Latest news with #BenNelms
CBC
06-04-2025
- General
- CBC
Cherry blossoms bloom across Metro Vancouver
A woman snaps a photo of a cherry blossom tree at David Lam Park in Vancouver on April 3. The park played host to an outdoor public picnic on March 29 as part of the Vancouver Cherry Blossom Festival. The festival will run various events up until April Nelms/CBC Photos by Ben Nelms Apr. 6, 2025 ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT Related Stories Footer Links My Account Profile CBC Gem Newsletters Connect with CBC Facebook Twitter YouTube Instagram Mobile RSS Podcasts Contact CBC Submit Feedback Help Centre Audience Relations, CBC P.O. Box 500 Station A Toronto, ON Canada, M5W 1E6 Toll-free (Canada only): 1-866-306-4636 TTY/Teletype writer: 1-866-220-6045 About CBC Corporate Info Sitemap Reuse & Permission Terms of Use Privacy Jobs Our Unions Independent Producers Political Ads Registry AdChoices Services Ombudsman Public Appearances Commercial Services CBC Shop Doing Business with Us Renting Facilities Accessibility It is a priority for CBC to create a website that is accessible to all Canadians including people with visual, hearing, motor and cognitive challenges. Closed Captioning and Described Video is available for many CBC shows offered on CBC Gem. About CBC Accessibility Accessibility Feedback © 2025 CBC/Radio-Canada. All rights reserved. Visitez
Yahoo
29-03-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Vancouver abortion clinic to close after 35 years, raising concerns over access
After more than 30 years of providing abortion and reproductive health services, Vancouver's Elizabeth Bagshaw Clinic has announced it will close. In a statement Friday, the clinic's board said the decision follows growing uncertainty linked to changes in the provincial health-care system, including Vancouver Coastal Health's plan to consolidate reproductive services into a new model. It's unclear what specific impact those changes had on the clinic's operations. CBC News requested an interview with the clinic but did not receive a response. Vancouver Coastal Health says it's exploring a "single provider, single site" model for delivering reproductive care in the region. In a statement to CBC News, the health authority confirmed it's considering consolidating the three clinics it currently funds — Elizabeth Bagshaw, Everywoman's Health Centre and Willow Reproductive Health Services — under one provider at one location. These are the only abortion clinics in Vancouver, besides a program through the B.C. Women's Hospital, according to Options for Sexual Health. The organization said abortions through other providers may require a doctor's referral. The move, Vancouver Coastal says, is aimed at increasing service capacity, ensuring financial sustainability and better meeting current demand. Elizabeth Bagshaw Clinic's board also pointed to an upcoming lease expiry, only one year of confirmed funding and shifting priorities within the health authority as additional challenges. "Given the structural challenges, it became unavoidable," the clinic's board said, adding that relocating to a new site didn't make financial sense with limited funding. "This was not a choice the Board wanted to make." Dr. Renee Hall, a physician at Elizabeth Bagshaw Clinic and medical director of the Willow Clinic, said the announcement has devastated staff. (Ben Nelms/CBC) Founded in 1989, the clinic has treated thousands of patients from across B.C. each year, with more than half coming from outside the Vancouver Coastal Health region. Its closure, staff say, will put added strain on an already overburdened system. "We're just absolutely devastated by the loss," said Dr. Renee Hall, a physician at the clinic and medical director at the nearby Willow Reproductive Health Centre. "Some people have been working there for 35 years." Hall said efforts are underway to ensure services like abortions, intrauterine device (IUD) insertion and vasectomies continue elsewhere, but gaps may emerge during the transition. "We are doing everything that we can to make sure that everything will be covered in time for the Elizabeth Bagshaw closure," she said. Vancouver Coastal also said it is working with the clinic and other community partners to ensure continuity of care. The Ministry of Health said the province remains committed to abortion access. "Protecting access to abortion services is a key priority," Health Minister Josie Osborne said during an unrelated news conference Friday. "There will be no stop or ending of that access." Health Minister Josie Osborne says protecting access to abortion services is a key priority. (Mike McArthur/CBC) Still, some worry about the broader implications of losing one of only three abortion clinics in the city. "It's going to be a big loss for patients," said Eleanor Fast, director of Everywoman's Health Centre. "We want to move in the direction of more access, more options, and this is obviously going in the opposite direction." Fast said many of her clinic's patients come from places like Surrey, Abbotsford and even farther away in B.C. "There are massive sort of deserts of care across the province and across Canada, more generally. And that's obviously a massive problem." Both Fast and Hall say longer-term investment in reproductive health is urgently needed. Hall says she would like to see a "centre of excellence" that not only delivers services but also trains new providers. "That provides abortion, vasectomy and contraception to this region and also is able to train health-care providers who can go out rurally and, therefore, we can have access all over the province to serve rural areas," she said. "British Columbians deserve to know that they can feel secure and be able to get these services when they need them." The Elizabeth Bagshaw Clinic says it will remain open until June 30.
