Pacific South Western Advocates - British Columbia



Pacific South Western Advocates

4402-B Shelbourne St.

Victoria B.C. V8N 3G3

Submission March 11th, 2014

For: Disability White Paper

PO Box 9936 Stn Prov Gov. Victoria, BC V8W 9R2

And to; Hon. Terry Lake

B.C. Minister of Health

Re: In-person Community Consultation held in Victoria on March 7, 2014

I would first like to thank our B.C. Minister of Health Hon. Terry Lake and the government of B.C., for setting up the “Community Consultation on reducing barriers and increasing accessibility for people living with disabilities”.

I would also like to thank all the people in charge of the “In-Person Community Consultation” I felt welcomed, and the instructions were easily understood by me.

I sat at table #2 with Neil Belanger (table communications facilitator?) Mr. Belanger (Neil) did a terrific job of ensuring that everyone was heard and had equal opportunity to speak.

One situation that prevented me from sharing more was the fact that a person from the city of Sidney (I believe he was in planning) was sitting beside me. This made me feel uncomfortable with sharing more on my situation. There is a quote; “Educated men speak because they want to say something, the poor and disadvantage speak because they have to say something.”

Neil had posted on the recommendations board my one page written suggestions on “Mental Health Detentions” in BC.

My story was in Focus Magazine’s Dec. 2013 Issue, written by reporter Rob Wipond titled “An Overabundance of Caution”

I was also on the University of Victoria radio program “The Winds of Change” with Janine Bandcroft on Feb 27, 2013 at 11:30 am.

I will explain my current situation on the following page or pages regarding seeking assistance and having a lack of confidence with those people who I may have to speak with in order to get help.

Once again, thank you for the opportunity for allowing people to express their views, opinions and solutions in this “Consultation”.

Gordon W Stewart, Director PSWA Canada

e-mail gws2010@live.ca Pg 1of 4

On March 10th 2014 (yesterday) I was going to seek out assistance for my situation at The Open Door, Social Services etc? I really don’t know where to start. I was out of money with no work. An old friend’s wife works with Social Services which makes it difficult for me to walk into that office asking for help.

My ex-common-law has our four children living with her and they are fine, she pays for their needs as she is working.

1. Myself, I have no health or dental coverage.

2. I have no money to see a dentist or doctor.

3. I am only days away from financial ruin and being homeless. I have my lower teeth that are decayed to the point I’m concerned they may be infected.

4. All my top teeth except for the front 4 have been pulled at the free clinic by Dr. Crapo team of dentist as they were so badly infected they had to be pulled. Now it’s impossible to chew food.

5. There are a few spots in my eye sight I’m not sure why.

6. I have an injured arm and wrist which limits me to what and how much work I can do.

7. Just when my arm feels better I do extra work and my wrist and arm never heal properly.

Last June 27th, I had an accident while working for a client in Esquimalt when my tall 18’orchard ladder snapped in half, I collapsed to the ground landing on the broken half of the ladder injuring my left side, my arm, wrist and hip so bad I couldn’t work for a long time. I did have private accident insurance and still pay for “Canada Life” accident insurance to cover lost wages instead of Workers compensation, but I could not benefit from accident insurance because I had no medical BC Health Insurance to go to a doctor to have my injuries checked out. My income is so low it wouldn’t have been much anyways. I called the BC Health Inquiry number at the time to inquire about going to ER for assessment without coverage and no money to pay for the visit. I was told I needed insurance or have the ability to pay for the visit or get health coverage otherwise they wouldn’t accept me. So I couldn’t get x-rays or have a doctor do an assessment.

Getting BC Health coverage for me is a problem. I would first have to have to file taxes in order for BC Health to be able to assess the rate I would pay for health insurance and or determine if I’m eligible for free coverage under the plan. The last time I filed was for 2007 taxes in 2008 when I had a residence. I couldn’t file taxes since, since I had no residence. The address I use for my license on Shelbourne St. is where I have a small office for my advocacy work which the homeowner provides me with a room with my own outside door for free in exchange for maintaining her lawn and small garden, the room to be used as office only in daytime.

My common-law who separated from me in 2001 lives in a BC Housing complex with our four children. She works night shift, so those nights I stay with my children looking after them.

