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B.C.’s road to recovery: Restaurant reopenings could start in May

Public confidence key for restaurants to return to profitable operations

B.C. restaurants could be allowed to open their dining rooms as early as next month, although the provincial government has made clear that any loosened restrictions will come from provincial health officer Bonnie Henry. When she issues orders to loosen restrictions, she will act in part on recommendations that the industry has drafted and provided to government.…

India: A trip through the senses

Perhaps you’ve seen the scene: a tuk-tuk going slalom on a dusty road, passing vehicles, ditching garbage piles and honking at everything that isn’t in its way. The second I stepped outside Jaipur International Airport, I felt transported into this exact documentary scene.…

Doctors anxious over PPE shortages as Ottawa tries to shore up domestic supply

New poll also finds vast majority of doctors remain anxious over lack of COVID-19 testing

ABOUT 90 PER CENT of doctors surveyed by the Canadian Medical Association indicated greater availability of PPE would help reduce their anxiety around the COVID-19 pandemic, according to an April 28 poll from the physician advocacy group. The poll also revealed significant fears over access to COVID-19 testing, with 84 per cent of respondents reporting more testing would help ease their concerns.…

Pemberton council approves Hillside Development Standards

Council briefs: Council approves Cycling Network Plan and definition of screening officers for its Bylaw Dispute System

Village of Pemberton (VOP) council voted to approve the Hillside Development Standards report presented at its April 21 regular council meeting. Planner Joanna Rees’ report was created with several goals in mind, including to avoid development on unstable or hazardous sites while protecting wildlife habitat and outdoor recreation options, managing storm run-off, considering projects’ visual impacts and complementing Pemberton’s hillside character.…

Tourism outlook bleak, with glimmers of hope

In the best-case scenario offered by Destination B.C., short-haul tourism could start in June and July of this year

The shadow of the global pandemic felt a little darker and colder for the province’s tourism industry this past week as Destination B.C. revealed three possible scenarios for the impact of the outbreak. It’s likely the tourism industry will lose 130,000 jobs and drop $16.8 billion in revenue as a result of COVID-19, according to the province’s tourism marketing organization.…

B.C.’s road to recovery: Post-secondary schools focus on the fall

Restoring international enrolment is top priority for colleges, universities

Students from kindergarten to Grade 12 could head back to school before the end of an unusual school year. While a date of return remains merely a possibility, the idea has not yet been ruled out by the B.C. Ministry of Education.…

Whistler budget amendments, tax bylaws to come to council Tuesday, May 5

FIRST LOOK: docks mgmt. strategy, private developer housing projects and more included in packed agenda

WHISTLER COUNCIL will consider amendments to the 2020 budget and tax collection process at its May 5 meeting. Included at the bottom of the jam-packed May 5 agenda are three budget-related items: reports on an Alternative Municipal Tax Collection Scheme bylaw and amendments to the Five-Year Financial Plan bylaw, as well as consideration of the 2020 tax and utility rate bylaws.…

Feds investing $175m in B.C. firm developing COVID-19 treatment

Ottawa also promising $240m in additional health-care services

A VANCOUVER-BASED life sciences company is getting a boost from Ottawa in the fight against COVID-19 to the tune of $175 million. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced Sunday (May 3) that AbCellera Biologics Inc. would be receiving the investment as it pursues the quick development, manufacturing and distribution of therapeutic antibodies.…

Lawsuits over COVID-19 handling in nursing homes raise questions about standard of care

“Governments should also consider an inquiry into how care homes responded to the crisis”: Lawyer

As the deadly toll of COVID-19 on Canada’s nursing homes gives rise to a growing number of proposed class-action lawsuits, some legal experts said the cases will turn on what’s considered reasonable care during a pandemic. The ongoing global health crisis that has disproportionately affected the elderly poses a unique and unprecedented backdrop for such civil actions, which have emerged in Ontario and Quebec in recent weeks, experts said.…

Dick Fairhurst of Cypress Lodge: Part II

This week, we’re continuing the story of Dick Fairhurst, who first came to Alta Lake in 1943. By 1955, he owned three adjoining lots on Alta Lake, including the property today known as The Point, and was operating a collection of cabins and a tearoom under the name Cypress Lodge.…

Hundreds of B.C. hairstylists and barbers sign petition to stay closed for now in face of COVID-19

Provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry says some sectors won’t reopen until they’re confident they can operate safely

Hundreds of B.C. barbers and hairstylists have signed a petition asking the provincial government not to single them out to re-open when COVID-19 restrictions begin to ease. Premier John Horgan is expected to announce B.C.’s plan for reopening the economy next week.…

In face of COVID-19, Whistler’s Zero Ceiling looks to expand

Non-profit plans to increase supportive housing from eight to 12 beds in next year

the staff at Zero Ceiling, a Whistler-based non-profit dedicated to reducing youth homelessness, has long known the work they do is important. But that became all the more apparent recently as the COVID-19 crisis added uncertainty for program participants who rely on the organization for support.…

Hundreds of B.C. hairstylists, barbers sign petition to not be among first businesses to reopen

Provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry says some sectors won’t reopen until they’re confident they can operate safely

Hundreds of B.C. barbers and hairstylists have signed a petition asking the provincial government not to single them out when COVID-19 restrictions begin to ease. Premier John Horgan is expected to announce B.C.’s plan for reopening the economy next week.…

Sports!!! (and Quarantino 6)

Back in the 1990s, Quentin Tarantino used to bemoan the fact that American audiences would watch a four-hour football game but refused to sit through a three-hour movie. Of course, Quentin got famous enough that he started making long-ass movies anyhow, but there has always been a bit of conflict there: between sporting events and films, the jocks versus the art geeks.…

Returning to work during COVID-19

Can your boss force you to wear a mask? Can employees refuse to come back to work? These questions and more answered by an employment lawyer

With talk of things starting to open back up in the Sea to Sky corridor and elsewhere, and with COVID-19 still a concern, what can employees and employers expect from the new normal? The Squamish Chief caught up with Andrea Raso, a senior employment and human rights lawyer at Clark Wilson LLP, to talk about the rights of employees and employers as they begin a return to work.…