THURSDAYMARCH 17, 2016
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THE TROUBLE WITH TRAFFIC
HAPPY ST. PATRICK’S DAY
Jensen extension and slowing Island Highway are hot topics
You may be surprised how many people in this province claim Irish heritage
A5
A10
FAMILY DOCTOR SHORTAGE
Tackling it together Local leaders look for ways to attract physicians JOHN HARDING
editor@pqbnews.com
A national challenge is getting unique treatment in Parksville Qualicum Beach. Led by the Oceanside Division of Family Practice (ODFP), the Perfect Storm Group has been meeting since September to identify ways to address the family physician shortage in the region. The group has brought together doctors, politicians, business leaders, health administrators and others who want to come up with made-in-Parksville Qualicum Beach solutions to combat troubling trends. The raw numbers could be seen as daunting. This region of approximately 46,000 people should be served by 38 family physicians, according to the doctor/patient ratio recommended by the College of Family Physicians of Canada. We currently have 24 full-time-equivalent family doctors, with 10-14 of them planning for retirement. An estimated 4,500 residents here are without a family doctor. “Things were looking pretty bleak,” said Dr. Mark Morris, the ODFP’s physician lead for its GP for ME program. “I think now we see the community coming together, we see a plan formulating.” In an interview at the Oceanside Health Centre this week, Morris said there are many hurdles for communities to overcome when they are looking to attract doctors, and they aren’t all about money. Morris said physicians, especially the younger ones coming out of med school, are interested in a more balanced lifestyle and less interested in dealing with the business side of a practice. See PERFECT STORM, page A8
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J.R. RARDON PHOTO
WHAT’S THAT? School District 69 trustees and staff look over their tables as Arrowview Elementary student Jonathan Tang, lower right, and teacher Sarah Hung demonstrate a self-propelled vehicle during last week's school board meeting in Parksville. The demonstration was part of a presentation by Arrowview's STREAM (Science, Technology, Robotics, Engineering and Math) program.
ONE COUNCILLOR SUGGESTS BUSKERS COULD BE LIKE PIED PIPERS
Broombusting festival for QB? AUREN RUVINSKY
writer@pqbnews.com
Want some music to go with your broombusting? Qualicum Beach town council hopes to eradicate Scotch broom with the help of a music festival. “What we’ve come up with is unique and different, and possibly a whole new concept, but I think it could work,” said Coun. Neil Horner, presenting the town’s Environment and Sustainability Committee pro-
posal for what he called, “a bit of a music festival with a twist.” “You’ve been to music festivals where there’s 10,000 people and they’re just sitting around,” he said at Monday’s regular council meeting. “I think that energy could be put to use.” “The plan is to get some buskers, probably five, over a four hour period, and they’re going to wander around the broom, sort of like Pied Pipers if you will, and they’re going to be
playing where the broom is thickest,” Horner said. “The broom cutters will follow them and if any people start standing around, the music will stop at that time.” The festival is meant as a celebration of the success of the Qualicum Beach-founded Broombusters group on its 10th anniversary and a way to push the town’s goal of becoming the first officially broom-free community.
See TOWN, page A8
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