Each week at Global BC we highlight our stories to bring a bright spot to your Friday and into the weekend.
Here are the five stories we wanted to share:
Lions Bay, B.C. residents band together to rescue, rehabilitate orphaned bear cub
Residents of a small village off the shore of Howe Sound have banded together to save an orphaned black bear that had become a daily visitor in the neighbourhood.
The cub first appeared in Lions Bay in late October, according to Coun. Neville Abbott, who said its presence was reported on the community’s online bear-tracking forum.
Over several weeks, Abbott said reported sightings became more frequent and concerning as the scrawny cub scoured for scraps and boldly climbed onto people’s properties.
“The residents of course, at that time, we’re getting very concerned,” Abbott told Global News. “There’s no doubt that bear would not have lasted a winter and clearly was undernourished.”
Luckily for the little bear, the neighbours did not give up.
B.C. expanding PharmaCare coverage to include diabetes, heart failure and blood clot drugs
Thousands of British Columbians will soon benefit from the B.C. government’s expansion of the B.C. PharmaCare program.
Starting Thursday, drug coverage expanded to include medications used to treat Type 2 diabetes, heart failure and blood clots.
Drug coverage for two medications will be expanded from limited coverage to regular benefits — those are dapagliflozin (Forxiga) and apixaban (generics).
New study found breastfeeding babies can offset risk of asthma from antibiotics
In a study touted as the first-of-its-kind, BC Children’s Hospital is revealing research that shows breastfeeding can protect newborns from asthma risk due to antibiotic exposure.The study, published in the journal Med, found that children who were not breastfed while taking antibiotics had three times the risk of developing asthma compared with children who were breastfed while taking antibiotics.
Previous studies have found that early exposure to antibiotics disrupts infants’ gut microbiome and elevates the level of the risk of pediatric asthma. Breastfeeding can act as a modulator of the gut microbiome, the study found.
More than $800 million paid out to lottery winners around B.C. in 2022
If you won some money in the lottery in B.C. last year, you were not alone.
The BC Lottery Corporation (BCLC) said it paid out $802 million to winners around the province, including $382.1 million to players who purchased winning tickets in the Lower Mainland and the Fraser Valley.
“As we welcome the new year, we’re excited to look back at 2022 and celebrate our players and the dreams that became realities for our lottery winners,” Pat Davis, BCLC president and CEO, said in a release.
“BCLC is proud to generate revenue for the Province of B.C., which supports things we all rely on, like health care, education and community programs.”
‘What are you doing there?’: Moose sightings delight B.C. residents
Smithers resident Gary Miles spotted a moose taking a stroll down his snowy street Tuesday morning and captured it on video.
When the moose stops, Miles calls out, “What are you doing?” and, “Good morning!” as the moose starts making its way toward his garage.
Miles’ video shows him running around the other side of his truck to stop the animal from entering the garage and the moose can be heard making sounds as if it is trying to communicate.
After eating some snow off the truck and the ground, the moose appears to take the cue and leave.
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