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Wednesday February 10, 2016 (Vol. 41 No. 11)
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Learning to lead: Peninsula students picked up important portant lessons about life – goal-setting, time me management and more – during a Rotary-hosted Youth Adventures in Leadership event at Camp Alexandra. ndra. i see page 11
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Seniors taking care of themselves on their own dime: Mackenzie
‘Silver tsunami’ debunked by advocate Tracy Holmes Staff Reporter
The majority of seniors – including those living on the Semiahmoo Peninsula – are self-sufficient financially and will not ever need to reside in a care home. The points, B.C. seniors advocate Isobel Mackenzie told a crowd of 100-plus at White Rock Community Centre last week, are among facts that dispel the “silver tsunami” myth: the prevalent fear that the growing senior population is threatening to drain the province’s future resources. While seniors are projected to comprise 24 per cent of the population by 2031 – up from 17 per cent today – that fear is unfounded, she said. “When you actually go and look at the facts, instead of provocative headlines… it’s a very, very different picture,” the advocate told the crowd gathered at the event organized by CARP and the Semiahmoo Seniors Planning Table – one of three local opportunities Wednesday for residents to learn about, and access, provincial resources. The shift, Mackenzie added, is slow, and there is time for B.C. to prepare. Other world jurisdictions have reached the milestone, “and their sky has not fallen.” “Seniors, for the most part, are taking care of themselves and they’re taking care of themselves on their own dime,” she said. Noting her own parents live in South Surrey, Mackenzie outlined the role of her office – which was established just two years ago.
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B.C. seniors advocate Isobel Mackenzie addresses a crowd of more than 100 at the White Rock Community Centre last week. Statistics cited include that nine per cent of B.C.’s population over the age of 75 cannot hold a conversation in English, and that health records of seniors in residential care show 33 per cent are on antipsychotic medication. The latter is concerning, Mackenzie said,
because only four per cent of those noted have a diagnosed condition that would require the drug. “It is rare… and it should be a temporary measure,” she said. “These numbers are not showing rare or temporary.” Other concerns Mackenzie high-
lighted include the prevalence of caregiver distress; a need to consider different needs in residential care; increasing awareness of resources available for seniors; and a need to accept how seniors choose to live, including a choice to live at risk. “We do a very, very good job
when people are compliant with what we think they should do,” Mackenzie said. “But when you have a different idea of what you want to do, it doesn’t run so smoothly, because we’re intolerant of what you think you can do.” i see page 5
Taste, appearance may be noticeable, city news bulletin states
White Rock to phase in chlorine citywide this month Melissa Smalley Staff Reporter
The City of White Rock will begin secondary treatment of the water supply this month as staff phase in the addition of chlorine to the city’s wells. A city news bulletin last week stated that residents “may notice differences in the taste and appearance” of the water supply as the city moves forward with the disinfection.
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City manager Dan Bottrill told Peace Arch News Tuesday that the addition of chlorine will start with a portion of the system before it is phased to all seven wells, and the amount of chlorine slowly increased to meet the required levels by the June 30 Fraser Health deadline. “We’re starting a little early because we do need a phased approach,” Bottrill said. “We’re going to be putting in a higher strength of
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chlorine… so we need to determine how that’s going to impact the manganese that already exists within the water lines. Chlorination has been in place at the Merklin Street reservoir since the 2010 boilwater advisory triggered by the discovery of E.coli in the supply. Following that incident, Fraser Health mandated that the city’s water supply undergo system-wide secondary disinfection.
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In December, city staff told council the preferred disinfection method for the city was chloramine – a mix of chlorine and ammonia – due to the high levels of manganese in the supply, which would react with chlorine, causing staining and cloudy water. The news prompted an outcry from residents, who cited potential negative health, environmental and infrastructure effects of i see page 2