Latest news with #VCH
Powys County Times
02-06-2025
- Business
- Powys County Times
Powys company DOVU to run $1 billion US farming scheme
A COMPANY registered in Powys has signed a $1 billion deal that will pay American farmers for improving soil health and storing carbon in the ground. In a 'transformative' move for American agriculture and climate finance, Veteran's Carbon Holdings, Inc. (VCH) announced it will distribute $1.1 billion in direct payments to US farmers and landowners over the next nine years as part of its newly launched carbon development programme. The monumental investment will go directly into the hands of farmers in the midwest and western United States, who use practices such as no-till farming, cover cropping or rotational grazing to help their soil store carbon. The carbon is turned into credits that companies buy to meet their climate goals, with the majority of the money from those sales going straight back to the farmer. Every credit is tracked and protected by DOVU – a tech company based in Llanwrtyd Wells and co-founded by Irfon Watkins, the son of a local farmer, in 2017. 'We have a platform where carbon is traded, in environmental credits,' said Irfon. 'They've been testing a new process with farmers in the US for the last three years. The process enriches the soil and increases yield by five to nine per cent.' Testing and sampling has been carried out over the last three years and received scientific verification in a partnership with Texas' Rice University. 'We're talking about over two million acres of land and this deal is giving farmers over $1 billion over the next nine years,' said Irfon. 'All of it will be put through our company, DOVU, which is registered in Mid Wales, in Llanwrtyd. 'Carbon is a hot topic, love it or hate it.' Irfon says the VCH deal will essentially keep American families on the lands they have farmed for generations – which certainly hits home back in Powys. Around 19 council farm tenants have been given notices to quit within 12 months, leaving many with uncertain futures with their job and homes. Irfon added: 'From a farming perspective, this is keeping families on family farms. In the US families are being driven off by corporate interests buying up the land. 'When you combine it with famers retiring and other things, this is something that shows there's a company keeping farmers on the land. Growing food and not just planting trees.' Jaguar Land Rover were DOVU's first investors, with Irfon revealing he has plans to post a DOVU office in his hometown, famous for bog snorkelling and the annual Man versus Horse race, in the near future. Tech entrepreneur Irfon Watkins (r), from Llanwrtyd, bought the chapel in his home town alongside Kasabian drummer Ian Matthews. (Image: None) Irfon bought the Irfon Crescent-based Bethesda Methodist Chapel in 2019, along with Kasabian drummer and long-time friend, Ian Matthews, and he says DOVU will soon be more than simply registered in the town. DOVU, a sustainability-focused technology company, provides the digital system that tracks each carbon credit from your field all the way to the buyer. Every credit is digitally verified, timestamped and securely recorded, so nothing can be faked or lost. Farmers can see when their credits are used, who buys them and how much they're worth. 'We built this with farmers, for farmers,' said Stephen Gorton, chief scientist at VCH.