Pg 2 of 4

I work doing odd jobs trimming trees and hedges; I can’t afford advertising, not even a business phone for people to call me. My 1983 Ford truck has been broken down for the past 2 weeks. I have no money to fix it, it needs a clutch estimate $1,000.

Today I rented a u-haul truck as I was lucky to have 2 people call with work for me to do, with a $100 deposit I was able to rent it, so that will buy me a couple days, I have no money and no savings and no residence so I’m in a tough spot. I never make enough for deposit to rent a place.

I have had no medical insurance since 2008 since I was living near London Ontario.

Lack of confidence with the Ministry of Social Services, CRA.

In 2001 I lived with my common law Rita and our 3 young daughters who were all under age six. We were renting a beautiful home in Gordon Head in a nice neighborhood overlooking the water. On May 29th 2001 I was promoting my book ‘Canada’s Dishonest Tax Police’. Two Victoria police officers on the 6th day arrested/detained me and took me to Royal Jubilee hospital for a mental health assessment; they put me in a small locked room. I was calm, respectful as I always am. I asked police and medical staff for call to lawyer and call to family to let them know where I was and who I was being detained by, (I wasn’t told why I was being detained). The police and medical staff refused my request. I refused to speak with a psychiatrist until they allowed me a call to my family and a lawyer to have the validity of my detention checked. I was ordered out of my clothes; a nurse walks into the room with a syringe and advises me I must take this medication. I refused, she stated security will flip me over and I’ll be injected the hard way! I asked for pill form as I didn’t like needles stating it’s against my will and note it on record which it was. The next day I was taken to Eric Martin and was detained and drugged for 11 days. On the 11th day I spoke with a psychiatrist and he released me after a 10 minute discussion. Medical records states I had dental pain back then in the Eric Martin, but that was no concern of theirs.

My common-law was advised to separate from me as she had no way to pay rent as the bread winner was locked away in the Eric Martin. She sought help from Social Services, we’ve been separated ever since. Rita says it’s staying that way until she receives an apology from those who caused us harm.

There were 3 Gordon W Stewarts in Victoria at the time in May 2001, I had never been to Royal Jubilee hospital in my life, and I’ve never had any mental illness. One other Gordon W Stewart had a dispute with Revenue Canada.

The ER physician months later in Jan 2002 wrote an addendum to my medical file which he copied to me, “In my ER Consult report I stated Mr. Stewart was arrested and brought by police from Revenue Canada, it was actually the Law Courts”.

The police provided only a subjective verbal report which was false information. I was at the Law Courts seeking an 810-Peace-Bond at the suggestion of the Justice of the Peace to prevent tax agents from entering my home unlawfully.

Pg 3 of 4

Revenue Canada tax agents had already yanked documents out of my hands in 1998, and retrieved from my lawyer’s office my documents unlawfully from my lawyer. My lawyer left the firm shortly after without telling me, and failed to advise me he released my documents to tax agents. He was later found guilty by the BC Law Society.

On May 24, 2001 a tax agent provided me with a copy of their thank you letter they handed to my lawyer; that letter I showed the Justice of the Peace on May 29th 2001.

In 1996, I worked for Nisika Home support services, a call from my supervisor stated I couldn’t work with children anymore as my name has been flagged as the government was doing searches on people’s names who worked with children. I had no problem with that as I had no criminal record. I had to go to the police station and get my finger prints and photo taken which they sent off to Ottawa. Two months later results came back, the Attorney General’s office sent a letter to my work and myself stating “You are not the person with the Criminal Record in question, we are sending your fingerprints back to you”.

I’ve always gone to Christ Church to meditate. Mix up of people’s names can come into play when authorities act fast without checking the facts which they are relying upon.

I can only hope that my situation will help the BC Ministry of Health with their “Community Consultations”

My biggest recommendation which is also recommended in the ‘BC 2005 Mental Health Act Guide Book’ is “for police to provide medical staff with a written MHA report” and stop the use of verbal reports. If police are “Acting in Bad Faith” for personal gain, promotion, or to gain some extra overtime, then it cost the taxpayers huge amounts of money needlessly while eroding the confidence of the people, as well beds may not be available for those with mental illness who need treatment who can’t get it because there is no bed available.

