PM41537042
Friday, March 27, 2015
Vol. 7 • Issue 77
Tourism director among Nelson business honourees See Page 3 280 Baker Street Nelson BC (250)
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Mammography at Kootenay Lake hospital or bust TAMARA HYND Nelson Star Two months ago Nelson resident Rocco Mastrobuono was walking at Lakeside Park when he learned a friend had been diagnosed with breast cancer. To add to the bad news, the woman informed him she would have to travel to Trail for medical treatment. Interior Health announced earlier this year that mammography equipment at the Kootenay Lake Hospital will not be replaced and screening will no longer be available at the Nelson hospital as of April 30. Women will have access to initial mammogram screenings locally through the mobile unit approximately two to four times per year, including a visit this week. This means any secondary screening and ongoing follow up required by breast cancer patients will require travelling to Kootenay Boundary Regional Hospital in Trail. Many residents have voiced their concerns about the added travel time, especially for seniors and residents north of Nelson. Windy winter roads and lost wages to take time off work may further deter women from accessing a prompt diagnosis, they suggest. Cancer survivor Mary Walters wrote to the Star to share her concerns with the decision, and took issue with the notion it will only affect some women. “Many women will not go to Trail due to distance, lack of transportation, winter driving conditions, travel costs and loss of wages and the waiting list,” she wrote. Mayor Deb Kozak said she has discussed issues around transportation, transparency and the decision-making process with Interior Health since February and will continue to. Mastrobuono has helped raise money for the hospital foundation, including a piece of ancillary equipment for the mammography unit. He’s trying to get people together to challenge Interior Health to reverse its position. He also suggested the community might be willing to raise money for a replacement machine if the health authority gave the green light. Continued on Page 16
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Nelson optometrist J.O. Patenaude has been immortalized in puppet form, much to the excitement of AFKO’s Lyne Chartier (foreground) and assistant Alex Pilon (right). They were joined by poet Vincent Deslauriers. Will Johnson photo
Nelson welcomes pioneer puppet
WILL JOHNSON Nelson Star he massive, top-heavy puppet version of early Nelson optometrist J.O. Patenaude currently on display at Touchstones Nelson is intricately detailed, with a bristled moustache and a large pair of wrap-around glasses. And though it’s already a stunning feat of artistry, Kaslo artist Rose-Blanche Hudon still isn’t quite satisfied with how the glasses look. So she’s currently building a whole second pair. And it’s that sort of attention to detail and perfectionism that thrills Association des francophones des Kootenays Ouest (AFKO) director Lyne Chartier, who oversaw the project. “He is a lot more beautiful than I was expecting — the costume, the detail of the face, the glasses. Some things are missing, like he was a Knight of Columbus so he’s going to have a badge, and an old
T
watch you put in your pocket.” The puppet is the second in a planned series of three intended to honour francophone settlers. The first completed was Crescent Valley pioneer Joseph Bourgeois. On Wednesday the Star met with Chartier, as well as her assistant Alex Pilon and francophone poet Vincent Deslauriers, to hear what the pioneer meant to them. Chartier said Kootenay residents don’t always realize the contributions made by francophones. “Sometimes people think francophones come from history in the book, or they’re just tree-planters, but there’s a lot of in-between where they had a lot of influence and nobody knows. Now we can look say yes, this is a part of my history.” She said Patenaude’s influence is still felt in Nelson. “Every time I speak with older people they say they never met him, but knew of him. He was a very generous man. You go to the
Catholic church and he was always there to help. He had a good relationship with them.” She noted Patenaude Hall at the Tenth Street campus of Selkirk College is named after him. “He gave a lot to students. He never had kids but he adopted some, and paid for tuition, and was so generous they named a hall after him.” Pilon said it’s been fascinating to learn about Patenaude, who he wasn’t familiar with before. He said he felt honoured to be involved in the project, which included spending 16 hours getting the skin colour and details of the face right. Deslauriers, who recently wrote a poem to commemorate the completion of the first puppet in the project, said the puppets transcend cultural divides. “Like I say in my poem, before a question of language it’s a question of values. Hard work,
Continued on Page 16
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