Latest news with #PEERSAlliance
CTV News
21-07-2025
- CTV News
Security camera catches man vandalizing rainbow flags in Charlottetown
Just four days before Pride Festival events begin in Prince Edward Island, security video captured a man tearing down rainbow flags outside a Charlottetown shop, an incident advocates say reflects a wider wave of anti‑LGBTQ2S+ acts across Canada. You Little Witch store owner Tiffany MacPhee says the flags outside her boutique have been targeted before, and the latest vandalism shows hate can still hit close to home. 'Hate still very much exists. And I think a lot of us Islanders live with rose‑coloured glasses on thinking that it doesn't. But those who know, know, and this is proof,' MacPhee said. MacPhee's security camera recorded the entire incident at about 9 p.m. local time Saturday. At first, she found it funny, a 'temper tantrum' on tape. But the more she watched, the more disturbed she felt, immediately filing a police report and donating to PEERS Alliance, a P.E.I. organization that supports LGBTQ2S+ communities. 'It is another act of meeting hate with love, and that is what we do here. We need to keep doing the work,' she said. PEERS Alliance executive director Josie Baker said queer Islanders recognize a rise in hate-motivated crimes. 'For a while people have been feeling more and more fear. Something like this is just evidence that we are not immune to the trend we are seeing,' she said. Statistics Canada figures show police-reported hate crimes targeting sexual orientation rose 69 per cent in 2023. Similar incidents have been reported across the country this year. A rainbow crosswalk in Newfoundland was defaced. In Nova Scotia, RCMP arrested a woman accused of vandalizing Pride and Every Child Matters flags outside a home. A flag‑raising ceremony in British Columbia was postponed after the ropes were cut. National experts say the vandalism is part of a pattern that resurfaces every Pride season. 'Folks who are inclined to discriminate against LGBTI people are a lot more organized than they have ever been,' said Helen Kennedy, executive director of Egale Canada. P.E.I.'s Pride Festival starts Friday. Local advocates say they aren't anticipating or ruling out hate. They urge anyone who sees conflict to call security and create space between protesters and those at risk rather than engage in confrontation.
CBC
06-06-2025
- Health
- CBC
Advocates say P.E.I. near top in Canada for gender-affirming care, but better aftercare needed
Social Sharing At a time when large provinces such as Ontario and Alberta are not covering key procedures and therapies, advocates say Prince Edward Island has some of the best access to gender-affirming care in Canada. "On P.E.I., we should actually be really proud," said Anastasia Preston, the trans community outreach co-ordinator at PEERS Alliance. "On policy, we have the best health care in the country outside of the Yukon. So out of all the provinces, we have the best health care, which I think is a huge boon for P.E.I." Health P.E.I. has worked closely with the trans community on the Island to improve access to care, Preston said. "Where we run into problems often with gender-affirming care is aftercare," she said. "Once you receive services, it can be really hard to get proper aftercare." P.E.I. leads Canada in access to gender-affirming care, but more supports still needed 9 hours ago Duration 2:21 As other parts of Canada dial back access to gender-affirming care, Prince Edward Island and Yukon are leading the country in that metric. Advocates say they are proud of the work being done in this province, but want more support following medical procedures. CBC's Tony Davis reports. Gender-affirming health care — an approach that affirms a trans person's gender identity instead of trying to change it — is endorsed by medical associations in Canada and around the world, including the Canadian Psychological Association and the Canadian Pediatric Society. Affirming care ranges from social and psychological support, like using someone's chosen pronouns, to transition-related medical treatments, from puberty blockers and hormones to gender-affirming surgeries. Provincial regulations While P.E.I. and the Yukon are improving Canadians' access to gender-affirming care, other jurisdictions are limiting it. In 2024, Alberta politicians passed Bill 26, which restricts anyone under the age of 16 from accessing gender-affirming health-care services, including hormone therapy. Legislation like Bill 26 can have a negative effect on trans people, particularly trans youth, said John McIntyre, a lawyer and co-founder of McIntyre-Szabo, a boutique health law firm in Toronto. "That would have a significant impact on their future and potential gender dysphoria in the future, and so it's stopping them from being able to make those decisions for themselves," McIntyre said. Other jurisdictions, such as Ontario, typically don't help cover procedures like facial surgeries, meant to align the appearance of the face with a person's gender. McIntrye said those kinds of surgeries have a significant impact on gender dysphoria since they affect how people present themselves on a day-to-day basis. The path forward for P.E.I. Over the years, P.E.I. has expanded its gender-affirming care policy to include coverage for things like hormone therapy and expanded surgical services, said Candice Rochford, a Charlottetown nurse practitioner who works in primary care. The province also offers coverage for non-surgical services and procedures — including hair removal, hair replacement and access to speech and language pathology services — through the public system. "Gender-affirming care isn't cosmetic. It is medically necessary," Rochford said. "A person's decision or method to transition is really individualized… People don't always require medical transition or surgical transition, but things like facial appearance [and] voice can impact someone greatly." When it comes to the kind of aftercare support available in the province, Health P.E.I. said the gender-affirming clinic provides some follow-up care after surgeries. Typically the clinic discharges patients to a primary-care provider, but if patients don't have a doctor or nurse practitioner, the clinic will oversee their care until they recover. While the trans community is happy P.E.I. has solid access to care, advocates like Preston say there is a need for more support following procedures and more education for health-care practitioners. "I think that the P.E.I. health department is doing great work on this and that there's more work that we can do by listening to community and their needs."
