Evening Update: Ottawa's strange state of psilocybin

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PHOTO: Jean Levac / POSTMEDIA

Ottawa's strange state of psilocybin

By Andrew Duffy

Simon St. Laurent had gone to rehab and relapsed four times by the time his brother told him about psilocybin, and the promise it showed in treating addictions.

St. Laurent was, by then, thoroughly sick of his alcoholism and desperate to escape its terrible hold on his life.

He had developed a pot habit while on an athletic scholarship at Ashbury College; it evolved into an alcohol problem as a university student and bartender in Montreal. At its worst, he was drinking 40 ounces of liquor a day.

“I was pretty far gone,” he remembers. “I was almost ready to give up…I was tired of being an alcoholic, I was tired of being hungover, tired of lying to my friends and my family, the people I love.”

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FOOD INFLATION

Trudeau gives major grocers until Thanksgiving to come up with plan to stabilize food prices

Your Evening Update was curated and assembled by Lois Kirkup. If you’d like to support the Citizen's team of journalists who report, write, edit and curate the stories you see in this newsletter, please consider purchasing a digital subscription. Thanks for reading!

PHOTO: Tony Caldwell / POSTMEDIA

How to solve the school bus driver shortage: immigration, retention bonuses and respect

By Joanne Laucius

Keith Ackermann started driving 12 years ago because it allowed him to work while driving his own two children to school.

Ackermann, who lives in West Carleton, has worked as much as six and a half hours a day. The most he has ever earned is $24,000 a year before deductions. He is paid $20.40 an hour, a raise of 40 cents an hour over last year.

He gets paid minimum wage for the time he spends cleaning the bus and sweeping off the snow in the winter. He doesn’t work enough hours to get benefits. There are no merit or seniority-based raises for drivers, no matter how long they work.

Perhaps it’s no wonder that recruiting — and keeping — bus drivers is one of the factors behind the cancellation of dozens of bus routes.

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PUBLIC SERVICE NEWS ROUNDUP

A ratified contract and rank changes

Alberta Premier Danielle Smith

PHOTO: Jeff McIntosh / THE CANADIAN PRESS

What you need to know about the E. coli outbreak that has raged through nearly a dozen Calgary daycares

By Tyler Dawson

Alberta Premier Danielle Smith, speaking to reporters on Friday, cried as she spoke about the E. coli outbreak in 11 Calgary daycares that has put dozens of children in hospital.

“I’m heartbroken by what these family families are going through,” Smith said in announcing the province will give families $2,000 for each child who became sick.

She said the province would also look into new regulations for shared kitchens and food safety.

Investigators were still looking for the source of the outbreak that began on the Labour Day weekend, but health officials have said it almost certainly came from a central kitchen used by the daycares.

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WEEKLY NEWS QUIZ

How did Ethan Hawke get to TIFF?

Ottawa man, 64, faces charges after theft and crash of private plane at Rockcliffe airport

No injuries but house in Uplands area deemed unlivable after car crashes into rear

As hurricane Lee bears down, East Coasters worried about spotty cell service

Weather Network app can’t send alerts following 'malicious cyberattack'

Sunday is Run Day for two charitable events

Metroland Media Group ends publication of weekly community newspapers

Canadian auto workers 'nowhere near' deal as UAW strike threatens to disrupt North American industry

THE NEW YORK TIMES CROSSWORD PUZZLE

Click on the photo to play today's puzzle

PHOTO OF THE DAY

New migrants arrive on the Italian island of Lampedusa, Sept. 15, 2023. The island's reception centre, built to house fewer than 400 people, was overwhelmed with adults and children forced to sleep outside on makeshift plastic cots, many wrapped in metallic emergency blankets. Good weather has seen a surge in arrivals across Italy in recent days, with more than 5,000 people landing across the country on Sept. 12, and almost 3,000 the day after, according to updated interior ministry figures.
PHOTO: Alessandro Serrano / AFP via GETTY IMAGES

And that's your Ottawa Citizen Evening Update.

Thanks for reading. Have a great weekend.

