FRIDAY
S I N C E
APRIL 4, 2014
1 8 9 5
Vol. 119, Issue 54
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PROUDLY SERVING THE COMMUNITIES OF ROSSLAND, WARFIELD, TRAIL, MONTROSE, FRUITVALE & SALMO
g the Securin nay Koote and ary Bound area
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Nurses elect new provincial leader, regional chair unchanged BY SHERI REGNIER Times Staff
Voter turnout was stronger than past years Award Winning for the B.C. Nurses Union Best Western Plus (BCNU) leadership election that wrapped up Monday. For the first time in the province, licensed practiliquor store cal nurses (LPN) joined “freeze forces as union partners the beak with registered nurses off a (RN) in the BCNU elecpenguin tion that ultimately discold!” charged long-time president Debra McPherson daily • 9am - 11pm from her role as leader. BCNU conducted 1001 Rossland Ave. in the Best Western Plus what's called a “legal Columbia River Hotel raid,” when the union opened its doors and welcomed about 9,000 new It’s LPN members last year. The nurses were wooed almost away from the Hospital the weekend... Employees Union, leading to national and provincial trade union sanctions for raiding, but ultimately the Labour Relations Board upheld the move. “It's an exciting time and this is an historic election with new members having a voice across the province,” said Christine Sorensen, BCNU vice Hwy 22A 250.368.6466 president. “We are looking at issues that affect all our nurses and not just one segment of practice.” Gayle Duteil, a Lower Mainland RN, won by a narrow margin of 119 votes over McPherson after almost 16 per cent of the 42,000-member union Fred Behrens cast their ballots. 250.368.1268 (cell) Castlegar-based nurse fbehrens@telus.net Lorne Burkart, retained All Pro his position as West Realty Ltd. Kootenay regional chair 1st Time Home Buyer with 78 votes over candiSpecialist date Tracy Mailey-Baur. 250.368.5000 MP_adO3_Layout 1ex.31 13-10-04 6:20 AM Page 1 cent of About 25 per
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the area's 800 nurses took part in the election process that involved three weeks of online and telephone voting. Those numbers reflect a positive union of rural healthcare professionals, according to Sorensen. “That is a good turnout in that region and great representative vote of that area,” she said. “It tells me integrating RNs and LPNs is working really well and our new members are getting engaged in their unions.” Under new leadership, the union's mandate remains steadfast to address nursing workloads so that patient care is not affected and standards of practice can be met to provide a quality level of care. “In your area, cuts to rural services and downloading patient care to larger acute care facilities is an issue,” Sorensen told the Trail Times. “And we've been told over and over that we need to solve the work load concerns,” she continued. “The nurses aren't saying their work is too hard, what they are saying is continual under-staffing and rural cuts compromise good quality and safe patient care.” Election results were released April 1, the same day that Interior Health cut 24/7 care in Kaslo's Victoria Community Health Centre emergency department. The health facility now operates Monday to Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. with the exception of statutory holidays.
VALERIE ROSSI PHOTO
Pet Needs Plus owner Christine Unger demonstrates how a groomer checks for ticks on her Japanese Chin assistant named Emmi.
Spring heralds tick season BY VALERIE ROSSI Times Staff
The familiar signs of spring are as pleasing as running out the door without a jacket. But with the season's delights also comes its pests. And tick season is upon us, according to Interior Heath (IH). “Ticks are most often found in tall grass and wooded areas so covering up before you head outdoors and checking for ticks on yourself, your children and your pets after being outdoors are simple things that go a long way to prevent tick bites,” Jennifer Jeyes, communicable disease specialist with IH, was noted in a new release. The insects cut a hole into a host's skin before latching on firmly and indulging, satisfying all of their nutritional requirements on a blood diet. The most common tick species in the region is the wood tick, which doesn't carry
Lyme disease bacteria but does carry other rare diseases such as Rocky Mountain spotted fever. Some ticks also have toxins that can cause temporary muscle weakness and paralysis if attached for several days but the symptoms fade once the tick is removed. While tick season generally runs from now until June, early spring tends to be the busiest time for groomers, according to Christine Unger, who's owned Pet Needs Plus in Trail for 20 years. The grooming room is full of canines getting their regular treatment, which this time of year includes a thorough check for the blood suckers. Unger runs her hands through a Japanese Chin named Emmi to demonstrate how staff separate the fur looking for the pests. “They start off as little brown crab-looking bugs but as they feed they literally turn grey,” she explained. See TICK, Page 3
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Snowbirds, relax. Our discretionary investment accounts provide peace of mind. www.mpwealthadvisory.com T: 250.368.3838
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Contact the Times: Phone: FineLine250-368-8551 Technologies 62937 Index 9 Fax:JN250-368-8550 80% 1.5 BWR NU Newsroom: 250-364-1242 Canada Post, Contract number 42068012