements other SmartServe resources targeting social hosts and bar and restaurant operators and their staff. $14.95. To order call 416-695-8737.

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Please note: Information appearing in this newsletter in no way constitutes an endorsement by OPHA or its members. Printing of submissions is subject to space availability. Future editions of Alcohol Policy Update will be published via fax only. Hard copies may be subject to a fee. To ensure your name remains on our mailing list, please send us an Alcohol Policy Network Member/Supporter Application Form.