CBC
12-05-2025
- Politics
- CBC
P.E.I. trans and non-binary community wary of going to U.S. while Trump is president
Social Sharing Some members of the trans and non-binary communities in Prince Edward Island are growing increasingly concerned about travelling to the United States after President Donald Trump took office in January. On the first day of his second term, Trump signed an executive order stating that the U.S. government would recognize only two sexes: male and female. Four months later, Anastasia Preston, the trans community outreach co-ordinator at PEERS Alliance, said the order has created a sense of fear and uncertainty for many trans and non-binary people on the Island when it comes to crossing the border into the U.S. "It was a surreal kind of experience that morning — one of both, like, expecting there to be changes coming, and also one of dread because I do have people down in the U.S. that I can no longer see," Preston said, recalling the moment she heard about the executive order. "[The] Canada-U.S. border — as long as I've been alive — is one that you could just walk across, and now you can't cross it, because you could be thrown in jail, especially for trans people." Some countries have recently issued advisories warning residents who are transgender or non-binary or hold third-gender passports about potential challenges when travelling to the U.S. These countries have advised their citizens that U.S. authorities may deny entry if the gender on their passport doesn't match their birth sex. In Canada, federal guidance on travel to the United States is still to "take normal precautions" — but the government last month updated its online travel advice to remind Canadians to "expect scrutiny" from border patrol officers if they travel to the United States. 'It really affects people's mental health' Preston, who is in a relationship with someone in the U.S., said the policy change is more than just political; it's personal. "Long-distance relationships are always hard, and it makes it infinitely harder to have those relationships. And it does break up people, families, when you can't cross these land borders, right? My deepest fear is... actually not about my ability to travel there, but their ability to travel. "As somebody who has a political studies background and has studied dictatorships and genocides for decades on my own, it's a real fear… This is what authoritarian governments do… First, they attack a specific group, and then they block other people from leaving the country." For now, her advice to community members is simple: Avoid travelling to the U.S. "That is not just for the queer community," she said. For trans and non-binary individuals, Preston said the impact can be far-reaching, not just in terms of travel, but when it comes to health-care access and mental well-being. "It makes people fearful of not just, like, will their rights be infringed on, but will their medication be available? Will they be able to get the surgeries that they need? Will they be able to connect with the family and friends that they've made online? "It really affects people's mental health."
