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Wednesday, October 29, 2014
Fallen soldier remembered
Cowichan’s health condition gets a thorough diagnosis
Kathy Santini
News Leader Pictorial
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little boy is now fatherless. That reality is front and centre for Marissa Caruso, a former Duncan resident, who attended secondary school with Nathan Cirillo, the Canadian forces reservist who was murdered Oct. 22 as he stood guard at the National War Memorial in Ottawa. Michael Zehaf-Bibeau shot Cirillo before entering the House of Commons and going on a shooting spree that ended when he was killed by Sergeant-at-Arms Kevin Vickers, in what police are saying was a terrorist-related attack. Caruso, a single parent herself, wants people to know that a trust fund has also been set up for Cirillo’s son. Cirillo has been a single parent since Marcus’ birth, Caruso said. “He was just the nicest guy ever,” she said. “People always say that when people pass away, but he had no problems with others, he always had a laugh, he was always smiling and made the best of situations. “If you were feeling bad, you’d feel good after seeing him. He was a great guy all around — not to mention a flirt and a bit of a ladies’ man,” Caruso said. “He was kind of shy, maybe because he had a crush on my daughter,” her mother, Duncan resident Angela Carpenter said. “He was a gentle, loving person...who came from a loving big family, those are the things I can remember.” Caruso said she last spoke with Cirillo two months ago, when she moved back to Hamilton from Duncan. Their conversation centred around what he needed for his new apartment. His parents, Caruso said, were very involved with young Marcus and will be his guardians. Her slain friend, she said, was “definitely born to be a soldier; on Instagram there were tons of pictures of him in uniform.” Being in Hamilton following her friend’s death has been surreal Caruso said. “It’s been mind-blowing, an indescribable feeling. It took a couple of days to set in,” she added. Flowers are being laid in respect at the army base and along the Highway of Heroes from Ottawa to Hamilton. Canadian flags are hanging from bridges, and T-shirts with Cirillo’s face are everywhere. As to how Cirillo would respond to the attention, Caruso said he would say his sacrifice was Andrew Leong his duty. Odran Conroy, 3, waits for the judging during the Downtown Halloween Spooktacular, presented by Duncan more on page 8 Business Improvement Association, Saturday at Duncan city square. Conroy won first prize for his age group.
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Health network profile: gives unprecedented picture of community strengths and weaknesses John McKinley
News Leader Pictorial
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owichan area teens are having babies at more than double the provincial average. Affordable houses and family doctors are usually easier to find in the local region than they are in the rest of the province. And while people here are living longer than they used to, they still die earlier than elsewhere in B.C. — particularly in the Ladysmith-Chemainus area. These are just three among dozens of findings about our community revealed Thursday in the Cowichan Communities Health Profile, a sweeping new document designed to show us what things we are doing well to support a healthy community, and where we need to improve. Compiled by the Our Cowichan Communities Health Network, the profile is 201 pages — and counting — of facts and figures, maps and charts that delve well beyond the traditional model of counting doctors and hospital beds. The profile may be the first document of its type produced in North America. “It’s certainly the best I’ve seen that doesn’t focus in on the usual health measures,” Vancouver Island medical health officer Dr. Paul Hasselback said. Based on the 12 Determinants of Health, it explores broader issues like job income and security, community connection, exercise habits and many other things that are proven to contribute to good health. “Hospital beds don’t rate high on the determinants of health,” OCCHN co-chair Rob Hutchins said. “We have some unusual health issues.” The life expectancy rate, for example. “We’ve got a mystery, something we don’t understand,” Hasselback said. “It’s been like that for 25 years. We’re working on finding out why.” But the profile isn’t just about identifying areas that need improvement. It also identifies our strengths. Like housing affordability. “We should be shouting that,” Hasselback said. “You can afford to live here. It’s an asset.” And that is the point of the profile: providing the relevant data in the relevant areas to guide future research and decision-making toward a healthier community. more on page 8
JOHN HORGAN for Duncan City Council
Offering A Lifetime Of Service To The Community Questions ? Contact John at 250-246-8643 Authorized financial agent, John Horgan: johnhorgan@hotmail.com