The unusual suspects

Kristine Berey

Almost daily there is a new report linking chemicals in our everyday environment to cancer, from our shower curtains to the canned food we eat. This illness has been steadily on the rise since the 1950s.

Consider these facts, published by Health Canada and Canadian cancer agencies in 2004:

• In the 1930s, 1 in 10 Canadians could expect to develop cancer over their lifetime.
• By the 1970s, that number was 1 in 5.
• By 2004, 1 in 2.4 Canadian men and 1 in 2.7 Canadian women may be diagnosed with cancer.

Over 23,000 chemicals are present in Canadian industrial and consumer goods such as pesticides, cleaning products, food, personal care products and plastics. Not all chemicals in all products have been tested adequately, as even when safe levels are established for a substance, time or length of exposure and interaction with other chemicals is not always taken into account.

The good news is that as public awareness grows, the rules change. Health Canada is in the process of compiling a "hotlist" of suspected toxins. And cosmetics companies must now declare the ingredients that make up their products.

For now a consumer's best defense is to read the label. Here are a few substances to avoid, from the Cancer Smart Guide published by Vancouver's Labour Environmental Alliance Society and available locally from from Breast Cancer Action Montreal:

• Bisphenol-A, an endocrine-disrupting chemical present in plastic bottles and containers identified by the number 7 in the recycling triangle symbol on the bottom.
• Benzyl Violet, also listed as Violet 2 or 6b, is a colouring in various products including nail treatments, and a possible human carcinogen according to the International Agency for Research on Cancer.
• Coal tar derivatives, present in products such as hair dye.

Although the link between dark hair dyes and cancer has been debated, a study published in the International Journal of Cancer (2004) stated that "in women, use of rinse-type hair dye was associated with a modestly elevated risk of bladder cancer." According to the Cancer Smart Consumer Guide, a 2001 California study found that longer-term use of hair dyes increased the risk of bladder cancer in hairdressers, who were five times more likely to develop the illness after working for 10 years or more.

More info is available from the Breast Cancer Action Montreal website at bcam.qc.ca or by calling 514-483-1846.

Exciting season begins at The Segal

Kristine Berey

Human relationships in all their intensity, laughter and sometimes tragedy take centre stage this season at the Segal.

Christopher Hampton's adaptation of Dangerous Liaisons, based on an 18^th century French novel about "lust, greed, deception and romance" launches the season this month.

A pair of former lovers attempt to seduce and manipulate others around them. But when virtuous Mme de Tourvel becomes the focus of the Vicompte de Valmont's attentions, predator falls in love with prey, with fatal consequences.

October's offering will be the Tennessee Williams classic Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, directed by Greg Kramer. This is the third production in a series of Williams' plays mounted by The Segal. "One of the key aspects of our theatre's mandate is to produce classics that remain socially relevant today," says Bryna Wasserman, Artistic Director.

The season continues with the February production of the Pulitzer Prize winning drama Buried Child, by Sam Shepherd. A long-lost son, Vincent, and his girlfriend return to meet his Norman Rockwell-esque relatives. But bliss is only on the surface in this painful portrait of a disintegrating and dysfunctional family.

March will bring director Diana Leblanc to The Segal in the production of Tryst, a psychological thriller by Karoline Leach about a homely seamstress consigned to the backroom of a London hat shop in Victorian England. With no future to speak of, she falls into the arms of George Love, seducer and robber of desperate old maids. "This is as entertaining a story as you'll encounter," Wasserman says.

As a change of pace, in April, Manitoba Theatre Centre's Artistic Director Stephen Schipper will return for Joe Dipietro's endearing and warm-hearted comedy Over the River and Through the Woods.

"Dipietro wants to know why each generation makes sacrifices for the next, why no future generation can ever fully appreciate those sacrifices, and how both generations can find a balance between holding on and letting go."

In June the Yiddish Theatre will host the first ever International Festival of Yiddish Theatre.

"My mother founded a Yiddish Theatre in Montreal 50 years ago this year and the festival is an opportunity to celebrate this historic milestone," Wasserman says.

The Segal's Yiddish Theatre contribution will be a unique Yiddish version of The Pirates of Penzance by Gilbert and Sullivan.

Info: 514-739-2301or segalcentre.org

Nascent academy entertains possibilities

Kristine Berey

When 16-year-old Ryan Cons took a Media Workshop course at the brand new Academy for the Performing Arts at the Segal Centre, he discovered it takes a lot more than a state-of-the art camera to create a video worth watching.