Cision Canada
14-05-2025
- Health
- Cision Canada
Who do you serve, actually? National transparency groups call out Vancouver Coastal Health for restricting information during the COVID-19 pandemic
TORONTO, May 14, 2025 /CNW/ - Vancouver Coastal Health (VCH), the public agency responsible for delivering community and acute care services to more than a quarter of B.C.'s population, has been selected as the 2024 recipient of the municipal Code of Silence Award for Outstanding Achievement in Government Secrecy for its routine breaking of access to information laws during the COVID-19 pandemic. In a Sept. 2024 report, Michael Harvey, B.C.'s Information and Privacy Commissioner, found multiple examples of how the health authority failed to meet the province's standards. For example, the audit found only a quarter of public requests met the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act's 30-day response benchmark. In almost three quarters of responses, VCH failed to comply with the Act's time limits. This resulted in the agency sometimes extending the time limit without a valid reason or the agency applied an extension to respond even after the original time limit to respond had already passed. About one-third of the time, the authority did not even acknowledge a request for information was received. "The COVID-19 pandemic placed a premium on timely access to medical information to combat the virus," said Philip Tunley, a director of Canadian Journalists for Free Expression (CJFE). "In a profession usually committed to informed decision-making by patients and to doing no harm, VHC miserably failed to rise to that basic challenge." In his report, Harvey acknowledged that while VCH was under unprecedented pressures during the pandemic, the audit also pointed to other more systemic problems. These included: Following a 2021 amendment to FIPPA, VCH, like other public bodies, decided to charge a $10 FOI application fee for general access requests. VCH administered this fee by only accepting payment by cheque or money order, unnecessarily exacerbating the barrier to access. The agency later changed this approach. VCH has a policy for routinely releasing certain records without the need for an FOI request, also known as proactive disclosure. However, contrary to this policy, there were instances where VCH processed requests for these records as an FOI request and charged the application fee, rather than pointing applicants to where the records were already publicly available. Further, some records that were already public were difficult to find online. VCH was particularly unresponsive to the media during this period. The average number of days it took to respond to FOI requests from the media was 116 days, peaking at 171 days in 2021/2022. Upon completion of the audit, Harvey made eight recommendations to improve VCH's compliance with B.C.'s FIPPA rules. These recommendations included expediting communication with individuals seeking information, and strengthening policies around records management. This year's Code of Silence jury also agreed to bestow a dishonourable mention to the Region of Waterloo, located in the heart of southwestern Ontario's greenbelt. Community groups and journalists have faced an up-hill battle to get access to information from the region on a controversial mega-project that will impact local farmland. The challenge of building consensus and citizen engagement in rural communities becomes impossible when responsible agencies withhold information about projects of this nature," Tunley said. The Code of Silence Awards are presented annually by the CAJ, the Centre for Free Expression at Toronto Metropolitan University (CFE), and the Canadian Journalists for Free Expression (CJFE). The awards call public attention to government or publicly-funded agencies that work hard to hide information to which the public has a right to under access to information legislation. Vancouver Fire Rescue Services (VFRS) was the recipient of the Code of Silence Award for Outstanding Achievement in Government Secrecy in the municipal category last year for charging exorbitantly high fees for access to a fire investigation report already paid for by taxpayers. The final 2024 Code of Silence Award, for the law enforcement category, will be announced on May 28. SOURCE Canadian Association of Journalists
Yahoo
02-05-2025
- Yahoo
Teen, family's sole survivor in Vancouver attack, to give half his donations to other victims
