Although each year Canada grants sanctuary to many refugees, some refugee claimants to Canada are forced to turn to other sources of asylum. One such individual was Mohamed Cherfi. You may remember him as an Algerian refugee claimant. Entering Canada via the US in 1999, he resided in Montreal. Cherfi sought refugee status on humanitarian [...]
Every January Catholics commemorate the World Day of Migrants and Refugees. This day is about both justice and celebration. It “celebrates the human drive to belong, to protect, to grow and to share in family, and the immeasurable importance of family in the lives of migrants and refugees in all corners of the world” (International [...]
Fast away the old year passes. 2012 is almost here. And the coming of the New Year is often an occasion for resolutions, for lifestyles altered, for changes made. Perhaps you’ve resolved to join the gym and exercise regularly each week. Perhaps you’ve resolved to control your spending and reduce your debt. Or perhaps you’ve [...]
These days food ethics is mushrooming. A quick visit to your local bookstore’s Lifestyle section will yield numerous and varied volumes on the subject. I can just imagine going through all the helpful guides to eating well that litter those shelves… Let’s see. First I find out that I should eat in-season and locally produced [...]
This month the Ethics Centre asks you to consider your role in God’s creation. Bill McKibben’s The Comforting Whirlwind is a fascinating read that links environmental concern with the book of Job. McKibben discerns that conventional wisdom doesn’t always hold true, both in Job’s time and in our own. Job’s friends — those well-meaning men [...]
How are you going to celebrate Buy Nothing Day? Just a reminder – this Friday, November 25th is Buy Nothing Day. It’s a day promoted by the team at Canada’s own Adbusters magazine. Like everything else done by this team, this day is plugged using striking graphics and remarkable pithiness: “Participate by not participating,” the [...]
Fair Trade is based on a partnership between people producing items such as coffee, tea, chocolate and handicrafts in poor countries and people wanting these items in rich countries.
This month, the Ethics Centre calls you to pray for those suffering under the burden of addiction. Pray for those in denial of addiction. for clarity for people to see when substance use turns into dependence and addiction, and courage to admit it for people suffering because of the addiction of a spouse, partner, parent, [...]
The Salvation Army has a proud history of ministry to those suffering with addiction, particularly substance abuse. For as long as The Salvation Army has existed it has sought to restore those who suffer from alcoholism, who are broken by addiction. One exceptional aspect of Salvation Army culture is the tie between social ministry and [...]
Addiction is the topic of focus this month on the Ethics Centre website. The word “addiction” may sound simple enough, but people use it in varied and complex ways. Our society often narrows down addiction to two explanatory models. Sometimes these are called the “moral model” and the “medical model.” They’re also called the “sin [...]