"We learned to handle the camera to add ambiance to a scene, and how to do interviews, how to zoom in and create special effects, and how to be in front of the camera." Cons says he learned to see with a critical eye. "My teacher, Paul Shore, used to say, 'You don't want to go to a movie with me because I'll criticize everything.'"

As well, the novice filmmaker had to confront the agony of editing, which he says he found the most challenging. "A movie's made with many takes. Editing is basically taking out stuff that's not important."

It's too early to say whether Cons will become a filmmaker. But one thing is certain: his appreciation of film will have grown immensely.

"Research has shown that performing arts education has significant impact on children," says Gisele Rucker, director of the Academy, as she describes the new lineup. "It allows them to achieve greater academic success and develops self-confidence and resilience." She says another goal of the Academy is to make the arts accessible to the community by keeping the fees affordable and not requiring previous knowledge. Besides the Media Workshop program, there are courses offered in Circus Arts for children (2-13), Theatre Performance (9-17), Theatre Production (high school students) and Music (2+).

There is a practical music session offered to preschoolers, featuring elements from the Kodaly and Orff methods. There are courses in drums, saxophone and guitar, and jazz and rock combos, as well as two music history courses for adults. All courses are taught by professionals experienced in working with kids.

She doesn't have to stretch her imagination too far to see the Centre becoming a foundation for the future. In her thirties she joined the Yiddish Theatre, met her future husband there and years later brought her son to join the cast.

Everything is possible. Rucker speaks of bringing the arts outdoors, perhaps involving the neighbourhood with performances in the park. "We want to provide a safe place to explore and take risks artistically, where students are allowed to dream and play."

"We've just begun, this is a new voyage," says George Doxas, director of the Music Program, who has four decades of instrumental, choral and Big Band Jazz teaching under his belt. He speaks of kids "getting in through the ground floor" and evolving with the Centre through the years. "Once we have a group of kids who know something, we'll streamline the courses."

The future, vast and limitless, still lies ahead. "The exciting thing about working here is that there's a long-term vision," Doxas says. "This kind of commitment makes everybody want to do that much better."

To register, call 514-739-7944. For more information, call Kasia Leskiewicz at 514-739-2301 x 8379.

Epona Foundation: smoothing the ride through life

Kristine Berey

The boys are understandably nervous meeting the lady reporter. They know they are being interviewed about Epona – an organization that keeps kids in school by offering them free tutoring and horseback riding lessons, and they're not sure what to expect.

Initial questions are answered by typical teenage nods and uh-huhs.

But when the conversation turns to horses, Kenry, 13, and Justin, 9, become surprisingly articulate, even eloquent – eager to share their vast knowledge of horsemanship.

"You brush the horse with a curry comb, with a circular motion then use a brush to remove all the dirt," says Kenry, explaining how to gently lean on a horse before attempting to lift his hoof to clean it. "You use four fingers to check that the girth is not on too tight," says Justin, describing how to comb a horse's mane so it doesn't get caught in the bridle. Their knowledge is impressive. Red and blue ribbons, won in a competition at Ormstown, hang proudly in the living room. Their mom, Gloria Julian, says the boys' marks have gone up and believes the confidence gained at Epona has transferred to their studies. Kenry agrees. "My work is getting better. My teacher says I'm a good student to teach."

The bottom line at Epona is academic success, says Peter Desmier, a youth worker at Batshaw Youth and Family Centres for over 30 years and founder of the four-year-old Epona Integrated Riding Foundation. "One thing I've noticed about kids living with a great deal of stress is that their education suffers," Desmier says. "The whole concept of Epona is working with kids over a long time to develop a relationship so they graduate."

To help "at-risk" children, Desmier drew upon an experience from his own childhood. "I spent a summer feeding, cleaning, putting out to pasture, doing everything involved with horses, except riding. We would spend hours brushing and taking care of the horses. It was magical."

When Desmier finally decided to return to riding, he met Jackie Poirier of Free Spirit stables – a like-minded person who had been contemplating starting a riding facility "for kids who would never have an opportunity to ride" – and Epona was born.

"I knew the first kids' parents through social services and other programs in the community," Desmier said. "Now they're being referred from school boards and our website."

The other Epona programs partner with community organizations to help kids 5-18, including Stay-In-School (tutoring), Literacy, and Mentoring programs, where Epona graduates return to tutor younger kids and earn riding time in the process. Epona works with parents and within the schools.

