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www.comoxvalleyecho.com Tuesday, February 18, 2014
Price: 57 cents plus GST
Volume 20, No. 14
Preparing for aftershocks from Safeway’s fall By Drew A. Penner Echo Staff
Tinney Davidson was overwhelmed by the outpouring of gratitude from Highland Secondary School students Feb. 14.
Highland Secondary School students wave back on Valentines Day By Drew A. Penner Echo Staff Dorothy “Tinney” Davidson used a tissue to wipe away tears of joy at a special Valentine’s Day ceremony where she was the guest of honour. The elderly Guthrie Road resident found a place in the hearts of the staff and students at Highland Secondary School through a daily habit of waving at passersby for the past several years. “I’m astounded,” she said, after a rousing assembly that included a choir performance, a special Thank You video and a presentation of a gift basket filled with handmade Valentine’s cards. “I’m only a little old lady - well, not so little.” She beamed like a light throughout the Highland Has Heart event in the gymnasium, clasping her hands together and smiling with surprise. In 2007 when she moved to her nearby home she came her idea of how she could brighten the day of the local youth. “I thought, ‘I’ve got to wave to the kids,’” she said, adding the next bit was the part that just tickled her pink, “and they all started waving back.” Danika Sabistan, a Grade 9 student, says it’s the little things that make the big difference. “If you start talking to her she’ll say, ‘You look pretty,’ or you look amazing today,’” she said, noting Tinney Davidson can be found spreading cheer n the morning, after lunch and after school. “She’s
The Comox Valley is bracing for anticipated ricochet effects from the planned May 10 closure of Safeway in Courteany, affecting 120 full and part-time employees. Remembering a time when the store was the largest grocer in the Comox Valley, Courtenay Mayor Larry Jangula said the business would be missed. “They were always a big part of the Valley,” he said. “The sad thing is we’re talking about the livelihoods of up to 120 families.” On Thursday Canada Safeway announced the location was not financially up to snuff and would be closed, following a regular review of operations. The same day the Jim Pattison Group-owned Overwaitea Food Group said it would scoop up 15 grocery stores in B.C. and Alberta from Sobeys Inc., which recently acquired Safeway in a $5.8-billion deal last June. Courtenay’s Safeway location was not one of these stores. John Graham, director of public affairs with Safeway Operations said the company has been pondering the move for months. “It’s a store that we’d been monitoring well before the acquisition by Sobeys,” he said. “In recent years it’s struggled to meet financial targets.” In the grocery sector prices have not kept up with inflation in recent months and a confidential document emerged in December from deep within Sobeys’ executive chambers revealing it was planning to leverage its new heft thanks to the Safeway buy to put further pressure on food suppliers. (Continued on page 3)
Heavy snowfall on Mt. Washington causes smiles and scary moments By Michael Briones Echo Staff
A packed gymnasium witnessed the ceremony where Tinney Davidson was honoured for being a prodigious hand waver. just one of those people who pumps up your attitude.” Grade 12 student Emily Haagerup explained how Davidson’s actions have a much bigger impact than she probably even realizes on the students.
“It’s someone they all can know and wave at on their way to school,” she said. “She’s a connecter for everybody.” Haagerup hopes Davidson enjoys her Valentine’s Day. (Continued on page 2)
Be careful what you wish for. For the many avid, hungry skiers and snowboarders, the recent heavy snowfall on Mount Washington has been God-sent. Over the weekend, the alpine resort, which opened last Thursday, was packed. It was a great day for tubing, skiing, and boarding. Smiles were clearly etched on happy patrons’ faces as they celebrated the end of the snow drought that had caused the alpine resort to close down in January after being opened only for 14 days. However, they might have received more snow than they bargained for, especially on Sunday. The white fluffy stuff fell heavily unexpectedly just past noon. It transformed the day of fun into a horrible experience for many motorists who were on their way home. They encountered a blizzard that caused near whiteout conditions, and resulted in multiple vehicular collisions along Strathcona Parkway. (Continued on page 2)
Family docs to probe health care needs of Valley By Drew A. Penner Echo Staff The Comox Valley will undergo a “check up” as family doctors investigate what could be done to improve care locally. The Comox Valley Division of Family Practice has commissioned a telephone survey to help lift the veil on the health needs in the region. “We really need the information,” said Janet Brydon, executive director Comox Valley Division of Family
Practice. “We’re hoping to have a betting understand about the perspective of people in the community.” As part of a long-term A GP for Me project, which is funded jointly by Doctors of BC and the Ministry of Health, the division - a non-profit that aims to give doctors a voice in influencing health care - is charting the course of future options for community services in the Comox Valley. The survey will look at how many people say they have access to a doctor compared with those who use
walk-in clinics. “The evidence so far shows it’s very important to have a long-term relationship with a primary care provider,” she said. “Having that family physician relationship helps us understand what other issues people have around health care.” There are many unknowns when it comes to the wellbeing of the community, but Brydon says the survey will be an important way to gain a better understanding of who has been marginalized by the current system
and where future resources could be targeted. While people with mental health issues, substance abuse problems and cancer could be the groups that fall into this category, the expectation is the survey will help reveal this statistically. This is not the first step in the information gathering process. Already the division has conducted surveys through walk-in clinics, the emergency department at St Joseph’s General Hospital, the Comox Valley
Nursing Centre, and partnering health care providers including physiotherapists, optometrists and pharmacists. Community service agencies have also played an important role. “Last year, we began conducting surveys of community health care providers to get a better understanding of the issues impacting access to effective care in our community,” she said. “Don’t be surprised if you get a call from our survey group asking for your input.” (Continued on page 2)