Residents and businesses within the Cowichan Valley Regional District can register to receive emergency notification for events such as forest fires, floods and hazardous materials spills that require evacuation or other emergency response actions from residents or businesses.

You can register on-line at www.cvrd.bc.ca/EAlert or email EAlert@cvrd.bc.ca or call 250 746-2564.

City of Vancouver to Update the Building Code

Accessible & Adaptable Housing for Seniors & People with Disabilities

Please give your feedback to the city!

Why the update?   To make all new houses, townhouses, duplexes, laneway houses, and apartments more accessible and adaptable. These changes will make it possible for people with disabilities to be able to live in new homes and for seniors to be able to age in place.

What are the proposed changes?  The proposed changes include many good things such as:

Wider doors, stairs and halls; level door thresholds; easy to reach/use switches, controls and faucets; lower drain pipes so counters can be lowered easily; accessible bathroom; accessible shower drain or ability to install an accessible shower without undue expense; bathroom walls reinforced so grab bars can easily be installed.

What’s missing?
The current proposed bylaw provides good accessibility on the inside of homes, but it does not require accessibility on the outside.   This means that there won’t be an accessible way to get to or from the entrance of the home.  An accessible path from the outside to the inside of a home is not yet required. This needs to go through a different process involving the Planning Department.

Please give the City your comments about the bylaw.
It’s important that everyone participate in the public consultation.
 Please go to the City of Vancouver website:  http://vancouver.ca/home-property-development/public-consultations-about-building-regulations.aspx & click on Public Consultation Round 4.  You can also email comments & concerns to the Chief Building Official, Will Johnston, at cbo@vancouver.ca

Consultation closes April 30, 2013
Please give your feedback to the City

Researchers at the University of British Columbia are interested in talking to patients and/or their family members from diverse economic, cultural, and linguistic backgrounds about their views on making important and/or difficult healthcare decisions.

You may be eligible to take part in the study if you are an adult who has a physical disability and/or chronic health condition and have engaged in complex decision-making about your own healthcare, or has been a surrogate decision maker on behalf of a loved one.

The study will involve one 45-60 minute (longer if interpreters are used) in-person interview at a time and location that is convenient for you.  You will receive a $15 gift card in appreciation of your time and participation.

This research study is funded by the Canadian Institute of Health Research (CIHR), and has received approval from UBC’s Behavioural Research Ethics Board.

If you would like more information about this research study and/or to arrange to participate in the research, please contact the project research assistant, Kim Taylor: taylorka@exchange.ubc.ca.  You may also contact the Principal Investigator, Dr Anita Ho: anita.ho@ubc.ca