Last Minute Holiday Gift Guide by Prince George Citizen

GATEWAY Your community voice for the north! Thursday, December 8, 2016

Last Minu

HOLIDAY GIFT GUIDE

Organ donations up in the north Samantha WRIGHT ALLEN Citizen staff sallen@pgcitizen.ca

orthern organ donations picked up in 2016, after six years of static numbers that sat at either zero or one. As of mid-November, the north reported six donors, putting the region’s rate in the realm of the rest of the province, which has seen a steady climb in donors in the last handful of years. “We’ve had quite a run of organ donation candidates recently,” said Dr. Marietjie Slabbert, a specialist in critical care and anesthesia and the new intensive care unit medical director at the University Hospital of Northern B.C. It meant about 23 organs went to those in need, she said. In some cases, one person can donate as many as eight to 10 organs. Last year, there were 95 deceased organ donors province-

Citizen photo by Brent Braaten

Dr. Marietjie Slabbert, physician lead for organ transplant in Prince George, stops for a photo at the University Hospital of Northern B.C. in Prince George on Nov. 21. wide, tripling B.C.’s 2009 numbers, but the north was far behind. Each of the last two years, there

has been only one organ donor from the north following four years of none, but Slabbert sees

that changing. “I think in the past there was almost a perception, I would

imagine, this can’t be done,” said Slabbert, who in August replaced Dr. Fareen Din as B.C. Transplant’s “physician champion” for organ donation in Prince George. “We’ve now shown it is very feasible, it works really well. We’ve not had any issues. There is a lot of logistics around it… but I think we’ve proven this year that it is doable.” B.C. is on track to match last year’s record 95 donations, with 89 as of Nov. 23. Vancouver Coastal Health Authority increased by one donor to 29, Fraser Health has already matched last year’s 24 donors, and both the interior and island are a few behind 2015 totals. When the hospital has an organ donor, it contacts BC Transplant, which flies in a surgeon team to retreive the organs. The organs then get packaged and flown to the patients in need. “Patients get looked after really well. There’s a lot of dignity in it,” said Slabbert. — see ‘I THINK, page 3

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‘I think we could probably even do better’ we would expect to see ongoing rates in — from page 1 that reach or higher,” he said. Slabbert worked in England for 10 years “We’ll have to see but it’s good to see the and said respect for the gift of a donated medical and all the health care folks are organ is treated with the same honour in supporting it.” all operating rooms. “Before a patient goes According to BC Transplant, 630 people to surgery there’s a moment of silence to are currently waiting for an organ but less honour their donation.” Northern Health estimates it serves a pop- than one per cent of British Columbians die in a way that would enable ulation of around 300,000, them to become an organ which puts this year’s donor According to BC donor. numbers up to 20 per milTransplant, 630 Though the province lion. That’s on par with the people are currently is nearing its target of B.C. average for deceased donors and above Canada’s waiting for an organ 22 donors per million, Keenan said “we want to 16.6 donors per million, acbut less than one go higher,” noting B.C. is cording to a BC Transplant per cent of British behind many countries, like fact sheet. The organization’s donaColumbians die in a the United States or Spain, which has 35 donors per tion medical director said way that would million. some of that increase can enable them to Both Keenan and Slabbe connected to a shift to bert said the north can even consider circulatory death become an organ expect to see more than six rather than the traditional donor. donors in coming years. neurological death. “We’re a very, very busy That approach has been hospital,” said Slabbert, noting it’s expandintroduced in Prince George and at least ed into a regional referral centre. two donors were classified as DCD – or do“The sickest and most injured patients nation after circulatory death, Keenan said. from within this region that don’t need “(It) was something that previously neurosurgeons or cardiothoracic surgeons, wasn’t being practiced there. This is hapthey would end up coming to us.” pening at other hospitals throughout B.C.” Sites that see neurosurgical and trauma he said. patients will always have higher rates, “It’s not available everywhere because Keenan said, and opportunity also comes it requires coordination between staff and down to size. understanding how to do it.” UHNBC only has 10 intensive care unit This year’s numbers are a “big change” beds and at one point Slabbert said two paand the DCD designation “would suggest

tients were awaiting organ retrieval, meaning 20 per cent of its capacity was used. “That’s when the logistics become quite tricky,” she said, if several organ donation candidates come in at once. “I think we should look upon what we’ve

managed to achieve with a lot of positivity but I think we could probably even do better,” said Slabbert, praising her fantastic team in Prince George. “But this is very good for a place that is not really in a big city.”

