Price competition, mental illness

Lawsuit takes on high car prices
Lawyers have launched a class action suit against Canadian automakers and dealers over the substantially higher new car prices paid by Canadians versus those paid by their American cousins. SFU business professor Lindsay Meredith wonders if Ottawa's Competition Bureau will show some interest in the issue since sections 45 and 46(1) of the Competition Act make it an indictable offense to conspire to restrain price competition. If the Bureau does get involved says Meredith, a lot of other Canadian retailers might be looking over their shoulders as well.

Lindsay Meredith, 778.782.5554, lindsay_meredith@sfu.ca

A matter of mental health
Mental illness — if you've got one, you probably don't talk about it. And that's a problem, because mental health is a huge issue in our community, says Julian Somers, director of CARMHA, SFU's mental health and addiction research center. " It affects all ages and all levels of society. Our corrections system is overburdened. Many of the homeless on our streets are victims. These are conditions that often begin early in life, and can have a long and seriously disabling impact. Many solutions are known, and the challenge now is to implement them."  Dr. Somers’ research includes health care reform and the overlap between substance use, mental illness, and the corrections system.

Sept. 30 to Oct. 6 is national Mental Illness Awareness Week.

Julian Somers, 778.782.5148, jsomers@sfu.ca