Latest news with #PowellRiver
CTV News
10-07-2025
- Health
- CTV News
Golden retriever puppy ‘Air Bud' recovering after emergency surgery: B.C. SPCA
Air Bud is seen post-surgery in this image handed out by the B.C. SPCA. A golden retriever puppy is recovering with a foster after undergoing emergency surgery to fix significant wounds caused by an ill-fitting harness, according to the B.C. SPCA. The six-month-old pup, renamed Air Bud, was surrendered to the qathet animal shelter in Powell River on June 24, according to the organization. The dog was rushed to a veterinary hospital with four-inch lesions around the armpits caused by a harness embedded in its skin. Wounds that severe are a rare sight, and were difficult to stomach, said Tara Daniels, manager of B.C. SPCA qathet. 'The worst part is knowing that he was suffering from this entirely preventable injury without any treatment or pain management. We don't know how long Air Bud was wearing this harness, but it was clear the straps had been digging into his body without any reprieve for a long time,' she said in a media release issued Thursday. After getting stitched up, Air Bud is now in the care of one of the vet clinic's staff members and is receiving daily pain medication and antibiotics, the charity said. The B.C. SPCA described the pup as sweet and affectionate, saying he loves snuggling and shows signs he will be an active and outdoorsy dog as an adult. 'Air Bud's situation is a good reminder for all dog guardians,' Daniels said. 'You should be able to comfortably fit two fingers between the material of the harness and your dog's body. If not, it can cause injury and fear for the animal and lead to more harm than good. A harness should never be so tight that it's causing chafing or cinching.' The B.C. SPCA recommends checking a puppy's harness still leaves room for its legs and shoulders before every walk as it grows. 'If you're hoping to invest in an expensive harness for your pup, it's not a bad idea to start with a more basic one until your puppy has stopped growing,' Daniels added. As for Air Bud, the organization says he will be scheduled for neuter surgery once he's healed and can then start looking for a forever home.
CBC
22-06-2025
- Entertainment
- CBC
He left the Moscow symphony in protest. Now he's helping a small B.C. town take centre stage
Arthur Arnold faced a big decision in February of 2022. He was the music director of the Moscow Symphony Orchestra when war broke out. "I was flabbergasted that Putin invaded, that he invaded Ukraine," he says. "I came to the conclusion I just I cannot live with myself if I don't take a stand." So he asked the orchestra if he could speak out. They said no; it would put them all in danger. "That left me with only one thing and that was to resign and with that to make a protest." Arnold stepped down, a decision he says he's never regretted. In fact, he says it's given him more time for his work in what might seem like an unlikely location: Powell River, B.C. An isolated city of 13,000 people on the west coast, it takes two ferries to get there from Vancouver. The town used to be centred around its big pulp and paper mill. But now that it's closed down, residents hope that arts and culture — and people like Arthur Arnold — could be its future. Arnold first visited Powell River in 2000 to guest conduct at the Kathaumixw International Choral Festival. He enjoyed it so much he started coming back each year. But he fell in love with more than just the city and its surroundings, the ocean and mountains. It's also where he met his future wife, Kim Stokes, solidifying his connection to Powell River. He had been travelling between Moscow, Powell River and his home country of The Netherlands for years by the time the war broke out. Arnold says leaving his job in Moscow gave him the time he needed to focus on an event he started in 2012 while living in Powell River part time — the Pacific Region International Summer Music Association (PRISMA). It's a two-week classical music festival held every year at the end of June. Students from around the world are chosen to attend, where they learn and perform alongside guest artists from major orchestras. Thousands attend the final performance held outside on the beach. That's where the Tla'amin First Nation have performed traditional songs backed up by a full orchestra. Drew Blaney, Tla'amin culture and heritage manager who also sings and composes the traditional music, says he appreciates how Arnold involves him in the planning process. "It's not some token thing that we're being there to do a land acknowledgement, or we're just there to check a box of 'we invited the natives here.'" 'It just calmed the entire room' But start asking around in Powell River and it becomes clear that Arnold's influence on the town goes far beyond the festival. "It's like having Wayne Gretzky leading your minor hockey program," quips the town's mayor, Ron Woznow. Arnold has shown up to play his cello at particularly heated town council meetings. "It just calmed the entire room," recalls councillor George Doubt. "I found it spiritually uplifting for him to do that." He also remembers finding Arnold playing his cello at the clinic when he went to get his first vaccination during the height of COVID. "I think it makes everybody think about how they fit into the society and what they can do to make life better, which is what I see Arthur trying to do." Coping with the mill closure Doubt says he hopes Arnold's work will help fill another void in Powell River — an economic one left by the closing of the town's major employer, the pulp and paper mill. It officially shut down in 2023, laying off hundreds of people. But at its height, 4,000 people worked there. Negotiations are underway for another industry to move into the site, but in the meantime, the mayor says the city is operating with $7 million less in tax revenue. "There is some hope that the more cultural events we get going, the more people know about them, the more we'll bring that industry, the cultural industry, here to take over the forest industry," said Doubt. Part of that cultural industry could centre around another project of Arnold's. He was looking for a new office for PRISMA when he stumbled across an empty space in an historic building overlooking the mill and the ocean. He secured government funding, and now construction is underway to turn it into a performance hall with office space and storage for community arts groups. Arthur is quick to acknowledge that the history of Powell River is what