Latest news with #UniversityofBC
CTV News
30-06-2025
- Health
- CTV News
Vancouver now home to fastest PET/CT scanner in Canada
BC Cancer has rolled out a new diagnostic tool that it says is the fastest and most advanced of its kind in Canada. A new cancer screening machine that recently began operating at the BC Cancer Centre in Vancouver is the fastest and most advanced in Canada, according to officials. The Quadra PET/CT scanner is the first of its kind in the country, and it can capture a much larger picture than previous generations and is about 22 times more sensitive. 'It is the equivalent of four PET scanners put together, and essentially the area covers from the head to the pelvis,' said Dr. François Bénard, senior research director at BC Cancer and radiology professor at the University of B.C. 'We can image this entire area of the body in one shot, so you can do things that we could not do before.' In a nutshell, the new scanners give better quality images in less time and requires less radioactive drugs than previous machines, he told CTV News. A PET/CT scanner combines two imaging devices, positron emission technology, which looks at biochemistry, and computed tomography, which provides anatomical information. A PET scan requires an injection of a radioactive substance called a tracer, while a conventional CT scan does not. B.C. is home to three PET/CT machines, in Vancouver, Victoria and Kelowna. Notably, the new Quadra machine is the fastest of its kind, which means more scans can be performed and patients get a more comfortable experience. Bénard says it can take more time to position a patient in the machine than take the picture itself. 'When I started my career, it would take two hours to take a PET scan, now we can get a better PET/CT scan in less than 30 seconds,' he said. Bénard added that those getting a PET scan on an older machine need not worry—they are also very precise. 'If you're not getting a PET scan on that machine you should be reassured. BC Cancer has very modern instruments at other sites,' he said. What this new scanner will do right away is add capacity for more diagnostics and provide research opportunities in the radiopharmaceutical field at UBC, according to Bénard. In May, the BC Cancer Centre in Vancouver also got a state-of-the-art photon-counting CT scanner. With files from CTV News Vancouver's Spencer Harwood
CBC
27-06-2025
- CBC
School zones won't be 24/7, 'disreputable' websites are sharing misinformation: B.C. RCMP
Rules around school zones aren't changing on July 1, contrary to what some "disreputable websites" are claiming, says the B.C. RCMP's Highway Patrol. The posted speed limit in school zones is 30 km/h and is in effect from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on school days, unless the sign indicates otherwise, according to provincial law. Cpl. Michael McLaughlin said police have been receiving questions about "persistent rumours" that school zone speed limits across Canada will be in effect 24/7 starting on Canada Day. "These rumours are false. They are not true, but they are a bit sticky — especially on social media," he said. McLaughlin noted there are a few clues that indicate the rumours were never legitimate. One "red flag," he said, is that the rumour said federal laws were changing when traffic laws are mandated primarily by provinces. "And all of these complicated changes happening at once rather quickly – another red flag." McLaughlin said some police research showed a website in India appeared to be one of the early sources of the rumour, but it wasn't clear if it was repeating false information that was already online. He said social media and online artificial intelligence, including those found through search engines, are amplifying the misinformation. Harder to find facts, says misinformation expert Heidi Tworek, a professor and director for the Centre for the Study of Democratic Institutions at the University of B.C., said it's unfortunate but not surprising that AI could be misleading the public. As AI becomes increasingly common, it's harder to determine whether information is trustworthy or not, she said. And it's particularly concerning from a Canadian perspective, as the incident shows certain AI has not been programmed to prioritize more trustworthy sources such as government websites. "That really opens the door to more misinformation," said Tworek. She noted search engines like Google are frequently putting AI-generated answers at the top of search results. But Tworek added it's easy for bad actors to create a website — or 20 — with low-quality information, which is then harvested by AI. "If you put garbage in, you will get garbage out," she said. AI-generated search results summarize what exists online, but don't necessarily prioritize high-quality information, according to Tworek. She suggested scrolling past them to find direct, primary sources of information. Tworek also recommended asking a chatbot for its sources, particularly for important information like traffic laws. McLaughlin agreed. "Be thoughtful about what you're repeating, and if it doesn't seem like it's real and there are problems with the information, then don't repeat them," he said.