Dawson student and Epona mentor Atiba Howell, 18, doesn't yet know whether he'll go into law or police work – but he knows he'll devote over four hours a week as a volunteer tutor with Epona in the long term. As one of the first Epona riders, he describes himself as having felt shy and isolated. He recalls his encounter with the first live horse he'd ever seen. "When I saw the horse's size I said to myself, 'Okay, buddy, you're not going on one of those!'" As he learned to send the right signals to the 1000-pound animal, he realized his mare "Griffin" wouldn't "just warm up to anybody" but liked him especially. So did everybody at the stable. "Eventually I thought it was really cool. Everybody's really nice and you never feel left out when you're there." Howell believes his schoolwork would have been fine with just tutoring. "Without riding I would've had the grades. But with Epona I actually got the courage to speak."

Desmier instructs his staff and volunteers to ensure the kids feel "it's about them" and asks that they wait for and greet the kids warmly as the bus rolls up to the stables. "This is such a simple yet powerful gesture. It would be a missed opportunity if neglected," he writes in a memo to his staff.

When Sandra Permanad's children Jamal, 9, and Gariba, 7, joined Epona's tutoring program, her young family was going through turbulent times. To make matters worse, her French was not strong enough to help her older son with his schoolwork. She says she had been too stressed to play with them, and Epona in their lives was a godsend, since the kids came home from the sessions smiling. "It really made the load lighter," she said. She fiercely believes in the value of learning.

"Without education you're nothing. Whatever you want to do you're held back."

She wants for her kids nothing more and nothing less than all loving moms want. "I want them to have a good education and a good job."

Epona has a dedicated group of seniors who help with the fundraising that the organization depends on to survive. All volunteers are welcome. For information or to donate call 514-421-7433 or visit eponafoundation.com.

Uncovering the rest of the iceberg

Kristine Berey

In early January, a Montreal senior took a fall and had to be taken to hospital by ambulance, where a nurse stitched up her wound. However, the cut soon began to bleed and though it was re-stitched, it did not heal properly.

In a letter to The Senior Times, Lisa N. (not her real name) describes several encounters with medical professionals at various clinics and hospitals where her pleas to have her injury looked at went unheeded. She was scolded, “patted on the head,” told to check her blood pressure and sent to another institution. At one clinic, she writes, “the doctor was very rude and did not even look at the wound. I was embarrassed that the doctor would ridicule me and not even look.”

It was not until two weeks and several visits later that a nurse responded to her request to have her injury seen. “She finally checked the wound and told me that it was smelly and infected. She cleaned it and had me come back the next day to see the doctor, who put me on antibiotics. I’m very upset that the nurses and doctors would not take me seriously.”

Treating seniors like children and ignoring their specific requests is one subtle form of elder abuse. Other forms may be more dramatic, as expressed in a collective formal complaint by family members of residents in a long-term care facility: “The caregiver-resident ratio reflects chronic understaffing. It appears that the residence is aiming to provide the lowest-cost care for the least amount of care time. Bells often go unanswered. Residents are left sitting for hours in front of the dining room. Residents wait for food, wait for toileting, go un-bathed and are isolated and neglected because of inadequate staffing. (One of our ill parents had to call his daughter in Toronto to beg her to phone the staff on his unit so that they would reply to his call bell, as his need to urinate went so long unattended).”

The letter goes on to say that the facility is “a terrible place to die” as the inadequacy of medical care causes “preventable pain” to the palliative care patient.

Though the situations described in these testimonials are dire, the fact that they were expressed is reason to feel hopeful, says Helen Wavroch, executive director of the Réseau Québecois pour contrer les abus contre les ainés.

“Because of public awareness campaigns, people are talking about it more and we hear of more cases. Statistically, we’ve had 150,000 cases a year. We’ve always said that that was just the tip of the iceberg, those who come forth. But how many are too afraid, or shy and don’t want to deal with it publicly? If now we have 200,000, I think it’s the same 50,000 that were silent the year before.”

The National Seniors Council on Elder Abuse estimates that in Canada 4-10% of seniors experience some form of abuse, with financial abuse being the most prevalent and much unreported abuse taking place in the home.

Which is why, in June, to mark World Elder Abuse Awareness Day 2008, the CSSS Cavendish (Health and Social Service Centre), NDG Community Committee on Elder Abuse, NDG Senior Citizens’ Council and Extra Miles Friendly Visiting Program organized activities to entertain, inform and empower seniors. The event featured workshops on telemarketing fraud, Alzheimer’s Disease and the Impact of Elder Abuse on Society.

