May is Caregiver Awareness month in British Columbia and Canada Revenue Agency is offering live webinars on Benefits and Credits for Caregivers:
Thursday, May 13, 2021 from 1:30 – 3:00pm Pacific time
Tuesday, May 25, 2021 from 10:00 – 11:30am Pacific time
LATEST UPDATE – March 3, 2021
In an effort to keep our community partners connected, we are providing you with regular COVID-19 updates.
Ministry of Health update
In yesterday’s joint statement on B.C.’s COVID-19 response, Dr. Bonnie Henry, Provincial Health Officer, and Adrian Dix, Minister of Health, reported 438 new cases. Due to challenges with the data system during the past week, there are an additional 254 cases during that time period. The data system problem is now resolved.
The total number of people who have tested positive for COVID-19 in B.C. now stands at 81,367 since the start of the pandemic. Of the new cases, 137 people were in the Vancouver Coastal Health (VCH) region.
Across the province, there were two new COVID-19 related deaths, while 243 people are currently hospitalized, with 63 of these cases receiving treatment in ICU/critical care. The total number of individuals who have passed away due to COVID-19 is 1,365. There are now 4,679 active cases of COVID-19 across B.C. currently.
There have been 22 new confirmed COVID-19 cases that are variants of concern in our province, for a total of 182 cases. Of the total cases, eight cases are active and the remaining people have recovered. This includes 159 cases of the B.1.1.7 (UK) variant and 23 cases of the B.1.351 (South Africa) variant.
Vaccination update
Since the start of immunizations, 283,182 vaccinations have been delivered in B.C. (not including today), with 86,537 of those being a second dose.
Dr. Henry said the addition of the newly approved AstraZeneca-Serum Institute of India viral vector vaccine also means we can look at accelerating availability of vaccine for essential workers, including for first responders and those who are unable to work from home.
While this is encouraging news for everyone, we are not yet at that important level of protection that we need to be at to put aside the public health restrictions. We have to have the confidence that we are slowing the spread in a sustained way, which means we need to continue to stay committed to using our layers of protection, to stay small and stay local right now.
More information and immunization data is available through this page: BCCDC.
VCH’s implementation of Phase 2 of B.C.’s Immunization – a reminder
On Monday, March 8, people can book their appointment by age group by calling 1-877-587-5767. The appointment booking line is toll-free and will operate seven days a week from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
To facilitate access to as many eligible seniors and Indigenous (First Nations, Métis and Inuit) people as possible, VCH invites people in the following age groups to call the appointment booking phone line from the dates indicated below:
Richmond, Vancouver, North Vancouver and West Vancouver
Call Starting March 8: (Vaccinations starting March 15)
Year of birth in or before 1931 (seniors 90 years of age and older); year of birth in or before 1956 for Indigenous people (65 years of age and older)
Call Starting March 15: (Vaccinations starting March 22)
Year of birth in or before 1936 (seniors 85 years of age and older); year of birth in or before 1956 for Indigenous people (65 years of age and older)
Call Starting March 22: (Vaccinations starting March 29)
Year of birth in or before 1941 (seniors 80 years of age and older); year of birth in or before 1956 for Indigenous people (65 years of age and older)
Sunshine Coast, Powell River, Whistler, Squamish and Pemberton
Call Starting March 8: (Vaccinations starting March 15)
Year of birth in or before 1941 (seniors 80 years of age and older); year of birth in or before 1956 for Indigenous people (65 years of age and older)
Before calling the phone line, residents are asked to have a pen and paper, their personal health number, full name, date of birth, postal code and a phone number available.
VCH’s implementation of Phase 2 of B.C.’s Immunization Plan – spread the word
VCH is appealing to family members, friends, neighbours and social services agencies to help reach eligible seniors and Indigenous people in the community. Please share the COVID-19 vaccination information with people 80 years of age and older, or Indigenous (First Nations, Métis and Inuit) people 65 years of age and older and Elders, to help them plan ahead for when the appointment booking phone line opens, according to age group. We encourage you to share the resources online (links below) or to print and distribute as needed to eligible seniors, their families and supports in your community and networks. Below are the current resources available, and more resources will be added to our website in additional languages.
The resource toolkit includes:
[English] | [Arabic] | [ASL] | [Chinese – simplified] | [Chinese – Traditional]| [Farsi] | [French] | [Korean] | [Spanish] | [Tagalog] | [Vietnamese]
[English] | [Arabic] | [Chinese – Simplified] | [Chinese – Traditional]| [French] | [Korean] | [Punjabi] | [Spanish] | [Vietnamese]
[English] | [Arabic] | [ASL] | [Chinese – Simplified] | [Chinese – Traditional]| [Farsi] | [French] | [Korean] | [Punjabi] | [Spanish] | [Tagalog] | [Vietnamese]
[English] | [Arabic] | [ASL] | [Chinese – Simplified] | [Chinese – Traditional]| [Farsi] | [French] | [Korean] | [Punjabi] | [Spanish] | [Tagalog] | [Vietnamese]
Thank you for your support and dedication to keeping seniors in our communities healthy and well as we move into this next phase of immunizations.
For reference, below is important contact information related to COVID-19 vaccine.
Testing
Anyone in the VCH region with cold, influenza or COVID-19-like symptoms, however mild, can now be assessed for and get a COVID-19 test. Contact your physician or nurse practitioner’s office, or a local community collection centre to arrange for a test. Phone numbers and locations of collection centres can be found by visiting: http://www.bccdc.ca/health-info/diseases-conditions/covid-19/testing or by calling 8-1-1. For more information and latest updates on COVID-19, follow the BC Centre for Disease Control on Twitter @CDCofBC or visit the website: http://www.bccdc.ca/.
