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Press Clippings

2009 National Awards for Excellence Clippings

 

BC Women's Hospital and Health Centre Foundation
Dr. Elizabeth Whynot: The Rewarding Years as President

&

Helping BC's Most Vulnerable Babies
From the Annual Report 2008/2009
September, 2009

[For more information about BC Women's Hospital and Health Centre Foundation, please visit their website.]
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The Hamilton Spectator
Mental health helpers honoured: COAST wins national award
Denise Davy
May 26, 2009

A young man threatens to take his life. A daughter is worried that her aging mother is at risk because she lives alone and has dementia. A man in a supportive housing program is hallucinating and out of control.
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The Gazette
Seven receive awards for addiction work
May 27th, 2009

Mental health problems are at the root of addictions and successful treatment must be based on this approach, entrepreneur Edgar Kaiser Jr. says.

"Addiction is not a moral issue, it's a public health issue which affects all levels of society," Kaiser said yesterday before an award ceremony in Montreal honouring seven Canadians for "exceptional contributions" in the field.

Kaiser, the Vancouver-based chairperson and CEO of Kaiser Resources, the family-owned holding company, was instrumental in establishing the awards, now in their fourth year.
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La Presse
Toxicomanie et maladie mentale sont liées
Catherine Handfield
May 27th, 2009

Quand Gilbert (nom fictif) s'est présenté à sa première thérapie de groupe pour combattre sa dépendance aux drogues, il a été incapable de prendre la parole.

Gilbert voulait pourtant «se prendre en main», comme lui répétaient sans cesse ses proches. Mais, en plus de sa toxicomanie, il souffrait de troubles psychotiques qui le rendaient méfiant envers les autres. La thérapie de groupe n'était pas adaptée à sa condition. Il n'y est plus jamais retourné.
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BCRPA Communique #208
Burns Lake group featured in BCRPA magazine wins award
April 24th, 2009

Spirits of Burns Lake, a group profiled in a recent issue of Recreation & Parks BC Magazine (Fall 2008: "Grants Keep BC Communities in High Spirits"), has been presented with an Award of Excellence in Aboriginal Programming by the Kaiser Foundation. Spirits of Burns Lake has created a free, weekly hockey program for local girls and women (First Nations and non-aboriginal), especially those of low-income, giving them a safe, fun opportunity to engage in physical activity and make positive social connections. They've also expanded the program to include baseball in the summer. The Award highlights the importance of this program in opening doors for people potentially at risk as a result of poverty, low employment and drug and alcohol abuse in the area. Spirits of Burns Lake has received funding from the Girls Only Incentive Program, an initiative made possible by a partnership between BCRPA and ProMOTION Plus, supported by 2010 Legacies Now and the federal government. For more information about the Girls Only Incentive Program, contact BCRPA Promotions & Sales Coordinator Rhianne Mari.

 

ACTION News
Michel Perron to receive Kaiser Award
March, 2009: Volume 19, No. 1

CCSA Chief Executive Officer Michel Perron has been selected as the 2009 recipient of the Kaiser Foundation’s Award for Excellence in Public Policy. The award will be presented at the celebration banquet in Montreal on May 26, 2009. The Awards for Excellence is a yearly program that honours the work carried out by organizations, communities and individuals engaged in the field of health and addictions. The Excellence in Public Policy award recognizes an individual or group that has made a significant contribution to reducing the negative effects of alcohol and other drug use through the advancement of public policy at the national, provincial, territorial, municipal or First Nations level. This is an important honour for Michel that recognizes his exemplary leadership and significant contribution to the advancement of drug policy—in Canada and internationally. In both arenas, Michel has brought stakeholders of widely differing opinions to the table, and has been able to successfully build consensus and establish credible plans for moving forward.
See the article online...

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2008 National Awards for Excellence Clippings

 

CBC News
N.B. First Nations drama club wins national award
Monday, February 25, 2008

Drama students at a New Brunswick First Nations school have won a national award for excellence for their stage work.

The Kaiser Foundation, a national charitable organization — dedicated to helping people struggling with substance abuse and mental health issues — gave the 2008 award for Excellence in Aboriginal Programming to the Eel Ground middle school on the Eel Ground First Nations reserve outside Miramichi, N.B.

The honour was awarded to the school drama club, which has long been a favourite of regional drama festivals, for its work in raising awareness about substance abuse issues.
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Canadian Business
Kaiser Foundation Announces 2008 National Awards for Excellence Winners
Tuesday, Apr 8, 2008

VANCOUVER, April 8 /CNW/ - The Kaiser Foundation is pleased to honour the seven Canadians and organizations selected for this year's National Awards for Excellence (NAE) in reducing harm from substance use.

