ICE BUCKETS
By the end of January 2012, anyone taking figure skating or hockey lessons at a Vancouver ice rink must wear an approved helmet.
And forget the bike helmet. Vision Vancouver park board chair Constance Barnes told me that until now bike helmets have been allowed, but that's about to end. "We've been allowing kids to use bike helmets, but when they fall, they fall backwards and they can still crack the back of their head," says Barnes. "Using proper helmets is a directive from Skate Canada."
For those who can't afford to buy regulation head protection, the park board is purchasing another 30 new helmets at each of its eight rinks, which will be available to borrow at no cost. Each of the rinks is equipped with 70 helmets available for rent or loan.
"It's going to cost the park board $12,000," says Barnes. "But that's a small price to pay when you're talking about protecting a child's head."
SENIOR PLANNING
Longtime seniors advocate and activist Lorna Gibbs is optimistic a seniors centre for the southeast corner of the city is one step closer to reality.
"At least it's still on the radar," Gibbs told me Monday.
Gibbs was responding to an announcement Friday by the park board vice-chair, Vision Vancouver's Aaron Jasper, that the park board will apply for a $1 million grant from the new provincial Community Recreation Program toward a centre. The provincial government recently launched the $30 million program to help municipalities meet their recreation infrastructure needs.
Gibbs and other seniors have fought for a decade to have the Southeast Vancouver Seniors' Centre built. The centre or lack thereof, has become an election issue at all levels of government.
In 2009, the park board instructed staff to look at the possibility of adding 10,000 square-feet of program space to the Killarney Community Centre for a seniors facility. The board followed that up with a promise of $2.5 million as part of the 2011 capital budget contingent on finding external funding.
Jasper says the seniors' centre is the ideal project and fit for the new provincial program.
"Southeast Vancouver has one third of the city's seniors without any centralized resources," says Jasper. "There are significant recreational needs for this area and this centre will provide an important hub for keeping seniors active and engaged with the community."
The park board's report and proposal to seek money from the provincial program goes to the city for approval Thursday morning. Meanwhile Gibbs is putting out a call to all seniors who care about the centre to attend the city's finance and services meeting at 9: 30 a.m. at city hall.
LIFESAVER
The park board is adding a new piece of equipment to each of its community centres this week with the hope they're never used.
As of this week, automated external defibrillators (AEDs) have been installed at community centres across the city. The AEDs were donated by the Gianfranco Giammaria Memorial Society.
Using an AED can mean the difference between life and death for someone suffering from sudden arrhythmia death syndrome or cardiac arrest. The society is named after Gianfranco Giammaria, a Burnaby school viceprincipal who died of sudden arrhythmia death syndrome while stepping onto the ice to play drop-in hockey in December 2006. He was 35 years old.
Twitter: @sthomas10
