Tuesday COVID-19 update Island Health continues to fare poorly in terms of recent pandemic numbers. 39 new cases of COVID-19 have been confirmed in the past 24 hours and one more death. There are 260 active cases currently and so far there have been 23 deaths in our region.  Health orders lay the groundwork for mass vaccination clinics The Provincial Health officer has issued a new health order, to allow more people to help run the mass vaccination clinics that are being planned for next month. The Provincial Health Office order will allow dentists, pharmacy technicians, paramedics, retired nurses and midwives to either administer vaccines or assist with duties like monitoring people for side effects or assisting elders at the clinics. Dr. Bonnie Henry says plans are underway to set up 172 clinics across the province with up to 500 staff in each health region. "We are moving forward and doing a lot of work behind the scenes to make sure that the systems in our health authorities across the province, we have the tools and resources to take on this incredible and significant task. So we are very excited to be able to have the workforce that we are going to need over the next six months to ensure that we can get vaccine into as many people as wanted as efficiently as possible."—Chief Provincial Health Officer, Dr. Bonnie Henry. Henry says more details about the mass vaccination clinics will be presented next Monday.  Police act needs reforms to protect children and youth BC's Advocate for Children and Youth is urging the province to change the Police Act to help young people in crisis. Jennifer Charlesworth presented a series of recommendations to an all-party committee that is tasked with reforming BC's 50-year-old Police Act. Charlesworth says young and vulnerable children have frequent contact with police because of domestic violence, sexual exploitation, child neglect, drug addiction and mental health breakdowns, but police are not always equipped to do the best for these children.  “Currently, police are now having to do work that was never envisioned as policing, because other systems are falling short. And not only are systems falling short, but police are not trained or prepared to do the work they're now being called upon to do in a good way. So children and youth who are living with vulnerabilities are experiencing interactions with police at very young ages, and when they may be at their most vulnerable.”—BC's Advocate for Children and Youth, Jennifer Charlesworth. Charlesworth is asking the committee to involve young people in its consultations. She is also asking that all police be trained in trauma-informed practice and that there be specialized training in child development for officers who have the most contact with children. The all-party committee is expected to present its report and recommendations to the legislature in mid-May.

Mayor emphasizes cost will not be borne by the city alone It's been more than a year in the making, but Nanaimo City Council has approved the recommendations from its Health and Housing Task Force. The plan includes the creation of a funders' table, made up of representatives from groups like BC Housing, Island Health, Vancouver Island University, the City of Nanaimo, Snuneymuxw First Nation and others. Its goal will be to contribute $65 and a half million dollars over five years on housing and health supports for Nanaimo's most vulnerable populations. Mayor Leonard Krog points out the financial burden will not be borne by city taxpayers. "I want to emphasize, the City of Nanaimo is not budgeting itself $65.5 million dollars, but we are certainly going to ask the levels of government that have the jurisdiction and legal responsibility to step up to the plate and coordinate their spending in a way that effectively uses significant monies that have already been spent and are being spent with not much improvement in sight for a number of our fellow citizens, we estimate over 600, who are without housing in Nanaimo."—City of Nanaimo Mayor Leonard Krog. The next step includes the creation of a self-sustaining group, made up of social service agencies, government representatives and others, to implement the Health and Housing Plan and to attract and coordinate the funding for various projects. The chair of the task force and city councillor Don Bonner says he's confident in that model. "The work that we're going to start out on, cannot be done by one organization alone. And I think that coming out of this task force and this report, we now how the groundwork for a very good partnership, where we will create a made-in-Nanaimo solution to what is afflicting the most vulnerable in our town."—City of Nanaimo Councillor Don Bonner. The city has set aside $300,000 for this work during 2021. It expects other funders will contribute to what will eventually become a million dollar a year budget for the group. Winter coats for the homeless Meanwhile, homeless people in Nanaimo may be feeling a little more comfortable these days, thanks to a donation of winter coats. Dodd's Furniture store on Uplands Drive has collected forty coats so far, and it continues to take donations of gently used coats, hats, scarves and gloves. The winter wear is being distributed by the 7-10 club and the Society for Equity, Inclusion and Advocacy. Both groups are also offering warming centres that are open 10 a.m. till 4 p.m. Monday to Saturday at 489 Wallace and seven days a week at 285 Prideaux.  Vancouver Island Regional Library online services down during upgrades Online library users will not be able to access services for most of today. The Vancouver Island Regional Library system is undergoing upgrades until 5 p.m. That means library users will not be able to log into their account to place holds, renew items or access any e-resources like the online catalogue. However, library branches will be open for checkouts although there will be no access to public internet computers.

Monday COVID-19 update COVID-19 cases counts spiked in the Island Health region over the weekend, with 99 new cases reported since Friday. 63 are on the Central Island, 13 in the south and 23 in the north. 16 people are in hospital and one Islander, a member of the Cowichan Tribes has died. So far in the pandemic, 24 islanders have died from COVID-19. Vaccination delayed for Cowichan Tribes Meanwhile, the Cowichan Tribes has been forced to delay a planned vaccination clinic because of a shortage of Pfizer vaccine. The Director of the Ts'ewulhtun Health Centre says 600 Cowichan Tribes members were scheduled to receive their second dose of vaccine at clinics that were supposed to begin today. Derek Thompson says that plan changed over the weekend when Island Health informed the community its vaccine shipment was delayed. "It's disappointing but we also understand our community, like every nation and municipality across the province, are in the same queue awaiting the vaccine and like many nations and municipalities across the province we know that that time frame is going to shift here and there are we are ready to respond accordingly."—Derek Thompson, Director of the Ts'ewulhtun Health Centre. Thompson says the clinics have been postponed for two weeks until March the 8th. He says that's how long it will take to reschedule those receiving the vaccine and the availability of those who will administer them. Gaps in complaints process allows no recourse against IIO or civilian employees of RCMP BC’s Ombudsperson says people who feel mistreated by guards at RCMP lockups or by BC's Independent Investigations Office have no formal recourse to make a complaint. Jay Chalke says his office is not allowed to investigate any complaints against police officers' conduct, however, there are agencies that do. But he says there is no process at all for people who want to file complaints against civilian employees who work for the RCMP, including guards at holding cells in RCMP detachments. Chalke urged a legislative committee that's examining BC's Police Act to fill that gap. "This gap concerns the most significant intervention the state can make in an individual's life: the deprivation of their liberty. The circumstances and issues here implicate fundamental human rights and international law."—BC’s Ombudsperson Jay Chalke. Chalke says people detained under the mental health act also have no recourse to complain, nor does anyone who is unhappy with how BC's Independent Investigations Office has handled investigations into police-involved injuries and deaths. "I want to point out that there is no independent investigation of the complaints process set out in the regulation, and therefore no public accountability for how complaints are handled."—BC’s Ombudsperson Jay Chalke. Chalke says BC's Solicitor General has acknowledged the gaps but so far, has not offered any legislative or regulatory changes.

