Nursing survey to address work and recruitment challenges
The Peace River Regional District will be surveying nurses to help address challenges and increase recruitment to the region.
The PRRD board approved establishing a survey at their Oct. 22 meeting, which will be created in partnership with Northern Health and the BC Nurses’ Union.
The PRRD met with BCNU representative Laura Baker in August, and identified several retention issues, including childcare affordability, staff shortages, long hours, and stress related to COVID-19.
The PRRD is also considering whether to increase the intake for its healthcare scholarship program, and how to best market it. Promotional materials are already distributed to local high schools, Northern Lights College, and Northern Health.
The regional district offers several scholarships for high school students looking to enter healthcare, as well as for adults becoming healthcare assistants, Northern Health employees, registered nurses, and licensed practical nurses.
There are $110,000 in scholarships available each year, and the PRRD spends another $250,000 a year on recruitment initiatives, including $75,000 to the North Peace Division of Family Practice, $75,000 to the South Health Services Society, and $100,000 to Northern Health.
Cannabis zoning rules rehashed
Zoning rules to permit cannabis stores in the Peace River Regional District will go to a public hearing next month.
Board directors gave first two readings of bylaw amendments on Thursday that would allow retailers to operate in service-commercial, service-industrial, local commercial, and neighbourhood commercial zones in the region.
Stores would be prohibited within 200 metres of a school or daycare, and prohibited within 100 metres of parks, places of worships, medical clinics, rehab centres, and other cannabis businesses.
The hearing will take place immediately prior to the Nov. 26 board meeting.
Cannabis-related businesses are currently prohibited in all regional district zoning.
In January, directors rejected zoning amendments for a proposed store in Charlie Lake. Only the school district put forward concerns, citing the health and safety of nearby students at Charlie Lake Elementary.
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No other developers have come forward with proposals.
Email reporter Tom Summer at [email protected].