Community social services: weekly bulletin July 4, 2024
SOCIAL SERVICES NEWS
News, updates, and stories about social care in BC
Unveiling the latest developments in social services
July 4, 2024
Subscribe HERE
Table of contents
- Communities & families
- Reconciliation book club
- Toxic drugs
- Training opportunities
- Children & youth
- Homelessness & housing
- Career opportunities
- Health & mental health
- Reconciliation
- Good news
Communities & families
Surrey Family Preservation Program | The Children’s Foundation
Offers an intensive, 90-day, in-home family preservation service as an alternative to removing children from their families. Counselling, parenting, and life skills are taught, and families are linked to community resources that can assist them in sustaining the positive changes they make. Serves families with children ages 18 and under. Referral through Ministry of Children and Family Development child protection workers in Surrey.
Resources:
- New long-term care home opens in Comox Valley | BC Gov News
- Seniors Craft Group at the Elks Lodge | Castanet
- July Message from Seniors Advocate Dan Levitt | Seniors Advocate BC
- Therapeutic Activation Program for Seniors | 211 British Columbia
- B.C. launches independent review into justice system’s treatment of victims of sexual and intimate partner violence | The Globe and Mail
- More support for pregnancy, infant loss needed, advocates say | CBC News
- Project Christmas Elf helping Okanagan families in danger of closing amid search for new leader | Castanet
- Women’s recovery centre offers choices in B.C. | Global News
- BC Farmers Market program sees increased demand but not increased funding | Castanet
- B.C. to require new homes to be adaptable for disabilities, prompting concern from developers | The Globe and Mail
- Foundation launches $3 million fundraising campaign | Vernon Morning Star
- Valley First Community Endowment helps communities flourish through $113,700 in grants | Kelowna Now
- BC Transit Revelstoke partnership renewed for another year | Revelstoke Mountaineer
- Lytton was a ‘magical’ place. Then it burned to the ground | CBC News
- Funding supports community adult literacy programs in B.C. | Nation Talk
Reconciliation book club
Telling Truth: Seven Conversations about Indigenous Life in Canada
The Federation’s Reconciliation Book Club, designed to be inclusive and accessible for all staff in member organizations, is a key resource for increasing knowledge of reconciliation issues. Book Club members meet regularly to discuss a new book, and Federation staff ensure that the discussions are enriched with supplementary materials, including discussion questions, additional readings, and author and publisher information.
We invite you to join us for the next meeting of the Reconciliation Book Club on August 28, 2024. The book we will be discussing is “Telling Truth: Seven Conversations about Indigenous Life in Canada” by Michelle Good. Don’t miss this chance to be part of the discussion. Sign up for the book club here: https://fcssbc.ca/bookclub/
Toxic drugs
Sixteen-year-old girl dies after fentanyl overdose in Prince George, B.C.: RCMP | Kelowna Daily Courier
A 16-year-old girl in Prince George, B.C., tragically died after a fentanyl overdose. The police suspect that a fentanyl trafficker targeted her. The RCMP’s Serious Crime Unit is investigating and treating the case as a top priority. This incident underscores the urgent need for public awareness about the dangers of fentanyl. The girl was found unconscious at a home and had high levels of fentanyl in her blood. Police executed a search warrant at the house to determine the circumstances of the overdose and possible criminal activity.
