On August 11th 2008, Psychiatric Survivors and their allies went to the streets outside the local CMHA – Canadian Mental Health Association in a protest against the policies of the organization. Organized by the Peterborough Coalition against Poverty (PCAP), Psychiatric Survivors and Allies Group, and Food Not Bombs, the protest raised a number of issues concerning homelessness, poverty, and poor mental health support.
Despite the emotional weather during the day, several ex-consumers of CMHA were present at the speak-out and voiced their concerns on how the CMHA forces dependency and does not respect the rights of survivors. A number of issues were put forth including the over-use of psychiatric drugs and lack of supportive and individual counsellings. The local CMHA has a history of poor services and often violates tenant rights under its supportive housing program.
Another major issue that was brought out were the actions of CMHA in absorbing Crazy Cooks and bringing it into its own financial management which now runs as Catering Plus. Crazy Cooks used be a catering service run by psychiatric survivors as a means of livelihood and skills development. The Trustee Program has similar problems and often poor-bash survivors as not being able to have control over their own
financial funds.
Protesters, that included psychiatric survivors, ex-consumers, and PCAP advocates, chalked the sidewalks and the walls near the association to express their feelings.
Following the speak-out, a statement was delivered to the CMHA by the psychiatric survivors. The statement outlined many concerns, requested a response from the CMHA, and listed a set of demands for improving services and respecting the needs, agency, and choices of people with mental health issues. The statement also made an invitation to CMHA to participate in a workshop on how to provide supportive services and being an ally of survivors that will be put together by a psychiatric
survivor.
The CMHA has yet to respond to the psychiatric survivors' statement demonstrating once again how they treat the opinions and voices of the consumers and survivors. PCAP and the psych survivors group will be continuing their protest against the CMHA and demanding that CMHA stop forcing dependency, and respect the agency of survivors.
Check out the following links for coverage from the Examiner:
http://www.thepeterboroughexaminer.com/ArticleDisplayGenContent.aspx?e=7369
and
http://www.thepeterboroughexaminer.com/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=1152756
