Businesses in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside are collaborating with local activists and community groups to improve relations with local residents.
Author: Linda Givetash
Linda Givetash is a Canadian-South African freelance journalist based in Vancouver, B.C. Her work has appeared in print, digital and broadcast media outlets around the globe.
Ministry questioned over $350,000 social media campaign during BCTF strike
Teachers and politicians are questioning the B.C. Ministry of Education for spending more than $350,000 on a digital media campaign during the teachers strike last year.
Yes campaign looks to student voters for support in transit plebiscite
About 105,000 students are eligible to vote in the transit plebiscite, and many of them use public transit, said Bahareh Jokar, co-chair of the Better Transit and Transportation Coalition.
First Nations leaders highlight ‘massive need’ for reform in mining industry
First Nations leaders say regulatory changes for the mining industry are needed to prevent a repeat of the Mount Polley tailings dam collapse.
Vancouver clinic looks to recruit sexually active gay men for blood donations
Despite decades of being banned from giving blood, sexually active gay men are now being asked to donate to a Vancouver clinic that is doing research into blood products.
Vancouver for Sale: Election 2014
“While the provincial government is to blame for not imposing campaign finance reforms at the municipal level, smaller party candidates are railing against big spending by donors to the NPA and Vision in BC’s biggest city.”
Health research in SA short R1.6 billion
Bongani Mayosi, head of the department of medicine at the University of Cape Town, explains the shortfall in government spending for health research and suggests how the problem can be corrected.
Rape culture blames victims, normalises violence – experts
Every day, news headlines feature stories about incidents of rape and sexual assault in communities across the country. Although rape is incredibly prevalent, many offences go unreported.
A third of South Africans affected by mental illness – expert
July is Mental Illness Awareness Month and the South African Depression and Anxiety Group is encouraging people to seek help.
Child protection week
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Innovation is key to future of B.C. health-care system
More seniors, chronic illnesses, and tighter budgets will add up to mounting pressure on health services in the coming years — but this might not be cause for alarm.
Vancouver’s medical and tech sectors come together for innovative health apps
Auti-Sim, a game currently available for free online, was created by a developer, designer, and early childhood educator in Vancouver. Set in a virtual playground, the game allows users to see and feel what childhood play is like for someone with the hypersensitive hearing that can result from autism.
Mental Health Week encourages women to speak out
With her blond hair shimmering in the sun as she watched ferries sail by, the 27-year-old showed no sign of the mood swings and depression that have plagued her mind for much of her life.
A GP for Me program aims to help you find a family doctor
In Vancouver, it is estimated that over 100,000 people don’t have a family doctor and about 24,000 are actively looking for one, according to the Vancouver Division of Family Practice.
Anxious times for West End store owners
“We’ve been shouldering this for quite a long time and it’s pretty hard,” said Zhang. “We were hoping the landlord [would] come up with a solution so we could help each other, we could stay with more reasonable rent.”“It’s not happening and so we have to find a lower-rent place.”
Mixing business and charity
iNotForProfit provides organizations with a customizable smartphone app they can use to promote their causes by integrating their online activities — everything from tweets to donation forms — into one mobile hub.
Community kitchen to feed West End’s hungry youth
A community group in Vancouver’s West End is confident that it will be able to launch a new program to provide healthy meals for young people — residents who until now have received far less attention than the area’s low-income seniors.
Discussing end-of-life care with family invaluable, experts say
Death isn’t a typical topic of conversation at the dinner table for most families. But in the event a person is nearing death and can no longer voice their wishes, their family is often left guessing what their loved one’s wishes would be.
Neighbours raise new barn for family devastated by fire
The fire that started in a dairy barn at 1636 Lobsinger Line the evening of July 12 consumed the barn, some cattle and killed two-year-old Steven Martin. The cause of the blaze was unclear and the boy’s body was never found.
Saturday night storm slams Kitchener
A series of thunderstorms passed through the region late Saturday night but one storm cell in particular caused a downburst over an isolated area of the city just before midnight.