A new program at Kwantlen Polytechnic University (KPU) is about to create quite a buzz. The university will introduce B.C.’s first commercial beekeeping program in January, and by November 2016 its graduates will have the skills to work in, manage and grow existing beekeeping operations or establish and grow their own...

British Columbia has introduced amendments to the Tobacco Control Act to regulate e-cigarettes, legislation that will help stop the growing use of e-cigarettes by young people in B.C. “More and more young people are using e-cigarettes,” said Health Minister Terry Lake. “This legislation will limit the exposure to children of...

Drives, do everyone a favour and put the cell phone down. Distracted driving is the second leading cause of car crash fatalities in B.C. with an average of 88 people killed each year. That’s why police across the province are cracking down on distracted drivers in March.  The campaign also includes television and radio...

Nelson/Creston MLA Michelle Mungall took the fight oflocal families to the BC Legislature Monday when the NDP rep exchanged heated words with Minister of Health Terry Lake over the privatization of laundry services across interior hospitals during question period. In February, Interior Health began the next stage in privatizing...

At last week’s BC Nurses’ Union convention, hundreds of BC’s nurses were united in their call for action to protect nurses from injury and abuse in health care facilities and communities all over BC. Yet once again, over the weekend, the need for immediate improvements in safeguards and systems was demonstrated when an ER...

Rushed mornings, no time for a lunch break, food-filled meetings, shift work and limited time to prepare meals ― there’s no doubt that workday challenges can make it difficult to eat well. However, the benefits make it worth the effort. Eating well at work can boost concentration, productivity, and vitality. It can also reduce...

B.C. residents will be getting the best possible price for seven important prescription medications while ensuring drug supply, out of PharmaCare’s open and fair price submission competition process. Health Minister Terry Lake announced today that B.C.’s PharmaCare program, through its annual price submission process, has...

As many may already be aware, the Kootenays have a combination of geology and gas permeable soils that make homes and workplaces susceptible to high concentrations of radioactive radon.  It surprised me to learn that the radiation from radioactive radon gas found in homes and workplaces is estimated to cause 16 percent of the...

Why you should take note: Cases of measles have been reported in Canada. Measles is relatively rare in Canada thanks to high immunization rates across the country. However, Canada will continue to see measles cases related to travel to countries where measles is endemic or there are large outbreaks. Additionally, the United...

The writing appears to be on the wall for 17 full-time equivalent employees at Kootenay Lake Hospital laundry services as Interior Health enters the next stage of a process that will determine the future of its laundry services. IH has started the process to seek Request for Solutions (RFS) from pre-qualified service providers...