Related:
- Vancouver pharmacy shuttered over safer supply misuse claims | CBC News
- Help Starts Here: BC Lions Partner with the Ministry of Mental Health & Addictions | BC Lions
- Drug-use sites help with illicit drug use in B.C. hospitals | Victoria Times Colonist
- BC pharmacy shuttered over improper narcotic handling | iNFOnews
Training opportunities
- My Tween and Me Program Facilitator Training (Sep. 11, 2024) | BC Council for Families
- Nobody’s Perfect Parenting Facilitator Training (Oct. 15, 2024) | BC Council for Families
- Mothers Mental Health Toolkit Training (Nov. 19, 2024) | BC Council for Families
- Integrated Strategies for Home Visitors Training (Nov. 28, 2024) | BC Council for Families
- Risk Management for Home Visitors (Dec. 09, 2024) | BC Council for Families
Children & youth
Kids, people with disabilities added to Canada’s dental plan | The Free Press
The Government of Canada expanded its dental-care program to include uninsured low- and middle-income children under 18 and people who receive a disability tax credit. However, the eligibility criteria and the incremental rollout of the program have faced criticism. The program has also been compared to a new disability benefit that was found to be underwhelming. The program’s reliance on the disability tax credit certificate has been a point of contention, and concerns have been raised about its coordination with existing provincial dental coverage. Despite the criticisms, the government is optimistic about the long-term impact of the program and has emphasized its commitment to providing oral health care for Canadians in need.
Related:
- Our children are risking their lives on the front lines of a burning planet | Broadview Magazine
- Scrapes, sunburns and dehydration. How to treat common summer injuries in kids | Global News
- Hockey Cares program connecting Indigenous and non-Indigenous youth to hockey and life skills | CBC News
- Is 13 too young to work? A Saskatchewan proposal has reignited debate around kids and labour | CBC News
- Kids camps highlight summer schedule for Nanaimo United soccer club | Nanaimo News Now
- International Credentials Recognition Act streamlines career opportunities | BC Gov News
- Cranbrook, B.C., elementary school significantly damaged in fire | CTV News
- At This Summer Camp, Youth Dive into Drag | The Tyee
- Students and parents rally to rebuild school destroyed by fire | CBC News
- Up to a year’s wait for speech and language pathologist, mom told | CBC News
- Judge quashes B.C. dad’s refusal to get his daughter vaccinated against HPV | Vernon Morning Star
- Child welfare resolutions barred from upcoming AFN assembly | Global News
- Social work oversight engagement report released | BC Gov News
Homelessness & housing
B.C. weather: Floods affect at least 20 homes in Interior | CTV News
Flash flooding in the British Columbia Interior affected at least 20 homes, with no reported injuries or damage to critical infrastructure. The Trans-Canada Highway near Kamloops was closed due to the heavy rains and subsequent flooding but has since been reopened with speed reductions in place for repairs. The Interior Health Authority advised residents to avoid floodwaters due to potential contamination. The severe weather watch for the region remained in place through Monday, and residents were urged to subscribe to the local emergency alert notification system for updates.
Related:
- B.C. ends single-family zoning to boost housing supply | CBC.ca
- Zoning Bylaw changes permitting small-scale multi-unit housing in Burnaby now in effect | City of Burnaby
- High cost of housing has two in five new immigrants thinking of moving: poll | Global News
- City needs to put money in mix for non-market, affordable housing: Page | The Nelson Daily
- Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside at risk of losing 2 bathrooms | City News
- ‘No easy answer’: Protest camp at Abbotsford City Hall calls for action on homelessness | Global News
- B.C. looks to change building code to develop single-stair apartment buildings | The Globe and Mail
- Long-awaited navigation centre planned for Nanaimo | Victoria Times Colonist
- Victoria council pledges $2.4M for affordable project | Victoria Times Colonist
- 3 years and a record $239M in recovery funding later, Lytton still hasn’t rebuilt | CBC
- New zoning bylaw adopted by City of Vernon to align with provincial legislation | Castanet
- Newcomers to B.C. struggling to find housing and stability | Global News
- Supportive housing for 56 people opens in Victoria | Chek News
- New centre with enhanced supports coming for people experiencing homelessness in Nanaimo | BC Housing News
- Vancouver falls in global liveability rankings due to housing | City News
Career opportunities
The Federation actively works to help our members recruit and retain skilled staff. Click here to check the current opportunities.
