Man with history of drunk driving convictions jailed
‘I never realized how much this has impacted people,’ patient says of Halifax hospital
A P.E.I. man with a history of drunk driving-related convictions was sentenced recently to 120 days in jail after he was caught behind the wheel and refused to provide a breath sample.
Franklin Brian Roach, 45, appeared before Judge Nancy Orr in provincial court in Charlottetown where he pleaded guilty to refusing to provide a breath sample and driving while prohibited.
Crown attorney Nathan Beck told the court that on July 31 at around 11:30 p.m., Charlottetown police responded to a report that Roach had just left a bar and was believed to be impaired.
The court heard the police found Roach at his residence in the driver’s seat of his vehicle where he said they couldn’t prove he was driving.
Beck said the police found the vehicle’s keys under a bag of chips.
At the police station, Roach refused to provide a breath sample and told the police he wasn’t willing to take another charge, Beck said.
Roach had three prior drunk-driving related convictions.
His most recent included a 15month driving prohibition from when he was sentenced in February.
Before hearing his sentence, Roach said he was sorry and that he would never be back in court again.
Along with the jail time, Roach must pay a $2,000 fine and he will be banned from driving for two years after his release.
For nearly all of its 18 years, the P.E.I. Coalition for Women in Government has been a one-woman show, says Sweta Daboo, the current executive director.
That’s about to change following an influx of funding from the federal government announced Wednesday.
More than $975,000 was doled out to two P.E.I. groups for projects focused on strengthening the organizations’ operations, with $360,000 going to the coalition.
“This gives us the opportunity to set the stage internally,” said Daboo.
The P.E.I. Coalition for Women in Government works with women and other under-represented groups to provide information and training and help individuals break into the political sphere.
“Multi-year funding is almost non-existent, it will go a very long way. It’s a nearly-unheard-of opportunity, I can’t stress that enough,” said Daboo.
The funding is especially welcome during the pandemic as non-profits are struggling.
“We know that around 20 per cent will close by the end of COIVD,” said Daboo, adding that the funding provides opportunities to reach even more people, something “not taken lightly” by her or her team.
“This is our chance to look inward and do better outwardly,” said Daboo.
In the same announcement, Women’s Network P.E.I. received $616,776 to strengthen capacity and ensure long-term viability.
Executive director Jillian Kilfoil called the funding a game-changer.
“Any time you can secure funds that are multi-year and support your organizational capacity, it’s both unique and wonderful and certainly brings a sigh of relief that we can at least plan a little bit better year-to-year and over more than one fiscal year at a time,” said Kilfoil.
Some of the funds will go to strengthening their internal processes and policies for things like intake and training new employees, as well as supporting current employees and succession planning.
“Which are things we try to do anyway, but having this financial support to support this type of work specifically makes it a lot easier to move forward,” said Kilfoil.
Women’s Network is one of the larger, older women’s organizations on P.E.I., so paying it forward is part of the plan, said Kilfoil.
“We’re really hoping that the work that we do as part of this project we can share with groups who are smaller than us and may not have the same capacity as well.”
The non-profit hasn’t seen a period of stability like this in nearly 20 years, she said. The group was down to one staff member in 2015 but has grown back into a team of eight, thanks to a return of investment in womenfocused groups.
“We’re starting to benefit from that stability and increased funding by being able to better understand our own organization and better communicate that and, ultimately, offer better programs and services for people who need it,” said Kilfoil.
Danya O’Malley is the new chair of the Premier’s Action Committee (PAC) on Family Violence.
O’Malley has been appointed for a three-year term to serve as the PAC’s official representative in areas of responsibility related to community and government.
A member of the PAC for the last five years, O’Malley has dedicated her working life to family violence prevention, she said in a statement.
“I plan to continue to strengthen the important work happening in the province related to family violence.”
O’Malley serves as the executive director of Family Violence Prevention Services and is the 2021 chair of Family Violence Prevention Week. A registered social worker, she has made family violence prevention her life’s work and continues to do so while serving on the Premier’s Action Committee.