makes a project like this even possible. "I think we stand on the shoulders from generations before us," he said. "It's not something that you can just start." In addition to the rich cultural heritage of the Tla'amin First Nation, the region's connection to the arts go back to the early 1900s, when the Powell River Company was formed to build Western Canada's first pulp and paper mill. The company was starting the town and mill from scratch so they could plan everything, right down to the type of workers they wanted in the community. "Originally, there was a vision that culture was extremely important, so both sports and arts, mostly music, was very important right from the very beginnings of this community," says Rob Southcott, a city councillor who was born and raised in Powell River. The company was following an urban planning approach called the Garden City Concept, which prized, among other things, a sense of community. To that end, the company hired people to work at the mill who were also musical. Arthur Arnold says that's part of the reason there's so much music in Powell River today. "That seed has been planted and it spread and the music trees grew, and here we are." All musicians needed For Nancy Hollmann, Arnold's impact has been personal. When she moved to Powell River in 1966 to teach arts and music in school, she quickly got involved in the arts community, leading choirs and playing piano wherever she was needed. But at 89, Hollmann is long retired. Her foray back into the music scene happened after she attended one of the first concerts of a new amateur symphony that Arnold had been supporting. "I noticed that they didn't have a bassoon. And I just, silly me, I mentioned to somebody, 'oh, I played bassoon 40 years ago, but I haven't played it since,'" recalls Hollmann. Word reached Arnold and he asked if she'd take it up again if they found her an instrument. "And I said, 'I'm 80 years old. I probably would die if I tried to blow a bassoon. And he said 'but what a wonderful way to go.' And that's why I borrowed a bassoon from the school district because I'm relearning it." Today she's proud to say she's the oldest person in the symphony. His work in Powell River may seem humble compared to leading the Moscow Symphony Orchestra. But Arnold says, in many ways, it's the same work he's always tried to do. "Community building is something really beautiful," he says. "Music is the perfect vehicle to do that. We understand music deep inside. To connect people through music is one of the most beautiful things that I can think of, and I feel very privileged to be able to do that." The setting just makes it all the more meaningful, he says.
CTV News
18-06-2025
- CTV News
Fraudster targeting prospective vendors at summer festival in small B.C. city, RCMP say
A previous year's Powell River Blackberry festival is seen in this image from the city's Parks, Recreation and Culture department website ( Mounties in Powell River have come out with an unusual warning for vendors hoping to sell their wares at the city's Blackberry Festival this August. Police have been informed of 'a social media fraud that is targeting potential vendors' for the festival, Powell River RCMP said in a news release Wednesday. 'The scammer is claiming to be the Blackberry Festival co-ordinator and is asking for vendor payment using the email address adebisi2902@ the release reads. 'The Powell River RCMP would like to advise everyone that the Powell River Blackberry Festival co-ordinators will never ask for payment via social media, private message, gift cards or a direct transfer to an unofficial email address.' The festival's official, legitimate email address is prblackberryfestival@ police said, adding that vendors will receive an invoice from the city's chamber of commerce. 'Please be cautious when sending any payment or personal information and if you have any concerns, please call the Powell River RCMP detachment at 604-485-6255,' police said.
CTV News
10-06-2025
- Health
- CTV News
B.C. massage therapist banned from touching parts of female patients' bodies
FILE: A massage table is seen in an undated image from Shutterstock. Update: The limits on Stephen Glover's practice were lifted in December 2024. A B.C. massage therapist has been prohibited from massaging certain parts of female patients' bodies while a misconduct investigation is underway, according to the professional regulator. Stephen Glover, of Powell River, is being investigated after a patient submitted a complaint to the College of Massage Therapists of B.C. The woman he treated alleged that he 'provided a draping option to the patient that involved the complete exposure of a sensitive area of the patient's body' and that he 'massaged a sensitive area of the patient's body,' according to a notification posted online Tuesday. While the allegations have not been proven, the college issued an interim order restricting Glover's practise 'to protect the public.' The area that Glover is not allowed to treat is described in detail and encompasses, basically, the entire front torso below the collarbone and above the hips. 'This limit includes treating over the draping,' the interim order says. Glover is also required to post a notice of these limits, approved by the college, anywhere he is working.
CTV News
27-05-2025
- General
- CTV News
Grizzly bear sighting on B.C. Gulf Island prompts warning
A grizzly bear fishes for salmon along the Atnarko River in Tweedsmuir Provincial Park near Bella Coola, B.C. Saturday, Sept 11, 2010. (Jonathan Hayward / THE CANADIAN PRESS) A grizzly bear has made its way from the British Columbia mainland to Texada Island in the Strait of Georgia, prompting a warning to residents and visitors. Officials with the qathet Regional District, which includes the communities of Powell River and Lasqueti and Texada islands, say the adult male grizzly was first spotted in the island's Pocahontas Bay area, southeast of the community of Van Anda. The bear, which has a yellow ear tag, spent about a week in the Powell River area before apparently swimming to the B.C. Gulf Island. 'Texada residents are urged to be bear aware and take steps to prevent the bear from accessing human food,' the regional district said in a public notice Monday. 'This is critical to avoid the bear becoming habituated to local communities.' Residents are urged to report sightings of the bear to the B.C. Conservation Officer Service. The bear did not demonstrate any aggression or cause conflict while in the Powell River area, the regional district said.