Legal petition filed by West Moberly First Nation regarding Site C The former chair of the Joint Review Panel into Site C says it's time to draw back the veil of secrecy surrounding the ten and a half-billion-dollar project, the largest ever in BC's history. Harry Swain says the cost of the project represents twice the amount of revenue it will collect over twenty years. He points out BC Hydro has not filed its last two quarterly reports into Site C's progress with the BC Utilities Commission, and the Premier has refused to release two independent reports into whether the dam can be built safely. "I think Mr. Horgan is in quite a dilemma right now. If all the advice that he's been getting from BC Hydro, from consultants and so on was to the effect: 'yes this can be safely built, yes the price is going to be acceptable. If that were the case, there would be no secrecy, there would be no reports out back. we would have had an announcement by now about where we're going to go. and the fact that it's taken this long means it’s highly controversial within the government because those assurances aren't there.”—Harry Swain, former chair of the Joint Review Panel into Site C.  Meanwhile, the West Moberly First Nation has filed a legal petition to force the government to release that information. Roland Willson is also urging Horgan to suspend work on the dam until cabinet makes a decision on the project. The Premier has not responded. Province focused on the culturally safe delivery of COVID-19 vaccine for First Nations BC's Provincial Health Officer is promising Metis people that health officials are working on ensuring the COVID-19 vaccine rollout will be a culturally safe experience. Dr. Bonnie Henry spoke at a panel discussion at the annual general meeting of Metis Nation British Columbia over the weekend. She said officials are planning for 172 vaccination clinics that will begin mid-March. The acting Chief Medical Officer for the First Nations Health Authority says it is in discussions with the province on how to make mass vaccination clinics culturally safe. Dr. Shannon McDonald says clinics on reserves have including blessings of the vaccine and the time needed to ensure those receiving them feel confident about what's happening to them. "I know the province's goal is to maximize the number of people that can be vaccinated, but we also want to make sure that the people who walk in the door are happy with what happened when they're inside the doors before they go home.”—Acting Chief Medical Officer for the First Nations Health Authority, Dr. Shannon McDonald. Metis and other Indigenous people ages 65 and up will be eligible to get their shots at the same time as clinics begin for non-indigenous people over the age of 80.

Friday COVID-19 update There are 22 new cases of COVID-19 in the Island Health region. Province-wide, there has been another large increase with 508 new cases and six more deaths. Vaccination will lead to increased access to family in long-term care BC's Minister of Health says despite vaccine delays, the province will immunize all citizens over the age of 80 by the end of March. Adrian Dix says starting March the 1st, British Columbians over the age of 80 who receive home care will begin receiving vaccine, and others in that age group who are not connected to health care programs will start receiving vaccine on March 15th. Dix says almost all seniors in long term and assisted living will receive their second dose of vaccine this month. He says that means it won't be long before visiting restrictions now in place will be lifted. "What we hope is going to change soon in long-term care, what we hope is going to change soon in assisted living, we believe in the month of March where people are going to have more access, not less and more opportunities to engage and not less."—Minister of Health Adrian Dix. Dix notes COVID-19 outbreaks in care homes have declined from 59 in December to 14 today is a result of immunity that residents have with the first dose of vaccine. Replacement of NDSS highlighted in school district plan Nanaimo District Secondary School is at the end of its useful life and desperately needs to be replaced. That's one recommendation in Nanaimo-Ladysmith Public School's latest long-range facility plan. The report says the school needs significant maintenance, is a high priority for seismic upgrades and is environmentally unfriendly. The school district's secretary-treasurer, Mark Walsh, identifying NDSS in the plan is meant to send a message. “It's our number one seismic priority, it's end of life, school districts around the province are getting replacement schools right now, and NDSS, this again is a message to our community, to the ministry, to political partners, that this needs to happen.“—Mark Walsh SD-68 Secretary-Treasurer. The plan also projects other schools could be seriously overcrowded in the next 10 years. Dover Bay Secondary and Pleasant Valley Elementary are already feeling the strain and are predicted to reach more than 180 per cent capacity by 2030. Walsh is recommending developers pay a School Site Acquisition Charge to help fund expansion. "We are certain, at least in Nanaimo and Lantzville, that the school site acquisition charge is an absolute slam dunk. There's hundreds of thousands of dollars waiting for the district to go collect from development."—Mark Walsh SD-68 Secretary-Treasurer. The next step is for the board to discuss the plan with the community.