She has worked at Family Violence Prevention Services since 2008 in various capacities, beginning her term as executive director in 2016. She also holds a bachelor and master degree in social work from Dalhousie University.
Given her background, O’Malley will be an asset to the committee, Premier Dennis King said in the statement.
“To address family violence, all of us in Prince Edward Island must work together and share our resources, and Danya comes to the table with passion to work with all organizations and partners for the betterment of our province.”
This year’s Family Violence Prevention Week will take place Feb. 14-20.
HALIFAX — Russell Easy’s main battle these days is against an unusual type of blood cancer.
But he’s also fighting on another front — the “shocking” state of the water system at the Victoria General Hospital in Halifax.
The Acadia University biology professor was diagnosed with diffuse large Bcell lymphoma in December.
“As it turns out, I have an atypical version of what’s called a double-hit and double-mutation version of BCL,” Easy said in an interview from his home in Chester Grant, Lunenburg County, N.S. “I’m undergoing immuno chemotherapy to destroy the cancerous lymphocytes.
“What’s happening is, my lymphocytes are going crazy, they’re multiplying rapidly, uncontrollably, taking over my body. So the treatments I’m getting will destroy those lymphocytes and then subsequent treatments will rejuvenate and regenerate new lymphocytes that are not cancerous.”
While Easy, 57, emphasizes that the care he’s received at the VG during his treatment is “fantastic,” he was appalled by the condition of the building’s infrastructure.
“The issue is that the water system is decrepit and has been so for well over a decade,” said Easy, who recently submitted an opinion piece to The Chronicle Herald outlining his concerns.
“What does that mean? Well that simply means that patients cannot shower, they cannot drink water from the tap, they cannot brush their teeth with water from the tap, the water has to be brought in. There’s a myriad of other problems … but that’s what it comes down to.”
As a biologist who specializes in microbiology and cellular science, he’s all too aware of the potential health risks related to contaminated water, particularly for cancer patients whose immune systems are severely compromised as a result of their treatments.
“The simple fact is, the longer you go without washing off the bacteria on your skin, it accumulates and being in this immunocompromised state, you’re at much greater risk of infection,” he said. “If you have any breaks in your skin, the bacteria can transmit into the skin and so on. So that’s a significant risk. It’s patient to patient transmission, it’s caretaker to patient transmission, it’s family to patient transmissions. So there’s all these myriad avenues of infection where the doors have been opened simply because the water is not clean.”
UPGRADES IN PLACE
The presence of legionella in the Victoria General Hospital buildings has been recognized since the 1980s, a Nova Scotia Health Authority spokesperson said this week.
“Legionella is contracted by inhaling water vapour carrying the bacteria or aspirating affected water into the lungs. Patients who are immunocompromised are vulnerable to infection,” said Carla Adams in an email. “The primary means of reducing patient risk over that period has been a sterile water policy, which remains in effect today.”
That policy includes verbal and written education for every patient entering affected units as well as for families; no showering allowed; nurses draw baths and allow patients into the bathroom once water is finished running/spray has settled; depending on a patient's level of immune compromise and medications, bottled water is used for drinking, brushing teeth, ice cubes and so on.
Adams said these protocols are the only ones approved by the Centre for Disease Control to manage the risk of Legionnaire's infection.
“Their success relies on staff and patient compliance. The rarity of cases of Legionnaires in patients speaks to their success.”
Adams said the VG’s chloramine system, which adds chlorine and ammonia to the water, was upgraded with automated dosing and has been in place since April.
The upgrade allows the VG to monitor the system throughout the building and adjust the amount of the disinfectants chlorine and ammonia as needed.
The province plans to replace the aging VG buildings as part of its QEII redevelopment project. Adams said a request for proposals to build the new QEII complex at the Halifax Infirmary site has been issued.
“The RFP is expected to be awarded in the winter of next year, at which time we will have a better idea of timelines.”