Berry Picking
(Jun 1990)

Summer always reminds me of berry picking and on the cover is Dad and my brothers and I doing just that. I remember sunny days in the hills, picking wild blueberries, saskatoons, gooseberries or raspberries. With many hands helping, the small but tasty berries quickly filled our buckets and bellies. We knew if we worked hard Mom would not only make preserves but would bake us a pie as well. Proud we were of our day’s work. Thinking back, it makes me appreciate the love and effort people put into growing the bounties of summer. I guess that’s why I feel it is such a privilege to be able to spend time in someone’s garden or orchard, filling once again my buckets and boxes with tree ripened peaches and apricots.

If you have never met and spoken to your local growers about their gardens, you are in for a delightful surprize, they will be only too happy to show you their labour of love.

Urmi and myself are currently interviewing organic growers in our area and you will get a chance to meet some of them on a one hour special of “The Holistic Networker”, airing on Shaw Cable 11 from July 6 to the 12th. So stay tuned! I hope your summer is relaxing and rewarding as you preserve your winter supply of summer’s harvest.

Peter Dueck, B.C.’s Minister of Health until recently, maintained that our current state of health is much like a person who keeps rescuing drowning victims out of a river, until he gets tired and realizes that if he only had time, what he really should be doing is to go up the river and find our who is pushing all these people in! Dueck would like to see more attention given to disease prevention, but says it does not grab headlines like pictures of plane wreckages with flashing lights and sirens. He feels that any attempt to change the status quo will be viewed by many as a threat – it maybe seen as taking something away as opposed to making something better.

At a recent conference on Health Promotion sponsored by the B.C.Ministry of Health, Dueck said’ “ The political reality is that there is need for a ground swell of public support before governments will begin to initiate meaningful economic shifts towards the preventative side of health. For my part, I will began by establishing an Office of Health Promotions which will pursue consultations with British Columbians throughout our province”.

Pat Wolzuk, B.C.s new director of health promotion, says “ We’re not setting the agenda for other people. Instead, we’ll be providing support for people to do the things they want to do. We’re trying to empower people to address their own health issues.: It appears that health promotion in the 1990’s may be focused on community-based action. Send your questions or comments to: Executive Director, Office of Health Promotions, Ministry of Health, 15125 Blanshard Street, Victoria, B.C. V8W 3C8.

Well readers, any comments to send in? Take the time to write, expressing your opinion on the direction that Government should take.

Angele

P.S. One of the ways I would like to encourage you to look after your health is by becoming a vegetarian or vegan. To support you in your endeavour, I would like to invite all the readers of “Issues” to a Vegetarian Potluck Picnic. This picnic will be held on Sunday, July 15th at Sunoka Beach, on Highway 97 between Summerland and Penticton. So mark the date on your calendar and join us from 11 a.m til? Bring your kids, some vegetarian food and ideas for games to play.