CSSS Cavendish includes the CLSC René Cassin, CLSC de NDG–Montréal-Ouest, the Richardson Hospital and the Henri Bradet Residential Centre, a long-term care residence. It serves 117,650 people and has the highest percentage of people over 65 on its territory, 19.2% compared to 15.3% on the island of Montreal.

The CSSS features several programs and services for seniors such as homecare, the Elder Abuse Info line, and the Care-Ring Voice tele-workshops for caregivers. It must also provide front-line services to the rest of the population.

Francine Dupuis, Executive Director of the CSSS Cavendish, says that since the government stated that homecare is a priority, things have been easier, but that essentially the organization is underfunded. “You want people to stay in the community for as long as possible, but there is never enough money to meet the demand.”

Part of the problem, she explains, is that her organization does not get to keep all the funds it receives. “With the new budget we receive a little more but 50% goes to other areas outside Montreal because historically they were receiving less. It will take several years until things even out.”

Dupuis says the government doesn’t allow for the complexity and uniqueness of Montreal’s problems. “It may be true per capita but in Montreal there are complex problems that are more acute, and we should be allowed to keep every penny of development budget that we are allocated.”

A recent study by the Agence de la Santé et des services sociaux revealed that of 10,808 respondents, including those living at home or in a public long-term care centre and their caregivers, 95% were satisfied with the services they received from Montreal’s 12 CSSS.

Meanwhile, the waiting lists get longer and the variety of services offered decreases, notes Dupuis. “Do I give more services to a few or less to a larger number of people? It’s not easy to decide because you’re always penalizing someone. We make these decisions every day.”

If you experience or suspect elder abuse, call the Elder Abuse Info Line at 514-489-2287.

Redemption through foolishness: The Wise Men of Chelm

Kristine Berey

Long before the rise in popularity of alternative medicine, it was known that laughter is good for the soul. In Jewish culture, humour has been more than therapeutic – in a very real sense it has been a lifesaver. Perhaps the suffering that underlies the humour that makes one laugh from the depth of one’s soul – the kind of laugh that draws tears and provides an incredible feeling of relief and rejuvenation when it’s spent – is also the source of its strength.

In Freud’s Wit and Its Relation to the Unconscious he notes: “The occurrence of self-criticism as a determinant may explain how it is that a number of the most apt jokes… have grown up on the soil of the Jewish popular life. They are stories created by Jews and directed against Jewish characteristics… I do not know whether there are many other instances of a people making fun to such a degree of its own character.”

From Wednesday, June 11 to Thursday, July 3, the Dora Wasserman Yiddish Theatre will present The Wise Men of Chelm, a collection of stories culled from Eastern European Jewish Folklore, set to music by Eli Rubinstein and directed by Bryna Wasserman. Chelm is a mythical town populated by foolish people and thought by some to be the home of the famous schlemiel, that stock character of Jewish anecdotes. While the main characters are foolish, they convey the lasting wisdom of being able to laugh at oneself.

Supertitles make the original Yiddish easy to understand for everyone.

Showtimes are Monday to Thursday at 8 pm, Saturdays at 9:30 pm, and Sundays at 2 pm and 7 pm (except Sunday, June 15 at 1:30 pm). $25 - $47 (group rates available).

Info: 514-739-7944 or segalcentre.org

Festival Lanaudière - music and so much more

Festival performers (photo: Baptiste Grison)

Kristine Berey

Montrealers must count their cultural blessings. Just as the greatly anticipated Jazz Fest winds down, another international music festival dedicated to classical music opens, less than an hour away from the city.

Now celebrating its 31st season, the Festival Lanaudière has presented indoor and outdoor concerts performed by international artists in its spectacular Amphitheatre and beautiful heritage churches, some of which date back to the 17th century. Though the festival’s program has blossomed from eight concerts in 1977 to 26 this July, the organizers’ vision – to create “a place where a large audience can listen to beautiful music performed by the greatest musicians” – remains intact.

This year an array of activities are geared toward young people making the festival an ideal opportunity for families to spend time together and build a lasting love of music in their youngest members.

The festival begins Saturday, July 5 with a resounding rendition of Carmina Burana, Carl Orff’s greatest masterpiece that grandchildren will recognize as the unmistakable inspiration for the soundtrack of the video game Final Fantasy I. The score calls for four choirs and a symphony orchestra – 200 musicians performing together.