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How to solve the school bus driver shortage: immigration, retention bonuses and respect View this email in your browser Image PHOTO: Jean Levac / POSTMEDIA Ottawa's strange state of psilocybin By Andrew Duffy Simon St. Laurent had gone to rehab and relapsed four times by the time his brother told him about psilocybin, and the promise it showed in treating addictions. St. Laurent was, by then, thoroughly sick of his alcoholism and desperate to escape its terrible hold on his life. He had developed a pot habit while on an athletic scholarship at Ashbury College; it evolved into an alcohol problem as a university student and bartender in Montreal. At its worst, he was drinking 40 ounces of liquor a day. “I was pretty far gone,” he remembers. “I was almost ready to give up…I was tired of being an alcoholic, I was tired of being hungover, tired of lying to my friends and my family, the people I love.” READ MORE FOOD INFLATION Trudeau gives major grocers until Thanksgiving to come up with plan to stabilize food prices Your Evening Update was curated and assembled by Lois Kirkup. If you’d like to support the Citizen's team of journalists who report, write, edit and curate the stories you see in this newsletter, please consider purchasing a digital subscription. Thanks for reading! PHOTO: Tony Caldwell / POSTMEDIA How to solve the school bus driver shortage: immigration, retention bonuses and respect By Joanne Laucius Keith Ackermann started driving 12 years ago because it allowed him to work while driving his own two children to school. Ackermann, who lives in West Carleton, has worked as much as six and a half hours a day. The most he has ever earned is $24,000 a year before deductions. He is paid $20.40 an hour, a raise of 40 cents an hour over last year. He gets paid minimum wage for the time he spends cleaning the bus and sweeping off the snow in the winter. He doesn’t work enough hours to get benefits. There are no merit or seniority-based raises for drivers, no matter how long they work. Perhaps it’s no wonder that recruiting — and keeping — bus drivers is one of the factors behind the cancellation of dozens of bus routes. READ MORE PUBLIC SERVICE NEWS ROUNDUP A ratified contract and rank changes Alberta Premier Danielle Smith PHOTO: Jeff McIntosh / THE CANADIAN PRESS What you need to know about the E. coli outbreak that has raged through nearly a dozen Calgary daycares By Tyler Dawson Alberta Premier Danielle Smith, speaking to reporters on Friday, cried as she spoke about the E. coli outbreak in 11 Calgary daycares that has put dozens of children in hospital. “I’m heartbroken by what these family families are going through,” Smith said in announcing the province will give families $2,000 for each child who became sick. She said the province would also look into new regulations for shared kitchens and food safety. Investigators were still looking for the source of the outbreak that began on the Labour Day weekend, but health officials have said it almost certainly came from a central kitchen used by the daycares. READ MORE WEEKLY NEWS QUIZ How did Ethan Hawke get to TIFF? ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Advertisement * Ottawa man, 64, faces charges after theft and crash of private plane at Rockcliffe airport * No injuries but house in Uplands area deemed unlivable after car crashes into rear * As hurricane Lee bears down, East Coasters worried about spotty cell service * Weather Network app can’t send alerts following 'malicious cyberattack' * Sunday is Run Day for two charitable events * Metroland Media Group ends publication of weekly community newspapers * Canadian auto workers 'nowhere near' deal as UAW strike threatens to disrupt North American industry THE NEW YORK TIMES CROSSWORD PUZZLE Click on the photo to play today's puzzle PHOTO OF THE DAY Image New migrants arrive on the Italian island of Lampedusa, Sept. 15, 2023. The island's reception centre, built to house fewer than 400 people, was overwhelmed with adults and children forced to sleep outside on makeshift plastic cots, many wrapped in metallic emergency blankets. Good weather has seen a surge in arrivals across Italy in recent days, with more than 5,000 people landing across the country on Sept. 12, and almost 3,000 the day after, according to updated interior ministry figures. PHOTO: Alessandro Serrano / AFP via GETTY IMAGES And that's your Ottawa Citizen Evening Update. Thanks for reading. Have a great weekend. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Advertisement © September 15 2023 Postmedia Network Inc. All rights reserved. Unauthorized distribution, transmission or republication strictly prohibited. 365 Bloor St East, Toronto, ON, M4W 3L4 You received this email because you are subscribed to Ottawa Citizen newsletters, registered as [email protected] • • • Contact us © September 15 2023 Postmedia Network Inc. All rights reserved.

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