Safety

An average of 68 people are injured in 320 crashes every year on Vancouver Island over the Easter long weekend, according to ICBC statistics.

Work will be ongoing between 7:30 a.m. and 6 p.m. on weekdays and traffic will be single lane in two sections along Highway 19A near Hemsworth Road and the Rodway Trail.

“We’ve been saying for years that licensing, training and enforcement are crucial to preventing further exposures and more deaths,” said Laird Cronk, BC Federation of Labour president.

The Regional District of Nanaimo (RDN) board has awarded grants to 11 organizations, totalling $23,486, to be used for a variety of community and recreation focused projects.

One example is Nanaimo-Ladysmith School District’s one-on-one mentorship and cultural support program to assist youth at the highest risk of being recruited by a gang or who are currently gang-affiliated.

Garry Young, who lives in the town’s Chartwell subdivision, presented a petition with 556 signatures from neighbourhood residents during council’s Oct. 6 regular meeting.

The Lifesaving Society of Canada designates this week National Drowning Prevention Week to bring attention to drownings and drowning prevention.

The federal government will provide $800,000 to B.C. police following a year that saw child exploitation offences rise by 45 per cent.

City staff will meet with several School District 69 board members next week to discuss safety concerns at an intersection where a student was struck by a vehicle in November.