The Best of The Simi Sara Show - Vancouver City Council passed a 7% property tax increase as part of next year's budget / No coverup but communication, safety policies need work: Whitecaps FC harassment report & More...

CHAPTER 1

🔥🔥 Hot question of the day 🔥🔥

It’s @MikeSmythNews’s 🔥 question of the day:

Vancouver City Council has approved a property tax hike of 7%, with proponents saying it will help fund 25 new police officers, 10 new civilian employees at the VPD, and 35 more firefighters.

Should property owners bear the brunt of additional taxes?

Yes, they have wealth.

No, tax someone else.

 

CHAPTER 2

Vancouver City Council passed a 7% property tax increase as part of next year's budget

It's lower than the proposed 8.2% but still more than double the city's 10-year average. The decision didn't come easy to councillors, with NPA members Sarah Kirby-Yung and Colleen Hardwick arguing an increase well over inflation rate is too high.

Green Councillors Pete Fry and Adriane Carr pushed for the hike, in order to continue support for public services and climate change initiatives.

The long drawn out debate included dozens of amendments. At one point, COPE councillor Jean Swanson suggested the city cut its budget by cancelling new police hires but that amendment failed.

Guest: George Affleck

Former Vancouver City Councillor

Columnist for The Orca

Guest: Alex Hemingway

Economist for the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives

 

CHAPTER 3

Screening for alcohol addiction should begin at age 12, new B.C. guideline says

A new guideline from the B.C. Centre on Substance Use says doctors should begin alcohol addiction screening in patients as young as 12.

"Alcohol addiction is the most common substance-use disorder and can be devastating in terms of both health impacts and the costs to our health system, as well as the harms caused to individuals, families and our communities," said Cheyenne Johnson, co-interim executive director, BCCSU.

"Traditionally, evidence-based treatment and recovery have not been well integrated and implemented into routine clinical care. We're hopeful these new guidelines will support the development of a substance-use continuum of care that identifies signs of alcohol addiction early and provides evidence-based treatment and referral to recovery services."

Guest:  Dr Keith Ahamad

Addictions medicine specialist and clinician researcher at the BC Centre on Substance Use.

He was also the co-chair of the guidelines writing committee.

 

CHAPTER 4

The gift of a Christmas kidney 

Earlier this year, Jason Armstrong was one of the 600 people waiting for a kidney in British Columbia. However, thanks to an unexpected donor, Jason and his family have received the best gift ever: a Christmas kidney. 

Listen to this report from CKNW contributor Claire Allen…

 

CHAPTER 5

No coverup but communication, safety policies need work: Whitecaps FC harassment report

That was the sound at B.C. Place last April, during a walkout by members of a Vancouver Whitecaps supporter group. They did that to protest the club’s response to abuse allegations against a former women’s soccer coach.

In May, the Whitecaps commissioned an independent review of the allegations, and the Whitecaps’ respectful workplace policies and procedures.

Today, that report has been published. 

It found the soccer club did not attempt to “cover up” allegations of harassment by a former coach in the women’s program - but said it had failed in its communication with players about the incident.

The report was commissioned following explosive allegations that dated back to 2008, which were published on a blog in February by Ciara McCormack, a former Whitecaps women’s team and Canada women’s under-20 (U20) national team player.

It spoke with more than 350 people, and has produced 34 recommendations.

Guest: Ciara McCormack

Former Whitecaps player whose blog post alleged abuse

Guest: Jeff Mallett 

Whitecaps FC Co-owner

 

CHAPTER 6

Talks break down between Western Forest Products and United Steelworkers Union

Discussions between Western Forest Products and the United Steelworkers Local on a new collective agreement have reached an impasse and no future mediation dates have been scheduled at this time.

Guest: Gaby Wickstrom

Mayor of Port McNeil

 

CHAPTER 7

Lifelabs privacy breach: should the company have paid the ransom?

Cyber security experts say the recent data hack at LifeLabs shows the health-care industry is a prize target for criminals.

One of Canada's largest medical services companies revealed yesterday that hackers accessed the personal information of up to 15-million customers, almost all in Ontario and British Columbia.

LifeLabs paid a ransom to retrieve and secure the data.

Experts say health care companies are often willing to pay a ransom rather than face the potential for a disruption that could have serious medical consequences.

