PENINSULA
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The softball and baseball season is underway on the Saanich Peninsula, page 23
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Friday, April 29, 2016
Skate park is ready to roll Sidney approves new design and $300,000 to build in Tulista Park Steven Heywood News staff
Carlie Connolly/News staff
Janet Munro sits at her son Bradley Munro’s memorial site at Royal Oak Burial Park with his graduation cap. Bradley died November 4, 2011.
Meningitis battle gets a boost As Janet Munro continues fight, the province introduces a new vaccine Carlie Connolly News staff
Looking down at her late son’s graduation cap, Janet Munro reflected on the last few years of studying, raising awareness and fighting for a new vaccine for meningitis in B.C. On April 25, her hard work paid off. The B.C. Ministry of Health recently announced a vaccine for Grade 9 students to protect them against four strains of meningitis bacteria instead of just one.
The vaccine is known as the MCV4, which protects against the A, C, W-135 and Y strains. Medical Director for immunization programs at the B.C. Centre for Disease Control, Monika Naus told the PNR this is something they’ve been discussing for a few years. For the longest time, the only vaccine in the province was the Group C, which has been part of the routine immunization program since 2003. “As a result, we’ve not had a Group C case in British Columbia in a young person since 2008,” said Naus, adding they’ve
even rediced it in older individuals. Naus said there have been cases of the Y strain in B.C., the more serious ones resulting in death. “Our sort of peak of that was really back in 2011/2012,” she explained. “We did have deaths, one in each of those years in university age students. Those were tragic cases and we have been looking at bringing this vaccine in since that time, recognizing that it’s a very rare disease.”
A new skateboard park will be built at the north end of Sidney’s Tulista Park. Monday night, councillors voted unanimously to use that portion of the green space for a skateboard facility that will replace the town’s existing one south of the Mary Winspear Centre, next to the Pat Bay Highway. Park users, however, will have to wait until the spring of 2017 — the anticipated date of completion. Sidney will spend an estimated $300,000 on a design provided by consulting firm New Line Skateparks. The new facility was created after a pair of public open houses, during which users provided feedback on what they’d like to see built. Tim Tanton, Sidney’s director of development services, engineering, parks and works, says council chose New Line’s first option, which better reflected what people said they wanted in the new park. Full design details are available from the Town of Sidney. Tanton confirmed Sidney has set aside $150,000 this year and the same amount next year for the project. Staff will also be looking for grant money. “I think this is a great contender for grants,” Tanton said. Some of that money will be used for preconstruction costs, Tanton said. Council approved a plan to preload the Tulista Park site. What that means, Tanton said, is a pile of rocks and earth to help compress the soil at the site.
Please see: Meningitis vaccine program, page 5
N A BODY SHOP? E E D
Please see: New skate park could be ready, page 4
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