Yahoo
27-03-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Iconic Expo 86 'McBarge' partially capsized in Fraser River
The iconic "McBarge" vessel, which housed a McDonald's restaurant during Expo 86 in Vancouver, was on its side and partially capsized in the Fraser River on Wednesday. The McBarge is a 57-metre-long barge that became iconic after being moored in False Creek during the world exposition in 1986 near other Expo icons like B.C. Place and Science World. But since its stint as a McDonald's restaurant, the barge — officially known as the Friendship 500 — has never seen visitors. It has been derelict for decades, and anchored in both Burrard Inlet and the Fraser River. On Wednesday, two CBC News reporters took photographs of the iconic vessel on its side in the Fraser River. CBC News has reached out to the coast guard and the owner of the McBarge for more information. The McBarge, a former McDonald's restaurant built on a barge, is pictured capsized in the Fraser River in Maple Ridge, B.C, on Wednesday. (Ben Nelms/CBC) A spokesperson for the City of Maple Ridge said they are aware of reports regarding a "sinking vessel" in the Fraser River. "While the vessel is located in federal waters and not under City jurisdiction, we understand the public's concerns and are actively engaged in responding," the spokesperson wrote. The now derelict McDonald's restaurant barge, was once festooned and a star at Expo 86. (CBC)
Yahoo
19-03-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Vancouver International Auto Show removes Tesla over safety concerns
The Vancouver International Auto Show has removed U.S. electric carmaker Tesla from its event this week, saying its primary concern was the safety of attendees and exhibitors. Tesla has faced numerous protests in Canada recently due to owner Elon Musk's proximity to U.S. President Donald Trump, at a time when Trump has imposed 25 per cent tariffs on Canadian imports and publicly made threats of annexation towards the country. The car manufacturer has seen protests at its dealerships, and its products have been excluded from B.C.'s electric vehicle rebate programs amid the trade war with the U.S. The latest development comes with the annual Vancouver International Auto Show deciding to exclude Tesla after the carmaker was given multiple opportunities to withdraw voluntarily, according to a statement from the show's executive director. Tesla electric vehicle charging stations have been excluded from B.C. provincial rebate programs amid the trade war with the U.S. (Ben Nelms/CBC) "The Vancouver Auto Show's primary concern is the safety of attendees, exhibitors, and staff," executive director Eric Nicholl said. "This decision will ensure all attendees can be solely focused on enjoying the many positive elements of the event." In a news conference, Nicholl said that Tesla was given the opportunity to voluntarily withdraw over the last week, and the carmaker was informed of the removal at 1 p.m. PT on Tuesday. Nicholl said, in response to a question from CBC News, that the concerns prompting the removal were "all-inclusive" of the prospect of protests and vandalism against Tesla. Eric Nicholl, executive director of the Vancouver International Auto Show, said the decision to remove Tesla from the annual event wasn't taken lightly. (Nav Rahi/CBC) "[In] light of the recent escalating events throughout North America, as we're getting closer, we're seeing a spike," the expo director said, referring to protests over the last six weeks. "Making the decision at this point in time ensures that the safety of our guests and attendees is paramount."The auto show is held every year at the Vancouver Convention Centre, and its website says it attracts over 100,000 attendees. It is operated by the New Car Dealers Association of B.C. It begins on Wednesday and will end on Sunday. In a statement in February, the auto show said that it had record-setting attendance last year and had solidified itself as Western Canada's best-attended consumer show and one of North America's premiere automotive exhibition events. The Vancouver International Auto Show is held every year at the Vancouver Convention Centre, shown here in September 2019. (Ben Nelms/CBC) Nicholl said