Health & mental health
Urgent and primary care centre coming soon to Cowichan | BC Gov News
A new urgent and primary care centre (UPCC) is scheduled to open in 2025 in downtown Duncan, providing improved access to team-based longitudinal and urgent primary care for the residents of Duncan and the surrounding areas. The UPCC will offer urgent and episodic primary care with extended hours, as well as longitudinal primary care services for patients. It will cater to individuals without a primary care provider and those with urgent health needs that cannot be addressed within 12 to 24 hours. The centre will be approximately 930 square meters and operated by Island Health in collaboration with various partners, including Indigenous communities/organizations. The total capital cost for the UPCC is estimated to be approximately $7 million.
Related:
- Stay safe in summer: Tips from BC Emergency Health Services | New West Record
- Bird flu pandemic may be ‘unfolding in slow motion,’ scientists warn | Global News
- What We Can Do about Long COVID’s Growing Toll | The Tyee
- Heat Waves and Your Mental Health | Psychology Today Canada
- Can political leadership restore Canada’s health system? | Victoria Times Colonist
- New stroke medication to revolutionize stroke treatment within Fraser Health | Fraser Valley Today
- B.C. long-term care nurse disciplined for medication problems | Vancouver Is Awesome
- BC’s Toxic Coal Dust Invades Alberta | The Tyee
- Compassion for homeless underway ‘with few resources’ | Penticton Herald
- B.C. merges health-profession colleges | CBC News
- Major changes coming for long-term care in Kelowna: BC Health Minister Adrian Dix on hand for announcement | am1150.ca
- Why some British Columbians can’t or won’t access cross-border cancer care | CBC News
Reconciliation
Ottawa launches residential school map to help in search for missing children | CBC News
The Government of Canada has launched an interactive online map showing the locations of residential schools, aiming to aid in the search for unmarked graves of children who attended these institutions. The map includes historical and contemporary aerial photos of the school locations, providing valuable information for ongoing investigations. However, the tool excludes certain institutions, such as Indian hospitals and day schools, that subjected Indigenous children to similar harm as residential schools. Despite these limitations, the map is seen as a step towards countering misinformation and supporting Indigenous communities in their research and healing process.
Related:
- ‘The History Isn’t Certainly Taught in Your Ordinary School’ | The Tyee
- City of Quesnel seeks to dismiss mayor’s lawsuit over censuring | CBC News
- A tour of Rooted: Dining Commons’ inventive Indigenous food menu | The Peak
- What does National Indigenous Peoples Day mean to the Squamish and Tsleil-Waututh Nations? | Penticton Herald
- Underwater gardeners work to restore B.C.’s majestic kelp forests | The Spec
- Indigenous Survivors Day in New Westminster BC on June 30 | New West Record
- 5th Anniversary of National Inquiry: UBCIC Calls for Government Collaboration to Implement Calls for Justice | UBCIC
- ‘We should be in crisis mode’: B.C. wildfire ecologist | Tofino-Ucluelet Westerly News
- 3 First Nations seek return of Crown land in Surrey, B.C. | CBC News
- Tŝilhqot’in Nation, Canada and B.C. celebrate 10-year title anniversary with renewal of agreement | BC Gov News
- Annual report updates collective efforts to achieve objectives of UN Declaration | BC Gov News
- $335 million to build a sustainable Great Bear Sea economy | The Narwhal
- Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act: 2023-2024 Annual Report | BC Gov
Good news
If you have any feel-good, weird, fascinating or amusing stories you’d like to see included in this section, send them our way to giovani@fcssbc.ca!
- 90-plus and serving up spirit: Ping pong tournament unites B.C. care homes | Global News
- Michael J. Fox joins Coldplay on stage for ‘mind blowing’ Glastonbury performance | CBC News
- Robert Bateman’s lesser known works to be on display in Penticton | CBC News
- This man wants to break the Guinness World Record for holding the most world records | CBC Radio
Note
The articles in Federation newsletters are for informational purposes and do not relate to the Federation’s advocacy work. We want our membership to stay informed of news relevant to our sector; the inclusion of a story is not an endorsement.