FRIDAY
October 14, 2011
A division of
Vol. 26 No. 82
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COMOX VALLEY RECORD
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Tour de Rock rider felled from bicycle
KINGS ON ROLL
Auxiliary RCMP constable and Thrifty Foods employee in St. Joe’s Hospital Erin Haluschak
The Glacier Kings have won six straight games. ■ B14
Record Staff
Using his recent 1,000-kilometre ride for the Tour de Rock as an example, Rick Gaiga calls James Matsuda “a very determined individual.” Mastuda, a fellow Comox Valley RCMP auxiliary constable, was struck by a car Tuesday afternoon at the intersection of Valley View Drive and Lerwick Road in Courtenay, and is recovering at St. Joseph’s General Hospital in Comox. Matsuda recently completed the 2011 Canadian Cancer Society Cops for Cancer Tour de Rock, a 14-day bike journey across Vancouver Island to raise funds for pediatric cancer research. Comox Valley RCMP noted Matsuda was hit as he crossed through the intersection on a green light, as he headed southbound on Lerwick Road. A northbound vehicle on Lerwick Road turned left onto Valley View Drive, into the path of Matsuda. As a former manager of Thrifty Foods in Courtenay, Gaiga worked alongside Matsuda from 2003 until recently, and was also a
WRECKS RECALLED
JAMES MATSUDA IS seen with a fellow Tour de Rock rider as the team paused recently in the FILE PHOTO Comox Valley. rider in the Tour de Rock during the 2010 ride. “(James) is dealing with discomfort and he has a long road ahead of him in recovery,” said Gaiga. “He is very focused to get better and is very positive. I am very proud of him.”
Gaiga noted Matsuda’s inspiration to complete this year’s ride came from a very personal place. “Cancer has affected a lot of James’ family; cancer alone speaks for itself. Also, our coworker Christina (Buijs) who lost her battle with the disease,” he
added. Gaiga said despite the accident, he is confident Matsuda will succeed in his recovery, and will be cycling again. “He has the drive; he will be back on his bike soon,” he noted. photos@comoxvalleyrecord.com
Mobile MRI service announced for upper Island Scott Stanfield Record Staff
The Vancouver Island Health Authority has announced it will establish a mobile MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging) service by next spring or summer at St. Joseph’s General Hospital in Comox, and in Campbell River, Port Alberni and Duncan. The service will be located on specially designed pads in each of these areas, operating 50 weeks
By late spring or early summer per year with two weeks designated for service and maintenance. “This is something that I’ve been pushing hard for all the six years that I’ve been the medical director in VIHA,” Dr. John Mathieson said at a Thursday announcement at St. Joe’s. “From a patient care point of view, I and my colleagues feel very strongly
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that wherever you live you should expect to have the same quality of medical service.” Comox Valley MLA Don McRae said northern and central Island residents will no longer need to travel to Nanaimo, Victoria or Vancouver once the new service is implemented. “Residents in the north Island know that a beautiful August day
Melanope. Geo. S. Wright. Maria J. Smith. Mermaid. King David. All once sailed the mighty oceans. All came to an untimely end. All – and more – are featured in West Coast Wrecks & Other Maritime Tales, a new book by Comox Valley maritime historian and author Rick James. The tidy 132-pager gets off to a good start with a dramatic painting by Peter Rindlisbacher depicting the sinking of the steamship Geo. S. Wright.
...Full story on page ■ B1
is not when the accidents occur or when you need those appointments,” McRae said. “It often is in the dark, January winters. To have that opportunity to drive in a much safer environment, a much shorter environment, is unbelievable.” Upwards of 3,800 MRI scans are planned to be performed by the mobile scanner, amounting to 16.5 per cent of the 23,000 MRIs provided each year in the
... see MRI ■ A2
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