CBC
26-05-2025
- General
- CBC
Vancouver's new urban forest strategy faces challenges, academic says
The city wants to increase tree coverage by 5% in 25 years, but development pressures could cause challenges Caption: Trees are pictured in the West End neighbourhood of Vancouver. The city has approved an ambitious new urban forest strategy, but a forestry professor says it faces hurdles. (Ben Nelms/CBC) Vancouver councillors have approved an updated plan for growing the city's urban forest, but a forestry professor says there are challenges ahead. The city's goal is to increase its canopy cover – how much of the city is covered by leaves and branches when seen from above – from about 25 per cent of the city to 30 per cent by 2050, according to the updated urban forest strategy. The plan sets a target to plant about 165,000 new trees over the next 25 years, and encourages residents to plant trees in their own backyards. And while the plan has drawn praise from one expert, both city councillors and staff have acknowledged there will be difficulties in meeting the goals set out in the report. Stephen Sheppard, a professor emeritus at the University of B.C.'s forestry faculty, said Vancouver's 30 per cent canopy cover target is very achievable – but he noted there is cause for concern. "There are a lot of threats to this," he said. In the wake of the B.C. government pushing hard for cities to increase housing density, Sheppard advised councillors to minimize the loss of existing urban trees when approving rezoning proposals. "It would make sense to provide strong guidelines on how to protect and manage and include trees into these densification projects," Sheppard said. "We could be increasing the height, but reducing the floor space that the buildings take up and saving that root space for trees. That's really important." The professor says that the city needs to set clear targets and put out stronger messaging to incentivize private property owners to plant trees and care for them, adding that trees can help cool down neighbourhoods and reduce climate change impacts. "Planting programs for front and back yards that encourages and educates people about what the benefits are, what the right tree might be for them — a lot more effort has to go into that to make it feasible," he said. Urban development and trees Sheppard said the 30 per cent target is the minimum required. "Forty per cent is like the gold standard – but that might be difficult in Vancouver," he said. Both Metro Vancouver and Toronto have a 40 per cent target by 2050, while Seattle's goal is 30 per cent canopy cover by 2037, according to the city staff presentation. Coun. Sarah Kirby-Yung said the 30 per cent goal by 2050 seemed far away. "I do want to encourage us to … be realistic about the challenge in delivering on that goal, but be a bit more aggressive," she said. City challenges Joe McLeod, the city's associate director of urban forestry, said the plan has a variety of benefits, including improving wildlife habitat and residents' health. "There's also evidence to suggest that people's willingness to spend in retail districts with robust urban forests is increased," he told council. But the official acknowledged the last five per cent of the 30 per cent goal is going to be harder to make happen. "The cream has been skimmed off the top, so to speak," he said, saying that from 2010 to 2020, the city had capitalized on all of the inexpensive tree-planting spots. "Now we're getting into the harder to reach areas," McLeod added. He noted one of the challenges to planting new trees in areas like the Downtown Eastside, which lack tree canopy, is the cost of creating new tree pits, which can cost between $15,000 and $20,000 each. "It is a costly endeavour, but it improves the public realm and obviously provides great benefits to the community," McLeod said. Equity issues Multiple councillors pointed out the stark divide in canopy cover between neighbourhoods. Shaughnessy has 41 per cent tree canopy cover, while Strathcona — which includes the Downtown Eastside — has only nine per cent. The difference can be particularly significant during heat waves, according to the staff report, which says that vulnerable populations in low canopy areas faced a higher risk of heat-related deaths. Coun. Mike Klassen asked staff to explore how to reduce urban heat islands in neighbourhoods with minimal tree canopy cover, including a "GreenShades" system that suspends large sails with planted greenery over streets.