City of Nanaimo, Nanaimo RCMP, and VIU criminology students team up to conduct neighbourhood safety audits The City of Nanaimo, the RCMP and student criminologists from Vancouver Island University are teaming up with selected neighbourhoods to help make them safer. The group is preparing to conduct safety audits. Nanaimo's community policing coordinator, Christy Wood says the audits are a response to what citizens have been asking for. "Community members wanted to have a voice, and they wanted to not feel helpless and feel empowered to build some resiliency in their neighbourhoods and communicate their concerns to those social service agencies and local decision-makers about what was happening for them in their neighbourhood."—City of Nanaimo Community Policing Coordinator, Christy Wood. The process is underway, with a crime analyst crunching statistics about the type of crimes committed and the harms they cause in various neighbourhoods. Census data and anecdotal information is also being collected to select neighbourhoods that need the most help. Wood says after that, local surveys will measure the perception of neighbourhood crime and the level of fear people are feeling. The team will present a final audit report to the neighbourhoods and to decision-makers and organizations in late March or early April. The audits will include what can be done to address the safety issues in each neighbourhood and identify partnerships to implement the recommendations.  Decline in enrollment cited as a factor, Ministry of Advanced Education approves deficits Vancouver Island University says a decline in student enrolment and extra costs due to COVID-19 has led to a deficit in the current fiscal year and will likely lead to another deficit next year.  The university says international student enrolment dropped by 34 per cent while domestic enrolment dipped by 13 per cent. It says pivoting to online instruction and extra cleaning has also affected the bottom line. VIU is not alone. That's why the Ministry of Advanced Education is allowing post-secondary institutions to run deficits.  VIU's Provost, Carole Stuart says post-secondary institutions would have preferred increased funding from the Ministry. "You're speaking to the converted [laughs] we have tried." The Ministry says colleges and universities will have to dip into their reserves to pay for the deficits. Stuart won't reveal the projected size of the deficit for 2020-2021, but she says dipping into reserves will have a long-lasting impact. "While we can accommodate that over the next two years and deal with it we also have to come up with a deficit recovery plan so that means we'll be running very lean for the next two years in order to do that."—VIU Provost, Carole Stuart. Stuart says at best, running deficits will allow the university to keep its focus on students and programming, while areas like building maintenance take a back seat.

Shelter in place order extended by Cowichan Tribes The Cowichan Tribes has extended its shelter in place order until March the 5th in the wake of two deaths from COVID-19 last weekend. Chief William Seymour delivered the news on social media that the two people who died were young adults. They were in their 30s with pre-existing health conditions. Seymour says their deaths underline the danger the virus presents. "It's not only a high risk disease for our elders. We all need to be careful and to take it seriously. I am asking you, please, get tested at the first sign of symptoms. If you catch this virus early you will have a much better chance of recovering from it."—Cowichan Tribes Chief William Seymour. There are currently 14 active cases of COVID-19 among the Tribes. CTV News is reporting there will be a delivery of 600 doses of Pfizer vaccine to Cowichan Tribes next week, which will allow elders to receive their second doses. Meanwhile, the Snuneymuxw nation, near Nanaimo has wrapped up two days of second dose vaccinations for 300 of its members. Chief Mike Wyse says there is one active case of the virus on reserve and two others off-reserve.  Thursday COVID-19 update Meanwhile, BC has hit its highest daily new case count since early January, with 617 new cases and four deaths. There are 19 new cases of COVID-19 in the Island Health region, bringing the total active cases to 169 on Vancouver Island. City of Nanaimo to vote on the creation of SPO on Monday Nanaimo city council will be asked on Monday, to give its blessing for the next steps toward the goal of providing a range of housing and other supports for vulnerable people. The city's Health and Housing Task Force has completed its work with a Health and Housing Action Plan. Step one is to create an entity to implement it. That entity, a Systems Planning Organization, or SPO, would be responsible for a number of duties. Task Force co-chair and city councillor Don Bonner says the SPO's main job would be to coordinate the needs of existing social service organizations with the funding agencies. "If we all sit down and coordinate the work that they're doing, and we create a coordinated ask to the province and the feds, we will be successful in getting the money that we need in making a serious dent in this issue...and we'll have a lot less homeless people on the street and when people are approaching homelessness, there will be a lot more services to help them out.”—City of Nanaimo Counsillor Don Bonner. The SPO is also expected to attract members to what's being called a "funders' table," made up of groups like BC Housing, Island Health, local government and the Snuneymuxw First Nation. And the SPO must come up with self-sustaining funding. In its first year, it will be mostly funded through a $300,000 dollar contribution from the city. The recommendations to accept the Task Force Report and to create a working group to design the SPO goes to council on Monday.

Henry cites delay in vaccine delivery for late second dose Thousands of seniors and long-term care workers in BC will not be getting their second dose of anti-COVID-19 vaccines before the 42-day maximum recommended interval. More than 30,000 seniors in care and 30,000 care workers in BC have received their first dose of either the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine. As of the end of January, less than half of 1% had received their second dose. At that time, BC's provincial health officer said because of a shortage of vaccine, the dates between doses would be extended from the 21 to 28 days recommended by the manufacturers to 42 days, which is the maximum recommended by Canada's National Advisory Committee on Immunization. Earlier this week, Dr. Bonnie Henry revealed the 42 day extended interval period will not be met in all cases. "The Pfizer vaccine most people are still within the 42 days, at least starting to get second doses at day 42. We have some challenges with Moderna because the amount we are getting next week is lower than expected, so there will be some people will be delayed, so it's in the range of four to six thousand for both."—Chief Provincial Health Officer Dr. Bonnie Henry. Henry says she is confident people will not lose their immunity to the virus because of the delay. She says although there are no studies to prove this with the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines, she says the history of vaccine efficacy shows people can go for months between doses without losing immunity. Provincial Government loosens restrictions for COVID-19 recovery grant BC's Minister of Labour is sweetening the pot, in an effort to entice more small and medium-sized businesses to apply for a COVID-19 recovery grant. Businesses can be granted up to $30,000 and tourism businesses, up to $45,000 but so far, less than a third of the $300 million dollar pot of cash has been accessed. The province changed the criteria for the grants in December to enable more businesses to qualify. Now, Ravi Kahlon is hoping to remove another barrier to business, namely the need to create a business plan to qualify. "So we've streamlined the process. The amount of paperwork you are required to submit is minimal. And the biggest change I think now, is that now you can go to your own bookkeeper, you can go to your own accountant to have them do the work and we will pay them to do the work for you. So they will do your business recovery plan, and they will submit it for the money and we will pay them up to $2000 for the work they're doing."—Minister of Labour Ravi Kahlon. But, larger businesses, including Victoria-based Harbour Air have complained they don't qualify because they employ more than 150 people. Kalon is promising a new program for them will be introduced soon.

