The Strathcona Regional District is considering what could be an extremely innovative and societal changing plan. As CAO David Letich informed the Board, at their Wednesday June 26 meeting, the draft Poverty Reduction Plan is already more than 100 pages long. It was his intention to have the plam introduced through a presentation and then, hopefully, they will forward it to the Committee of the Whole for further discussion.
Continue reading First Draft of the SRD Poverty Reduction Plan
The Cortes Island Food Bank has met the rapidly expanding need for its services, but says it is time the local, provincial and federal governments stepped up to the plate. Only 110 food hampers were given out in 2022, but since August they have seen at least a threefold increase of demand every month. There were 86 clients in January and 70 in February. Prior to this, the highs for both months was 12.
“We really knew that the numbers that we were seeing in previous years were not reflecting the level of poverty that exists here. So we were doing some strategic things to try to increase people’s awareness of the food bank. That was a major reason why our numbers went up so significantly. People felt that they could come to us. They knew it was a safe place to come for support. I think our clients are already dealing with so many challenges in their lives. I encourage anybody listening, if you could use some help, just come to us and we’ll get you some food,” explained Beatrix Baxter, one of the Food Bank’s Directors.
Continue reading The Cortes Food Bank at a Critical Crossroad
By Michelle Gamage, The Tyee, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
British Columbians will get four new cancer care centres that can offer radiation treatment as the province gets ready for an increase in cases of age-related cancers.
Health Minister Adrian Dix said Thursday that new cancer care centres will be opening in Kamloops, Nanaimo, Surrey and Burnaby.
Continue reading BC Promises Four New Cancer Care Centres
In the two months that ICAN’s food recovery program has been in operation, close to 1,300 people have received benefits.
“Since the beginning of March we’ve distributed 10,408.4 kilos of food, and that has been distributed to 338 individuals, who were feeding 671 people. In addition to that, we have been supplying various agencies like Quadra Circle, the Read Island Aging In Place program, the Read Island Community Kitchen. These agencies have been feeding an additional 600 people. In total, we estimate that this food has provided meals for 1,271 people,” said Ramona Boyle, Coordinator of Quadra ICAN.
Continue reading First 2 months of ICAN’s food recovery program: almost 1,300 people benefit
By Greg Osoba, CKTZ News, through an LJI grant from Canada-info.ca
The Seniors Emergency Preparedness Program on Quadra Island started at the end of November 2022 through the non-profit Quadra Circle organization. Program Coordinator Mike Gladish says the goal is to help seniors cope with extreme weather conditions—whether it’s during winter storms or intense heat in summer.
Continue reading New program underway on Quadra Island to help seniors cope with extreme weather
