Latest news with #Reardon
Hamilton Spectator
2 days ago
- Business
- Hamilton Spectator
Industrial park public hearing adjourned for a third time
A public hearing on the Spruce Lake industrial park expansion will be extended to a fourth meeting for proponents of the project after 74 residents weighed in against the proposed rezoning. Saint John common council held a special meeting Tuesday to continue the hearing, which started May 12 and continued May 20 . The proposal would rezone more than 500 hectares of land in the Lorneville area to allow for expansion of the industrial park. The project was first proposed last year but was delayed while a task force of residents, city and provincial representatives met over the winter and spring, with a report posted in April. At the start of the public hearing in May, the park's general manager Ian MacKinnon said the expansion is needed to draw investment from companies ready to invest in the area. The proposal includes a 'pad ready' site measuring 112 hectares, with a total of 510 hectares of industrial development. But the proposal has led to opposition from local residents and a 'Save Lorneville' campaign over concerns that the project will encroach on residential areas in the community, which is located in city boundaries, including worries that a proposed 150-metre park buffer would be insufficient. The new zoning would also include a setback of 250 to 500 metres from residential property lines for industrial or heavy industrial uses. Mayor Donna Reardon said that council had heard 56 speakers against the project across the first two nights, and 18 more took to the podium Tuesday. Council chambers, which seats 94 people, was full at the start of the hearing, with more residents in overflow seating in the lobby. After the last call for speakers against the project, Coun. Gary Sullivan moved a motion to defer the call for speakers in favour of the project to the next council meeting. In the room, a voice from the crowd asked 'why?' 'It was a very strange way to end the meeting,' Adam Wilkins, a Save Lorneville organizer, told reporters. He said that with the meeting starting at 5 p.m. with only one item on the agenda, he assumed they would have finished the hearing and proceeded to a vote. 'It's ending at 7 p.m. and we'd gone to 11 or later before, so it was a surprise,' he said. 'It was never explained that it would stop.' Reardon said she hadn't expected a decision at the meeting, saying she thought it would run longer. She said that there had been a lot of topics raised, and that staff would need time to respond. When asked if she thought people in the room were frustrated about not having a decision, Reardon said, 'I will guarantee this, I will not allow the yeas to go for any longer than three nights, to be fair to the nays.' At the start of the meeting, Reardon read a list of issues that had come up previously, including concerns over the process, engagement issues, loss of wetlands, environmental impacts, insufficient job creation, the size of the 150 metre park buffer, environmental oversight and who is in charge of responding to leaks, in addition to other issues. 'We're looking for something different,' she said during the hearing, also asking for residents of the Lorneville area to speak first, saying 'I want to make sure that Lorneville's voice is heard.' Michael Lynch said that with automation, many proposed industrial sites may not result in new jobs, saying there's 'no guarantee' to back up job promises. Sarah Galbraith, also of Lorneville Road, said in a recording played by another resident that for those with high-stress jobs, 'the ability to come home to a peaceful area is not a luxury' but a matter of mental health, resilience and quality of life, saying her family would have to move if the development was approved. Bruce Martin, a Lorneville Road resident with two businesses in the industrial park, said he's not against an expansion, but likes 'the way Lorneville is now.' 'For an expansion, keep it away from our little community,' he said. Barbara Gilliland of Lorneville Road read a list of what she called 'unanswered questions,' which ran as long as 71, with a second resident picking up the list once she was called for time. The questions addressed a number of topics including the business plan for the proposal, how it is being paid for, the timeline for the project, what the city will do if groundwater wells are affected, water consumption and who will pay for it, and questions on other topics as well as points of information. Emma Palmer, of Lorneville, said she hopes there are plans for flooding and its impact on wells, asking council to see it as not as a 'once in a generation opportunity for development' but a 'once in a generation opportunity to save wetlands.' Sabine Jurgens of Quispamsis raised issues of a 'piecemeal' environmental impact assessment by the province, saying it only tackles the initial project area, and raised issues with watercourse buffers proposed in the project. When Wilkins spoke, he called the process of having the task force a 'complete sham.' 