Andy Le, now the sole survivor of his family and the brother of Katie Le, the 5-year-old who was killed in the Vancouver festival attack, is donating half the proceeds from his GoFundMe to other survivors and their families. Andy Le — the 16-year-old whose stepmother and father were also killed in the deadly attack on the Filipino festival last weekend — announced in a video released this week that he is giving away more than $266,000 Canadian dollars from a fundraiser set up for him. It had raised over half a million Canadian dollars as of its close on Tuesday. Le's uncle, Toan Le, told NBC News the funds would be donated in the coming weeks and that they are searching for an organization to give to. 'From the bottom of my heart, thank you all so much. I truly appreciate each and every one of you,' Andy Le said. 'I know that many other families are hurting too, which is why I would like to donate $266,000 to the other victims from my GoFundMe campaign.' The Saturday attack killed 11 people and injured more than two dozen others. The victims ranged in age from 5 to 65, officials said at a news conference Sunday, adding that the death toll could rise. So far, law enforcement has not given a motive, but it has ruled out terrorism as a possibility. Officials said the suspect, Kai-Ji Adam Lo, 30, who has been charged with eight counts of second-degree murder, had a history of mental illness and was known to police. Lo was under the care of a mental health team at Vancouver Coastal Health (VCH), the facility said in a statement Tuesday. But he was on an extended leave under the Mental Health Act at the time of the attack. Toan Le told NBC News that his brother, Richard Le, 47; his sister-in-law, Linh Hoang, 30; and his niece, Katie Le, 5, were killed. Andy Le survived, the GoFundMe said, because he opted to stay home to finish his homework instead of attending the festival with the rest of his family. The fundraiser was initially started to pay for Andy Le's college education in addition to final expenses for his three family members. In a post on the GoFundMe page, Toan Le said that the funds would now also go toward direct or indirect victims and cover expenses including funeral costs, education, counseling and medical expenses. 'Our hearts go out to all of the families affected by this tragedy,' Toan Le wrote on the GoFundMe page. 'Stay strong—we are with you.' Toan Le also shared details about Andy Le's late family members, writing on the GoFundMe that Richard Le was a dedicated father, badminton and tennis coach and real estate professional. 'He devoted his life to teaching young people the values of sportsmanship and team spirit,' Le wrote on the GoFundMe. 'He served his community and clients with pride and always went out of his way to help others.' Le went on to say that Linh Hoang, Andy Le's stepmother, was 'known for her kindness and gentle spirit.' And Katie was just about to graduate from kindergarten. 'She was vibrant, joyful, and full of life,' Toan Le said of Katie, who was among the youngest of the attack victims. In his video, Andy Le said that he plans to continue living with his grandparents. Locals previously told NBC News that the festival that was attacked is one of the largest Filipino celebrations of the year. It honors the 16th century Filipino chieftain Datu Lapu-Lapu, who defeated Spanish forces and remains a symbol of resistance against colonialism. Diana Silva, a vendor at the festival who left just 30 minutes before the attack, said that during a vigil for the victims, community members didn't hesitate to start brainstorming ways to support survivors and help grieving community members.' Silva said it was reflective of the spirit of the chieftain himself. 'Lapu-Lapu is all about resilience, and he stood up for the Philippines,' Silva said. 'I think that's what our community is doing now.'This article was originally published on
NBC News
02-05-2025
- NBC News
Brother of 5-year-old Vancouver crash victim to give half his donations to other survivors
Andy Le, now the sole survivor of his family and the brother of Katie Le, the 5-year-old who was killed in the Vancouver festival attack, is donating half the proceeds from his GoFundMe to other survivors and their families. Andy Le — the 16-year-old whose stepmother and father were also killed in the deadly attack on the Filipino festival last weekend — announced in a video released this week that he is giving away more than $266,000 Canadian dollars from a fundraiser set up for him. It had raised over half a million Canadian dollars as of its close on Tuesday. Le's uncle, Toan Le, told NBC News the funds would be donated in the coming weeks and that they are searching for an organization to give to. 'From the bottom of my heart, thank you all so much. I truly appreciate each and every one of you,' Andy Le said. 'I know that many other families are hurting too, which is why I would like to donate $266,000 to the other victims from my GoFundMe campaign.' The Saturday attack killed 11 people and injured more than two dozen others. The victims ranged in age from 5 to 65, officials said at a news conference Sunday, adding that the death toll could rise. So far, law enforcement has not given a motive, but it has ruled out terrorism as a possibility. Officials said the suspect, Kai-Ji Adam Lo, 30, who has been charged with eight counts of second-degree murder, had a history of mental illness and was known to police. Lo was under the care of a mental health team at Vancouver Coastal Health (VCH), the facility said in a statement Tuesday. But he was on an extended leave under the Mental Health Act at the time of the attack. Toan Le told NBC News that his brother, Richard Le, 47; his sister-in-law, Linh Hoang, 30; and his niece, Katie Le, 5, were killed. Andy Le survived, the GoFundMe said, because he opted to stay home to finish his homework instead of attending the festival with the rest of his family. The fundraiser was initially started to pay for Andy Le's college education in addition to final expenses for his three family members. In a post on the GoFundMe page, Toan Le said that the funds would now also go toward direct or indirect victims and cover expenses including funeral costs, education, counseling and medical expenses. 