Episode 97: Breaking Barriers: Exploring Addiction, Mental Health, and the Law
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Episode 97: Breaking Barriers: Exploring Addiction, Mental Health, and the Law
Broadcast Date: December 19, 2024
SUMMARY
In this engaging discussion, host David Lazzam welcomes Justice Richard Schneider and mental health advocate Noah Irvine to explore the intersection of addiction, mental health, and the law. Justice Schneider reflects on his extensive experience with mental health courts and the criminal justice system, while Noah shares a powerful perspective as a national advocate for systemic change. Drawing from personal tragedy and resilience, Noah speaks with authority and compassion, having lost both parents to suicide and addiction by the age of 15. Together, they tackle pressing issues such as deinstitutionalization, the role of the Criminal Code in mental health cases, and the impact on families. Their dialogue highlights both challenges and progress, envisioning a more inclusive future for mental health and addiction services in Canada.
To delve deeper into these vital topics, don’t miss the upcoming CIAJ conference on Addiction, Mental Health, and the Law, happening February 3-5, 2025, in Toronto.
Guests
- Noah Irvine, Mental Health Advocate
- The Honourable Justice Richard D. Schneider, Ontario Court of Justice, past Chair of the Ontario Review Board
Host
- David Lazzam, Articling Student, CIAJ
BIOGRAPHIES
- Noah Irvine, Mental Health Advocate
You never have, and never will, hear another story like Noah’s. When Noah was five, his mother died by suicide as an inpatient in a psychiatric hospital. When Noah was 15, his father died from a prescription drug overdose. On top of that, he has a learning disability which impacts every part of his daily life. If that weren’t enough, he experiences C-PTSD. You could say Noah has a tragic life. But he disagrees. He refers to his life as complex.
Out of this complexity, Noah has become a respected national advocate for improved mental health and addiction services. He has met, talked with, and written politicians across Canada, from mayors to the Prime Minister. His message to them is simple: “Step and Do Better!” He asks politicians to work together, across party lines, to address the mental health crisis seen in Canada’s largest cities to the smallest, most remote communities.
In one month, during the height of Covid, he wrote a book about the complexity of his life. The book’s title – Learning to Live: From the Loss of My Parents to Mental Health Advocate – sums up Noah’s story. Sales of the book support the Lesley Irvine and Kent Martin Memorial Scholarship in memory of his Mum and Dad. The scholarship is presented to students of Noah’s former high school who have lost one or both parents and are continuing on to further education in university, college, or the trades.
Noah’s book and presentations are well received by students, educators, community groups, and workers on the frontlines of Canada’s mental health and addiction crisis.
- The Honourable Justice Richard D. Schneider, Ontario Court of Justice, past Chair of the Ontario Review Board
The Honourable Mr. Justice Richard D. Schneider, B.Sc., M.A., Ph.D., LL.B., LL.M., C.Psych. Is a Justice of the Ontario Court of Justice (appointed 2000), Deputy Judge of the Territorial Court of Yukon, Alternate Chair of the Nunavut Review Board, and former Chair of the Ontario Review Board and the Nunavut Review Boards. He was previously a criminal defence lawyer and certified clinical psychologist. Counsel to the Ontario Review Board from 1994 to 2000. Certified by the Law Society of Upper Canada as a specialist in Criminal Litigation. Previous private practice was generally limited to the representation of mentally disordered accused. Also, Adjunct Professor, Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine; Adjunct Professor, Forensic Science Program (Department of Anthropology); University of Toronto. Previously Adjunct Professor, Faculty of Law, University of Toronto. A ‘Specially Appointed Researcher’, China University of Political Science, Law, and Criminal Psychology Research Centre. Named Honorary President of the Canadian Psychological Association in 2002. Proposed the first Mental Health Court in 1997. A great deal of his time has been spent presiding at the Mental Health Court in Toronto. Major research interests are competency and criminal responsibility. Has published extensively in the area of mental disorder and the law. Recent books include: Mental Health Courts: Decriminalizing the Mentally Ill (2007, with H. Bloom and M. Heerema); The Lunatic and the Lords (2009); Law and Mental Disorder: A Comprehensive and Practical Approach (2013, with H. Bloom); Mental Disorder and the Law: A primer for legal and mental health professionals (2nd Ed., 2017, with H. Bloom); Fitness to Stand Trial: Fairness First and Foremost (with H. Bloom), 2018. The Death of a Butterfly: Mental Health Court Diaries, 2019; Annotated Mental Health Statutes [with Pakosh,C., and Paton,L.] (Fifth Edition) 2022; The Annotated Mental Health Provisions of the Criminal Code, [with Pakosh,C., and Paton,L.] 2023, 2024, 2025(in press) [all published by Irwin Law / www.irwinlaw.com].
- David Lazzam, articling student, CIAJ
David is CIAJ’s 2024-25 articling student, having recently graduated from the University of Ottawa Common Law program. He previously obtained a bachelor’s and a master’s degree in Political Studies from Queen’s University. While in law school, he conducted legal research pertaining to law reform for groups such as the Ottawa-Ecojustice Environmental Law Clinic and the Canadian Association of Refugee Lawyers, and served as the Canadian Bureau Chief of the international legal news site JURIST.
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To find Noah Irvine’s book: https://learningtolivebook.ca/
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