'It's clear that the city had no real interest in serious and honest engagement from the community, it was just a tactic to cool the temperature,' he told council, saying the resulting document was a 'biased report.' Wilkins said 'for the most part' people were able to express their concerns, including a mix of people they knew and people they hadn't heard from before, 'It was good to have the community show their support,' he said. When asked what she thought of the discussion Tuesday, Reardon said the city was 'making a list and checking it twice.' She said they need to 'sort through' the concerns raised, including the list of questions. 'Some of those questions are suitable for this team,' she said. 'Some of them are provincial questions and some of them are business questions and some of them are others.' She said that there will be more information involving the provincial environmental impact assessment process at the next meeting, saying the purpose of an EIA is 'not to stop a project but look at ... what the impact is and to mitigate that and make it better.' Wilkins said there are parts of the city's bylaws relating to the environment, but the city was 'quick' to defer questions to the province. 'It always seems like it's left in the wind with each level of government saying the other one has to go first, so it doesn't leave you believing there's any teeth to the EIA,' he said. Both Wilkins and Gilliland referenced deleted comments in a blog post made by Coun. Brent Harris, with Harris interjecting to ask to explain what had happened and Reardon asking the residents to continue, saying questions from council come later. Wilkins told reporters afterwards that the comments had been to the effect that a 'hydrogen and ammonia processing plant' was one of the potential businesses looking to move into the park, which is not information the task force had. At the first meeting, MacKinnon had mention a green manufacturing project and a data centre as possible tenants for the new commercial space. Harris told Brunswick News that in the post, he had incorrectly identified the hydrogen plant as a possible proponent, confusing it for one of the possible uses listed in MacKinnon's report, and that he had fixed the error when notified. He said the blog post was meant to offer 'transparency' in laying out his thought process following the first meeting of the public hearing. 'The whole point of posting that blog was really to try to reflect where things are at for me personally,' Harris said. He said there's been 'a lot of tension' and in the post said he was balancing the concerns raised by residents against the support during the federal election for the promotion of 'shovel ready projects' as Canada seeks to reshape its economy. Gilliland's questions also addressed whether the two councillors on the industrial park board were in a conflict of interest position. Reardon said that councillors sit on a wide range of the city's boards and commissions, including the police board of commissioners, Saint John Transit and other committees. 'They're on council, they're here to hear what's happening on the board, to be able to offer support as well,' she said, saying that they are appointed by council and represent council on the board. Wilkins said that while there are other boards, the scale of possible environmental and economic impact made it a 'another scale than all those situations.' Reardon said whether a decision is made at the next meeting on June 16 depends on who speaks in favour of the project and what topics are brought up. After the proponent and supporters speak, she said councillors will get the chance to ask questions of staff. - with files from Paul Hutchings Error! Sorry, there was an error processing your request. There was a problem with the recaptcha. Please try again. You may unsubscribe at any time. By signing up, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google privacy policy and terms of service apply. Want more of the latest from us? Sign up for more at our newsletter page .