Other resources
To find the Provincial Health Officer’s orders, visit:
https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/health/about-bc-s-health-care-system/office-of-the-provincial-health-officer/current-health-topics/covid-19-novel-coronavirus
To see a map of COVID-19 cases by local health area, visit: http://www.bccdc.ca/health-info/diseases-conditions/covid-19/data
For a listing of the community exposure events, go to: http://www.bccdc.ca/health-info/diseases-conditions/covid-19/public-exposures
For the latest medical updates, including case counts, prevention, risks and testing, visit: http://www.bccdc.ca/
For community engagement opportunities at VCH, see: http://cean.vch.ca/members/current-opportunities/
Watch the amazing Black Deaf actress Courage Bacchus, perform in Beyere, courtesy of CBC Arts – CBC Gems:To see rest of the other “21 Black Futures” Black theatre episodes, go to this link:
Are you a RELIABLE DEAF PERSON, with STRONG COMMUNICATION SKILLS who is PASSIONATE about educating the public on the uniqueness of the Deaf community and their cultural needs?
CARLENE WALTERHOUSE
Registered Psychiatric Nurse (RPN)
She/Her/Hers
778-847-0635
Two Permanent Instructional Assistants needed
Close Date: 03/12/2021
(ASL & Deaf Studies Department at Vancouver Community College)
Join us to practice your creative writing skills and re-claim your voice as we explore creative writing as a tool for self-expression. This two hour class, led by author Emily Gillespie, will include a brief introduction to memoir writing, creating safety containers for memoir writing and prompts to get you started in telling your story. Prompts will be given to help you recognize emotions and themes emerging in your life that you may wish to explore further. You will leave this session with a short-story, and brainstorming about further themes you may want to explore on your own time. All writing levels and voices welcome.
ASL and Closed Captions will be provided.
This workshop will be presented on Zoom
FREE for Kickstart Members (membership will be confirmed upon registration*)
$10 for the general public OR purchase a membership to access other workshops in 2021 for Free!
Geoff McMurchy (1955–2015), Kickstarts founding Artistic Director, was a pioneer in the local and international disability arts community. Anyone who knew him will tell you that he was an amazing Artist, and a trailblazer in the disability arts and culture community, who influenced a huge number of people.
Geoff’s dream was that disability art be considered on the same level as all art. “My interest is that the art that is presented should not be through the filter of ‘disability’; I would like it to be appreciated as art, and you don’t have to like it,” he once said.
For Immediate Release
Outsiders and Others 1st Anniversary Show!
Vancouver’s first gallery dedicated to Outsider Art celebrates its 1st anniversary!
March 5 – 28
In March of 2020, the beginning of the COVID-19 crisis, we signed on the dotted line. We became real so we could bring art and culture to our community when no one else was. While everyone was shutting down, we were opening up.
As a window-based gallery, we could “open our doors” without actually opening them. In one of the strangest years of our lives, we were able to present a new exhibition in our gallery every month. We intend to do the same for years to come.
Hi there,
I’m excited to share with you that MaRS and CIBC have officially launched the Inclusive Design Challenge, a multi-year competition seeking solutions to employment barriers identified from the disability community. The first challenge in the series seeks the input of persons with disabilities and allies in the identification of barriers they experience, which will directly inform our series of competitions seeking solutions. This challenge is designed to bring significant barriers to light and help millions of Canadians achieve and sustain meaningful employment, especially in the context of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Beyond this impact, we are offering 20 prizes of $250 for Challenge participants. Deadline to submit ideas is March 4, 2021 at 11:59PM EDT.
Arts Worker Income Tax with Jen Braem.
Mar 9, 7:30pm.
Via Zoom, Registration required (free).
Real-time captioning (CART) provided.
Arts Worker Income Tax – Learn how to navigate your self employed income with Jen Braem
The Digital Stage: Janet Munsil & the Canadian Play Thing.
Mar 2, 7:30pm.
Talks will stream on Facebook Live.
Real-time captioning (CART) and ASL interpretation provided.
Link to transcript: http://bit.ly/3dP7yU2
The Accessible BC Act Update
Youtube: https://youtu.be/_mEGcMXLyrM
0.00
Behind me, the wall is dark grey. The sofa behind me is silver/grey. The picture to my right is a black and white painting of tall buildings. My shirt is long-sleeved, the top two buttons are unbuttoned and open. The shirt is dark purple with tiny pink polka dots all over. I am sitting on a black office chair that swivels.
We would like to acknowledge the shared, unceded traditional territory of the Katzie, Semiahmoo, Kwantlen and other Coast Salish Peoples on which we live, work, play and learn. [Forrest integrated some Indigenous Sign Languages in this acknowledgement]
My name is Forrest Smith and I am the President of GVAD. I have good news for those of you in B.C. It’s exciting, the Ministry of SDPR, Social Development and Poverty Reduction, informed us that they will be bringing forward legislation this spring, specifically The Accessible BC Act (ABCA). THIS spring, wow, exciting!
1.30
I want to explain the history, current plans, future plans, those timelines. Back in June 2019, a team started developing the accessibility law, a team led by Sam Turcott, a real neat team. They invited me to be part of the Advisory Committee on Accessibility, which I have been on since June 2019.
POSTPONED
BC Accessibility Act Town Hall
Thursday, February 18 at 7pm
Friday, February 19 at 7pm.
More details coming soon.
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