On February 24th, MPA Society Executive Director attended an event as a guest of Gregor Robertson, Mayor of the City of Vancouver, Michael Chambers, Canada Olympic Committee President, Chris Rudge, CEO and Bob Rennie, Developer. The event, held at the historic Wang Sang building, (also home to Bob Rennie’s Museum), featured a photography exhibit, showcasing some of the most exciting and dynamic photos from the Beijing Olympics. The event was held in celebration of the 2010 Winter Games and in appreciation of community leaders.

Photo: David MacIntyre with Canadian Snowboard Cross gold medalist, Maelle Ricker

VANCOUVER – People in need of shelter will benefit from the opening of MPA Society’s Cold Weather Shelter, a 40-bed, emergency shelter on Vancouver’s Westside, announced MPA Society, Executive Director, David MacIntyre.

“Working in partnership with the Province and the City of Vancouver, MPA Society is operating 40 new shelter spaces in the Kitsilano community and providing refuge for those most in need,” said MacIntyre. MPA Society’s cold weather shelter will give shelter to adult men and women who need immediate, safe accommodation while also offering gateway support services to help them get back on their feet.

This new 40-bed, temporary emergency shelter is located at 1642 West 4th Avenue and will be operated by the MPA Society, a community-based, non-profit organization that has been actively operating in Kitsilano and throughout Vancouver since 1971. MPA Society is a recognized leader in community mental health service program delivery.

“We know homelessness is not unique to Vancouver’s downtown eastside. As an organization that has been serving people who are homeless and living with mental illness in the Kitsilano area, MPA Society welcomes the opportunity to provide them with a safe environment that allows homeless individuals to get off the street, and offer them an entryway towards a better, more stable life,” said David MacIntyre. “We are thankful to be able to provide this critical service to those in need.”

The shelter will be open seven days a week 24 hours a day from January 15 until April 30, 2010. Staff members will be on-site at all times and can facilitate linking clients to more stable and permanent forms of housing and supports, as well as provide referrals to services including counseling, drug and alcohol treatment and specialized job training. The shelter offers clients two meals a day and provides shower and laundry facilities.

The BC Provincial Emergency Shelter Program gives funding to homeless shelters and drop-in centres to provide a first step towards more stable forms of housing. Partnerships with organizations such as MPA Society can help to find accommodation for homeless people on Vancouver’s streets.

‘Breaking the Cycle of Homelessness’ is a website providing a comprehensive and detailed look at provincial programs and services to address homelessness and their partner organizations involved. Visit www.bchousing.org/breakingthecycle for more information.

Judge Jocelyn Palmer has nominated MPA Society, Executive Director, David MacIntyre to receive a Meritorious Service Decoration from the Governor General. In her submission, Judge Palmer noted,
“The service for which Mr. David MacIntyre deserves recognition is the creation and establishment of the Drug Treatment Court of Vancouver (DTCV) which offers a valuable option for people desirous of ending their criminal involvements by addressing their addiction.”
In addition to Judge Palmer, supporting the nomination are Mr. Robert Prior, Regional Director of the Public Prosecution Service and Ms. Margaret Trottier, Senior Policy Analyst – Justice Canada. Apparently, there were many individuals who were lining up in the hopes of adding their name to support this application.
The Meritorious Service Decorations were created by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II in 1984 to recognize individuals whose specific deeds or activities over a limited period of time (from 5 minutes to 5 years) have:
• demonstrated an outstanding level of service; or
• set an exemplary standard of achievement; and
• brought honour or benefit to Canada
As Judge Palmer states,
“Mr. MacIntyre’s research, diligence, thoughtful, thorough and inclusive approach resulted in a significant resource being added to Canada’s Criminal Justice System.”
MPA Society is especially proud to know that our Executive Director is being recognized by such esteemed members of the community. In the submission, Judge Palmer identifies that,
“David MacIntyre's career is characterized by service, collaboration and innovation. “
At MPA Society, we are glad that this talent has landed here!
Congratulations and good luck, David!

Effective December 1st, Rexall Specialty Pharmacy will be the exclusive Pharmacy provider to MPA Society programs. This partnership facilitates a model where value and quality are emphasized. Representatives from Rexall Specialty have visited MPA Society Homes to gain a greater appreciation of MPA Society’s breadth of services, to share goals and confirm expectations, and to begin the process of implementing a safe and effective medication management system.