that political rumblings had no bearing on the decision to remove Tesla, which he said was disappointing for the expo, as it wanted to showcase the greatest breadth of automobiles available. "It was a hard decision to land at," he told reporters. Nicholl said consumer auto shows are important to every car manufacturer, and no other participants have been removed in the three years he's been running the show. Tesla CEO close to Trump Musk, Tesla's CEO, is a close confidant of Trump in his role as the head of the Department of Government Efficiency, which has implemented sweeping cuts to that country's civil service. The billionaire is a self-described "free speech absolutist" who has faced criticism from hate-speech watchdogs for allowing extremist, dangerous and antisemitic comments to flourish on X, the social media platform that he owns. Elon Musk speaks during an event with President Donald Trump in the Oval Office at the White House, Tuesday, Feb. 11, 2025, in Washington, D.C. (Alex Brandon/The Associated Press) David Tindall, a University of B.C. sociology professor, said that to the extent that Trump was a threat to Canada in people's eyes, Musk was part of the threat too. He said the billionaire CEO and his company have become a popular target for protesters — the inverse of an earlier positive perception of Musk as a man who was advancing clean energy and electric cars. "Tesla's kind of the low-hanging fruit, right?" he told CBC News. "It's kind of the low-hanging fruit in a mass protest that is going to ramp up against ... this whole administration."
Yahoo
08-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
B.C. signs agreement with feds to expand school food programs
The province and federal government have reached a funding agreement to expand B.C.'s school meal programs, with the province saying it's committed to sourcing local food for them. The $39.4 million in federal funding, dispersed over a three-year period, will enhance school food programs at more than 1,000 schools across the province, according to a statement from Employment and Social Development Canada. "It will give students the opportunity to have a full belly and really reach their full potential," said Jenna Sudds, the federal minister of families, children and social development. Sudds said 90,000 B.C. kids will benefit from the programs. Students at David Thompson Secondary school are pictured cooking food alongside Jenna Sudds, the federal minister of families, children and social development, and Lisa Beare, B.C. minister of education and child care. The politicians visited the school on Friday where they announced a new agreement between the two governments to fund school food programs. (Ben Nelms/CBC) For families with two children in school, they will save an estimated $800 in grocery bills per year, according to the ministry's statement. Carolyn Broady, president of the School Trustees Association, applauded the funding. "This is crucial funding for our rural and remote communities, where access to school food programs can often be limited," she said in a statement. "The enhancements to breakfast and lunch programs will be particularly impactful, providing much-needed support to families in these areas." Students at David Thompson Secondary school are pictured cooking food as part of the National School Food Program in Vancouver on Friday. (Ben Nelms/CBC) An instructor supports students at David Thompson Secondary school with meal prep in Vancouver on Friday. (Ben Nelms/CBC) Lisa Beare, minister of education and child care, said B.C. has had school food programs in ninety per cent of its schools since 2023. The increased funding means the programs will reach more students. "We now can expand the amount of kids we are providing service to because no kids should learn on an empty stomach." Beare also noted the uncertainty of the economy given the ongoing threat of tariffs from the United States, and the need to support B.C. agriculture and farming. "I will be working with school boards to make sure we can do everything possible to make sure these programs source local food." B.C. is the 10th province or territory to sign an agreement with the feds as part of its National School Food Program initiative.
