COMMENT: The Politics of Health
Barack Obama, Pope Francis, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and organizations like Oxfam and the World Health Organization are all saying it: Inequality is the greatest concern of our time. So what’s it going to take for our governments to act? Dr. Gary Bloch, a family physician in Toronto and a founding member of Health...
Sewer talk, how the CAO was hired, budget planning
There has been a certain amount of talk among Rossland residents about the "Delegation Bylaw" passed by Council and adopted on January 11, 2010, and some of that talk has made its way to my ears. Some people have been under the impression that the bylaw allowed the former CAO to hire his own replacement. The only information...
Nelsonites gather to support Agricultural Land Reserve
Nelson and area residents who are concerned about food security in the region and the fate of the Agricultural Land Reserve (ALR) in the province will be gathering together on Feb. 7 at the Nelson United Church for a Save the Agricultural Land Reserve Rally aimed at raising awareness about the issue. In the fall of 2013 the...
COMMENT: Where are all the grown-ups overseeing our health care?
I'd like to paint a picture for you, explaining why, in my opinion, this region enjoys sub-par health services: Imagine, if you would, that you're the BC Minister of Health. You oversee five health authorities, with 16 health services delivery areas under them, all of them clamouring for a finite pool of funding and resources....
Trail says 'no' to Castlegar-funded examination of acute health care priorities in the region
Trail has chosen to opt out of a process initiated by the City of Castlegar to create a region-wide strategic plan for health care in the region. Castlegar contracted, at the cost of about $20,000, the services of consultant Jim Gustafson (formerly the CAO of the RDCK and, before that, Castlegar) to gather information from ...
LETTER: UBC students support ban on candy-flavoured cigarettes
Dear Editor, We are third year nursing students at UBC-Okanagan and are writing in regard to the growing amount of flavoured tobacco products available today. With National Non-Smoking Week upon us, we feel it is important to address this concern specifically because of the way these products are being marketed towards youth....
Vitamin K- An Essential Nutrient for your Bones & Heart
Vitamin K was discovered in the early 1900’s by Dr. Dam, a Danish scientist and the Japanese have done extensive research since then and found that Japanese women eating Natto had increased bone density. I know you are asking, what the heck is Natto and what connection does that have to Vitamin K? Natto is a fermented food...
Fish virus found in Kootenay Lake Kokanee calls for action
A fatal fish virus has been detected in the Kootenay Lake Kokanee raised in the Meadow Creek and Redfish spawning channels. Infectious hematopoietic necrosis virus (IHNv) was found in 80 percent of spawning Kokanee in a routine check of the fish coming from the Meadow Creek spawning channel last fall. The virus has also been...
Kaslo doctors seek solutions to community health care coverage
A petition is circulating in Kaslo that health care advocates in the community hope will help keep full-time emergency care at the local Victorian Community Health Centre, despite a decision by Interior Health to cut back emergency care in the community to business hours on weekdays. In December 2013 a group of local doctors came […]
COMMENT: Flavoured tobacco products aimed at kids, should be banned in BC
We are third year nursing students at UBC-Okanagan and are writing in regard to the growing amount of flavoured tobacco products available today. With National Non-Smoking Week upon us, we feel it is important to address this concern specifically because of the way these products are being marketed towards youth. When you...