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Welcome!

It has been a busy month with many things happening in the community. It is starting to feel like we are seeing a bit of light at the end of the COVID-19 tunnel. The numbers of people of people being given their first dose of vaccine has reached almost 65% of eligible British Columbians, the daily number of new cases has dropped substantially, and there is a plan to start reopening the province. As with everything COVID, it is all subject to change, but fingers crossed we remain on track to going back to close to the way we were. More about the COVID-19 reopening plan is below.

I met with a number of constituents this month, 5 different community organizations, as well as doing a number of public speaking events. We also had a successful town hall, discussing access to Mount Seymour. It is important to get your voices heard, and I am glad to all of those that listened in and joined in. I spent a good deal of the month following up on constituents and their cases, some of them going back as far as December. Some issues are more complicated than others and they take longer to resolve.

We have a number of town halls happening this month. One is on June 3rd and it is about vaccines, and the other is about men's health and it is on June 28th. More about them can be found further down in the email.

Acute-care tower at LGH

We are one step closer to building the new acute-care tower at Lions Gate Hospital with the decision on which company will build it. The new facility will feature eight new operating rooms, a new pre-operative and post-operative care area, 108 single-patient rooms with ensuite bathrooms, a telehealth centre and a primary care centre to give residents without a family doctor faster access to non-acute services. Construction is expected to begin in mid-2021. This is a great step forward in improving health care for the people of the North Shore. More information can be found here.

I appreciate everyone who contacts us with their concerns. Please everyone stay safe and be kind to each other. We are all in this together.

Susie Chant, MLA
North Vancouver - Seymour

A zoom call regarding North Vancouver District Library

COVID Reopening

On Tuesday May 25, the government announced BC’s Restart Plan. This is a step-by-step guide as to how we’ll be able to come together again and resume some of the things we love, like travel, sports, gatherings, and events.

Like all the steps we’ve taken over the past year, this plan is informed by data and guided by public health advice. We remain focused on protecting British Columbians and ensuring the sacrifices we’ve all made aren’t put at risk.

More and more of us are getting vaccinated every day, and this is making a difference in reducing transmission. This is what is allowing us to carefully relax restrictions.

As of Tuesday, we are in Step 1 of the plan. This means that indoor dining can resume with safety protocols, and we can start having indoor visits of up to 5 people (or one other household). Outdoor sports games can also resume for adults and youth, with no spectators at this time. These are only a few highlights – I encourage you to check out the full plan at gov.bc.ca/restartbc.

Step 2 will start June 15 at the earliest, as long as we reach a 65% first-dose vaccination rate in the 18+ population, and provided our case counts and hospitalizations continue to decline.

If the numbers decline, our ability to travel will increase. I am cautiously optimistic that the numbers will continue to decline and we can increase our travel a bit over the summer months.

In order to continue with our restart, and have the summer we all want, we all need to continue following public health measures – continue wearing your mask in public places, staying within your travel zone, and if you feel sick, stay at home and get tested.

As always, if you have questions or need any assistance with vaccination information, the restart plan, provincial COVID-19 supports, or any other provincial issue, please reach out. My office can be reached at 604-983-9859 or by email.   

For medical info, visit covid-19.bccdc.ca or call 811
For vaccination info, visit this page.
For the Restart Plan, visit gov.bc.ca/restartbc
For the BC Recovery Benefit, visit gov.bc.ca/recoverybenefit 
or call 1-833-882-0020
For financial supports for people and families, visit this page.
For financial supports for businesses, visit this page.
For virtual mental health resources, click here.
For seniors looking for additional support, or for those looking to support seniors, call 2-1-1 or visit bc211.ca

Vaccines for all!

Okay maybe not all, but most. Registration is open for everyone 12 and up. Youth in this age group can also accompany an adult to an already-booked appointment and get vaccinated at the same time as their family member. It saves time and helps get a whole family protected quicker and easier.

If you haven’t already, please make sure you are registered. You can register in just two minutes at getvaccinated.gov.bc.ca or by phone at 1-833-838-2323. Once registered, you’ll receive a text or email shortly with a link to book your appointment. It is easy and quick and it helps protect you and your loved ones.

Upcoming event

Virtual Town Hall: Vaccinations

Bowinn Ma MLA for North Vancouver-Lonsdale and I will be hosting a Live Virtual Town Hall on vaccinations with special guest Dr. John Harding, who is the Medical Health Officer for Vancouver Coastal Health. With the opening up of the vaccine registry for youth 12 and up, I am sure there are many questions and we are here to help answer as many as we can.

