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Two weeks too long for hospital ward closure: mayor
n EmpowEring womEn
Jessica Peters The Progress
A group of 130 people (mostly women) shout during a workout called The Class during the third annual Cultivate Wellness at the Chilliwack Corn Maze on Sunday. The energetic heath and wellness event raised $15,000 for Wilma’s Transition House and B.C. Women’s Health Foundation. (Jenna Hauck/ The Progress)
The Kure reopens with licence Jennifer Feinberg The Progress
The Kure Cannabis Society co-owner called it a “proud day” Friday as the store opened its doors as a licensed private cannabis retail operation on Skwah First Nation in Chilliwack. It’s the only legal pot shop between Vancouver and Kamloops. “It feels great. It’s a very proud day today for
us,” said Kure co-owner Adam Mussell. The Kure Cannabis Society also became the first Indigenous-owned store to be licensed to operate on Indigenous land in B.C. The Mussells decided to shut down the dispensary well ahead of legalization last year, with intent of re-opening as soon as they obtained the licence to sell non-medical cannabis. Preparations have been months in the making. They’ve been racing to file security clearance
application forms and criminal record checks for staff, but they were able to handle the soft opening on June 21. So what will be different now? “The product will be much safer and consistent,” Mussell replied. “It means people who might be scared to try it can do so safely, with the reassurance it meets all standards.” The Kure’s re-opening happened to be on Continued on Page A7
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A two-week closure of the maternity ward is two weeks too long, says Chilliwack’s mayor. The community responded swiftly upon learning that the Chilliwack General Hospital’s maternity ward could be closed for up to 13 weeks beginning June 24, with politicians, midwives, and expectant mothers all weighing in on the matter. On June 20, Fraser Health Authority announced via a press release that the closure has been slimmed down to just two weeks. But the release left out what has changed, and that’s not sitting well with Mayor Ken Popove. “Their press release does not say how they will accomplish this shorter timeline and does not mention the addition of an obstetrician in Chilliwack,” he says. “This is just a Band-Aid fix and while we’re glad they were able to reduce the diversion to two weeks, it is two weeks too many for families in Chilliwack and the Eastern Fraser Valley that will need to make that long drive during a stressful time.” The closure is due to an unexpected shortage of on-call obstetricians. Chilliwack currently only has three such doctors, and they are a requirement for a maternity ward to function, in case of emergencies. They have recently posted an advertisement for a fourth doctor, but that wouldn’t explain what’s changed to reduce CGH’s closure time. During the two-week closure, pregnant women will be Continued on Page A11
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