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GATEWAYnews Asbestos the No. 1 on-the-job killer, WorkSafeBC says Citizen staff WorkSafeBC is urging homeowners living in houses built before 1990 to test their homes for asbestos before starting any renovation projects. The agency has launched an awareness campaign in answer to research that indicates homeowners may not be aware of just how prevalent the material can be and how dangerous it is. Asbestos is the No. 1 killer of workers in British Columbia, according to Work-

SafeBC. In the ten years from 2006 to 2015, 584 B.C. workers died from diseases related to asbestos exposure. If workers breathe in enough asbestos, their lungs can be permanently damaged or they can get lung cancer. There is a long latency period (10 to 40 years on average) between the time a worker breathes in asbestos fibres and when a disease can develop. More information can be found at ThinkAsbestos.com and HiddenKiller.ca, as well as at WorkSafeBC.com.

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Northern housing market volatile, homes outdated Samantha WRIGHT ALLEN Citizen staff sallen@pgcitizen.ca

orthern B.C. communities continue to have volatile populations and housing markets but the current building trends are mimicking past practices that don’t cater to the needs of changing demographics, especially with seniors. In Prince George – like the many northern communities – the choices are scarce and the housing is old. Accessible and affordable housing is a key factor to attracting both investment and creating an environment where people will stay long-term, argued Community Development Institute

co-director Marleen Morris. Last month she presented the Northern B.C. Housing Study, which drew on recent data from 10 communities to offer a picture of the rental and housing options for residents and newcomers. “Attracting people to fill jobs, attracting people to invest... is critically important if we’re going to leverage this economic activity,” Morris told the more than 100 people gathered in Canfor Theatre at UNBC to listen to the results. “If we don’t have a good supply of first rate homes... they won’t come.” “Housing is literally a pivotal issue.” New housing is scarce, with the majority of homes over 35 years old. — see ‘IT’S NOT, page 14

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‘It’s not cheaper to live up here’

— from page 9 Sixty-three per cent of Prince George homes fit in that category, though they were considered in good condition. In Prince Rupert, only one per cent of homes were built between 2006 and 2011. Kitimat is the worst for old homes, with 80 per cent of its homes built before 1980. Houses built predominantly in the 1960s and ’70s don’t suit the current needs and too often those same designs are adopted today. That approach doesn’t appeal to the skilled professionals communities are trying to recruit, it said. In particular, homes In particular, are still built to accommodate four and homes are still five bedrooms when built to CDI is seeing increasaccommodate four ing demand for one and two-person and five bedrooms households, creating when CDI is seeing a mismatch between increasing housing stock and household size. That’s demand for one due to “empty-nest and two-person seniors and people in households... the family formation years who are delaying having children,” the report said. Prince George, Dawson Creek, Kitimat and the other CDI studied were selected as “bellwether” communities on the edge of change, with “something to teach and show us.” Many are highly dependent on the state of the resource sector and exhibit boom and bust trends even in a small time frame. Between 2011 and 2014, four of the six communities grew, while six contracted. That trend shifted more recently, between 2014 and 2015 when only two grew and six contracted. But overall she said communities are growing, with the average growth at 10.2 per cent for the region. Because communities economies seem to rise and fall, rental markets are also volatile, with limited options for newcomers in many cases. “It’s not cheaper to live up here,” she said. Renters are far more likely than homeowners to pay more than the recommended rate of 30 per cent of their income on housing. And the cost can dip and hike dramatically year-to-to year. Fort St. John continues to be the most expensive for both housing and rental costs. In June 2016, the average to-date selling price was $405,421 and the average rental in April 2015 was $1,013, according to the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation. — see NUMBER OF, page 22

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Number of seniors expected to double — from page 14 Fort St. John housing costs are comparable to Vancouver rates. To stress that rental volatility, Morris showed a graph comparing Dawson Creek and Terrace, which showed the highest and lowest vacancy rates for 2015. In 2012, Dawson Creek’s vacancy rate was three per cent, but three years later that had tripled to nine per cent vacancy. Prince George saw its population decrease in 2014 after the economic downturn, the report found. “Despite the economic downturn, Prince George benefited from a small boom in residential construction, which resulted in 689 housing completions since 2013,” it said. Two-thirds of Prince George’s housing stock is single-detached homes; only 13 per cent are apartments. Prince George and other communities need to plan for an expected spike in the senior population, with

some communities seeing their numbers double. “Are our communities ready for this?” asked Morris, adding many seniors are stuck in large homes when they would prefer to downsize. In Prince George, the population is expected to decrease by two per cent over the next 20 years, but the number of seniors is forecast to grow by 74 per cent, the report said. Communities need to become more age-friendly, and Morris argued that is in their benefit because seniors are more likely to spend locally and represent a business opportunity for services that cater to their needs. Morris said CDI purposefully didn’t offer solutions because they will have to specific to the community context. Its role will be sharing the information and increasing awareness around options to support innovation in the building industry.

