New mental health wing for Van General
Premier Christy Clark today announced Tuesday a new mental health facility will be built at Vancouver General Hospital (VGH). "Mental illness takes a terrible toll on not just the patient, but on their entire family as well," said Premier Clark. "This new centre will help many of those families to cope as their loved one goes...
Court decision keeps health care intact
The B.C. Supreme Court today told the BC Anesthesiologists’ Society its members cannot withdraw services from B.C. hospitals, at least not until after the judge rules on Apr. 20 on an injunction request from health authorities. The decision means no elective procedures or surgeries will be postponed as previously expected, ...
Food Sovereignty Forum tour pack in the crowds
Broken down barns and empty fields that haven't seen a crop in years left National Farmers' Union (NFU) vice president of policy, activist and farmer Colleen Ross wondering about the Boundary. "I've never been here and as I drove through I wondered about the food shed...I wonder what people are eating and where they get their...
BC Fire Chiefs launch smoke alarm campaign
BC Minister of Justice and Attorney General Shirley Bond and the President of the Fire Chiefs’ Association of BC, Surrey Fire Chief Len Garis have launched a smoke alarm campaign intended to ensure that every home in BC has a working smoke alarm, part of a broad initiative to reduce fire-related deaths and injuries. Research...
Special Public Avalanche Warning for BC’s Interior Mountains: Third warning in four weeks for recreational backcountry users
For the third time in four weeks, the Canadian Avalanche Centre (CAC) is issuing a Special Public Avalanche Warning for recreational backcountry users. The warning area includes all the mountains of interior BC—from Mackenzie and Chetwynd south to the US boundary, and west of the Alberta border to Pemberton and Hope. Not...
Cost of eating still high for B.C. families
The 2011 Cost of Eating in B.C. Report, released by the Dietitians of Canada – BC Region last week, showed no improvement for the average family. The Cost of Eating in B.C. has been published for over a decade to detail how much it costs for individuals and families in B.C. to access an adequate amount of food, to relate this...
City invites IHA spokesperson to public meeting to discuss ER closure
By Kyra Hoggan, Castlegar Source The City of Castlegar is asking Interior Health Authority (IHA) spokesperson Diane Gagnon to attend the public portion of city council’s next meeting, to discuss the unscheduled closure of Castlegar’s emergency ward last Saturday. This, after city officials received a letter of apology for the...
Approval of Jasper development ignores public outcry
Banff, Alberta– Over the objections of almost 200,000 citizens, the federal government has approved the proposed “Brewster Glacier Discovery Walk” in Jasper National Park. Conservation organizations fear that the beauty and integrity of Jasper National Park are being surrendered to commercial interests, opening the door for...
New meat inspection program planned for B.C. by 2014
The Province has completed a comprehensive review of options for provincially operated meat inspection services at Class A and B licensed abattoirs. This ensures that B.C. continues to provide the most effective, safe meat inspection system possible when the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) steps back from this role. ...
Health organizations launch anti-pesticide campaign
Leading health organizations today launched BC’s first ever anti-pesticide advertising campaign – a major newspaper blitz that urges all British Columbians to support a lawn and garden pesticide ban. Health organizations endorsing the campaign include the Canadian Cancer Society, the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation, the...
