In a report release Thursday, the BC Coroners Service said suspected drug overdose deaths increased by almost 80 percent from 2016. “There were 113 suspected drug overdose deaths in August 2017,” the report detailed. “This is a 79% increase over the number of death occurring in August 2016 (63).” The report summarizes all unintentional illicit […]

Universal pharmacare is a hot topic on Parliament Hill these days.  The concept is simple—a single program that would ensure that all Canadians had free access to prescription drugs.  Canada is the only country in the world with universal health care that doesn’t include the cost of drugs in its coverage. And that doesn’t...

The Canadian government is banning plastic microbeads in toiletries. Although designed to clean us, they’re polluting the environment, putting the health of fish, wildlife and people at risk. Manufacturers and consumers ushered plastic microbeads into the marketplace, but when we learned of their dangers, we moved to phase ...

First, I would like to thank the community for welcoming me to this beautiful location.  As many of you already know, Dr. Brenda Gill retired September 1st and I have taken over her practice. All of the patients I have already met have been so kind and I look forward to continue working with them in the future. A ...

To ensure individuals have access to the mental health and substance use (MHSU) services they need, no matter where they live, Interior Health is expanding access to a rural telehealth pilot project. “Unless you’ve struggled with a mental illness, it is nearly impossible to understand the barriers and stigma that people face...

Bigger isn’t always better. Too much of a good thing can be bad. Many anti-environmentalists throw these simple truths to the wind, along with caution. You can see it in the deceitful realm of climate change denial. It’s difficult to keep up with the constantly shifting — and debunked — denier arguments, but one common thread...

A local man, Daniel Papanek,  found something totally unexpected during a hike along the Malde Creek Forest Service Road on Sunday, September 17.  It was lying in a coil, the tip of its tail barely visible and adorned with things that rattle when shaken.  Just to make sure of its identity, the man took a long branch and just...

As autumn sets in and the sunlit hours of each day diminish, some people begin to notice that their moods dim along with the daylight. Northerners generally begin to feel the effects earlier in the fall, as the shrinkage of their daylight is earlier and more pronounced. Seasonal affective disorder (SAD) is real.  It was...

Fentanyl has been detected in more than four of every five illicit-drug overdose deaths in British Columbia through the first seven months of 2017, according to the latest statistics from the BC Coroners Service. From January through July 2017, 706 of the 876 suspected illicit drug deaths had fentanyl detected, representing...

For the first time in 16 years, B.C. workers have much to celebrate on Labour Day. Both the B.C. NDP and the B.C. Green Party campaigned for a government that would make life more affordable, fix the services people count on, create jobs, act on climate change, and build a sustainable economy that works for everyone. Now,...