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T.I. coming to P.G.

Citizen staff

AP file photo

Rapper T.I. performs before the start of an NBA basketball game between the Indiana Pacers and the Atlanta Hawks in Atlanta on Nov. 1, 2014.

tar-power rapper T.I. is coming to P.G. Also known as Tip, he is one of the big wheels in the modern history of hiphop and rap. He is a producer, a performer, an actor, a writer and a personality on reality TV ( two series: T.I.’s Road To Redemtion and T.I. & Tiny: The Family Hustle). On the music side of his performing arts career, he has won three Grammy Awards, a fist full of Billboard Music Awards and many other citations for his work in the urban music fields. Seven of his nine career albums have

cracked the top five. Some of his biggest singles include Bring Em Out, Whatever You Like, Live Your Life, and Dead and Gone. Along the way he has done duets with giants like Rihanna, Justin Timberlake, Lil Wayne, Destiny’s Child and many more. His own life informed the script for the movie ATL that Tip starred in himself. He then had a supporting roles in hit films like American Gangster, Get Hard and Ant-Man, the television series House Of Lies, and co-starred in Takers and Identity Thief, among other screen projects. “I firmly believe that to get something you’ve never had, you

must be willing to do something you’ve never done. So to be more successful, I needed to open myself up to other perspectives,” said T.I. upon announcing his latest tour, including a date at CN Centre. The latest album project is called Paperwork with the singles No Mediocre and About The Money stirring the chart waters, plus he has a brand new EP entitled Us Or Else. T.I. and special guests will be on stage in Prince George on Jan. 13. Tickets went on sale on Dec. 2 at the CN Centre box office and online via Ticketmaster. Price range from $55 to $75 plus local service charges.

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NDIT supports high-tech in woods Mark NIELSEN Citizen staff mnielsen@pgcitizen.ca

he owner of a Smithers-based business that uses cutting edge technology to get in-depth pictures of northern B.C. forests has plenty of kind words for Northern Development Initiative Trust. Without help from the NDIT’s forest innovation fund, Larry McCulloch of L.M. Forest Resource Solutions Ltd. says he would have had a much tougher time getting his venture, centred on a drone equipped with a heat-detecting camera, off the ground. “A small firm like mine rarely has deep enough pockets to have a significant outlay of research capital,” McCulloch said. “It’s a pretty big barrier for us.” As such, the initial funding he received from NDIT, as well as the federal govern-

McCulloch ment’s Industrial Research Assistance Program, “was instrumental.” — see More, page 30

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More NDIT funding available — from page 28 McCulloch’s company was among a dozen small and medium-sized companies that received as much as $50,000 from the fund to cover up to half of a project’s budget. He was front and centre Friday when NDIT hosted an event at College of New Caledonia to launch a second round of searches for similar ventures to support and to showcase the projects it’s supported so far. McCulloch’s drone and camera is primarily intended to help combat forest fires. “We can get temperatures of a fire as it’s burning,” McCulloch said. “We can also look at an area after a fire’s passed through and identify hot spots that still exist and some of those can persist for months. “They tend to follow the roots underground and they get into stumps. People can’t see them but they can flare up when the temperatures and the climate conditions are different.”

The information, in turn, is passed on to mop up crews on a “near real time” basis. A radiometric thermal imager allows the user to identify by the actual temperature to within less than 0.1 degree for every single pixel. “It’s pretty accurate,” McCulloch said. In all, a dozen projects across northern B.C. won NDIT’s support through the first round of the program aimed at improving techniques for getting the most out of the region’s timber. Prince George-based Lo-Bar Log Transport secured funding for a steep-slope harvesting method never before used in this region. “Traditionally, steep-slope logging is a high cost endeavour, said Lo-Bar business manager Marty Hiemstra. “This’ll be a safe system to use and be at lower cost.” NDIT is now accepting applications for a portion of a further $500,000.

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