The Chilliwack
Progress Wednesday
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Rugby
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Crusaders start their spring season.
Holmes and Watson save the Empire.
Chilliwack Chiefs lose radio voice.
Sports
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Y O U R C O M M U N I T Y N E W S PA P E R • F O U N D E D I N 1 8 9 1 • W W W. T H E P R O G R E S S . C O M • W E D N E S D AY, F E B R U A R Y 1 9 , 2 0 1 4
Effort builds to match residents with GPs
■ A W ALK I N T HE ’W ACK
Jessica Peters Black Press
Continued: GP/ p3
Cliff Forrest takes his horse, Toga, for a walk along a dike near the Fraser River last week. “He’s easier to walk than my dogs,” says Forrest. Toga is a former harness racing horse who was born in Pennsylvania but did most of his racing in the Lower Mainland. JENNA HAUCK/ PROGRESS
Black water concerns local river watchers Oily spill near the Fraser River under investigation Jennifer Feinberg The Progress Robert Jimmie Jr. is frustrated by the ongoing presence of an oily spill recently near his grandfather’s fishing spot. It was spotted in a ditch and in a field behind the log sort in Cattermole Business Estates on Cannor Road. “I just love our land so much and hate to see it go down this way so soon,” he said. Jimmie, a local Sto:lo from Squiala First Nation, was writing recently about the issue on his
Facebook page, trying to engage political leaders and individuals alike about the potential source of Fraser River pollution. He told The Progress that he’s now extremely concerned about the impacts the spill might be having on salmon and other wildlife in the area if it flows into the river. A spilled black substance can be seen seeping into the rocks on the river bank, and provincial Environment Ministry officials confirmed they were made aware of it last month. There may have been efforts to dilute it with sand and peat moss
at the site, but the oily mess needs to be thoroughly removed. After tests, Jimmie said he believes the black substance is a mix of diesel and oil that won’t be removed by increased water flows. “I think it’s mechanical waste from oil changes, but if they’re going to do an oil change, at least use a bucket,” he said. There is a black cloth-like barrier placed near the oil spill to stop it from leaking into the river, but it’s a makeshift effort, Jimmie said. “I’m now waiting for our leaders to get involved. We’re going to talk about this since it can affect not only our fishing rights but those of sport fishers as well as other river
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users,” he said. The spill in question is under investigation, confirmed a ministry official. “While on routine patrol January 22, 2014, a Ministry of Environment Conservation Officer observed black water in the ditch and field directly behind the Southview Log Sort on Cannor Road,” MOE spokesman David Karn wrote in an emailed response. MOE is working with other agencies, including Environment Canada, to determine what is to be done, he added. Continued: WATER/ p4
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Chilliwack’s family doctors have a busy workload, seeing patients in their private offices, in clinics, and in their rounds at CGH. But local family physicians have also been working hard behind the scenes recently, looking at ways to provide even better care to their patients. The Chilliwack Division of Family Practice is conducting a health care improvement initiative called A GP For Me. They hope to connect more people with family doctors, while streamlining workloads to improve efficiency. A recent survey that ran in Black Press newspapers and online garnered 3,059 responses from community members. Questions covered off topics ranging from a patient’s needs, to availability of care. “We were overwhelmed with the level of engagement we received,” said Katrina Bepple, program manager. They were aiming to find ‘unattachment’ rates, the percentage of residents without a consistent family doctor. Of those who responded, 93 per cent indicated they had a family physician. Of those seven per cent who do not have a doctor, five per cent said they would want one. In the aboriginal community, the unattachment rate jumps to 15 per cent. The results of the survey were discussed at a recent press conference held at UFV Chilliwack, one of the community partners involved in A GP For Me. Dr. Melanie Madill is a lead physician with the initiative. She said they are working to close the gap, because all research shows that continuity of care can improve your health.