MPA Society’s selection committee unanimously chose Rexall as the successful bidder in a competitive RFP process. David MacIntyre, Executive Director of MPA Society states, “Rexall impressed us with their proven track record of innovative and flexible programs in support of our mental health clients.”

“It was clear that our shared philosophy would provide the fundamental basis to support the treatment and recovery of individuals with mental health issues in our communities“, Ajey Sabharwal, Vice President, Rexall Specialty Pharmacy.

Both parties are enthusiastic about this exciting new relationship and look forward to working together.

Mental Health Commission of Canada Launches National Research Project to Find Sustainable Solutions for People With Mental Health Issues Who Are Homeless ‘Study will investigate ‘Housing First’ approach

TORONTO, November 23, 2009 – The Mental Health Commission of Canada (MHCC) has implemented a ground‐breaking national research project in five cities to find the best way to provide housing and services to people who are living with mental illness and homelessness. Using a ‘Housing First’ approach, the research project focuses on first providing people who are homeless with a place to live, and then the other assistance and services they require. The goal is to see if this approach is better than traditional ‘care as usual.’
A total of 2,285 people who are homeless and living with a mental illness will participate in the study. Of these, 1,325 participants in the research project will be given a place to live and offered a range of housing, health and social support services over the course of the research initiative. These supports include help with maintaining a home, undertaking routine tasks like shopping or getting to a doctor’s appointment or securing opportunities for education, volunteering and employment. The rest of the participants will receive the services that are currently available in the five test sites. Both groups will be compared to see which approach works best.
“The study will produce evidence on whether providing a place, plus services, will better support reintegration into
functional, meaningful living,” said Dr. Jayne Barker, Director, At Home/Chez Soi Project. “Another research question is cost. Will it cost less to house and provide services than it would if these marginalized individuals were in hospitals, prisons and shelters?” said Dr. Paula Goering, Research Lead, At Home/Chez Soi Project.
The At Home/ Chez Soi project is the largest of its kind in Canada. The research will help make Canada a world leader in providing better services to people living with homelessness and mental illness. Each test site will focus on a specific target population within the overall study group.
Toronto`s project will provide specialized services for people from diverse ethno‐cultural backgrounds. Moncton will examine the shortages of services for Anglophones and Francophones, and Montreal will focus on the outcomes related to social housing, as well as helping people to return to the workplace. In Winnipeg, the needs of urban Aboriginal people will be highlighted, while Vancouver’s project is aimed at people with addictions and substance abuse problems.
The MHCC is working closely with many partners on this project, including provincial and municipal levels of government, researchers, many local service providers and individuals who have experienced homelessness and mental illness. “This research initiative is meant to represent a significant step forward in understanding and reducing the incidence of homelessness in Canada,” said the Honourable Michael Kirby, Chair of the MHCC.
In Toronto, services will be provided in eight different languages and approximately 57 per cent of the participants will come from immigrant and ethno‐racial groups. 300 participants in the Toronto research group will get housing units within a number of different locations across the city, including apartments, where they can stay for the duration of the project.
Participants in the Housing First model will have to pay a portion of their rent, will meet with program staff once a week, and will be encouraged to make use of the support services. 260 participants in the non‐Housing First group will meet with an interviewer every three months.
A unique focus of the Toronto project will be the development and evaluation of a Housing First ethno‐racial intensive case management model for people who are homeless from different ethno‐racial groups. One hundred participants will be served by this innovative program, and will have access to holistic, culturally appropriate and linguistically competent services and supports.
Key partners in the Toronto demonstration project include: the Government of Canada, COTA Health, Across Boundaries, the Centre for Research on Inner City Health – St. Michael’s Hospital, Toronto North Support Services, the City of Toronto, and Housing Connections.
"A recent survey found more than 5,000 people are homeless each night in the City of Toronto. Our hope is that this project will help us find best practices and long‐term solutions for all people in this city with homelessness and mental health issues, as well as Canadians in similar circumstances in communities right across the country," said Faye More, Toronto Site Coordinator.
Previous related research suggests that the provision of housing and support services may be effective. For example, a joint report by Simon Fraser University, the University of British Columbia and the University of Calgary found each person who is homeless in B.C. costs taxpayers $55,000 a year in health, corrections and social services. The report concluded that if housing and support were offered to these people, it would cost the system much less ‐‐ $37,000 a year ‐‐ a savings of $18,000, or 33 per cent per person per year. According to Corrections Canada, the cost of incarceration in a federal prison averages $90,000 per year, per inmate.
The Mental Health Commission of Canada is a non‐profit organization created to focus national attention on mental health issues and to work to improve the health and social outcomes of people living with mental illness. In February 2008, the federal government allocated $110 million to the MHCC to find ways to help the growing number of people who are homeless and have a mental illness. Updates on the study will be posted on the MHCC website at www.mentalhealthcommission.ca.

