OSOYOOS TIMES-November 29, 2009 The next combined H1N1 and seasonal flu shot clinic in Osoyoos will be held on Dec. 1 from 3 to 8 p.m. at the Osoyoos Seniors Centre at 17 Park Place. More than 1,000 doses of the H1N1 flu vaccine have been given out at clinics in Osoyoos so far. Local doctors also have [...] [...more]
Local paramedics are voicing concerns that a new directive from their employer, the British Columbia Ambulance Service (BCAS), could cost lives. Brad Fraser, regional vice president of the Ambulance Paramedics of British Columbia Union CUPE Local 873 for Region 3, an area that includes Osoyoos, said the BCAS issued a directive on Nov. 19 that may affect critical response times for emergencies in the South Okanagan. [...more]
The federal and provincial governments have pledged $8 million towards the construction of passing lanes on Hwy. 97 just north of Osoyoos. Boundary-Similkameen MLA John Slater said on Nov. 20 that northbound and southbound passing lanes will be built two kilometres north of town on a stretch of the highway between the area commonly known as “Graveyard Hill” and Dead Man’s Lake. [...more]
Almost 750 people received their H1N1 vaccinations at a mass public health clinic in Osoyoos on Nov. 20. “At about 7:30 p.m., which was half-an-hour before (the) clinic was scheduled to close, the nurses did run out of vaccine, so anyone left without being vaccinated was asked to return either to the Saturday clinic in Penticton, if they were able, or to a future clinic in the area,” said Lannea Parfitt, public health communications officer for Interior Health. [...more]
“We’d prefer this didn’t happen at all,” said Mark McKenney, president of the Osoyoos Lake Water Quality Society (OLWQS), about the Town’s proposal to build a marina in Osoyoos Lake, immediately north of the Lake Osoyoos Sailing Club. But the OLWQS can’t fight development entirely, admits McKenney, so instead the society is asking the Town to take some steps to minimize the dock’s impact on the lake. [...more]
Editor: The B.C. government has now committed crimes against children. It is inhumane to place children into adult mental wards because the government has closed beds for children in psychiatric wards. At 16, my daughter suffered a major psychotic break. There wasn’t a bed available for her in a children’s psychiatric ward. She was committed by the B.C. government under [...] [...more]
British Columbia’s paramedics “have no intention of putting our labour dispute on hold for the Olympics,” said B.J. Chute, a spokesman for the union that represents the paramedics. On Nov. 6, the provincial government passed legislation to end a seven-month-long strike by the paramedics. Brian Cotton, a spokesman for the B.C. Health Services Ministry, said in an email that the legislation “was introduced because of the impact of H1N1 on our acute care system and the upcoming winter season.” [...more]
More H1N1 vaccine has arrived in British Columbia, and Interior Health is resuming its mass vaccination clinics – complete with new criteria for who is eligible for the H1N1 shot. “The eligibility criteria has expanded to include all healthcare workers, first responders, children and teens five to 18 years inclusive, and seniors with chronic health conditions,” states an Interior Health media release. [...more]
An organization that recently resurrected the idea of holding large concerts at Desert Park has responded to the Town of Osoyoos’s request for expressions of interest (EOI) regarding the facility. Desert Rox Inc., which is made up of members of W.A.L.L. Music and Entertainment, including former Osoyoos mayor Tom Shields, forwarded a proposal to the Town on Nov. 12 including an offer to upgrade parking, power and fencing at the facility at a cost of $2 to $4 million over the next three years. [...more]
The Town of Osoyoos and the company working to bring junior hockey back to this community have signed off on a finalized lease agreement for use of the Sun Bowl Arena. Osoyoos town council had given approval to a draft agreement with Osoyoos Junior Hockey Inc. at its Nov. 2 meeting after amending the contract. [...more]
