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February 16, 2022
Sober Statistics on Bullying in Canada Rosanne Fortier News Correspondent
“In Canada, at least one in three adolescent students has reported being bullied. Almost half of parents have reported having a child that is the victim of bullying. Studies have found bullying occurs once very seven minutes on the playground and once every 25 minutes in the classrooms,” Kathleen Bohaychuk, Family Wellness Worker for St. Martin’s School and St. Mary’s School said. In the majority of cases, bullying stops within 10 seconds when peers intervene, or do not support the bullying behaviour. The types of bullying are verbal bullying which includes name-calling, sarcasm, teasing, spreading rumours, threatening, making negative references to one’s culture, ethnicity, race, religion, gender, or sexual orientation, and unwanted sexual comments. Social bullying could be mobbing, scapegoating, excluding others from a group, humiliating others with public gestures or giraffe intended to put others down. Physical bullying is hitting, poking, pinching, chasing, shoving, coercing, destroying or stealing belongings, and unwanted sexual touching. Cyber bullying is using the internet or text messaging
to intimidate, put-down, spread rumours or make fun of someone. Bullying affects its victims by making people upset. It can make children feel lonely, unhappy and frightened. It can make them unsafe and think there must be something wrong with them. Children can lose confidence and may not want to go to school anymore. It may even make them sick. If bullying isn’t stopped, it also hurts the bystanders, as well as the person who bullies others. Bystanders are afraid they could be the next victim. Even if they feel badly for the person being bullied, they avoid getting involved in order to protect themselves or because they aren’t sure what to do. Children who learn they can get away with violence and aggression continue to do so in adulthood. They have a higher chance of getting involved in dating aggression, sexual harassment, and criminal behaviour later in life. Stress and anxiety causes by bullying and harassment can make it more difficult for kids to learn. Children who bully may have a lack of self-esteem, some from a school or home that lacks a warm and welcoming environment; have lack of connection or a significant positive relationship with an adult. Peer pres-
sure and the desire to fit in or be seen as popular can also cause bullying. We teach children about bullying because it’s important for students to understand that bullying is not a normal part of growing up and that it is never an acceptable behaviour. If they see that someone is being bullied, they should never watch, laugh, or join in. It’s critical to help kids see the value of offering empathy, kindness, compassion and support to those who are bullied and that they must speak out. Preventative measures to put an end to cyberbullying are don’t try to reason with or talk to someone who is cyberbullying you, block them, tell a trusted adult, inform your school, use a help line and/or report it to police. Then save any instant messages or emails you receive from the person bullying you, or capture any comments or images that have been posted online. Education is the key to making bullying a thing of the past. Youth-led bullying prevention programs are associated with an increase in student and staff intervention to stop bullying. Having clear policies and guidelines outlined to help adults intervene effectively with incidents of disrespectful behaviour and having clear, consistent and fair behavioral norms for all students who help decrease bullying.
Pink Shirt Day
A look at the long-term effects of bullying Bullying continues to be a major problem in Canadian schools, workplaces, homes and digital spaces. That’s why on Pink Shirt Day, which takes place on February 23, people across the country are encouraged to raise awareness about the issue and take a stand against bullying. It’s a common misconception that bullying is a normal part of growing up. However, nothing could be further from the truth. Childhood bullying isn’t only traumatic in the short term, it can also have detrimental long-term effects.
Lifelong consequences
Research shows that the impact of childhood bullying can last well into adulthood. In fact, people who were bullied as children tend to have poorer physical health and are at an increased risk of developing mental health conditions such as depression, anxiety and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Bullying can also lead to social withdrawal, poor employment outcomes and self-esteem issues. If you were bullied as a child and are still impacted by the experience, it’s important to acknowledge what happened to you and make healing a priority. Consider talking to a therapist or counsellor about your experience. And if you have children, remember that early intervention is the key to preventing long-lasting ill effects.
The impact of childhood bullying can last well into adulthood.
Freedom convoy 2022 - CONTINUED from FRONT PAGE enslaved or like it’s going to get there, so we have to stand up look for a brighter light. Cornelius Schmitt shared a personal story. Schmitt said his father-in-law died recently and said the cause of death is undetermined because the doctors refused to release his medical records. The family has not yet received his death certificate, but he thinks it will probably list COVID-19 as the cause of death. Schmitt said he went to hospital due to dehydration and was told by staff they would give him fluids and that he would be released. He was tested for COVID-19 and was admitted. He was put on oxygen and put on other medications, one of which was Remdesivir. “Doing some research we found Remdesivir is a very dangerous drug and states on the World Health Organization’s website “not to use this medication on your Covid patients. It’s not only ineffective, it’s damaging.” Schmitt said his father-in-law never had heart issues previously and the drug brought on severe health issues.
“It blew our minds to hear his heart actually stopped for three minutes.” He said Remdesivir also attacks the kidneys and they started to shut down. After that he was put on a ventilator, and became non-responsive. They, (family members) called constantly asking to see him, but was only granted a visit through video, but it was hard to hear him. They wanted authority to be granted to one of the children so any medication that was to be administered would have to have their approval. That eventually was granted, but five doses of Remdesivir had already been administered, and the family believes by that time the damage had already been done. Abraham Friesen coordinated the event at the local level. “I wanted to stand up for a long time but didn’t think I’d get the support, but it’s been overwhelming.” Friesen organized a protest on Feb. 9 adjacent to the Mennonite School in Two Hills. Friesen estimated that between 130 and 140 people came by throughout the day. He, along with a handful of other people cooked and
served lunch and supper to raise awareness in the community as well as funds for Freedom Convoy 2022. He also organized a convoy from Vegreville to Two Hills on Feb. 5, and estimates there were around 200 participants in that event. Friesen said his overall goal has been to bring the community together. Town of Two Hills Mayor Leonard Ewanishan said demonstrations have been peaceful. He said he didn’t receive any complaints, just a few phone calls from people phoning to enquire as to what was taking place. “You just try and explain that they’re expressing their rights.” Ewanishan said that as long as they, (protesters) don’t infringe on other peoples’ rights to do business he doesn’t have a problem with demonstrations. He said he wasn’t aware of any instances of that or any reports of damage. Two Hills RCMP Detachment Commander Sgt. Robert Daisley said there had been no calls for service during the Feb. 9 protest and that he was on-site a couple of times during the day.