Guest: Thomas Keenan

University of Calgary

CHAPTER 1

🔥🔥 Hot question of the day 🔥🔥

It’s @MikeSmythNews’s 🔥 question of the day:

Vancouver City Council has approved a property tax hike of 7%, with proponents saying it will help fund 25 new police officers, 10 new civilian employees at the VPD, and 35 more firefighters.

Should property owners bear the brunt of additional taxes?

Yes, they have wealth.
No, tax someone else.

 

CHAPTER 2

Vancouver City Council passed a 7% property tax increase as part of next year's budget

It's lower than the proposed 8.2% but still more than double the city's 10-year average. The decision didn't come easy to councillors, with NPA members Sarah Kirby-Yung and Colleen Hardwick arguing an increase well over inflation rate is too high.

Green Councillors Pete Fry and Adriane Carr pushed for the hike, in order to continue support for public services and climate change initiatives.

The long drawn out debate included dozens of amendments. At one point, COPE councillor Jean Swanson suggested the city cut its budget by cancelling new police hires but that amendment failed.

Guest: George Affleck

Former Vancouver City Councillor

Columnist for The Orca

Guest: Alex Hemingway

Economist for the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives

 

CHAPTER 3

Screening for alcohol addiction should begin at age 12, new B.C. guideline says

A new guideline from the B.C. Centre on Substance Use says doctors should begin alcohol addiction screening in patients as young as 12.

"Alcohol addiction is the most common substance-use disorder and can be devastating in terms of both health impacts and the costs to our health system, as well as the harms caused to individuals, families and our communities," said Cheyenne Johnson, co-interim executive director, BCCSU.

"Traditionally, evidence-based treatment and recovery have not been well integrated and implemented into routine clinical care. We're hopeful these new guidelines will support the development of a substance-use continuum of care that identifies signs of alcohol addiction early and provides evidence-based treatment and referral to recovery services."

Guest:  Dr Keith Ahamad

Addictions medicine specialist and clinician researcher at the BC Centre on Substance Use.

He was also the co-chair of the guidelines writing committee.

 

CHAPTER 4

The gift of a Christmas kidney 

Earlier this year, Jason Armstrong was one of the 600 people waiting for a kidney in British Columbia. However, thanks to an unexpected donor, Jason and his family have received the best gift ever: a Christmas kidney. 

Listen to this report from CKNW contributor Claire Allen…

 

CHAPTER 5

No coverup but communication, safety policies need work: Whitecaps FC harassment report

That was the sound at B.C. Place last April, during a walkout by members of a Vancouver Whitecaps supporter group. They did that to protest the club’s response to abuse allegations against a former women’s soccer coach.

In May, the Whitecaps commissioned an independent review of the allegations, and the Whitecaps’ respectful workplace policies and procedures.

Today, that report has been published. 

It found the soccer club did not attempt to “cover up” allegations of harassment by a former coach in the women’s program - but said it had failed in its communication with players about the incident.

The report was commissioned following explosive allegations that dated back to 2008, which were published on a blog in February by Ciara McCormack, a former Whitecaps women’s team and Canada women’s under-20 (U20) national team player.

It spoke with more than 350 people, and has produced 34 recommendations.

Guest: Ciara McCormack

Former Whitecaps player whose blog post alleged abuse

Guest: Jeff Mallett 

Whitecaps FC Co-owner

 

CHAPTER 6

Talks break down between Western Forest Products and United Steelworkers Union

Discussions between Western Forest Products and the United Steelworkers Local on a new collective agreement have reached an impasse and no future mediation dates have been scheduled at this time.

Guest: Gaby Wickstrom

Mayor of Port McNeil

 

CHAPTER 7

Lifelabs privacy breach: should the company have paid the ransom?

Cyber security experts say the recent data hack at LifeLabs shows the health-care industry is a prize target for criminals.

One of Canada's largest medical services companies revealed yesterday that hackers accessed the personal information of up to 15-million customers, almost all in Ontario and British Columbia.

LifeLabs paid a ransom to retrieve and secure the data.

Experts say health care companies are often willing to pay a ransom rather than face the potential for a disruption that could have serious medical consequences.

Guest: Thomas Keenan

University of Calgary