Latest news with #AdventureGroup
Yahoo
20-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Gondola development project proposed for North Shore
WAIALUA, Hawaii (KHON2) — When you think of a gondola you might think of riding one to the top of a snowy mountain or a boat ride in Venice, but what about here in Hawaii? That's what one Canadian businessman is proposing for Oahu's North Shore. Hawaiian Airlines: No one will lose their miles Mt. Kaala is the tallest peak on Oahu, and the owner of Adventure Group in Canada owns 2,300 acres in Waialua and plans to develop it. 'It would significantly impact a sacred and historical space,' said North Shore Neighborhood Board Vice-Chair Racquel Achiu-Hill. 'Mount Kaala would now be compromised with a proposed gondola, ski lift operation that would lead into a zipline and cafe.' The proposed project is off Kaukonahua Road. She said the developer introduced himself as the landowner to the board back in 2018 and said he had intentions of opening the area to the public, but according to her, he didn't specify his 2019, she said the neighborhood board was surprised when they were told of a Conditional Use Permit for a gondola project on the land. 'A part of our land use ordinance allows for accessory-activities on ag land, specifically agritourism,' explained North Shore City Councilmember Matt Weyer. He said there's a requirement that at least 51% of the land be in ag production. 'But when you're looking at what's allowed and understanding the primary use of this land which is zoned agriculture, there's always a concern under the requirements and land use ordinances, specifically requiring that you don't diminish the potential of agricultural land and any improvements can't have unreasonable costs to take it down, and I think that's why the community is getting concerned,' Weyer explained. 'I mean a large gondola going up such an important mountain and the idea of an e-bike track across ag land could harm the area.' Download the free KHON2 app for iOS or Android to stay informed on the latest news A spokesperson for the development said it currently does cattle ranching, forestry and crop production and they are working on agritourism plans for sightseeing, hiking, biking and other activities accessible by a gondola. The group is currently applying for minor modifications to its conditional use permit to make its overall footprint smaller than originally approved. Documents state the gondola route was adjusted to lower elevations which reduced the number of support towers from 18 to eight. The gondola route-length would be 8,240 feet. The minor modification also shortens the zipline. Originally, there were two zipline routes approved by the CUP for a total of 7,967 feet. The modified zipline has only one route with a total length of 5,285 feet. Nimitz Highway collision claims life of pedestrian The modification also points out redesigning hiking and biking trails and enhanced ADA accessibility with handrails, bridges and viewing platforms. The gondola stations would have lower visibility and a new driveway alignment to improve traffic safety. The document states, 'Initial visitation is planned for approximately 1,650 people per day to evaluate site capacity, guest experience and to ensure that environmental standards are maintained… Given the vast agricultural lands and proposed agribusiness activities, the physical capacity of the site is far greater, however, the applicant intends to move slowly and increase visitation capacity gradually based on initial findings and engagement with county officials, community leaders and environmental consultants.' The documents also anticipate 750 cars a day. Honolulu mayor declares Emergency Medical Services week 'When you're doing agricultural projects and you're doing accessory uses, those uses aren't the primary purpose, because that's why we have ag land versus industrial versus commercial, when you look at it that way, I think that's a community concern too,' Weyer added. 'The impacts of just drilling into the foundation of Mt. Kaala for what a ski lift would need is overwhelming,' Achiu-Hill said. 'It's very overwhelming, you're going to compromise this mountain in a way that should never be thought of.' HIDOE students feast on sweet potatoes The developer said there are community benefits like job creation and positive economic impacts, health and recreational benefits, historical and cultural opportunities, endangered species protection, wildfire risk management, public access to lands otherwise inaccessible and preservation of ag land so it's not subdivided for residential development. The Department of Planning and Permitting said the developer still has not met all the conditions of the CUP. The DPP says if they do not approve of the minor modifications, which reduces the overall footprint of the original CUP, the originally approved CUP would still stand. A spokesperson for DPP said in an email if the minor modification is approved, the developer must meet all conditions of the CUP, as amended. If approved, the minor modification may add and/or modify existing changes. The public can email their comments to DPP planner Steve Tagawa at stagawa@ or DPP email at dpp@ or by mail. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
CBC
07-05-2025
- Health
- CBC
P.E.I. a 'front-runner' in Canada when it comes to eliminating hep C, say health officials
Prince Edward Island has not met its target of eliminating hepatitis C in the province by 2025, but it's still ahead of the rest of Canada in its efforts to reach that goal. In 2015, the government of the day put $5 million into a strategy aimed at reducing the number of people with the virus to the point where it was no longer a public health concern in 10 years' time. Cases have dropped over the last decade, but new ones are still popping up, meaning there's more work to be done. "We're pretty close; we're not quite there. We're still having a bit more individuals testing positive than we would anticipate," said Shawn Greenan, the hepatitis C co-ordinator for P.E.I. Public Health. "Other than that, we've brought it down to a pretty healthy number." Hepatitis C is spread through blood, which could include contact with needles or through sexual activity. The virus attacks liver cells, increasing scarring on the organ and predisposes patients to liver cancer. There are currently 43 known cases on the Island. Greenan said public health officials test about 5,000-6,000 people a year, and work with groups like PEERS Alliance, Adventure Group and correctional services to identify those who might be at risk or have contracted the virus. Between 2018 and 2020, and average of five people per month were testing positive, he said. These days, a bad month would mean two or three new cases. Once a patient is identified through testing, though, there are treatments that Greenan said are 95 to 98 per cent effective in curing hepatitis C outright. Healthier, happier lives Naveed Janjua is the co-director of the Canadian Network on Hepatitis C, which co-ordinates with provinces across the country on their strategy to combat the virus. While P.E.I. isn't on track to eliminate hepatitis C by this year, Janjua estimates that it will be the first province in Canada to do so at some point. He said the Island's small population allows community groups and public health officials to identify patients more effectively, and provide them with care for other underlying issues. "Some people may have addictions or substance-use disorder, or some people might have other chronic conditions," Janua said. "If you're able to bring people to receive care, then their other conditions will also be addressed and that will help them to stay healthy and live healthier lives overall." Eliminating hepatitis C doesn't mean having zero cases, but rather barely any new ones in P.E.I. That can be tricky, since there's no immunity after an infection and there's no vaccine to prevent the virus's spread yet. Still, Greenan is optimistic that this province will be able to declare the virus eliminated by next year. "We're probably one to two years ahead of everybody else in terms of achieving elimination," he said. "We're definitely front-runners on this one."