Yahoo
25-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Do you really need to do Kegels? Physicians on five common pelvic floor myths
The pelvic floor is an essential but often overlooked and misunderstood part of the human body. Some people don't even know they have one. 'We're never really taught about it,' says Dr Sara Reardon, a board-certified pelvic floor therapist and author of Floored: A Woman's Guide to Pelvic Floor Health at Every Age and Stage. 'We don't really get any education about how these muscles work and what's normal.' The pelvic floor is 'a basket of muscles that sits at the base of your pelvis', Reardon explains. It supports the pelvic organs: the bowel, bladder and uterus or prostate. These in turn support the spine, and play an important role in sexual health and urinary and fecal continence. When the pelvic floor is working well, we tend to take it for granted, says Dr Ekene A Enemchukwu, a urogynecologist and director of urology at the Stanford Pelvic Health Center. But when it is not functioning correctly, 'it can significantly impact functionality and quality of life,' she says. Common pelvic floor disorders include urinary or fecal incontinence, pelvic organ prolapse, pelvic pain and sexual dysfunction, says Enemchukwu. We asked pelvic health experts what are the biggest myths about the pelvic floor, and how to care for yours. 'Everyone has a pelvic floor – males, females, children,' says Reardon. The three biggest risk factors for developing pelvic floor disorders – pregnancy, birth and menopause – tend to affect women, but pelvic floor disorder is still common in men, says Reardon. Men with pelvic floor disorders can experience urinary incontinence, fecal incontinence, rectal prolapse (from chronic straining or constipation) and pelvic pain from tension in the pelvic floor muscles, says Enemchukwu. Even in people who don't experience pregnancy or childbirth, the stress and strain of everyday life can take its toll on the pelvis, says Dr Cassandra Kisby, a urogynecologist and assistant professor at Duke University hospital. 'The pelvis can respond to our environment, our emotions, our traumas,' she explains. 'We carry stress in our pelvic floor, and that affects its function.' One of the biggest mistakes people make when it comes to their pelvic floor health is not distinguishing between common and normal symptoms, says Kisby. 'Many things that happen to the pelvic floor are common, but don't need to be accepted as the norm,' she says. Pelvic floor issues are extremely common. Urinary leakage, for example, affects roughly 50% of adult women, and 75% of women over the age of 65. An estimated 75% of women will experience pain during intercourse. 'I have women come in and say: 'I have three babies, and I leak sometimes when I sneeze and I have to change my clothes, but that's normal for my age.'' But it doesn't have to be, says Kisby. 'I really urge patients to think about quality of life and what we can do about it because there are treatment options.' Patients often have to advocate for themselves when it comes to pelvic health. 'Physicians aren't screening women for these issues,' says Reardon. Because the pelvic floor affects so many systems in the body, it can also be difficult to know which doctor to ask about it. 'Our medical world is so siloed,' says Reardon. 'There's one doctor who looks at the uterus, one who looks at the colon, one who looks at the bladder – but nobody's looking at the muscles, which is the intersection of all these things.' The people who do look at these muscles are urogynecologists. But according to Kisby, 'many women don't know what a urogynecologist is.' 'We need to find ways to improve awareness, screening and access to multi-disciplinary care,' says Enemchukwu. 'Patients do not need to suffer in silence.' If someone has heard about the pelvic floor, they've probably heard about Kegels. The exercise is buzzy. Gwyneth Paltrow's Goop sells multiple Kegel-related products. Celebrities boast about their Kegel routines. But according to experts, Kegels are not the be all and end all of public health. And for some, they could do more harm than good. We don't really get any education about how these muscles work and what's normal Dr Sara Reardon Kegels are a pelvic floor exercise in which the muscles of the pelvic floor are contracted. 'It's closing those urinary and anal sphincters and lifting that basket of muscles up,' explains Reardon. The exercise shortens and tightens the muscle. It can be helpful for regaining some strength after childbirth, or to address mild cases of incontinence. But for some, pelvic floor issues are a result of the muscles already being too tight, and Kegels only worsen symptoms. For tension in the pelvis, Reardon recommends working on relaxation: 'more yoga-type stretches, breathing, massaging the muscle internally and externally to release some of that tension', she says. But talk to an expert first. 'Ideally, care should be individualized and guided by a professional,' says Enemchukwu. Related: Easy wins: strengthen your pelvic floor a little more every day In some cases, pelvic floor injuries present years after they first occur. 'Many women have a childbirth injury of some degree, and oftentimes it will temporarily get better during the initial healing that our body does,' explains Kisby. But then, patients come back 10 or 20 years later 'when their symptoms start to become more prominent'. Fortunately, it's never too late to start working on pelvic floor health, experts say. 'Some folks feel like if they've experienced something for a long time, they're beyond help,' says Reardon. 'But at any age you can start working on this and you can get improvement.'