Opera lovers won’t want to miss the 150th anniversary of Puccini’s birth, which the festival will honour with performances of his great arias, from La Boheme, Tosca, Madama Butterfly, and Turandot on Friday, July 11.

Fledgling ornithologists will enjoy learning that the great composer Olivier Messiaen loved birds so much that he actually recorded their songs and wove them into his music. All the music performed on Saturday, July 12 will be devoted to birds, and will include Messiaen’s Oiseaux exotiques, Stravinsky’s Firebird, and Saint-Saens’ Le rossignol et la rose. Afternoon activities are free and will include a sound installation by Oswaldo Macia, an open rehearsal of the night’s concert with commentary, and an onsite exhibition of birds of prey. The evening concert will be accompanied by the winning entries in the bird photo contest organized by the Festival and the Regroupement QuebecOiseaux.

Little astronomers can be fascinated by projections of NASA photos on a giant screen on Friday, July 18, accompanied by Gustav Holst’s orchestral suite The Planets, with Jean-Marie Zeitouni conducting the Orchestre Métropolitain du Grand Montréal.

Starting Sunday, July 6, outdoor concerts for the whole family include the famous London vocal quartet Cantabile, swing from the 40s by The Easy Answers, and Romeo and Juliet in the passionate universe of the Tango.

On Saturday, July 19, a day declared by Festival Artistic Ambassador Alain Lefèvre as “a day of piano and youth,” everyone under 25 will be admitted for free to hear Lefèvre and his confrères push the limits of piano playing in performances of concertos for two, three, and four pianos with eight virtuosos taking part. To engage the “pianistically reluctant” free hot dogs will be served, compliments of Maple Lodge Farms.

Other treats include tourist outings along the St. Lawrence, featuring a boat trip to the Lac-Saint-Pierre Archipelago, a unique nature reserve recognized as a biosphere by UNESCO on Sunday, July 7, and a dinner cruise on Friday, July 11, going from Montreal’s Old Port to the pier in Saint-Sulpice, where guests will board a luxury coach for the Amphitheatre.

For those who don’t want to drive, a shuttle service to the Amphitheatre, the Festival Express, leaves from downtown Montreal.

Info: 450-759-7636 or lanaudiere.org

Butterfly watching at the Botanical Gardens

Kristine Berey

It's hard to believe they're bugs and even harder to believe that without them we're lost. Flamboyant, enchanting, mysterious and delightful, some with a wingspan greater than a man's open palms, they live out their short and glorious life in an artificial universe — right here, in the land of sleet and snow.

This year's Butterflies are Free exhibit, in its 11th year at the Botanical Garden of Montreal, will feature for the first time over 90 species of butterflies native to Africa, Central America and Asia. Until April 27, visitors can see about 2,000 butterflies at any given time, with up to 100 newly hatched butterflies released each day.

"In a natural environment, you would never see so many butterflies or so many species all at once," says the Garden's communications officer Francois Ouellet. In his two trips to Costa Rica, he came across only two such exotic creatures. "This environment is man-made, but it's spectacular."

Displaying countless iridescent hues, the butterflies emerge from their temporary tombs — their cocoons — gathering the strength to fulfill their mission to survive as a species.

The breathtakingly beautiful markings on their wings are not purely aesthetic, but also weapons of self-defense, warning potential predators of the butterflies' toxicity.

Their Latin names are impressive: Caligo eurilochus, Morpho helenor, Ideopsis juventa... but a child's imagination will respond more to common names like Clipper, Wood nymph, Owl butterfly and the Great eggfly bolina.

"Butterflies are ambassadors," says Pierre Veilleux, one of the Garden's technicians. He explains that while people fear what they do not know, the sheer beauty and fragility of these winged creatures awakens their curiosity regarding other insects as well. "Butterflies create a reconciliation between the human and insect world."

Veilleux's job is not easy. He must receive and maintain the cocoons, carefully packed and transported in temperature-controlled conditions, and see them through their life-cycle, releasing an allotted number every day.

He guides groups of schoolchildren through the greenhouse, pointing out which plants the butterflies feed on. He must also replenish these as needed, keeping "backup" plants ready. "Some of the plants may be beautiful, but they may be sterile. The butterflies know the difference."

The insects in the display were purchased from several butterfly breeding farms that provide economic support to communities while offering protection to wildlife. One such supplier, "Kipepeo" in Kenya is maintaining a forest of over 40,000 hectares with over 250 butterfly species.

