A request for proposals for a construction manager for the new $289-million B.C. Cancer centre at Nanaimo Regional General Hospital has been issued. Submissions are due July 15, and will be evaluated by Island Health and B.C. Cancer.
It’s expected the construction manager will be chosen by August, with construction anticipated to begin next summer.
The centre will be built next to Nanaimo Regional General Hospital’s ambulatory care building. It will house a computed topography (CT) simulator, a PET/CT diagnostic scanner and an oncology ambulatory care unit with 12 exam rooms, four consultation rooms and space for medical physicists and radiation therapists, says Island Health.
The centre will have four linear accelerator vaults, which are heavy concrete structures that contain radiation equipment used in the treatment of cancer patients. The new cancer centre is part of the province’s 10-year Cancer Action Plan.
Indigenous Climate Fellow named
Inuit climate leader and Nobel Peace Prize nominee Siila (Sheila) Watt-Cloutier has been announced as the inaugural Indigenous Climate Fellow at the Pacific Institute for Climate Solutions. Watt-Cloutier and the organization will work together on climate change research, education, and policy and to increase Indigenous leadership in these areas.
Watt-Cloutier’s work has connected human rights and climate change in the public and political consciousness, the institute says. “We are living in an era of unprecedented and rapid climate change. As the Arctic sea ice and glaciers melt, the impacts are felt worldwide from floods, fires and droughts. It becomes clear that Indigenous wisdom is the medicine the world seeks in addressing sustainability issues,” Watt-Cloutier said.
The fellowship is funded by the institute, with a contribution from the Gordon Foundation.
The institute says it mobilizes research, partnerships, and knowledge to generate climate action. It’s hosted and led by the University of Victoria in collaboration with Simon Fraser University, the University of British Columbia, and the University of Northern British Columbia.
Chef Tavs earns Camosun honour
Red Seal chef Lesley (Watson) Stav is this year’s recipient of Camosun College’s Distinguished Alumni Award honouring her 35 years as a mentor, guide and advocate for the culinary industry. Stav graduated from Camosun College’s Culinary Arts program in 1988.
After working in Vancouver, Stav returned to Vancouver Island in 2006 to join the Kingfisher Resort and Spa in Courtenay. Starting in 2013, she focused on mentoring culinary students and organizing events at North Island College and Vancouver Island University. Stav supported community connections with local chefs, farmers, fishermen and producers.
New-look Unitarian Shelter celebrated
Upgrades to the Nanaimo Unitarian Shelter space, which will be operated by the Nanaimo Family Life Association, will be celebrated on July 13 at an open house. Improvements costing nearly $300,000 are nearly complete after two months of work.
At the event, a new accessible washroom and health-care room will be dedicated to Sophia, a 23-year-old shelter worker who died in November of last year. (Her last name was not released).