CBC
07-05-2025
- Health
- CBC
P.E.I. a 'front-runner' in Canada when it comes to eliminating hep C, say health officials
Prince Edward Island has not met its target of eliminating hepatitis C in the province by 2025, but it's still ahead of the rest of Canada in its efforts to reach that goal. In 2015, the government of the day put $5 million into a strategy aimed at reducing the number of people with the virus to the point where it was no longer a public health concern in 10 years' time. Cases have dropped over the last decade, but new ones are still popping up, meaning there's more work to be done. "We're pretty close; we're not quite there. We're still having a bit more individuals testing positive than we would anticipate," said Shawn Greenan, the hepatitis C co-ordinator for P.E.I. Public Health. "Other than that, we've brought it down to a pretty healthy number." Hepatitis C is spread through blood, which could include contact with needles or through sexual activity. The virus attacks liver cells, increasing scarring on the organ and predisposes patients to liver cancer. There are currently 43 known cases on the Island. Greenan said public health officials test about 5,000-6,000 people a year, and work with groups like PEERS Alliance, Adventure Group and correctional services to identify those who might be at risk or have contracted the virus. Between 2018 and 2020, and average of five people per month were testing positive, he said. These days, a bad month would mean two or three new cases. Once a patient is identified through testing, though, there are treatments that Greenan said are 95 to 98 per cent effective in curing hepatitis C outright. Healthier, happier lives Naveed Janjua is the co-director of the Canadian Network on Hepatitis C, which co-ordinates with provinces across the country on their strategy to combat the virus. While P.E.I. isn't on track to eliminate hepatitis C by this year, Janjua estimates that it will be the first province in Canada to do so at some point. He said the Island's small population allows community groups and public health officials to identify patients more effectively, and provide them with care for other underlying issues. "Some people may have addictions or substance-use disorder, or some people might have other chronic conditions," Janua said. "If you're able to bring people to receive care, then their other conditions will also be addressed and that will help them to stay healthy and live healthier lives overall." Eliminating hepatitis C doesn't mean having zero cases, but rather barely any new ones in P.E.I. That can be tricky, since there's no immunity after an infection and there's no vaccine to prevent the virus's spread yet. Still, Greenan is optimistic that this province will be able to declare the virus eliminated by next year. "We're probably one to two years ahead of everybody else in terms of achieving elimination," he said. "We're definitely front-runners on this one."
CBC
10-04-2025
- Health
- CBC
P.E.I. program helps trans and gender diverse children thrive
Social Sharing The job of a plant's roots is to stabilize, nourish and support it. A similar job exists for parents who want their children to grow and flourish. That's the idea behind Roots and Shoots, a program run by PEERS Alliance that offers support and once-a-month outdoor programming to families with trans and gender-diverse children under 13. The resources offered through the program are revolutionary for the trans community, said Anastasia Preston, the trans community outreach co-ordinator at PEERS Alliance. "Our program has profound impacts on the healthiness of our community because it allows trans families to have a place where they can learn," Preston said. Having supportive family members means that trans children get to be trans adults. — Anastasia Preston The outdoor programming run in partnership with Sierra Club Wild Child gives trans and gender diverse children the chance to play outside and have fun with other children, including their siblings. For parents and caregivers, the non-judgmental space provides support to learn and share knowledge. "By giving parents the best information about supporting their trans child, we give that child the best opportunity to be themselves in a world that can be rather tough at times for trans folks," Preston said. The importance of a supportive family The family focus of the Roots and Shoots program is important because transition outcomes are significantly better for children when they have parental support, Preston said. Studies have shown that transgender youth are more likely than their peers to think about or attempt suicide. But parental and family support can have a big impact, Preston said, adding that research data has shown that there's about a 70 per cent drop in suicide rates of trans children when they have supportive families. "Having supportive family members means that trans children get to be trans adults… That's the most important aspect," she said. By including the whole family, the Roots and Shoots program is able to support families in the areas where they might feel challenged. "Sometimes the things they're struggling with are not their children's gender identity. A lot of the time, it's actually society's view of their children or how best to support their child," Preston said. Signs of success The program's success isn't tied to the number of people enrolled at a given time. In fact, families who stop returning to the program are sometimes a sign of success, Preston said. "That means that we've had a real impact in someone's life — that we've taught the parents the things that they need to know to support their children," she said. Some families go from attending the program once a month to attending every few months to not needing to come at all because their child is thriving, Preston said. In other cases, children who were once part of the program have grown up, moved on to college or university, and are living successful lives. "That gives hope to a parent who has a child that just came out to them," Preston said. "Most parents on the Island want the best for their child and there's a lot of misinformation out there about being trans these days and what that means for your child's life." Preston said she hopes the Roots and Shoots program is able to continue providing a platform for families with trans and gender-diverse children to connect with one another and find and build crucial support networks. The program has expanded in recent years, and is now offered in both Charlottetown and Summerside. A Saplings program has also been added for youth between the ages of 12 and 18 who have aged out of the Shoots portion of the program. The Saplings program ensures older children still have a space to be themselves and take part in trans community life on the Island, Preston said.
