Postal strike
Starting next week, Canada Post will be going to three-days-per-week delivery as rotating strikes by the Canadian Union of Postal Workers (CUPW) continue.
In a statement, Canada Post said the union’s work stoppages, for generally 24 hours in major centres across the country that began on June 3, have halved mail volumes.
The corporation said it has been “forced to immediately reduce costs by making adjustments to staffing and delivery schedules...Canada Post must act now to avoid significant losses that will harm the company’s financial self-sustainability.”
Canada Post said it is cutting labour costs by reducing staff at processing plants and limiting the delivery of letters and admail to three days a week. Starting Monday, June 13, mail will be delivered on Monday, Wednesday and Friday in urban areas where delivery is performed by letter carriers. Most small packages and documents will also be delivered three days a week. Canada Post said every effort will be made to continue to deliver priority items five days a week. Post office operating hours and access to post office boxes will be unchanged. Pickup from street letter boxes will also continue.
Alzheimer’s help
Changes in the brain due to Alzheimer’s disease or another form of dementia often appear to family members as changes in the person’s behaviour. Powell River caregivers will learn how to understand behaviour as a form of communication in a free tele-workshop offered at 7 pm on Thursday, June 23 by the non-profit Alzheimer Society of BC.
Understanding Behaviour will explore strategies for determining what the person with dementia might be trying to communicate, finding ways to decrease the occurrence of behaviours that concern family members and how to respond in supportive ways.
Pre-registration is required. Interested readers should pre-register by Monday, June 20 to participate by visiting www.alzheimerbc.org or phoning toll-free 1.866.396.2433.
Tele-workshops are learning sessions designed for family caregivers, but are also open to health care providers. They can be accessed via telephone, with an optional web component, recognizing that many caregivers are unable to attend in-person workshops. Participants also have a chance to learn and to share with others who are in similar situations.
Drug recall
Health Canada is advising Canadians that Tanta Pharmaceuticals Inc. is voluntarily recalling some children’s acetaminophen tablets because of reports the child-resistant packaging might not work. The recall applies to all lots of Junior Strength Acetaminophen Tablets 160 milligrams and Children’s Strength Acetaminophen Tablets 80 milligrams, sold under the brand names of Life Brand, Teddy’s Choice, Preferred Pharmacy or Tanta. These products can be found at retail locations, including Shoppers Drug Mart, Loblaws and Preferred Pharmacy. The products may also be found at other stores.
The child safety mechanism on some of the caps may not be locking properly and caps may open even in the locked position. This presents a risk to children who are able to open the bottle and ingest the product.