Wednesday COVID-19 update There has been another death from COVID-19 in the Island Health region. It's the third death this week, bringing the total number of COVID-19 fatalities in our region to 23. Island Health is reporting 18 new cases of the virus over the past 24 hours, while the province is reporting 427 new cases and 3 deaths. Ladysmith approves BC Housing project Ladysmith council has cleared the way for BC Housing to turn the Island Hotel on First Avenue into a homeless shelter for the duration of the pandemic. BC Housing and the Ladysmith Resources Centre Association plan to open a 15-bed shelter that has space for physical distancing. The current shelter in the Rialto building had to reduce capacity from 10 beds to five due to COVID-19 precautions. Mayor Aaron Stone says the new shelter could help lead some to find permanent housing. “Creating trust and a welcoming space is step one to getting them into an opportunity to have a connection with somebody that could lead to better things. I know that through the shelter and through the tenting site that was temporary through the summer we were actually fortunate to find a couple homeless in our community more stable long-term housing.“—Town of Ladysmith Mayor Aaron Stone. Councillor Duck Patterson, who ran for the BC Liberals in the last election, opposed the application and suggested the old hospital site would be better. "Having a temporary homeless shelter there will probably cause the same feelings that this application has caused by the neighbours but for me it is a bit of an easier pill to swallow than kicking our downtown merchants and residents while they are still down."—Town of Ladysmith Councillor Duck Patterson. The current cold-weather shelter at the Rialto building is scheduled to close at the end of March. Deputy Fire Chief is promoted Nanaimo's Deputy Fire Chief will take the helm as the new Fire Chief. Tim Doyle has been with Nanaimo Fire Rescue for the past 20 years and has been Acting Chief since the new year when the former Chief Karen Fry became Vancouver's fire chief. Doyle will officially begin his tenure next Monday. Nanaimo creator wins film prize And finally—Sound Clip—That's The Short Lebowski, a one-minute movie of a movie that has won a Nanaimo man the fan favourite prize in a contest that had close to 350 entrants. Todd Cameron is a local filmmaker who used plastic dolls and home-made sets in his stop motion production. Cameron estimates it took 70 hours to produce his one-minute masterpiece, which he says is a labour of love. "It's all stuff that I really love doing. Most of the time it was using my hands in a way that's fun for me so it was just kind of a cool opportunity to use some of the toys that I have." You can watch The Short Lebowski on YouTube or on the CFOX-FM website, which sponsored the contest.

Fraser Valley churches to be heard by BC Supreme Court BC's Provincial Health Officer has lost her bid for an injunction against three Fraser Valley churches that continue to defy COVID-19 rules banning in-person religious gatherings. Dr. Bonnie Henry applied for the injunction in response to the churches launching a legal challenge to her orders. But the chief justice of the BC Supreme Court has turned down the request. Justice Christopher Hinkson says the health orders already prohibit in-person religious services and Henry and the province have the power to escalate enforcement. Earlier this week, Henry said she isn't sure about that. "My ability to under the public health act, to add additional measures to the orders, I don't think. I'm not aware that I have that authority, let's put it that way. But I think it is important that we needed to ensure that people realized that while the court challenge that the churches brought was being heard, that these rules still apply."—Chief Provincial Health Officer Dr. Bonnie Henry. The larger court challenge to the health orders by the Riverside Calvary Chapel in Langley, the Immanuel Covenant Reformed Church in Abbotsford and the Free Reformed Church of Chilliwack will be heard next month. Social service agencies impacted by pandemic An interim report on the effects of the pandemic on social service agencies has found some good and some bad.  Researchers from the Department of Social Work at Vancouver Island University interviewed representatives from eleven social service groups in greater Nanaimo last September. They found the organizations felt they were thrown into chaos when the pandemic was declared last March. The agencies had to respond to dramatic shutdowns, public health orders, and local directives they say changed from one day to the next. In the months that followed, some organizations were able to resume some in-person services. Many said they benefited from having time to train employees in online services and to collaborate with others to share best practices. The report found the organizations were grateful that emergency funding did not come with strings attached. That allowed them to act on what was urgently needed but not predicted. However, researcher Holly Bradley says some challenges remain unresolved. "Who is becoming invisible? Not everyone is getting the same kind of service through remote service delivery. Not everyone is able to access it. Not everyone has access to free internet, to cell plans with phone minutes, with internet data, so there is that awareness that there are gaps, that there are people falling through the cracks, that there are needs that are not being met."—Survey Researcher Holly Bradley. Bradley and her research partner, Jeanette Schmid hope to delve into that topic in the next round of research that begins next month when they re-interview the agencies' representatives. Their final report is planned for September.

