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1)
New West, Volunteer
Opportunity For Immigrants Interested In Mentoring
For established immigrants interested in volunteering time
(as a mentor) with newcomers in Family Services of Greater Vancouver’s
Immigrant Mentorship Program.
As a mentor, you will be matched (on a one-to-one) with
newcomers for a 6 month period and volunteer approximately 4 hrs/month,
starting October, 2010 and ending April, 2011. Training will be provided, as
well as opportunities to connect with other mentors within a supportive environment. Please call 604.525.9144, ext. 3636
for further information.
With your support and connections we can continue to build
an informed and organized and participative immigrant community in New
Westminster.
If you think you can help and participate in this program
or know of someone that would like to participate, please contact me or
Sheila Resels, at 604-525-9144;
2)
21
Infrasture Projects to be funded in B.C
Twenty-one additional infrastructure projects will get
underway in B.C. this construction season thanks to over $42 million in
funding from Canada and the Province, announced Stockwell Day, President of
the
Treasury Board and Minister for the Asia-Pacific Gateway
on behalf of Canada's Minister of Transport and Infrastructure Chuck Strahl, and
B.C. Minister of
State for Intergovernmental Relations Naomi Yamamoto.
"The Government of Canada is committed to creating jobs, strengthening
our economy, and ensuring the safety and well-being of Canadians," said
Minister Day. "We are pleased to partner with British Columbia on these
highway improvement projects, which will lead to safer roads for residents
and visitors across the province."
"Our government continues to work with our federal
partners to invest in important infrastructure that will create hundreds of
new jobs in every region of the province," said Minister Yamamoto.
"These additional projects have been made possible due to our
competitive bid process, which ensures we get the best
value for British Columbians' tax dollars."
The funding for these 21 projects is available as the
result of savings achieved through competitive bids on previously announced
provincial Infrastructure Stimulus Fund highway projects. It is estimated
these new projects will create more than 270 direct jobs. Of the $42 million
invested, $38 million is eligible under the Infrastructure Stimulus Fund -
split equally between Canada and B.C.
Of the 21 projects announced last week, 18 are
improvements to highway and road infrastructure throughout the province. The
remaining three projects are improvements to BC Ferries facilities in
Campbell River, Langdale and Horseshoe Bay. All projects must be completed by
March 31, 2011.
The federal contribution to these projects comes from the
$4-billion Infrastructure Stimulus Fund, which provides funding to
provincial, territorial and municipal construction-ready infrastructure
projects. Since March 2009, over 400 projects have received a total federal
investment of over $500 million
under the Infrastructure Stimulus Fund across British
Columbia.
3)
Back To
School Tips For Healthy, Active Students
All Students:
* Insist that your children eat breakfast every day, as it
provides fuel
for the brain to learn and helps them maintain a healthy
weight.
* Keep nutritious foods, like cut-up vegetables and fruit,
cheese sticks,
low-fat yogurt and butter-free popcorn on hand to make
healthy snacking
easy.
* If your child has anaphylaxis, coordinate with the
school principal on
an updated emergency plan that best meets your child's
needs.
* Schedule regular dental and any necessary medical
checkups.
* Encourage your children to choose milk or water at meals
instead of
sugary drinks, energy drinks with excessive caffeine or
pop.
* Get children active through sports, or go for nightly
family walks or
bike rides.
* Develop good hand-washing habits as frequent
hand-washing reduces the
spread of bacterial, cold and flu viruses.
Primary Students:
* Include a variety of fruits and vegetables in your
children's snacks and
lunches every day.
* Include your child when packing lunches so they can
learn to make
healthy choices early on.
* Help your children learn about and understand Canada's
Food Guide which
encourages a diet rich in fruits and vegetables.
* Take family walks with your children and, if possible,
walk them to
school.
* Join or co-ordinate a Walking School Bus or Bicycle
Train to help your
children get to school safely with adult supervision:
http://www.dashbc.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=57&Itemid=80
* Set up a regular teeth-brushing routine and ensure your
children are
brushing and flossing correctly.
* Introduce your children to active games they can play on
their own, like
hopscotch or jumping rope. When more children are around,
introduce tag,
soccer or baseball.
Intermediate/Middle Students:
* Whenever possible, encourage your children to walk,
ride, rollerblade or
skateboard to school instead of driving them.
