Health Minister Margaret MacDiarmid has introduced a bill that will lead to the first ever seniors' advocate in Canada. MacDiarmid says the government consulted the public last year after the provincial ombudsman issues a scathing review of seniors' care. "We heard during consultation around the province a number of key areas that people were … [Read more...]
Children’s Advocate with iNet request
November 30, 2012 by
BC's Child and Youth Advocate says it's time for Internet Service Providers and social media companies protect kids from the dark side of the internet. Mary Ellen Turpel-Lafond says social media-savvy teens, especially those at risk can quickly become targets for online predators. Turpel-Lafond says parents need to get with it and educate … [Read more...]
Children’s rights advocate talks teen suicide among aboriginals
November 23, 2012 by
B.C.’s children’s rights watchdog has some insight on suicide among First Nations teens. This, after news of heavy drinking, self-harm and a suicide pact surfaced in Vancouver’s Grandview-Woodlands neighbourhood. Mary-Ellen Turpel-Lafond says these kids often deal with the effects still felt in their families about their treatment … [Read more...]
Advocate has mixed feelings over prostitution ruling
September 21, 2012 by
A prominent advocate for women in Vancouver has mixed feelings about a Supreme Court of Canada ruling letting local sex trade workers challenge the country's prostitution laws. "We do see prostitution as violence against women, so criminalizing women in prostitution is against women's equality and it's punishing women for being victims of … [Read more...]
Advocate says labour movement going strong in B.C.
September 2, 2012 by
As workers get set to commemorate Labour Day, the president of the BC Federation of Labour says th movement here is going strong. "I think the labour movement today is up and fighting back as best we can on most days. In British Columbia today, we see in many cases workers getting collective agreements with 2.5-percent and 3-percent wage … [Read more...]
Restaurant advocate says industry caught off guard with new corkage rules; pubs exempt
July 22, 2012 by
The head of the BC Restaurant and Food Services Association says he was surprised at the immediacy of new rules allowing people to bring their own wine to restaurants. Speaking on CKNW's The World Today Weekend, Ian Tostenson says he had assumed the change wouldn't be implemented for some time, so that’s why some eateries may appear to be … [Read more...]
St. Paul’s advocate weighs in on improvement effort
June 10, 2012 by
Leave the politics out of it, and get it done. That's what Vancouver’s park board chair says about continuing efforts to find major funding to rebuild St. Paul's Hospital. "Save St. Paul's Coalition started seven years ago this month,” Aaron Jasper says. “At that point, it seemed to be a foregone conclusion that the hospital was … [Read more...]
Inquest into mushroom farm deaths resumes with labour advocate
May 13, 2012 by
A coroner’s inquest into the deaths of three workers at a Langley mushroom farm in 2008 picks up Monday, with testimony from B.C.’s top labour advocate. Jim Sinclair's message is pretty simple: Hand out meaningful criminal penalties to employers who violate labour laws. "When there's clear negligence – not just an accident, but … [Read more...]