Nanaimo a COVID-19 hotspot The Nanaimo region has now become the epicentre of the pandemic on Vancouver Island. Cases of COVID-19 in greater Nanaimo more than doubled last week. The BC Center for Disease Control is reporting 94 new cases of the virus in the Nanaimo region on the week ending February 6th, compared to 45 the week before. Meanwhile, the number of cases in Cowichan Valley South, which had experienced high numbers due to an outbreak in the Cowichan Tribes has fallen dramatically. The case count declined from 53 during the week of Jan. 24, to 22 cases the week after that. No evidence gay Qualicum Beach councillor was harassed: report A report into allegations of mistreatment made by a Qualicum Beach councillor has found no evidence of discrimination, bullying or harassment. Councillor Robert Filmer claimed he was the victim of such conduct at the hands of his council colleagues. A report by Innova Strategy Group acknowledged there were strained relations on council. However, it found no evidence of discrimination against the 22-year-old openly gay councillor. Filmer posted his reaction to the report on his Facebook page. He questions the report's findings and accuses council of victim shaming, instead of improving their relationship. Filmer who is on a leave of absence has not said whether he will return to Qualicum Beach council. ‘Godmother of dub‘ to speak at VIU Vancouver Island University is welcoming a two-time JUNO Award winner and dub poet at a virtual event this evening. Lillian Allen will deliver the annual Gustafson Distinguished Poet Lecture. The chair of VIU's creative writing and journalism department, Sonnet L'Abbe says Allen was selected for her important contributions to poetry in Canada and around the world. "She's the godmother of dub poetry. Dub poetry is an entire form that emerged in Jamaica out of reggae but spread around the globe very quickly in the 70s. It has had an influence on pop on reggae itself and on spoken word culture. So it is the roots of a lot of forms of poetry that are popular right now. The kind of cadence that you heard Amanda Gordon use at the inauguration has connections to dub poetry. Lillian Allen is a huge figure and we are really excited to have her"—Sonnet L’Abbé, chair of VIU’s creative writing and journalism department. Allen agrees Gorman's reading at the inauguration was an important moment for spoken word poetry. “It is a validation and a celebration of the voice, and especially that she's a young person, and crafting her terms and our words, in such a fine way to touch people and to bring people together, idealistic as it might be, that's the work of poetry, that's the work of the soul."—Lillian Allen, Distinguished Gustafson Distinguished Poet. Allen's lecture begins at 5 p.m. on Thursday. You can register by clicking on this link.

New in this update: Monday COVID-19 update COVID-19 cases in BC continue with an average of just over 400 new cases per day with 1236 new cases confirmed since Friday and 13 more deaths. In the Island Health Region, there were 86 new cases confirmed over the past three days, most of which continue to be on the central island. It leads with 168 active cases, followed by the south island with 63 and the north with 9. The provincial health officer says number of cases of the UK and South African variants continues to increase. So far, there have been 25 cases of the UK variant in BC including four in the Island Health region. There are 15 cases of the South African variant confirmed in the Fraser and Vancouver Coastal health regions. Dr. Bonnie Henry says the province is planning more testing to try to figure out how prevalent the variants are. "It does change the game in some ways if it starts to take off and become dominant in the community. And I think all of us are dreading that and right now we need to take actions and figure out how to assess how many cases we have, how much of a risk it is. Similar to what Ontario did where they tested they ran a screening test and did whole-genome sequencing on a whole day’s worth of tests and we will be doing that as well so we have a better understanding of are we catching people or is there more out there that we’re missing?"—Chief Provincial Health Officer Dr. Bonnie Henry. Henry says of the 40 variants of concern cases in BC, just three are currently active. Development permits applied for BC Housing has started the ball rolling on two supportive housing facilities it announced more than a year ago. It has applied for development permits for 285 Prideaux Street which is the site of the city-owned Community Services Building and for 702 Nicol Street, which is currently a vacant lot, owned by BC Housing. 50 supportive housing units are planned at Prideaux Street for people who are homeless or are at risk of homelessness. A four-storey facility is planned for Nicol Street with 59 supportive housing units for people requiring special care. During a public information meeting last August, the city's Manager of Development, Dale Lindsay, explained how the development permit process works. "So a development permit process is looking in this case primarily at the form and character of the building and make sure it fits into the context of the neighbourhood. As part of that process, we do early notification to the neighbourhood and to the community. We also take the step of sending applications to neighbourhood associations so that they can provide comments and depending on the development permit, may ultimately go to council for approval."—City of Nanaimo Manager of Development, Dale Lindsay. Both sites are already zoned for those uses. However, the development permit application for the Nicol Street project is expected to come before council at its meeting on February the 22nd. 

COVID-19 transmission confirmed at three Nanaimo Elementary Schools On the same day that BC announced increased COVID-19 safety measures in schools, there have been COVID-19 transmissions confirmed at three Nanaimo elementary schools. The clusters are at Rock City, Bayview and Qwam Qwum Stuwixwulh schools. The province's new safety measures mean middle school and high school students must now wear masks at all times indoors, except when they are sitting or standing at their desks. But students in elementary schools and those in grades six and seven who attend elementary schools will not have to wear masks. The Nanaimo District Teachers Association says that's just one shortfall of many in the new regulations. Association spokesperson, Jeremy Inscho gives the new measures a failing grade. "I don't think they're meeting expectations. Very little came in today that is actually helpful. The mask mandate is only for the students who were wearing it anyways in most cases. Doing a little bit more is probably not enough, when we know the virus is doing a lot more."—NDTA Spokesperson, Jeremy Inscho. Inscho is welcoming the establishment of school response teams to better manage exposures and outbreaks, but he says more rapid testing is needed and communication with teachers, students and their parents must be improved. Thursday COVID-19 update There have been 27 new cases of COVID-19 in the Island Health region confirmed over the past 24 hours. Province-wide there were 6 deaths and 465 new cases. “Overwhelming evidence of racism in this system” Disturbing data from an investigation into racism in the health care system shows indigenous women are one and a half more times likely to develop cervical cancer. Indigenous elders and those with chronic health conditions are 89% more likely to not have a doctor to help manage those conditions. As a result, indigenous people access health care at emergency departments at rates far higher than anyone else in B.C. The report's author Mary Ellen Turpel-Lafond says the data proves an unacceptable truth. "When you combine these inequities with the overwhelming evidence of racism in this system, it's not difficult to see why health outcomes for indigenous people are poorer.—Mary Ellen Turpel-Lafond. B.C.'s Minister of Health says steps are being taken to change that. Adrian Dix says an Assistant Deputy Minister of Indigenous Health has been appointed. Funding is in place for five Indigenous Health Liason Officers and nine of 32 new Indigenous Health Representatives have been hired. And Dix says a Task Force to implement Turpel Lafond's report has been established. "Racism is toxic for people and it's toxic for care. The situation as it exists, cannot stand. Together with indig leadership, health professionals colleagues and partners we will address systemic racism in our health care system and root out its damaging effects."—Minister of Health Adrian Dix. Dix is also promising cultural sensitivity training will take place in every health authority.  Turpel Lafond says she will continue her involvement until, as she says "the report's recommendations have been achieved." 

