Father’s Day is a day of celebration and thanksgiving for me. I had a great dad whose first priority was his family and whose love and support was unfailing for each of his kids. How lucky I was and how sad it is for others whose fathers have different priorities. To all those good fathers, have a happy day with your kids.
Many of us are still trying to get more beds at Vernon Jubilee Hospital by asking the province to fund the two designated floors of the new tower for additional beds now. If you are concerned about the lack of beds and the continual overcrowding in Emergency here is an opportunity for you to show your support by attending a rally being held June 28 at noon, at the Vernon Jubilee Hospital hosted by the BCNU nurses, who developed the Purple Ribbon Campaign “Safe Care Now.”
The goal of this rally is to increase awareness about the overcapacity at Vernon Jubilee Hospital, the need for more funded long-term care beds and increased home care support services within the Vernon area. The more people who attend this rally the more the government will listen to the voice of Vernon’s citizens who care so much about this issue.
This spring, the Food Action Society is launching a new website at www.foodaction.ca which features an events calendar promoting all local events related to food issues taking place in the North Okanagan. It also includes a community news blog where people can post articles, videos, photos, etc., enabling us all to exchange valuable information related to North Okanagan food issues. Finally it contains a local food directory where the public can find out more about how to access our local food producers, processors, distributors and retailers.
This directory features listings of local food-related businesses that can easily be entered and updated by the business owners themselves, as well as a map showing their location. The aim of this website is to support all groups working in the North Okanagan on improving food security and on cultivating a healthy, sustainable, regional food system. The Food Action Society also supports the following programs: Good Food Box program, Community Outreach and Education, Community Garden Network, the Gleaning program and many others and if you wish to join this organization call Wendy at 250-542-6920 or Andrea at 250-546-2712 or check out the website.
If you need help with legal issues there is the Legal Advocacy Program that is focused in the area of poverty law and the issues that impact a person’s ability to feed themselves, clothe themselves, maintain health and maintain housing. The legal advocate is Maggie Metz and the program is located at People Place and is open from Monday to Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and closed for lunch. Areas of service include problems with Income Assistance, Canada Pension Plan, OAS, WCB and Employment Standards, Employment Insurance, debt and housing issues. This service also provides legal information and referrals. Phone 250-542-3322, ext. 214 for more information.
Update your driving skills and habits on Wednesday at 10 a.m. until noon at the Schubert Centre. This course for mature drivers will help you update your knowledge of vehicle safety features and road regulations. Sponsored by the BCAA Traffic Safety Foundation, BC Ministry of Community Services, City of Vernon, and the City of Vernon/RCMP Safe Communities Unit, this program is free. Those wishing to attend are encouraged to call the Community Policing Office at 250-550-7840 for pre-registration as soon as possible to reserve your space!
If you have any comments or questions, contact me at 250-542-7928 or e-mail me at blackmail1@telus.net.
Pat Black writes about seniors issues for The Morning Star in her bi-weekly column, Personal Best.
