Nine members attended this evening: Wayne, Rudy, Allan, John, Anthony, Gertrude, Merle, Nora and Micheal. Regrets were received from Nav (celebrating his birthday) and our special guest was Andrew Mercier.
We had expected two other guests, Palem Chettiar and Muthu Azhakappan Palaniappan, to join us for a banner exchange, but the two gentlemen arrived late, after our meeting had ended.
We heard that it will take 1.4 doctors to replace Dr. John when he retires (he says it will take 2.5), that 44 000 people attended Ribfest over the three days, and that the 50/50 sales totalled $315 850! Our application for a district grant to help fund books for Nicomekl School has been submitted, so now we wait for the decision. The deadline for applications is August 31 and all applications will be reviewed and evaluated in September.
Following our usual opening and O Canada (“Thank you. We don’t sound that bad, do we.”) we were advised that Rudy, Allan and Joan had visited PRDA and presented a cheque for $10 000 to help with their renovations/additions. Rudy would like to check out the Field House storage room to see what we have there and what belongs to other Rotary clubs. We’ve heard that the room is cluttered and disorganized. We shared stories about Ribfest, volunteering there, the number of hot dogs consumed by TWU sports teams volunteers, and the general success and fun of the event. Next year Ribfest will be held August 16-18.
Guest Speaker: Andrew Mercier
Our guest speaker was our local MLA Andrew Mercier. Andrew attended Blacklock Elementary and Langley Secondary Schools and is proud to represent his hometown in the BC Legislature. He is a lawyer by profession and is now serving as a minister in the governing NDP cabinet.
Andrew has visited us before, appearing at a zoom meeting, and he expressed pleasure at being able to meet with us in person this time. He spoke about the Skytrain stations which will be located in Langley, and the great cooperation from local governments in planning for the coming growth, especially regarding housing needs. He says Langley City will be a well-planned community around the station near Fraser Highway. The guideway for the raised rail line will be the first step in the construction process, and work will be underway soon.
He spoke about the changing demographics in the Langleys, moving from 90% white population to 71% in the past ten years. He told about expenditures in education as the school population continues to increase, and recognizes the need for change in the way we recognize foreign credentials. His government will be presenting legislation to change this, to reduce waiting time and avoid all the levels of bureaucracy currently involved. Andrew said there are 141 000 job openings in health care, and another 82 000 in building trades. He pointed out the $1 billion over three years to payment for doctors, and that more doctors are being added. However, the new generation of graduates is more focused on the work/life balance and it will take more doctors to do the same amount of work as it did in the past. There were 150 000 new residents in BC in 2022, but the unattached (to doctors) list is actually dropping.
We thanked Andrew for his presentation and he mentioned that he is open to joining our club as a member.
Rotary Moment with Wayne
In Egypt, less than 10 percent of women have undergone cervical cancer screenings in the last 5 years, and of those diagnosed with cervical cancer, over half have died as a result.
The Rotary-led initiative 'United to End Cervical Cancer in Egypt' aims to reduce cervical cancer cases and enhance women's health in Egypt through targeted awareness-raising and improved access to preventative care.
A large majority of cervical cancer is due to the human papillomavirus (HPV), the most common viral infection of the reproductive tract. It is considered one of the most preventable cancers, yet 90 percent of the deaths it causes, occur in low- and middle-income countries because routine HPV vaccinations and cervical cancer screenings aren't available. Social and cultural misconceptions also affect women's choices about seeking proper health measures and vaccination for HPV.
By providing vaccines to girls, regular screenings and timely treatment for women, the initiative strives to reduce the burden of this preventable disease and encourage communities to prioritize cervical health.
The Light Touch
Wayne followed this with The Light Touch, featuring a story about a smart dog and a tree on the roof. He added one pertinent to himself, “Sometimes it takes me all day to get nothing done.” Finally, one for someone having trouble in the dating scene. “Siri, why am I so bad at relationships with women?” “This is Alexa.”
Other updates
Donations were made for: Andrew’s presentation; a successful Ribfest and MegaDraw; seeing a specialist for cancer and getting a second injection; PSA numbers down; our MLA coming to speak to us; working with Wayne at Ribfest; hosting a sister-in-law evacuated from the fire zone; Andrew’s presentation and missing Ribfest; and more for Ribfest and our MLA’s presentation.
We closed with a toast to Canada. Next week we’ll be back at Timms for another great Rotary evening.
Note: Last week Nora’s name was omitted in error, as she did attend the meeting. Somehow Nav’s name appeared instead.
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