COVID-19 transmission confirmed at three Nanaimo Elementary Schools On the same day that BC announced increased COVID-19 safety measures in schools, there have been COVID-19 transmissions confirmed at three Nanaimo elementary schools. The clusters are at Rock City, Bayview and Qwam Qwum Stuwixwulh schools. The province's new safety measures mean middle school and high school students must now wear masks at all times indoors, except when they are sitting or standing at their desks. But students in elementary schools and those in grades six and seven who attend elementary schools will not have to wear masks. The Nanaimo District Teachers Association says that's just one shortfall of many in the new regulations. Association spokesperson, Jeremy Inscho gives the new measures a failing grade. "I don't think they're meeting expectations. Very little came in today that is actually helpful. The mask mandate is only for the students who were wearing it anyways in most cases. Doing a little bit more is probably not enough, when we know the virus is doing a lot more."—NDTA Spokesperson, Jeremy Inscho. Inscho is welcoming the establishment of school response teams to better manage exposures and outbreaks, but he says more rapid testing is needed and communication with teachers, students and their parents must be improved. Thursday COVID-19 update There have been 27 new cases of COVID-19 in the Island Health region confirmed over the past 24 hours. Province-wide there were 6 deaths and 465 new cases. “Overwhelming evidence of racism in this system” Disturbing data from an investigation into racism in the health care system shows indigenous women are one and a half more times likely to develop cervical cancer. Indigenous elders and those with chronic health conditions are 89% more likely to not have a doctor to help manage those conditions. As a result, indigenous people access health care at emergency departments at rates far higher than anyone else in B.C. The report's author Mary Ellen Turpel-Lafond says the data proves an unacceptable truth. "When you combine these inequities with the overwhelming evidence of racism in this system, it's not difficult to see why health outcomes for indigenous people are poorer.—Mary Ellen Turpel-Lafond. B.C.'s Minister of Health says steps are being taken to change that. Adrian Dix says an Assistant Deputy Minister of Indigenous Health has been appointed. Funding is in place for five Indigenous Health Liason Officers and nine of 32 new Indigenous Health Representatives have been hired. And Dix says a Task Force to implement Turpel Lafond's report has been established. "Racism is toxic for people and it's toxic for care. The situation as it exists, cannot stand. Together with indig leadership, health professionals colleagues and partners we will address systemic racism in our health care system and root out its damaging effects."—Minister of Health Adrian Dix. Dix is also promising cultural sensitivity training will take place in every health authority.  Turpel Lafond says she will continue her involvement until, as she says "the report's recommendations have been achieved." 

Kids in school to mask up Students in middle school and high schools in BC will now have to wear masks in all indoor areas, including classrooms, except when they are seated or standing at their desks. Masks are now required when singing, and physical distancing must be maintained when playing instruments. The provincial health officer, Dr. Bonnie Henry offered no data to show why the stepped-up measures are needed. However, both the Minister of Education, Jennifer Whiteside and the head of the BC School Trustees Association Stephanie Higgenson suggest anxiety over safety by teachers and students was the major impetus for change. "There is absolutely, anxiety amongst students and staff and their families in schools and their communities and it certainly is my hope that this does go some way in making folks feel more secure and confident."—Minister of Education Jennifer Whiteside. "I have noticed a heightened sense of divisiveness in the way people are expressing their concern about school safety. For the sake of the students who are watching, we must refocus this energy on the important tasks that we have at hand."—B.C. School Trustee Association Stephanie Higgenson. Students in elementary schools, including those in grades seven and eight, will not be ordered to wear masks, however, the advice being given to elementary schools has changed from "mask-wearing is not recommended" to "mask-wearing is encouraged." “NoNo” returns home after three and a half years A Nanaimo woman whose cat came back after three and a half years believe he was deliberately taken and dumped far from home. "NoNo" the cat was found by staff at the Living Forest campground near Cedar last week. Staff contacted the Nanaimo SPCA and it tracked down Nono's owner, through a tattoo. Laura Brethour says she was shocked and surprised at both the phone call and the fact that Nono was found 20 kilometres from where he went missing. Brethour does not believe her cat wandered that far away on his own. "Without saying names and without 100% certainty, we actually know he was taken and he was dumped south of the city in hopes he wouldn't find his way home."—Laura Brethour, NoNo’s owner. Lesli Steeves says she's not surprised. Steeves is one of the founders of ROAM, a volunteer group devoted to finding lost pets. She says she's dealt with cases of cats being removed from neighbourhoods and dumped far away. ”There are occasions when it happens and there are certainly some little hot spot areas we do keep our eyes on and we try to work closely with the owners to try to pull out as much information as we can to see if they've had any problems with the neighbours or have heard anything in the neighbourhood."—ROAM’s Lesli Steeves. Steeves urges neighbours to work together to find creative solutions like installing a motion sensor sprinkler to deter a wandering cat. She believes Nanaimo's new animal responsibility bylaw will also prevent cat-nappings in the future because people can call a bylaw officer to resolve such disputes. Meanwhile, Brethour says NoNo is now an indoor cat.