The awards recognize the outstanding work being undertaken by organizations, communities and individuals throughout Canada in reducing the physical and mental harms associated with substance use and mental health issues. They will be given out at the annual NAE dinner on April 24th at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Calgary.
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The Vancouver Sun
Sun editorial writer wins Kaiser Award
Thursday, April 10, 2008

Peter McKnight, award-winning columnist and editorial writer for the The Vancouver Sun, has won the Kaiser Foundation's National Award for Excellence in Media Reporting on reducing harm from substance use. Each award recipient receives a $10,000 grant directed to a recognized charity of their choice.
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The Canadian Press
Aboriginal medical students lead program to discourage improper tobacco use
Friday, April 11, 2008

EDMONTON _ Aboriginal medical students at the University of Alberta are hoping to teach young natives about the proper use of tobacco in their culture.

Daniel McKennitt and his fellow students have already taken their project to three Edmonton schools.
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Express News
Award earned for tackling tobacco use in aboriginal youth
Friday, April 11, 2008

April 11, 2008 - Edmonton - Helping aboriginal youth uncover the long lost line that separates First Nations tradition from cigarette addiction has earned a University of Alberta medical student a Kaiser Foundation of Canada National Award for Excellence.

Daniel McKennitt, who is in his second year in the Faculty of Medicine & Dentistry, was named the winner in the Excellence in Youth Leadership category for his creation of the Aboriginal Health Group, an aboriginal student group whose main initiative involves a program designed to warn Edmonton's aboriginal youth about the perils of smoking.
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New Brunswick Telegraph-Journal
Drama club wins national award
Sat April 12, 2008 | Page A2

EEL GROUND - The seven individuals and organizations winning Kaiser Foundation Awards for reducing harm from substance abuse include the Eel Ground First Nation Drama Club. The club program teaches students life and coping skills through drama, music and other media. It helps students connect to their culture. It deals with issues common to first nation communities, such as fetal alcohol syndrome disorder (FASD) and teen stress and suicide. Movie versions of the students' plays have been shown across Canada. The award cites Eel Ground Arrowhead School principal Peter Macdonald and drama teacher John Bosma.

 

Edmonton Journal
Anti-smoking effort earns student award; Aboriginal kids start puffing before age nine
Saturday, April 12, 2008 | Page B4

An Edmonton medical student has been recognized for his work devising programs to help aboriginal youths.

Daniel McKennitt is among the recipients of this year's National Award for Excellence from the Kaiser Foundation, an organization that raises awareness about substance abuse and mental health issues.

A second-year student in medicine at the University of Alberta, McKennitt, 25, founded the Aboriginal Health Group at the university to address what he saw as the unmet needs of the aboriginal community, particularly young people.
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The Vancouver Courier
Harm reduction champion calls for more housing
Wednesday, April 16, 2008

Seven mothers involved in a program that helps women with drug addictions have needlessly given their babies up to foster care in the last two weeks, says Dr. Ron Abrahams.

"If there was appropriate, safe, supportive, supervised housing in the community, these babies would not be in foster care," he said. "What that also means is that these mothers are at risk now of going back onto the street or back into the environment that they were at because they're separated from the babies, and that's another additional trauma to them in their lives."
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Miramichi Leader
Eel Ground students in media spotlight
Monday, April 12, 2008

Since the official announcement of winning the Kaiser Award of Excellence in Aboriginal Programming, the Eel Ground Drama club has received significant national media attention.

Apart from newspaper, radio and television coverage, Shelagh Rogers, host of Sounds Like Canada, visited the school on March and spent time at the school interviewing Peter MacDonald, John Bosma, Felicia Dedam and Zachary Simonson about the win. She was fascinated by what the students were accomplishing with technology and Mi'kmaq culture and the media projects that garnered them the award.
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University of Alberta Folio
Med student earns award for tackling tobacco use in aboriginal youth
Wednesday, May 7, 2008 | Volume 45 Issue 17

Helping aboriginal youth uncover the long lost line that separates First Nations tradition from cigarette addiction has earned a University of Alberta medical student a Kaiser Foundation of Canada National Award for Excellence.

Daniel McKennitt, who is in his second year in the Faculty of Medicine & Dentistry, was named the winner in the Excellence in Youth Leadership category for his creation of the Aboriginal Health Group, an aboriginal student group whose main initiative involves a program designed to warn Edmonton’s aboriginal youth about the perils of smoking.
Read More....

 

Contacting the Kaiser Foundation

Edgar Kaiser Jr. has 20-plus years experience in all aspects of mental health and addictions issues. To set up an interview with Mr. Kaiser, please contact his Executive Assistant at 602.926.9767 or at ea@kaiserfoundation.ca.

For further information on the Kaiser Foundations, please contact the Executive Assistant at 604.926.9767 or ea@kaiserfoundation.ca.