Vancouver British Columbia (November 02, 2009)

MPA Society supports the Correctional Investigator’s recommendations, released in the 2008/09 Annual Report of the Office of the Correctional Investigator (OCI), to improve the treatment of mentally ill offenders in federal correctional facilities. The recommendations for improving the mental health care capacity to a recognized national standard are critical and could also set a benchmark leading to consistent standards for provincial correctional facilities.

Providing proper and appropriate mental health care in correctional facilities is in the interest of the public, the individual serving a prison sentence and the correctional staff. When there are proper treatment options and continuity of these efforts after release, the likelihood of a person reoffending is greatly reduced.

“MPA Society supports the call for improved communication between federal and provincial correctional systems and with community-based mental health organizations, so that a continuity of services can be assured upon the release of people incarcerated. Ensuring that no one falls between the cracks of the various systems would greatly reduce recidivism,“ says David MacIntyre, Executive Director of the MPA Society.

More mental health professionals are needed in both the federal and provincial correctional systems and the services between those systems need to be better coordinated for continuity of care. By increasing the number of mental health professionals and the provision of services, the government is encouraged to consider inviting provincial health authorities to contract services to experienced community-based organizations. This allows for standards to be set and enforced as part of the service agreement, promotes development of best practices in mental health care, fosters the continuity of services from institution to community and enhances communication between partners.

The MPA Society is an award-winning non-profit service agency that has supported individuals living with severe and persistent mental health and addictions issues for over 38 years in the Lower Mainland of Vancouver, B.C. The Mission of the society is to inspire hope and facilitate recovery for those having a mental illness.

Vancouver British Columbia (November 02, 2009)

MPA Society supports the Correctional Investigator’s recommendations, released in the 2008/09 Annual Report of the Office of the Correctional Investigator (OCI), to improve the treatment of mentally ill offenders in federal correctional facilities. The recommendations for improving the mental health care capacity to a recognized national standard are critical and could also set a benchmark leading to consistent standards for provincial correctional facilities.

Providing proper and appropriate mental health care in correctional facilities is in the interest of the public, the individual serving a prison sentence and the correctional staff. When there are proper treatment options and continuity of these efforts after release, the likelihood of a person reoffending is greatly reduced.

“MPA Society supports the call for improved communication between federal and provincial correctional systems and with community-based mental health organizations, so that a continuity of services can be assured upon the release of people incarcerated. Ensuring that no one falls between the cracks of the various systems would greatly reduce recidivism,“ says David MacIntyre, Executive Director of the MPA Society.

More mental health professionals are needed in both the federal and provincial correctional systems and the services between those systems need to be better coordinated for continuity of care. By increasing the number of mental health professionals and the provision of services, the government is encouraged to consider inviting provincial health authorities to contract services to experienced community-based organizations. This allows for standards to be set and enforced as part of the service agreement, promotes development of best practices in mental health care, fosters the continuity of services from institution to community and enhances communication between partners.

The MPA Society is an award-winning non-profit service agency that has supported individuals living with severe and persistent mental health and addictions issues for over 38 years in the Lower Mainland of Vancouver, B.C. The Mission of the society is to inspire hope and facilitate recovery for those having a mental illness.

Top Innovator – Affiliate
2009 Gold Apple Winner

Organization/Facility: Motivation, Power & Achievement Society (MPA)/Public Prosecution Service of Canada (PPSC)
Project/Initiative: Drug Treatment Court of Vancouver
Team/Project Leader: David MacIntyre – Executive Director, MPA
Location: Vancouver

David MacIntyre has worked in the fields of mental health, corrections and addiction treatment. He has worked as a therapist, doing both individual and group counseling, and has also focused on policy and program development.

One of David’s most notable achievements to date has been the creations of the Drug Treatment Court of Vancouver. Started in 2001, the DCTV aims to reduce heroin and cocaine use in adults charged with offences motivated by drug addiction. The program’s success has paved the way for seven other drug treatment courts to open across Canada.