Through Veilleux's presentation, visitors come to realize the profound interdependence of all living things and the importance of preserving biodiversity. "When the children understand which plants the butterflies need to survive, they realize they need to protect plants too," Veilleux says. "First comes respect, then the urge to protect."

Seniors “cautiously optimistic” following consultations

Kristine Berey

Marguerite Blais, Quebec minister responsible for seniors (photo: Kristine Berey)

From her more than 30 years in radio and television, Marguerite Blais, Quebec minister responsible for seniors, knows that seniors' issues are not the most popular of topics. She says keeping her program on the reality of aging running in 1979 — something she managed to do for 6 years — was a real challenge. "Nobody wanted to hear about that," she recalls. "It would have been good then to adapt society to aging. They thought 2000 was far away, but it was not."

Now in her ministerial role that she says fits her "like a glove", she is determined to give the seniors the attention they deserve. Last August, in an unprecedented gesture of genuine respect, Blais brought the government to seniors across the province in a series of public consultations on seniors' living conditions. From last August to November, accompanied by retired McGill social work professor Sheila Goldbloom and Dr. Réjean Hébert, dean of the Faculty of Medicine of the Université de Sherbrooke, Blais asked seniors in 26 cities to express their needs and their concerns.

The response was positive, with over 4,000 people expressing their views. Groups working on behalf of seniors presented 267 briefs, and 3,375 calls and emails came pouring in.

The completed report on the consultations, Préparons l'avenir avec nos ainés, (soon to be translated) confirms what many already knew — seniors want to remain independent and do not wish to be segregated or discriminated against. When they do need care, they want to retain their dignity and the right to a decent quality of life.

Sheila Goldbloom is satisfied that seniors were heard. "The results of the consultation are reflected in the budget."

On March 19, when Blais unveiled the government's response to the report, she announced several immediate and long-term measures that addressed the most urgent issues, including more funding for home support, help for caregivers, better training for staff and improving the food at long term care centres. Next year, an action plan to combat abuse and neglect will be released and both private and public senior residences will need certification by January 2009. As well, a campaign will be launched to combat ageism, in French on television and in English on the radio, acknowledging seniors' contributions. Far from being a burden to society, seniors' volunteer work represents about $3.1 billion a year and their tax contribution stands at $2.2 billion a year, based on a 2006 study.

Blais is the first to say that these measures are only a beginning and believes that the welfare of seniors is everybody's business. "We have to do things every day to make sure seniors have a voice," she said. The government will be working closely with community organizations advocating on behalf of seniors, Blais said. "They are important partners."

Information kiosks and telephone access to services to seniors are in the works, with a Carrefour d'informations being planned in conjunction with the Cummings Centre sometime next year. "We are pushing for anglophone seniors to have services in their own language," Blais said.

Helen Wavroch, executive director of the Réseau Québecois pour contrer les abus contre les aines (RQCAA), a group that works to prevent elder abuse, hailed the government initiatives. "This is a minister who has managed to make things move," she said. "I felt there was, for the first time, a definite will and desire on behalf of the government to correct some of the wrongs that exist in the senior community." She disagrees with those who claim the measures didn't go far enough. "I know what Minister Blais has accomplished. She had to negotiate with her counterparts in government and get the other ministers involved in actions concerning seniors. Now that the ball has started to roll, it can't go back. That's what excites me."

When asked if he was happy at the announcements, Norbert Rodrigue, of the Association Québecoise de défense des droits des personnes rétraitées et pré-rétraitées (AQDR) answered "I cannot be unhappy." But he added that the issue of abuse and neglect is a great challenge that must be met.

Diane Lavallée, Québec's Public Curator responsible for the protection of 11,500 citizens who are incapacitated and have no family, and for the support of 11,200 legal guardians of other non-autonomous individuals, felt the announcements clearly demonstrated the government's intent to improve seniors' quality of life. But Jacqueline Racicot, in charge of communications for the Public Curator's office, says it's important to remember that not all those who are unable to care for themselves are seniors. "All private residences, including those that house and care for persons who are not necessarily elderly but are incapacitated must also follow the strict criteria for care and housing."

Herb Finkelberg of the Cummings Centre said that the Centre's interactions with Blais were extremely positive. "We remain cautiously optimistic and we'll be following the issues very closely."

In various capacities Blais has advocated for seniors, youth and the poor for many years. She has also written two books on the culture and history of the deaf community. When asked what struck her most at the close of the consultations, she answered, "I learned that we don't love enough." To the suggestion that society's lack of compassion is nothing new, she says, "Yes, but I'm in a position to say it louder."