I no longer have confidence with police, the law courts or the medical profession. I refuse to call the police for anything. If someone needs medical assistance I’ll offer help, but other than that I won’t call police even if I see something happen.

When honest hardworking capable citizens refuse to call police to report what they see, the province of BC will have to spend more money for more officers to help with investigations when the public become silent about things that matter.

Sincerely,

Gordon W Stewart (250) 208-0999 e-mail gws2010@live.ca

PS: I’m including with this letter an e-mail dated Apr 2, 2013 which I had written to reporter Rob Wipond before Focus printed my story.

Pg. 4 of 4

Hi Rob, I have gone through the relevant documents, medical records and police records. 

Going through and reviewing the records is not an easy task for me, I relive that horrific nighmare everyday, everytime I see a police car, drive past a police station, Royal Jubilee hospital, Law Courts and particularly that Revenue Canada building, where they yanked my documents out of my hands, (the documents sent to me from Ottawa), I retrieved them back, but who are those people. They all have tarnished my image of Canada and our so called Charter of Rights and Freedoms, and when Canada's Prime Minister Stephen Harper refused to have an elborate celebration of the Charter's 30th anniversary, I completely understood why. 

Basi & Virk were guilty, taxpayers paid 6 million dollars for their defence lawyers, and they got to keep their homes, they weren't tossed out onto the street with their families.  There are many people the Charter protects, but between criminals and capable citizens being treated as mentally ill, It appears it's criminals who benefit from the Charter, not the capable citizens being treated as mentally ill, and that's wrong in Canada. 

I would go as far to say Canada's Charter of Rights and Freedoms should be eliminated if capable citizens (being treated as mentally ill) who get detained and drugged and forced out of their clothes are denied their Right to contact a lawyer to check the validity of their detention.  If and when capable citizens (detained under the BC MHA sec. 28) get equal rights as criminals, then reinstate the Charter.

My (unlawful) apprehension at the law Courts and my (unlawful) Involuntary drugging and committal is something that no one, and I mean no one could even begin to understand how it feels to lose your liberties.

Rob there is so much more to my story, it's hard to say it all in one conversation.

From being subjected to ballifs removing our possessions from our rented gorgeous massive home in Gordon Head (June 2003) and ballifs putting our possessions in storage and having to downsize to a tiny old apartment building near Langford and Rita living in another tiny apartment it was very degradding. When the bailiffs showed up Rita wouldn't even call her sister who lived in Victoria, Rita refused to have any contact with friends, she couldn't bare the shame of it all, she felt she couldn't invite friends over to a little apartment, all our friends, all our children's friends were gone, it's like we vanished from Gordon Head. 

I wanted to keep in contact, but Rita stated "not till it's over and we are not living in little apartments".  It's like the song 'Empty Chairs and Empty Tables' from Les Miserable. "All our friends are gone". That's heart breaking, if anyone needed someone to talk to to help them, it was my commonlaw spouse Rita, she was hit like a ton of bricks with my involutary committal. There were a few times where I called her sister concerned for Rita's well being and for the safety of our children from certain things she said, I couldn't call anyone to help her, only her sister. 

Crawling to social services for help, to having to move from the apartment to a campsite in Goldstream park years later early (97) because the owner ordered everyone out because he decided to demolish the apartments to build new houses. I had no money to put a deposit on another place so we ended up in a campground, I have a picture from the Times Colonist of my son & daughter & I sitting around a campfire at our campsite, the reporter was doing a story on camping, and our picture was in the paper, I did not tell them we were officially homeless.

In July of 2007 after I received some money from my mother's estate we left BC to move back to Ontario, to my in-laws beautiful 60 acre hobby farm near Ilderton.  The house had been sitting empty after (Rita) my commonlaw's father passed away. The upstairs of the farmhouse had three bedrooms, downstairs 2 bedrooms, a full cellar with a large friut cellar as well. It was big house two car garage, a barn, a pond for skating on in winter, and a massive garden behind the barn and lots of privacy with neighbours far away. There was a trail back to the forest, it was a paradise.  Most of my relatives live in this part of Ontario just 20 minutes north of London But (Rita) after being there for 3 weeks Rita decided she was not leaving BC until we received an appology from VIHA and the Victoria police department.   Rita my son (5) and oldest daughter took a flight back to live in BC.  