As in all Canadian courtrooms, the presiding judge is in charge. However, at the DCTV, the judge makes decisions in consultation with a team of experts that includes the Crown and defense counsel, case manager, and treatment and service providers. Participants must plead guilty to their charges and work with a professional team to design an effective treatment and rehabilitation plan. With guilt already established the focus can shift entirely to preventing the person who committed the offence from doing further harm to society or themselves. The program provides the opportunity for people caught up in addiction and the justice system to accept personal responsibility and receive much-needed support to recover from their addictions.

To establish the DCTV, David designed, planned and implemented a detailed process of research and stakeholder consultation with police, the Crown, members of the judiciary, political leaders, local business and community service providers. He secured funding and spoke to international experts to explore alternatives to the traditional court system.

Results show that completion of the program is the best predictor of reduced drug use and convictions, and the most cost-effective means of processing drug-related offenses. Though 88 percent of participants tested positive for heroin, cocaine or other drugs within the first six months of entering the program, only 30 percent tested positive within six months of program completion.

Today, David is Executive Director of the MPA Society, a non-profit organization founded by people experiencing mental illness and their supporters.

On May 05th, David MacIntyre, Executive Director of MPA Society and Rebecca Shields, Executive Director of CMHA – Vancouver Burnaby Branch, attended a ceremony at Vancouver City Hall, where Mayor Gregor Robertson proclaimed May 4th – 10th as Mental Health Week in the City of Vancouver. Mr. MacIntyre and Ms. Shields thanked the City of Vancouver for their support of this initiative and also for their ongoing support of efforts to raise awareness of the issues surrounding mental illness and to advocate for supportive housing for people living with mental illness.



To watch a video of the Proclamation of Mental Health Week at the Vancouver Council please click here (look for Proclamation section in the Vancouver City Council minutes).

Vancouver, British Columbia - The Kaiser Foundation is pleased to honour the seven Canadians and organizations selected for this year’s National Awards for Excellence (NAE) in reducing harm from substance use.

The awards recognize the outstanding work being undertaken by organizations, communities and individuals throughout Canada in reducing the physical and mental harms associated with substance use and mental health issues. They will be given out at the annual NAE dinner on April 24th at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Calgary.

Nominated by their peers, winners are selected by an independent National Secretariat and National Advisory Board, based on demonstrated results, leadership, new ideas, research and education. Each award recipient receives a $10,000 grant directed to a recognized charity of their choosing.

The seven award categories and 2008 recipients are:

• Excellence in Leadership: Dr. Ronald Abrahams, Family Physician and Medical Director - Private practice, Sheway, Fir Square Combined Care Unit, Vancouver Native Health - Vancouver, British Columbia


• Excellence in Public Policy: Dr. Eric Single, Adjunct Prof. of Public Health Sciences and Prof. of Sociology, University of Toronto; Scientific Advisor Emeritus, CCSA, Toronto, Ontario


• Excellence in Youth Leadership: Daniel McKennitt, Founder and Director, Aboriginal Health Group, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta


• Excellence in Media Reporting: Peter McKnight, Columnist, The Vancouver Sun, Vancouver, BC.


• Excellence in Community Programming: Mario Gagnon, General Director, Point de Repères, Ville de Québec, Québec


• Excellence in Mental Health and Substance Abuse Programming: MPA Berman House (Motivation, Power and Achievement Society), Vancouver, British Columbia


• Excellence in Aboriginal Programming: Eel Ground First Nation School Drama Club, Eel Ground, New Brunswick

"The Kaiser Foundation and National Advisory Board congratulate the 2008 award recipients and nominees,” said Edgar F. Kaiser Jr., Chairman and CEO of the Kaiser Foundation. “Each winner embodies a steadfast commitment to helping people adversely affected by substance use and mental health issues and encouraging them and assisting them to live healthier, happier, and safer lives. Their efforts are truly exemplary. We do this to recognize people who spend their lives helping others get well, usually with little or no public acknowledgment or compensation.”

Launched in 2006 by The Kaiser Foundation, in partnership with a growing roster of governments, foundations, corporate and private national partners across the country, the National Awards for Excellence highlight the tireless efforts of field leaders promoting healthier lifestyles and raises awareness of drug/alcohol abuse and mental health issues and their impact on our society.

The annual National Awards for Excellence event is hosted in a different city in the spring of each year, to ensure recognition, across the country, of the individuals and organizations working in the fields of substance use and mental health. The 2009 National Awards for Excellence will be held in Montreal.