New in this update: Wednesday COVID-19 update There has been another death from COVID-19 on Vancouver Island. 20 people have died from the virus in the Island Health region since the pandemic began. Province-wide there were 16 deaths over the past 24 hours and 414 new cases. Cases on Vancouver Island continue in the double digits, with 26 reported today. Our active case count stands at 273. Update to school guidelines to be announced at 10 a.m. Thursday Meanwhile, B.C.'s Minister of Education and the Provincial Health Officer are poised to announce enhanced health and safety guidelines for students and staff, and more funding to support the continued safe operations of schools.  COVID-19 exposures in schools continue to climb with the latest exposure at John Barsby Community School in Nanaimo. It's the tenth central island school to report an exposure over the past month. Education Minister Jennifer Whiteside and Dr. Bonnie Henry are planning a news conference on the subject tomorrow at 10 a.m. on the government of BC Facebook page or YouTube channel. Grant launched for businesses to pivot online The province is hoping a new grant program will help small and medium-sized businesses to sell their products online. B.C.'s Launch Online Grant program offers businesses up to $7500 dollars to work with web specialists to create or enhance online sales. The Minister of Labour, Ravi Kalon, expects up to 1,500 businesses will benefit. The founder of Goldilocks Wraps in Esquimalt says the pandemic forced her to pivot sales of her beeswax wraps from craft fairs to the internet. "Our online sales made up nearly all of our revenue in 2020, which was a huge shift. The pandemic has really changed the way that businesses need to operate to stay afloat. And having an online presence has gone to being an added bonus to an absolute necessity."—Amy Hall, founder of Goldilocks Wraps. Amy Hall says this will be the first government assistance program she'd applied for. "Currently I have been personally doing all of the work on our website but I am not a website developer so it's something that's gotten us by until now, but it will be really great to work with an outside expert who really knows what they're doing so I am really looking forward to applying for this specifically."—Amy Hall, founder of Goldilocks Wraps. Eligible businesses must have had minimum annual sales of $30,000 dollars in 2020 or 2019, employer fewer than 150 people and must develop a grant proposal to show how they will spend the money. Businesses have until March 31st to apply at www.launchonline.ca. Bus company suspends service indefinitely People who depend on regional buses to travel Vancouver Island no longer have that option. The Vancouver Island Connector and the Tofino bus will not be resuming service this month and will remain suspended indefinitely. The company says its business has declined by 95% since last March.  It has applied for an emergency COVID-19 recovery contract from the Ministry of Transportation, but so far, no luck. The Vancouver Island Connector started operations in 2015 and had provided bus service from Victoria to Campbell River.

Nanaimo hasn’t had an EDC for four years Nanaimo council will create a new, arms-length economic development corporation. The move comes four years after a previous council killed a similar organization that was rife with conflict, resignations and firings. The new economic development corporation will see the city of Nanaimo as the main shareholder. So-called Class B Shareholders will include the Snuneymuxw First Nation, the Nanaimo Airport, the Chamber of Commerce, the Nanaimo Port Authority and Vancouver Island University. The membership will also include one representative from the non-profit sector and two members at large. The city's Director of Community Development, Bill Corsan described the corporation's purpose at a presentation to council on Monday night. "The mandate is to maintain and update the economic development strategy and make sure that certain initiatives that attract business and employers to the community are being done and help with that coordination piece. There is kind of a common goal here to have a group of people providing leadership at that level."—Bill Corsan, City of Nanaimo Director of Community Development. The city's economic development strategy includes the redevelopment of downtown and the waterfront as well as making Nanaimo a healthcare center of excellence. The corporation should be in place by the middle of this year, with a five-year-long mandate. Its first annual budget will be just over half a million dollars, which is far less than the minimum million dollars that similar-sized cities spend on Economic Development Corporations.   COVID-19 updates from Cowichan Tribes temporarily suspended The Cowichan Tribes will not be providing any COVID-19 outbreak numbers this week. Last Friday, the nation reported 26 active cases of the virus, for a total of 181 cases since the outbreak began in early January. The acting general manager of the Cowichan Tribes, Derek Thompson says updates will be suspended until next week. "We decided to pause in an effort to be mindful and respectful of families in our community who are hurt and going through a process of grieving. We want to be respectful of the family going through a process of just profound loss and in the broader context of things, just families in our community who have gone through such profound loss."—Derck Thompson, Acting General Manager for Cowichan Tribes. One member of the tribes died from COVID-19 last week. Thompson says case counts continue to rise and they will continue to do so until more members of the community start following provincial health orders and a local shelter in place order that is set to expire on Friday. Meanwhile, there have been 27 new cases of COVID 19 confirmed in the Island Health region over the past 24 hours. With 23 on the central island, 3 in the south and one in the north. There are 17 people in the hospital with the virus, six of whom are in intensive care.

