Tag Archives: Adam Olsen

Health

Cortes Island and rural coastal communities to receive more paramedics

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CKTZ News, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

Earlier this month, BC Emergency Health Services (BCEHS) initiated a staffing model designed to ensure that small rural communities like Cortes Island have four scheduled on-call (SOC) paramedics.

“The SOC model means shifts can be fully scheduled without waiting for availability of on-call paramedics. SOC shifts are, in general, 8 hours at work, and 16 hours on-call for 3 day rotations,” Sarah Morris, BCEHS media relations, said in an email to CKTZ News. “These additional positions were posted the week of Aug 6, and BCEHS is following the recruitment process as per the collective agreement with the paramedics’ union.”

Local on-call staff will be recruited as required to provide relief coverage for leaves and vacations.

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Health

Better pay for paramedics in rural communities

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BC Emergency Health Services (BCEHS) is trying to ensure that there are sufficient paramedics in rural communities throughout the province. 

In a leaked memo from Chief Ambulance Officer Leanne Heppell and Troy Clifford, Provincial President of the Ambulance Paramedics of BC, dated August 6th, BCEHS notified its employees and Local 873 members of two changes of great importance to Cortes Island, Sayward, Tahsis and Zeballos.

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Disaster, Health

The need for a better ambulance service

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CKTZ News, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

Green party MLA Adam Olsen has been listening to calls for a better ambulance service since he was first elected 2017. The need became even more apparent after 808 people died during the last five days of June. 75% of them are believed to have perished because of the heat wave that stuck the province. A large number were allegedly waiting for ambulances that arrived too late.

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Rivers & Oceans

Seaweed Days: Celebrating cultivation on Canada’s West Coast

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National Observer, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

There’s a surge of excitement around seaweed cultivation on the West Coast if the heavy-hitters on the speakers’ list of an upcoming inaugural conference on the topic is any measure of interest.

Federal Fisheries Minister Bernadette Jordan, B.C. Agriculture Minister Lana Popham, and federal and provincial Green Party politicians Elizabeth May and Adam Olsen are all on board to open the week-long Seaweed Days being debuted by Cascadia Seaweed on Monday.

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Politics

The Green Party urban strategy

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By Carl Meyer, Canada’s National Observer, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

The Green Party is developing an election strategy built around Canada’s urban centres, hoping to capitalize on promising internal polling results that have them in second or third place with double-digit support in some key ridings.

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