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SANTA
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Celebrating
1988
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2013
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TuesDAY, DeCeMBeR 3, 2013
VOl. 25, NO. 71
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Councillor opposes garbage incinerator George Anderson calls on Nanaimo council to show proposed project not welcome By Tamara Cunningham The News BulleTiN
GREG SAKAKI/ThE NEwS BullETIN
Championship cheer
Barsby Bulldogs player Bryce Edwards and his teammates celebrate winning the B.C. High School Football AA varsity championship on Saturday evening at B.C. Place stadium. John Barsby Secondary School’s team defeated the Carson Graham Eagles 21-20. For the full story, please see page 33.
Doctor survey seeks feedback on health care By Tamara Cunningham The News BulleTiN
A network of Nanaimo doctors is taking the pulse of the city’s physician shortage with its firstever community survey. The Nanaimo Division of Family Practitioners has launched A GP for Me survey to help gauge local health care challenges through the eyes of the medical
! ER V O LD E H
community and its patients. The aim is to find a made-inNanaimo cure for improving primary care and access to physicians – an issue anticipated to become more challenging as 30 per cent of medical professionals become eligible to retire in the next five years. Erin Hemmens, spokeswoman for the division, said an estimated 41,000 residents across
Nanaimo and Gabriola Island are without a doctor, making pending retirements a “frightening” issue in an already underserved community. The survey – a B.C. initiative paid for with a $375,000 government grant – will help the division understand what it will take to make the medical system more sustainable. u See ‘RESULTS’ /6
BLACK FRIDAY!
Nanaimo shouldn’t play host to Metro Vancouver’s garbage, says a Nanaimo city councillor calling for formal opposition of a proposed waste-to-energy incinerator. Coun. George Anderson wants Nanaimo city council to send a letter to Metro Vancouver making it clear the $500-million incinerator isn’t welcome at Duke Point. Nanaimo city council has been mulling support for a potential waste-to-energy project since the Lower Mainland district first announced it was considering options to barge garbage to Vancouver Island. The Duke Point project – proposed by Wheelabrator and Urbaser – would burn 370,000 tonnes of garbage each year and generate 70 permanent jobs. But opponents have raised concerns about air pollution and smell. Anderson said while he isn’t opposed to discussions about waste-to-energy options to handle Nanaimo’s waste, he isn’t keen on the Harbour City being a solution “for another community that has not been prudent in taking care of its garbage issues.” With Nanaimo now officially announced as a potential site for the new incin-
eration project, it’s time for other city councillors to decide where they stand on the project, he said, adding they’ve had lots of time to weigh the project. A decision now will give Metro Vancouver something to think about as they whittle down the long list, he said. Council members were slated to discuss the issue at an open meeting after press time Monday. “I don’t want to have a legacy that says because council chose to be inactive this is the reason we have [Metro Vancouver’s incinerator] in our community now,” Anderson said. “This is about being proactive.” Metro Va n c o u v e r announced four sites put forward by proponents for waste-to-energy technology in November. Nanaimo’s Duke Point was on the list, along with Vancouver, Delta and Port Mellon. But even with Nanaimo as a potential candidate, Coun. Fred Pattje said it’s “a little premature” to make a decision on the project. “While I know some people are getting anxious because [Nanaimo is on the list], I still think we should have much more of a discussion than we’ve had so far,” he said. u See ‘PUBLIC’ /6
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