Page A8 Friday, July 28, 2023
Chilliwack Progress
Points of View
The Chilliwack
The Chilliwack Progress is published by Black Press Group Ltd., every Friday at 104-45833 Alexander Ave., Chilliwack. The Progress is a member of the Canadian Community Newspaper Association, British Columbia and Yukon Community Newspaper Association and the National NewsMedia Council.
C OMMUNITY C AMERA
Speed demons are dangerous There’s no need for excessive speed. The expression ‘Speed Kills’ has been around forever, but most people choose to ignore it, perhaps wrongfully thinking a fatal incident on our roadways will never happen to them. For those who have been killed in car or motorcycle crashes, it’s too late to contact them to see if they might think differently. At www.drivesmartbc.ca, we found a post from 2011 that reads as follows: “‘Speed Kills!’ is a popular road safety slogan that we hear often. It’s pretty simplistic and when I look around me on the highway I am convinced that drivers either don’t believe it or live in a world of denial. Speed alone doesn’t kill, but combine it with poor driving skills or a bad decision and it definitely makes a bad situation worse. The most obvious drawback of speed is that the faster you go, the more likely some road user is going to get hurt or killed when things go wrong.”
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Summertime is always the worst for drivers going way too fast. Factor in the escalation in the number of motorcyclists, cyclists, e-bikes, walkers with dogs, animals cutting across roads unexpectedly and it’s all a recipe for disaster. Why are we all in such a hurry all the time and is there some great adrenaline rush derived from speeding? If the latter is true to anyone, you’d be wiser to jump on a roller coaster or some other amusement park ride to satisfy that urge so there will be very little or no chance of death to yourself or others. If you take a close look at speed limit signs, it says ‘Maximum 80 km/h’ or ‘Maximum 50 km/h’. Get that word, ‘maximum’. That means the number on the sign is the fastest you should be going, not 20 kmh more than that. – Black Press
Mimi Desautels sent in this picture of a Steller’s jay taking a break near Hope River Corbould Park. If you’ve captured a photograph of people, places or events from around Chilliwack that you would like to share, email it to editor@theprogress.com, with “Community Camera” in the subject line.
B E O UR G UEST
Social connection is critical in times of crisis During the heatwave of June of 2021, it was a stifling 38 C in my old, second-floor apartment. I was surprised when I couldn’t sleep at night and when I looked at my thermometer at 2 a.m. it was still 32 C. The temperature stayed high, both day and night, for days. Months later, a report would come out that there were 740 excess deaths across B.C. during this time, making it one of Canada’s largest deadly weather events. Environmental scientists affirmed that people were dying not only because it was too hot outside during the day, but because it was too hot indoors and overnight, not giving the body a chance to cool. Many people were alone, suffering from heat-related harms
The Chilliwack
or a worsening of existfinding people alone ing health conditions. and deceased in their As these heat events place of residence. After the heatwave become more frequent, there are many resourchad passed, I realized es available through the that after almost two BC Government and years of living in my health authorities to apartment I had only help prevent harm to one neighbour I would KAITLIN individuals and com- BLOEMBERG have felt comfortable munities. One piece checking on. If neighof the puzzle is often bours of mine were left out of the conversation, unwell, only metres away, I however, and that is connec- wouldn’t have known. In a surtion and its opposite, social vey done by the BC Governisolation. ment on personal preparedness During the 2021 heat event, planning in 2018, they found I heard from colleagues who that only 20 per cent of people were working as nurses, para- have any contact or plans to medics, and in social service help neighbours in the case of community positions that the an emergency. It would seem unsurprising healthcare system was completely overwhelmed. Health- that social connection is a care workers were frequently major protective factor in pre-
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www.theprogress.com 104-45833 Alexander Avenue, Chilliwack, B.C., V2P 1L6 • Main Phone: 604.702.5550 • Classifieds: 604.702.5555 • Delivery/Circulation: 604.702.5558 • Advertising: 604.702.5560 Advertising email: publisher@theprogress.com Newsroom email: editor@theprogress.com
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venting health-related harms from heat and other climate events, but unfortunately, social isolation is a major issue across B.C. and Canada. Even before the pandemic, the Vancouver Foundation released a report that showed that 25 per cent of residents living in Metro Vancouver, a densely populated area in B.C., feel isolated and without community. To mitigate this, there are existing programs. Workshops, called “Connect & Prepare,” are conducted to support communities in utilizing social connection as a tool for emergency preparedness. These workshops have been demonstrated to increase experiences of connection, emergency preparedness, and
develop greater awareness of collective strengths and vulnerabilities. Communities with high social capital have a greater ability to co-ordinate recovery after climate-related emergencies and in some cases, to prevent them. Effective efforts to leverage social connection and prevent heat harms can include health services, neighbourhood and building associations, faithbased groups, and public centres such as libraries or swimming pools. The social health of communities also benefits from interventions to build long-term social capital through community-based interventions such as intergenerational programming. In thinking about my work as a nurse, climate change and
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Larry Krause, 604.702.5557 larry.krause@theprogress.com
planetary health feel like the most important challenges that communities and health systems will face over the next 50 years. There are important things we can do, like advocating for environmentally friendly policies and increasing awareness of the connection between human health and the health of the planet. Building connected and strong communities feels just as important. Communities where people are known, participating, and committed to each other will help us as we continue to face climate challenges. Kaitlin Bloemberg, RN, MSN is a member of the Canadian Association of Nurses for the Environment
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