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Tuesday, September 29, 2015
» Supermoon eclipse
FEDERAL ELECTION
National plan for seniors care debated Valley’s population over 75 expected to double by 2036 ERIC PLUMMER ALBERNI VALLEY TIMES
driving the support vehicle and keeping a blog along the journey. In her last post on Wednesday, she wrote about entering and leaving Port Alberni. “We will be staying at [her brother’s] cabin [tonight] on Sprout Lake which is halfway to Tofino. Tofino ... Ralf can see the light at the end of the tunnel!!!!!” she wrote. “Started off for Port Alberni at 7:15. Temp 4C, head winds, raining...Fortunately Ralf goes the other direction tomorrow to Tofino. Very steep – every truck is pulling over to check their brakes before heading down on either side. “The road to Tofino is 99k; windy and narrow.” The driver of the pick-up, a woman from Ucluelet, was uninjured and no charges are currently pending. An investigation was undertaken at the scene to determine the cause of the crash.
Port Alberni is aging – a demographic shift that is already placing growing demands on the health care system. According to census data 20 per cent of the Alberni Valley’s 25,000 residents are 65 or older, but Island Health anticipates this portion to grow as baby boomers move into the retirement age. Residents over 75 are expected to double by 2036, while the Valley’s overall population remains stable over this period, stated an Island Health from 2014. The trend has already brought a steady supply of long-term care patients to the West Coast General Hospital in recent years. These people are often elderly, with dementia or physical disabilities that require constant medical attention – but a shortage of available spaces in the community’s care facilities has made the hospital a holding area for those awaiting placement. With acute care spots costing up to $1,000 a day, longterm care patients have comprised nearly half of the hospital’s 52-bed capacity on some occasions. As part of the Times’ ongoing election coverage, candidates in the Courtenay-Alberni riding were asked what’s needed for the health care system to support an increase in elderly residents. The following are excerpts from their written responses, which will be posted in their entirety on avtimes.net later this week. NDP candidate Gord Johns believes more measures are needed to ensure British Columbia is getting its fair share of health care funding. He pledges to restore the Canadian Health Accord, a 10-year agreement to provide stable health care funding to the provinces that expired in 2014. “As Tom [Mulcair] has reminded us, our universal health system came in through the NDP, it is part of our DNA and we will defend it every step of the way,” said Johns.
Kristi.Dobson@avtimes.net
See ELECTION, Page 3
A rare celestial combination For the first time since 1982 Sunday evening brought a lunar eclipse at the same time as a supermoon, which is a full moon that looks bigger and brighter than usual due to a closer vicinity to the earth. In Port Alberni the moon was entirely immersed in the earth’s shadow at 8:06 p.m. A lunar eclipse and supermoon are not expected to coincide again until 2033. [JERRY FEVENS, FOR THE TIMES]
FATALITY
Ontario cyclist killed on Hwy. 4 during his fundraising trip west KRISTI DOBSON ALBERNI VALLEY TIMES
Heavy rain and limited visibility contributed to a fatal accident involving a pick-up truck and cyclist last week near Hydro Hill on the Pacific Rim Highway. The Ucluelet RCMP, BC Ambulance Service Paramedics and the Ucluelet Fire Department responded to the crash just after 11:30 a.m. on Thursday. A cyclist was riding to Ucluelet near the east end of Kennedy Lake when he lost control of his bike and veered into oncoming traffic. He was struck by the pickup heading east. Sgt. Jeff Swann, Commander of the Ucluelet RCMP, said despite best efforts, the cyclist could not be saved. “He received fantastic medical care immediately from the Alpine Employee First Aid crew who were nearby,” Swann said. “The paramedics were on scene almost immediately. He had a lot of qualified people working on him, but despite their best efforts, he
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Ralf Jarchow, seen here in Ontario, died Thursday when he hit a truck near Kennedy Lake on the Pacifc Rim Highway. [SUBMITTED PHOTO]
couldn’t be saved.” The cyclist was brought to Port Alberni by ambulance where he was pronounced dead. Police confirmed the cyclist was 61-year old Ralf Jarchow
of Brampton, Ontario. Jarchow, a lawyer and avid cyclist, was on a charity cross-Canada tour raising money for Peel Memorial Centre for Integrated Health and Wellness. His wife, Valerie, was
Tour de Rock lands in Port Alberni to fanfare
Beaver recovering after rescue from basement
Twenty police officers on bicycles arrived in town Friday for the fundraising event after a tough push over “the hump.”
The animal was very lethargic, dehydrated and hungry from having no access to food – but didn’t have injuries.
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Alberni Region 3 Opinion 4
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ALBERNI VALLEY TIMES VOLUME 66, NUMBER 181
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