'Our hearts go out to all of the families affected by this tragedy,' Toan Le wrote on the GoFundMe page. 'Stay strong—we are with you.' Toan Le also shared details about Andy Le's late family members, writing on the GoFundMe that Richard Le was a dedicated father, badminton and tennis coach and real estate professional. 'He devoted his life to teaching young people the values of sportsmanship and team spirit,' Le wrote on the GoFundMe. 'He served his community and clients with pride and always went out of his way to help others.' Le went on to say that Linh Hoang, Andy Le's stepmother, was 'known for her kindness and gentle spirit.' And Katie was just about to graduate from kindergarten. 'She was vibrant, joyful, and full of life,' Toan Le said of Katie, who was among the youngest of the attack victims. In his video, Andy Le said that he plans to continue living with his grandparents. Locals previously told NBC News that the festival that was attacked is one of the largest Filipino celebrations of the year. It honors the 16th century Filipino chieftain Datu Lapu-Lapu, who defeated Spanish forces and remains a symbol of resistance against colonialism. Diana Silva, a vendor at the festival who left just 30 minutes before the attack, said that during a vigil for the victims, community members didn't hesitate to start brainstorming ways to support survivors and help grieving community members.' Silva said it was reflective of the spirit of the chieftain himself. 'Lapu-Lapu is all about resilience, and he stood up for the Philippines,' Silva said. 'I think that's what our community is doing now.'
Yahoo
01-05-2025
- Yahoo
Vancouver car-ramming suspect was being treated for mental health, confirms mayor
April 30 (UPI) -- The man accused of driving a sport utility vehicle into a crowd at a Filipino festival in Vancouver on Saturday, killing 11 people and injuring dozens more, was being treated for mental health issues and was on extended leave at the time of the crime, the city's mayor said Wednesday. During a press conference, Vancouver Mayor Ken Sim said that Vancouver Coastal Health confirmed to him that Kai-Ji-Adam Lo, 30, was under the care of a mental healthcare team but was on extended leave. "This is incredibly difficult to hear and even harder to accept because it points to a deeper failure in the mental health system, and I've said this before and I will say it again: the mental health crisis is not just a health crisis, it has become a public safety crisis," he said. Lo has been charged with eight counts of second-degree murder in connection with the mass murder car-ramming incident at the Lapu Lapu festival in Vancouver on Saturday evening. Additional charges are expected. Police have said that Lo has "a significant history" of interaction with police and healthcare professionals related to his mental health. While a motive has not been publicly discussed by the authorities, they say they do not believe it to be terrorism. Police have also said officers interacted with Lo a day before the attack in a neighboring jurisdiction, but it was not criminal in nature and did not require mental health intervention. The specifics of the contact have not been made public. Vancouver Coastal Health told CBC News in a statement earlier this week that the suspect was "being followed closely by his care team." "VCH will continue to review the file, but at this time, the best known information at VCH is that there was no indication of violence in this individual's presentation to the VCH team," the statement said. "To the care team's knowledge, there was no recent change in his condition or noncompliance with his treatment plan that would've warranted him needing to be hospitalized involuntarily." In a second press conference, Constable Tania Visintin of the Vancouver Police Department updated the press on the status and identities of the victims. The Vancouver Police Department has been taking a "victim-centered, trauma-informed" approach to their investigation, which has resulted in little information about the victims being made public. On Wednesday, Visintin told reporters that 16 surviving victims remain in the hospital. Five are listed in critical condition and one is in serious condition she said. On Tuesday, authorities said seven were in critical condition and three were in serious condition. All victims have been identified, but authorities were continuing to identify their nationalities. The mayor confirmed in his press conference that they were working with the Filipino ambassador to Canada and the Filipino government to identify if any of the victims were citizens of the Asian nation. Concerning the 11 deceased victims, she said seven were women, two men, one non-binary person and a 22-month-old child. The eldest victim was 65. "We all want the same thing: to understand what happened and to make sure that this never happens again," Sim said. "This is about getting families, organizations and community the answers they deserve and preventing future incidents."
