By Alexandra Mehl, Ha-Shilth-Sa, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
Zeballos, BC- The Ehattesaht/Chinehkint First Nation has been working with BC Used Oil Management Association (BCUOMA) to open a center so the remote community can recycle their used motor oil, oil filters, oil and antifreeze containers and antifreeze.
Continue reading Ehattesaht/Chinehkint opens remote recycling center for used oil and antifreeze
Canada’s National Observer, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
When a humpback whale dies, it is — and should be — personal, says Jackie Hildering of the Marine Education and Research Society (MERS).
A young female humpback named Spike was found dead in the shallows of Malcolm Island off the northeast coast of Vancouver Island, B.C., on Sunday.
Continue reading ‘Absolutely gutting’: Mourning the death of Spike the humpback whale
National Observer, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
Rural communities in B.C. will continue to suffer critical doctor shortages and the knock-on effect of repeated emergency room closures until B.C.’s primary care system is modernized, an expert says.
New physicians are shunning family practice, while established doctors are abandoning it because of the way primary health care is delivered, said Dr. Rita McCracken, a family physician and researcher with the University of British Columbia’s Department of Family Practice.
Continue reading B.C. needs to invest in primary care to stem the bleeding of family doctors from rural areasNational Observer, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
A remote B.C. island community is anxious as it faces a two-week overnight closure of its local emergency room due to the ongoing medical staffing crisis across the province.
Island Health announced the closure of Alert Bay ER in the Cormorant Island Community Health Centre from 7 p.m. to 8 a.m. nightly, which started Tuesday and will last until Aug. 16.
Continue reading Alert Bay residents worried as overnight ER services shut down for two weeksNational Observer, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
Back-to-back closures of small community emergency rooms on North Vancouver Island over the weekend is another example of the overall erosion of the primary care system in rural communities, the BC Green Party and the BC Nurses’ Union say.
Due to ongoing staffing shortages, the emergency room at Port Hardy Hospital was temporarily closed from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Sunday. That closure took place hard on the heels of another temporary emergency department closure at the neighbouring Port McNeill Hospital from 3 p.m. Saturday to 7 a.m Sunday.
Continue reading Primary health care ‘collapsing’ in B.C. rural communities, critics say