Tuesday COVID-19 update Another Nanaimo school has been added to the list of COVID-19 exposures. Island Health says there was an exposure at Rock City Elementary school last Wednesday. Rock City joins eight other schools on the central island that have experienced COVID-19 exposures, but none has turned into an outbreak. There have been 27 new cases of COVID-19 confirmed in the Island Health region since yesterday, bringing our case count to 294. Province-wide in the past 24 hours, there have been 8 deaths from COVID-19 and 429 new infections. Shovels in the ground for new ICU at NRGH The sod was turned at the Nanaimo Regional General Hospital this morning, to mark the start of construction of a new intensive care unit. The new unit will be triple the size of the current ICU, providing the space for the high-tech equipment needed to treat the most critically ill patients. It will increase from 10 to 12 beds, with overhead patient lifts, and there will be space for a high acuity unit to transition patients from ICU to other hospital units. Dr. Ben Williams, the vice president of medicine and quality for Island Health says the new layout will provide both physical and emotional comfort to patients and their families. "Our old ICU is a very small unit, located at the end of a hallway that every critically ill patient has to be wheeled through, in front of staff members and patients and families. This new ICU is larger, it's state of the art. In the old ICU, there wasn't a family room where they could really go and be safe and have private conversation. This ICU is a much better and kinder place for our patients and their families."—Dr. Ben Williams. The 41 and a half million dollar project is expected to be completed in early 2023. Animal Responsibility bylaw is approved by Nanaimo City Council Nanaimo City Council has passed a controversial animal bylaw that could see outdoor cats scooped up and sent to the pound. The new Animal Responsibility bylaw says owners must prevent their pets from wandering onto any private property without permission. Owners must have direct control over the animal when outside. When the bylaw was first proposed in November, it generated what Mayor Leonard Krog called a "voluminous" response from residents who were opposed to it. But Councillor Erin Hemmens says it's needed to manage conflicts between neighbours. “This is not about leashing cats, this is not about keeping cats inside, this is setting up mechanisms and structures in order to support animal health for animals that either don't have a home or are creating a nuisance and that nuisance isn't resolvable between neighbours. Then we have some next steps to take based on this bylaw.”—Nanaimo City Councillor Erin Hemmens. Cats must now have identification, such as a collar or microchip, and be sterilized. Having a cat without ID could cost you between $25 and $75 dollars, while fines for an unsterilized cat range from $100 to $150 dollars.

Shovels in the ground for new ICU at NRGH The sod was turned at the Nanaimo Regional General Hospital this morning, to mark the start of construction of a new intensive care unit.  The new unit will be triple the size of the current ICU, providing the space for the high-tech equipment needed to treat the most critically ill patients. It will increase from 10 to 12 beds, with overhead patient lifts, and there will be space for a high acuity unit to transition patients from ICU to other hospital units. Dr. Ben Williams, the vice president of medicine and quality for Island Health says the new layout will provide both physical and emotional comfort to patients and their families. "Our old ICU is a very small unit, located at the end of a hallway that every critically ill patient has to be wheeled through, in front of staff members and patients and families. This new ICU is larger, it's state of the art.  In the old ICU there wasn't a family room where they could really go and be safe and have private conversation. This ICU is a much better and kinder place for our patients and their families."–Dr. Ben Williams The 41 and a half million dollar project is expected to be completed in early 2023.  Animal Responsibility bylaw is approved by Nanaimo City Council Nanaimo City Council has passed a controversial animal bylaw that could see outdoor cats scooped up and sent to the pound. The new Animal Responsibility bylaw says owners must prevent their pets from wandering onto any private property without permission. Owners must have direct control over the animal when outside. When the bylaw was first proposed in November, it generated what Mayor Leonard Krog called a "voluminous" response from residents who were opposed to it. But Councillor Erin Hemmens says it's needed to manage conflicts between neighbours.  “This is not about leashing cats, this is not about keeping cats inside, this is setting up mechanisms and structures in order to support animal health for animals that either don't have a home or are creating a nuisance and that nuisance isn't resolvable between neighbours. Then we have some next steps to take based on this bylaw.” —Nanaimo City Councillor Erin Hemmens Cats must now have identification, such as a collar or microchip, and be sterilized. Having a cat without ID could cost you between $25 and $75 dollars, while fines for an unsterilized cat range from $100 to $150 dollars. However, the city will waive seizure and impound fees for cats caught outdoors until the end of 2022, if the cat is retrieved within 24 hours. ICBC rebate incoming for drivers in B.C. Drivers in BC will be getting a rebate next month, thanks to the pandemic. ICBC says it saved $600 million dollars last year because the pandemic led to fewer drivers on the road, and therefore fewer accidents. It is passing along those savings to those insured last year. It predicts the average driver will receive a $190 dollar rebate cheque, which will start rolling out in March. That is in addition to what ICBC calls Enhanced Care refunds customers will receive when they renew their insurance in 2021.

COVID-19 variants a growing concern in British Columbia Concerns over new COVID-19 variants have prompted the province to step up genome testing. There are 14 cases of the U.K. variant in B.C., all of which are linked to international travel and those in contact with those travellers. There are four cases of the South African variant but officials do not know how those cases were transmitted. The provincial health officer says genome testing is now being targeted to any international traveller who tests positive for COVID-19 along with random sampling in areas with outbreaks or a high number of cases. Dr. Bonnie Henry says 11,000 genome tests have been completed and testing will continue to ramp up. "This is one of the things that is most concerning for us right now. We are seeing some transmissions in some communities of this variant and this is one of the things that is factoring into the decisions that we have to make together over the next coming weeks.”—Chief Provincial Health Officer Dr. Bonnie Henry. Henry says data on the variants and next steps will be announced on Friday. That's when current COVID-19 health orders are set to expire. Four cases of the UK variant were detected on Vancouver Island. Island Health says one traveller and three household members tested positive for the variant, but those cases have been contained. Man charged with second-degree murder in beating death of homeless man A man has been charged in the beating death of a homeless man in Campbell River last October. 60-year-old Dean Dool was attacked outside the Royal Bank on Shoppers Row around 11 p.m. on October the 15th. Campbell River RCMP says Justin William Arnett has been charged with second-degree murder. Police say Arnett was arrested on an unrelated warrant last Thursday and remains in custody. A new investigative team gives a boost to cold case murder Meanwhile, a high-profile cold case in Victoria is getting a boost, with the creation of a new investigative team. 24-year-old realtor Lindsay Buziak was murdered 13 years ago today when she was showing a house to an unidentified couple. Saanich Police Constable Marcus Anastasiades says fresh eyes and new technology will now be applied to the investigation. "We have established a task force, comprised of new investigators who are taking a fresh look at the case. The task force has obtained assistance from the FBI and continued support from the RCMP. Technology not available at the time of the crime has allowed us to develop new investigative leads. Advancements in fields of genealogy and DNA analysis has led to the resolution in many other cases.”—Saanich Police Constable Marcus Anastasiades. Anastasiades says investigators are urging those with knowledge about the crime to come forward.