The province says it’s committed to preventing serious injuries and death on BC Roads with more funding from the Vision Zero grant program.  

Vision Zero is a community-based grant program that aims to address traffic injuries in underserved communities. 

More than $866,000 will be used by local organizations to plan projects that protect vulnerable road users like pedestrians, cyclists and roadside workers. 

In Campbell River, SD 72 will see $20,000 dollars go towards the StudentsRide program which aims to educate people of all ages about bike safety. 

Sandowne Elementary Vice Principal Georgina Knox says the funds will be used to purchase bikes and helmets for students who normal might not be able to afford them 

“Keeping people safe on our roadways starts with building transportation infrastructure that protects vulnerable road users,” said Rob Fleming, Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure. 

According to the province road related injuries account for $312,000,000 in direct healthcare costs per year. 

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BC Ferries announced it is adding outdoor pet areas to two major vessels after a successful rollout in 2023. 

The new pet areas will be available on the Queen of Surrey and the Queen of Coquitlam servicing Horseshoe Bay to Departure Bay and Horseshoe Bay to Langdale. 

“Our customers have told us that their pets need a better way to travel and we’ve taken steps to make that a reality. This is great news for customers preparing to travel with pets in the busy spring and summer seasons,” said Melaine Lucia Vice President of Customer Experience. 

She adds that over 92 percent of surveyed customers said they were in favour of expanding the outdoor pet areas. 

If you plan on using the new pet areas, you’ll need to keep your dog on a leash and cats must stay inside carriers. 

BC Ferries is also considering adding outdoor pet areas to sailings on the Tsawwassen to Swartz Bay route. 

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Starting this week British Columbians will have access to a free COVID-19 booster. 

The province said in a release that boosters will be available at pharmacies, community health centers and regional health authority clinics for everyone 6 months and older. 

Masks are no longer mandatory in Island Health facilities, but people are encouraged to wear masks as needed in healthcare settings. Healthcare workers will continue to wear masks and other protective equipment. 

They add that even though respiratory illness season has passed SARS CoV-2 will still circulate at lower levels in the community.  

The province also recommends that adults 65 and older and long-term care residents consider getting an additional dose of the XBB. 1.5 COVID-19 vaccine. 

You can register for an appointment on the B.C. Government website.

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Students in Campbell River will get some hands-on bike safety learning as part of a Provincial program. 

The program is called Everyone Rides, and it teaches Grade 4 and 5 kids hand signals and how to understand road signs. 

Rob Fleming, Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure says that building bike safety skills will help steer communities to a future less reliant on cars.  

“Riding a bike is a childhood pastime and learning to ride safely will give kids the opportunity to become lifelong cyclists and open the door to healthier and cleaner choices,” said Flemming. 

Campbell River and Powell River are recent expansions of the program and Rose Gardener, director of the program says “Cycling education in schools helps encourage more kids, teachers and families choose an accessible way to improve health and fight climate change.” 

33,000 kids have participated in Everyone Rides over 25 years. 

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Small-town airports in BC will be getting some upgrades from the BC Air Access Program. 

“Airports play a key role in bringing together communities and people, and provide the vital links that keep goods moving and our economy strong,” said Dan Coulter, Minister of State for Infrastructure and Transit.

Part of the program will see 11 million dollars from the province fund upgrades to airports across the province and a few on the island and Sunshine Coast. 

Campbell River’s Airport will receive almost 1 million dollars to install new fuel storage systems. 

Heather McCarley chair of the BC Aviation Council says that the funding will help support wildfire suppression, air ambulances and tourism.

“These strategic investments are particularly important for the province’s remote, rural and Indigenous communities," added McCarley.

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Some Cancer patients in BC will have better access to therapy as part of a new provincial initiative.

These treatments are called Chimeric Antigen Receptor T-cell therapy, specifically for advanced leukemias and lymphomas.

Premier David Eby says that the province will support eligible cancer patients to get CAR-T therapy closer to home in BC adding "Cancer touches the lives of so many people in British Columbia.”

This initiative is part of B.C.'s larger 10-year Cancer Care Action Plan.

According to Dr. Kim Chi, executive vice-president of BC Cancer, these investments will help improve specialized treatments. "We’re bringing this new life-saving treatment closer to home for patients who are no longer responding to conventional treatments.”

Adrian Chantler is a cancer patient who went through CAR T-cell treatment on the mainland. "A few weeks after treatment I started feeling better and today, after just a few months, I’m essentially back to normal."

Intake for patients started in January and the first treatments will start this month.

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Last week the province announced its 2024 budget which included funds for housing, health care and education. 

Even though the NDP said that education is a top priority for the government, the BC Teachers Federation says the new budget “won’t make a dent” in solving staffing shortages in schools. 

“No student should have to go without the resources and support they need to thrive, but that’s what happens when there aren’t enough teachers," said BCTF President Clint Johnston.

The BCTF says that 2023 saw record levels of population growth in BC and with that comes more students in schools.

"While we appreciate that this isn’t an austerity budget, what we really need is bold action to ensure every student gets the support they deserve," said Johnston.

He adds that a targeted teacher recruitment fund is needed to relieve staffing shortages. 

Beyond staffing issues, the BCTF did see some positives from the budget like the 255-million-dollar classroom enhancement fund. 

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For the third year in a row, Diabetes Canada is holding its 40 Items 40 Days Challenge. 

From now until March 24th you can join in by dropping off gently used clothing and household items at any Diabetes Canada bin or arrange for a home pick up. 

The challenge aims to get participants to drop off one item per day, for 40 days.

Diabetes Canada CEO Sean Shannon says participants can "give new life to their gently used goods and reduce landfill waste."

Net proceeds from all donated items will help fund diabetes research and support kids with type 1 diabetes.

For more donation information, visit their website or call 1-800-505-5525 to schedule a home pick-up.

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It turns out that most BC residents are still in favour of a ban on single-use plastics, despite a recent ruling by the Federal Court that a ban like that is “unconstitutional”. 

That’s according to a recent Research Co. Poll that found 71% of Vancouver Island residents support the ban which is around 5% higher than the provincial average.

On a provincial scale 24% were opposed and 6% were undecided.

The poll also found that two-thirds of British Columbians aged 18-34 take their groceries home in reusable bags. Residents aged 55 and older reported that 95% use reusable bags.

The federal ban on plastics like straws and grocery store bags was introduced in 2022. 

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Cowichan-Malahat-Langford MP Alistair MacGregor tabled a petition in the House of Commons this week signed by over 7500 people to restore passenger and freight railway service on Vancouver Island. 

The creator of the petition, Warren Skaalrud, says this is the perfect time to be talking about rail travel on Vancouver Island. 

Skaalrude lives in Shawnigan Lake and runs the webpage Restore Island Rail where he advocates for a return of widespread railway use on the island.

"We're seeing more movement on it right now than we ever have, said Skaalrud. "There's four working groups and a new Corridor Project Manager coming into play."

To Skaalrude these are all signs that big things are happening on the island, which is why he authored the petition.

"I did notice that nobody actually did a petition to the House of Commons and now everyone in the House of Commons knows what's going on here." He hopes that this will help raise awareness for people who are not informed about the rail corridor.

Skaalrud believes that with a growing population on Vancouver Island, public funds for infrastructure are better spent on railways than highways.

"I thoroughly believe that's a better use of public money than investing in more roads that just continuously get congested. It's a zero-sum game."

Skaalrud adds that the federal government has 45 days to respond to everyone who signed the petition. 

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