I stayed and worked with my tree company in London Ontario from Sept 2007-Sept 2008. 

I did not want to move back to BC, I had enough, I was ready to move on.  In June 2008 I was at a loss, my two daughters were living with me, but Rita had my oldest daughter and five year old son with her in BC, she refused to move back to Ont until we received an appology from those who caused us harm..  So I left paradise (Ont farm) and came reluctantly back to BC.  I left behind my truck I purchased in BC in 2007 before we left in  (97), a 1981 GMC I ton crew cab with dual wheels, my truck is currently sitting in storage in the barn on the farm with many of my tools of trade.  My mother-inlaw sold her van to Rita which I drove back, I left my truck behind as I could not afford the gas to bring it all the way back to BC (that's when gas prices were threatening to go to 1.75 per liter). 

To having to go to food banks to survive when living near Langford, to be temporarily homeless a couple times with my family, to move back to Ontario, to move back to BC, I could have never dreamt in a million years the impact, the horrific fallout from a simple accountant's mistake regarding my 1989 tax year.

Mistrust of police; I won't call the police for anything anymore unless I feel I have to. 

Once I saw a house with smoke spewing out from under the gutters in 2002, there was an insulation truck in the driveway, I had to seriously think the situation through, if I pull my truck in the driveway to inquire and it was only dust from insolation coming out from the gutters then that would not have been a problem, but if I pulled my truck in the driveway and there is a fire, then I could appear to be a suspect by police as I now had MHA on file with the police.  I didn't stop.  I continued to my next job, then within an hour I saw that same house on fire with firetrucks and police all around, again I wasn't about to go up to police to say what I saw.

In London Ontario, while sitting in my truck at a red light with 15 other vehicles, there was a car driving very fast and erraticly in and out of traffic behind me in the distance, I felt my truck get struck from behind, the car kept going driving erraticly and was gone.  I got out, people were pointing in the direction of the car. There was only a few scraps on my back bumper, but the guys car was comletely damaged on the side where he sideswiped my truck, I was not injured, my truck did not touch another car, but I still had MHA on police file, so I made the decision to not to call the police, as all the other cars were pulling away to carry on with their day.

If someone needs medical attention, or an ambulance I'm there, I'll call whomever for them, a boost for a dead battery I'll be the first one to lift my hood to help, but I no longer have any confidence in the police, I am but one person, but when others hear of police misconduct/abuse of power and those police are not accountable, then it's society that has a problem, when law mindful persons like myself refuse to be a witness, or decide to not call the police when I maybe should have, then cities will have to hire more officers for investigations when citizens refuse to get involved.

Rob I have to go to work, I initially only wanted to let you know I'll try to get copies of medical records to you tommorrow.

In your comment below you stated regarding the person you were going to see, "He's pretty shaken up by the whole thing".  Rob I am more than shaken up, I couldn't tell my story to anyone before, that's why I joined Toast Masters in May 2012, so I could become comfortably with speaking in front of people, and to people like yourself.  Since joining ToastMasters I have spoken to VIHA's Board a couple of times regarding mental health and the Rights of capable detainees, a senior's group I told my story, I was MC at the DOTS Ralley at the BC Legislature last fall.  The police invetigation went on till Dec 2002, the policy of verbal reports I have never given up on, and it's a standing issue and an active BC Police Policy Complaint today.

I don't want to be putting my story out for all to see, I don't want to be in the lime light, I don't want to be speaking to crowds of people telling what happened to me, I am doing it because I have to, there are so many stories out there, too many vulnerable people who could get taken advantage of by un-ethical people 'Acting in Bad Faith' regarding not only the BC Mental Health Act, but across Canada.  

If this atrocity can happen to a hard working family man who goes to Christ Church Cathedral to mediate, then I couldn't imagine how vulnerable citizens including seniors could even begin to defend themselves without their basic Charter Right call a lawyer to check the validity of their arrest/detention to ensure it's lawful, and to be released if it's not.

Rob I'll be in touch hopefully by tomorrow afternoon. 

Kind regards,

Gordon

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