BC is recruiting health care workers from the US
Hundreds of U.S. based doctors, nurses and other medical professionals are on their way in moving to British Columbia.
It’s a result of a recruitment campaign the province is specifically marketing to Washington state, Oregon, and parts of California.
The British Columbian Ministry of Health said more than 2,000 doctors, nurse practitioners, nurses and other healthcare workers have signed up for webinars on how to move their careers northwards.
Health Minister Josie Osborne said combining the marketing campaign with streamlining the accreditation process, is proving successful.
"I think we’re on the right track in that we are not going to let up these efforts to reduce the barriers for physicians and nurses, nurse-practitioners to move here to British Columbia, continue to streamline the credentialing process looking farther abroad, of course, than just North America but into other countries around the world," Osborne said.
Since easing rules earlier this month to certify doctors from outside the province, the College of Physicians and Surgeons in British Columbia has approved 29 applications from doctors currently based in the United States.
BC College of Nurses has approved nearly 320 applicants. The college has also approved applications for 46 nurse practitioners.
Development to go ahead next to divisive Thorpe Road exchange parcel
Spokane is moving forward with 1,000 new homes on Thorpe Road in west Spokane.
Developer Blue Fern backed out of a land exchange with the Washington Department of Natural Resources on Thorpe Road earlier this month.
That project got a lot of pushback from neighbors and environmentalists, but the developer’s still moving ahead with its Victory Heights development, which is planned right next to that parcel.
"Thorpe Road, from the tunnels to Assembly, is a winding country road. I would encourage each one of you to go out to Thorpe Road and drive that road and imagine 1,000 cars in the morning driving westbound," resident Stefen Harvey said during an appeal hearing earlier this month.
But Spokane City Council dismissed the appeal, claiming process issues. Council OK'd the addition of the planned unit development to city zoning Monday night.
Blue Fern, the Washington Department of Transportation, and the City of Spokane will decide how to mitigate impacts to traffic and infrastructure as the project goes on.
$50k in grants no longer available to Spokane conservation group
Private organizations, as well as local and state governments, are adjusting to the loss of federal grants which they had expected.
In Spokane, one of those groups is the Spokane Riverkeeper, a nonprofit that works to protect and restore the Spokane River.
Waterkeeper Jule Schultz saidhis organization hasn’t had a grant pulled. But many that it previously relied are no longer available.
"I can't tell you exactly why we haven't received a number of grants recently that were focused on education and DEI efforts around the river," he said.
Schultz estimates Spokane Riverkeeper will lose about $50,000s in expected grants and says future grant funding will be 10-15% lower than this year.
He hopes private giving can make up some of that. If not, Schultz said changes may have to be made to current projects.
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Reporting by Craig McCoullouch, Eliza Billingham and Doug Nadvornick.