Yahoo
14-05-2025
- Yahoo
‘Exemplifies the spirit of valor': Longtime nurse honored with Meritorious Recognition
A longtime nurse of the Norfolk County Sheriff's Office is being honored for his courageous actions. On May 13, Edward Reardon was awarded the Meritorious Recognition at the annual Excellence in Corrections Awards, alongside two dozen correctional professionals to be honored. 'Congratulations to all of the award recipients,' said Sheriff Patrick McDermott. 'We are forever grateful for their remarkable professionalism.' Reardon was involved in an incident back on December 23, 2024, when he sprang into action to save a correctional officer who was assaulted by an individual being treated in the unit. Reardon had positioned himself between the assailant and the officer, who had sustained multiple injuries. Reardon was able to keep the individual away until backup arrived. 'We are thankful for Ed Reardon's courage and bravery,' said Sheriff McDermott. 'Reardon has been a nurse at the Norfolk County Correctional Center for 20 years and exemplifies the spirit of valor that is so common in the corrections profession and here at the Norfolk County Sheriff's Office.' This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available. Download the FREE Boston 25 News app for breaking news alerts. Follow Boston 25 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch Boston 25 News NOW
News.com.au
02-05-2025
- Business
- News.com.au
Chilling reason Aussie home projects abandoned before completion
Incomplete homes have been springing onto market as hundreds of new projects signed off by Sydney councils remain stuck in limbo due to cost blowouts for builders. The unfinished homes have come up for sale after the would-be owners pulled the plug on plans to build their dream homes, or renovate, midway through construction. Some of the homes are listed for sale needing just some finishing touches applied while others are a shell of partially laid foundations. A common theme was that the build prices quoted before the jobs commenced were no longer feasible due to an explosion in the cost of materials and labour and a raft of building company bankruptcies. Housing Industry Association economist Tim Reardon said many of the Sydney projects greenlit before interest rate hikes in 2022 were on ice because developers could no longer deliver the specifications approved by council at current building costs. The trend was especially pronounced in the apartment market and Sydney was currently building far fewer unit blocks than headline approvals estimates would suggest, Mr Reardon said. 'They're faux approvals,' he said. 'Only about half the approved projects are actually going ahead … the rest will never get built under the approved plans because they are not commercially feasible.' Mr Reardon explained that, in the bulk of these cases, developers were delaying or killing projects before bulldozers ever went on site. The instances where works were abandoned once construction had already commenced were mostly across more bespoke house projects or renovations. The failed projects nonetheless pointed to 'structural problems' in the home building industry, Mr Reardon said. 'We can expect at least three years of low (building) commencements and the shortage of housing will likely get worse.' Among the incomplete homes currently up for sale is a property in western suburb Horsley Park, which is mostly just a single-level laid slab and walls. It still needs a roof and much more. The listing said a buyer is needed to 'complete the home'. The existing structure was labelled as 'approved, although not complete'. A similar property with just the foundations laid and some partially erected walls is for sale in Greenacre. It is expected to sell for about $2m-$2.5m, although no official price guide has been released. In the Sutherland Shire suburb of Oyster Bay, an unfinished home was this week listed for sale, with the auction scheduled for later this month. 'The main home is partially built in solid double brick (with) a concrete second floor base,' the listing said. No guide has been released but local sources estimated it could sell for well over $700,000. Other partially built homes or properties with an abandoned reno job were for sale in Greenwich, Belfield, Bundanoon and North Epping, among other locations. Scott Cam, the long-time host of TV renovation show The Block, said homeowners usually pulled the plug on building due to mistakes with budgeting, which was difficult to get right in the current climate. 'Materials costs have gone up enormously, building costs have climbed dramatically, and people aren't always aware of what's going on in the industry when they start. You have to be able to budget a project really well,' Mr Cam said. He added that cost blowouts in some projects were often the result of 'variations', where the owners decided to change their plans once works had already commenced. 'In the building industry, variations are one of the biggest costs to clients. If you do it, it costs money. Then (the project) goes outside the budget. If it's a couple of variations the costs can really go up … some won't have that kind of money.' REA Group economist Anne Flaherty said sluggish home price growth in some areas may have contributed to the slow rate of housing completions in some areas. 'After Covid, building costs increased at a rate beyond anything we've seen in history,' she said. 'Construction cost increases had been fairly consistent stretching back to the 1960s but there was a spike in 2021 and the combination of higher build costs and lower prices in these markets mean some projects won't be profitable anymore. 'We'd need a massive jump in prices for some of these projects (in their approved form) to be feasible again.'