* Suggest that your children take the dog for a walk
before and after
school.
* Limit your children's screen time. Explain to your
children that it's
important to sit less and move more in order to stay at a
healthy weight.
* Continue to encourage healthy eating habits. Use
Canada's Food Guide to
plan healthy meals and snacks, as they have different
nutritional needs
from children and adults.
* Teach your children to avoid less-nutritious foods -
foods high in
sugar, fat and sodium, and help them learn to replace
these foods with
more nutritious snacks instead.
Secondary Students:
* Encourage your teenagers to get involved in intramural
or after-school
sports.
* Suggest your teenagers take a class at the local
community centre or
encourage them to participate in a walking or hiking
group.
* Place your older children in charge of some of the
family's meals and
grocery shopping so they learn how to buy, prepare and
enjoy healthy meals
using Canada's Food Guide.
* Encourage your teens to get plenty of rest to ensure
they are alert and
ready to learn at school.
4)
Drought
conditions in B,C
Due to dry weather in July and record-low river levels in
the
northern half of British Columbia, Environment Minister
Barry Penner
announced today that the Peace region has been
reclassified to Drought
Level 4 (extremely dry conditions).
A high-pressure ridge over the province brought dry,
above-average, and in
some cases record-setting temperatures for most areas of
British Columbia
during the past week. River levels in the North continue
to fall and in
many cases are at or near historic lows. Given the
continuation of dry
conditions and record-low river levels in the North,
Penner is asking
British Columbians to conserve water to protect water
sources and help
manage water demands.
Streamflow Conditions:
In northern B.C., river levels are well below normal. In
the Peace region,
most tributaries are near or at record minimum low flows
for this time of
year. The Moberly, Pine, Kiskatinaw, Halfway, Finlay,
Ospika, Omineca,
Mesilinka and Osilinka, and Nation rivers are extremely
dry (near or below
previously recorded low for the date). In the far
Northeast, the Liard
River has now also fallen to historic low flows. On the
North Coast, the
Skeena and Stikine rivers are below a 20-year return
period low flow.
Flows along the mainstem of the Fraser River downstream of
the confluence
of the McGregor River are at 10-year return period low
flows. In the
Central Interior, the Cariboo region is also dry with the
Quesnel and
Horsefly rivers between 10- to 20-year return period low
flows. In
contrast, streams in the Chilcotin region are generally between
median and
five-year return period low flows.
In the Thompson River area, water levels on most streams
are between median
and five- year low flows, although the upper Salmon River
at Falkland is
now below normal. Similar conditions are present in the
Similkameen and
Okanagan region, with most streams between median and
five-year return
period low flows. Exceptions are Vaseux, Coldstream, and
Mission creeks
which are approaching 10-year return period low flows.
In the Kootenay and Columbia areas, streamflow conditions
are generally
slightly below normal for this time of year.
On Vancouver Island, most river levels on the north island
are above
average, and streams on the south island are normal for
this time of year.
On the South Coast mainland, river levels are at or above
average for this
time of year.
Drought Level and Water Supply Conditions:
Given the continuation of dry conditions and record-low
river levels in the
north, the Peace region is now classified at Drought Level
4 (extremely dry
conditions). The Skeena and Nass region will be maintained
at Drought Level
3 (very dry conditions). These conditions are expected to
persist
throughout the summer unless above normal rainfall occurs.
Potential for serious effects on fish and aquatic
organisms due to low
stream flows, and water supply shortages (including
groundwater aquifers)
are highly probable. Monitoring of stream flows and fish
populations is
ongoing. Given the current level of voluntary water
conservation in the
Peace, regulatory action is not anticipated at this time,
but remains a
possibility if water supplies and fish populations are
threatened.
While many local governments have already implemented
water restrictions,
Penner is asking people to continue with water
conservation measures. As
drought conditions vary in the Peace, and some regions may
be more affected
than others, local governments are encouraged to assess
local conditions
and determine appropriate drought management actions.
The upper Fraser and middle Fraser River areas, as well as
the mid-coastal
areas have been classified as Drought Level 2 (dry
conditions). These
conditions are expected to persist throughout the summer
unless above-
normal rainfall occurs. Voluntary conservation, as well as
planning at the
local level using tools such as drought management plans,
should be
considered.
All other areas of B.C. are now classified as Drought
Level 1, or normal
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