The live virtual town hall will take place on Thursday, June 3, 2021 from 6 PM – 7 PM and there are two ways to participate:

Watch the Facebook Live Stream.
Register to join the Zoom Room

You may submit questions ahead of time to Eli.Mallin@leg.bc.ca with “Town Hall” in the title and your postal code in the body of your email. We are looking forward to hearing from you!

Upcoming event

Virtual Town Hall: Men's Health

The Canadian Men’s Health Foundation is a national, registered charity providing information, tools, and motivation for men and their families to live healthier. This town hall is a chance to discuss and learn about coping with issues related to men and how to handle stress now during the pandemic and moving forward.

Watch the Facebook Live Stream (Link to come).
Register to join the Zoom Room.

You may submit questions ahead of time via the Zoom Room, or send an email to Eli.Mallin@leg.bc.ca with “Men's Town Hall” in the title and your postal code in the body of your email. We are looking forward to hearing from you!

Racism is ugly

The Province proclaimed May 23-29, 2021, as Anti-Racism Awareness Week - a chance for British Columbians to celebrate and learn about B.C.'s diverse culture, reflect on biases and stand together against racism.

The dates were chosen because the anniversaries of the Komagata Maru, the murder of George Floyd and Asian Heritage Month are all this week.

The Komagata Maru was a ship that, in 1914, carried British subjects from India that were trying to immigrate to Canada. More than 350 of the 374 people on board were denied entry into Canada and after two months were forced back to Calcutta where a number of them were killed by police. Canada had, at that time, a policy of restricting entry to people from Asian countries.

During the pandemic, we have seen an increase in hate crimes and racism directed at Asian Canadians. Put simply, racism is ugly. We should be better than this.

The Province is providing $300,000 in grants as part of a one-time $2.9-million boost to support anti-racism initiatives through StrongerBC: BC's Economic Recovery Plan. The following community conveners have been selected:

African Art and Cultural Community Contributor Society (AACCCS)
Hua Foundation
BC Association of Aboriginal Friendship Centres (BCAAFC)
Islam Unravelled

To learn more about how you can help end racism and hate, go to The Resilience BC Anti-Racism Network.

Erato Ensemble receives an Arts and Culture Resilience Grant from BC Art Council

Childcare

Kiwassa Neighbourhood House and Capilano University receive Partnership Award of Excellence in the Community

The 2021 Child Care Awards of Excellence awards went out and the Partnership Award went to the Kiwassa Neighbourhood House and Capilano University for their leadership by working collaboratively and providing early support to childhood educators during the COVID-19 pandemic. Congratulations to CapU and to the Kiwassa Neighbourhood House and to all those working in Child Care! This has been a challenging year and all of you have risen to the challenge. Thank you!

https://www.capilanou.ca/about-capu/get-to-know-us/news/2021/title-1890625-en.php
https://www.kiwassa.ca/blog/capilano-u-wins-child-care-awards-of-excellence/

The month ahead

Grads

This year's grads are the first graduating class that have spent the whole school year learning under COVID-19 conditions. I truly hope they are the last. Congratulations to all the Grads of NVS! Life is full of challenges and you have managed a big one!

National Indigenous History Month

June is also National Indigenous History Month, a time for all Canadians - Indigenous, and non-Indigenous - to reflect upon and learn about the history, sacrifices, cultures, contributions, and strength of First Nations, Inuit and Metis people.

As we work on reconciliation, we need to learn from the history. Residential schools, the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls, are all part of our recent history. Just yesterday we learned about the burial site of 215 children on the grounds of the former Kamloops Indian Residential School.

There are many places to learn about the history of the Indigenous Peoples. Here are a few websites to start.

https://www.rcaanc-cirnac.gc.ca/eng/1621447127773/1621447157184
https://www.ictinc.ca/blog/national-indigenous-history-month

National Indigenous Peoples Day

June 21st each year is National Indigenous Peoples Day in Canada. The date was chosen for the traditional significance that the summer solstice plays in the Indigenous culture. More information about this important day will be sent out closer to the date.

Forward

I gratefully acknowledge the opportunity to
live,
work,
and learn
on the unceded territories of the
sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish)
and
sel̓íl̓witulh (Tsleil-Waututh)
Nations.