Protestors mourn end of nonclinical treatment at Rainier Hotel
Georgia Straight
According to Vancouver Coastal Health, the local health authority never funded non-clinical services at the hotel, and it’s outside of its mandate to replace the federal funding for those programs.
Not really the hap-happiest time of the year?
Vancouver Sun
Mental health professionals often say anecdotally that Christmas and the weeks that follow is a particularly rough period for patients, but there is not a lot of data to back it up. There is no seasonal increase in psychiatric admissions to Vancouver General Hospital, for instance. And Emergency Mental Health Services, overseen by the Vancouver Coastal Healthy authority, say they see no difference in demand between winter and summer.
Councillors reconsider chickens on residential lots
Powell River Peak
City of Powell River council has passed the first three readings of an animal control bylaw that allows for the raising of poultry on all city properties. The story refers to a letter from Dan Glover, Vancouver Coastal Health’s environmental health officer for the Powell River region, which encouraged the city to describe best practices for the construction of enclosures and management standards in the bylaw, to ensure the humane treatment of poultry and to prevent rodent infestation.