The Guardian
14-04-2025
- Business
- The Guardian
Australia does not have enough tradies to fulfill Labor's housing promise, experts say
Australia does not have enough construction workers and other tradies to meet election pitches to boost housing supply, experts say, casting doubt over the major parties' pledges to address housing affordability. Anthony Albanese and Peter Dutton announced their competing housing plans this week, with both major parties seeking to increase the number of new home builds above the current annual rate of about 170,000. The Labor government nominated a target of 250,000 completed homes a year for the next four years, while the Coalition was yet to commit to a target. Sign up for the Afternoon Update: Election 2025 email newsletter But Labor's goal cannot be reached given the low number of skilled tradespeople in the construction workforce, according to Tim Reardon, chief economist at the Housing Industry Association. 'We don't have enough people,' he said. 'We can build 200,000 to 220,000 with the labor force we have at the moment, [but] getting to 250,000 is the point at which we need more skilled labour.' The association estimated there were close to 280,000 workers in key skilled occupations but a shortage of 80,000 tradespeople remained. Industry bodies have consistently called for greater government support to increase the workforce. Reardon said tradespeople were turning to other careers, school leavers were shunning building and skilled migrants were entering the workforce too slowly. The number of construction trades apprentices in training fell 3.7% in the year to September, a report from the National Centre for Vocational Education Research found. There were 10,000 fewer new starters annually compared to 2021, while a greater number of trainees were withdrawing from their courses. 'The building industry still has an acute shortage of labour because we're losing labour to the mining industry and other construction projects,' Reardon said. Almost a tenth (9.5%) of Australia's workforce have their main job in the construction industry, but the median weekly earnings for construction workers are $1,598 – about $100 less than the median weekly earnings across all industries, according to the government. Sign up to Afternoon Update: Election 2025 Our Australian afternoon update breaks down the key election campaign stories of the day, telling you what's happening and why it matters after newsletter promotion Both parties had committed to increase subsidies and financial incentives for apprentices but neither program would be enough to close the skill shortage, according to Michael Fotheringham, managing director at the Australian Housing and Urban Research Institute. 'We haven't seen enough from either party on it,' he said. 'A modest workforce strategy from Labor and no workforce strategy from the Liberals are not going to get us there.' The Labor party committed to building 100,000 homes reserved for first home buyers, working with state governments and industry, while the Coalition would also allow first home buyers to tax deduct their mortgage payments if they buy a new build. Both parties on Sunday said they would expand the first home buyer guarantee scheme. The cost of building materials has fallen but experts and builders said new builds remained limited due to slow approvals processes, high building company failures and limits on the arrivals of migrants with construction skills. Dutton had committed to reducing migration overall but on Monday committed to increasing the number of tradespeople entering the country, without providing details or figures. 'We'll have more tradies coming in under our scheme,' he said. A specialist streamlined visa for skills in demand, open to a limited set of occupations, excludes construction tradespeople. That exclusion means construction companies face months-long delays to get workers to Australia on skills visas, which has been discouraging employers, according to Sonia Le-Heggart, migration strategist at Absolute Immigration. Whereas immigration applications by nurses move through the system quickly, tradespeople are slow to get in, Le-Heggart said. 'I've had so many complaints where employers have been like, 'I've invested all this money and applications are taking so long to bring a worker, and I need the guy to come and work because I don't have enough workers, and I can't meet demand,'' she said. 'They're just not able to get that overseas workforce.'
