Have an idea for a story? Let us know!

Contact: Mercedes Deutscher, News Editor M41 news@theotherpress.ca

(¥Y Road pricing: The answer to congestion

(¥ Keystone XL Pipeline a flop

(¥Y The beginning of sunny waves

And more!

The recycling rip-off: paper cups

» Tim Hortons and Starbucks in hot water with recent findings

Aaron Guillen Staff Reoorter

FE: many people, their coffee on-the-go comes from either the beloved Tim Hortons, the ever-growing Starbucks, or

the most economic choice, McDonalds. Two of these three companies are facing criticism on what happens with their branded cups after the drink has been consumed.

According to Starbucks Annual Reports, there are more than four billion cups sold every year, and along with the influx of sales comes the concern about the amount of waste being produced, and, more importantly, recycling programs that must be implemented. Over the years, consumers around the world have become more aware of being environmentally friendly in their own lives and have voiced their opinions to companies in hopes of changing the norm.

Popular coffee chains like Tim Hortons and Starbucks have lead the revolution by providing in-store recycling bins over the years. Starbucks also set a goal

: five years ago to make their cups — : : 100 per cent reusable or recyclable : : by 2015.

But do big corporations truly

: recycle like they've promised?

: CBC Marketplace Investigation

: went searching for the answer.

: They placed sensor trackers on

: 28 cups, 14 in each company’s in- : store recycling bins in Toronto.

: Later that night, they returned

: to find seven of the cups each in

: garbage-only bins. The other half : were never found. From the ones : that were salvaged, there were

: recycling bins placed right beside : their corresponding garbage bins, : which were filled with a mix of

: should-be recycling and actual

: trash.

Having made such an

: appalling discovery, CBC made

: their way to both HQs witha

: cup of Tim Hortons or Starbucks : coffee in hand, and a question

: that demanded answers. When

: asking a receptionist at Starbucks : for a word with Rosann Williams, : Senior Vice President, Erica

: Johnson, investigative journalist : for Marketplace, was promised

: she would get a call sometime

: soon whenever someone could

: be interviewed. Yet Johnson

: didn’t give up. She tweeted

: Williams: “Why no interview?

: Can Canadians trust Starbucks’ : green image?” Within the next : hour, she was asked to be escorted : : off the premises by the property : manager.

Having made no headway

with Starbucks, she moved onto : the Tim Hortons HQ witha

: burning desire for an answer.

: Unfortunately, she was stopped : at the door when a woman,

: presumably a receptionist, said : without question that there wasn't :

: on the matter. Johnson stated, : “[Clearly], Canada’s most beloved : coffee place doesn’t love us.”

anyone available for comment

Inquisitions were confirmed

Image via static2.businessinsider.com

: Tim Hortons and Starbucks : respectively.

“Yeah, usually the paper cups

get thrown into the garbage,” said

Sarah Bacabac, a Tim Hortons’

: employee.

Sabrina Lin, a barista at

: Starbucks, simply said, “Yeah,” : when asked directly if their paper : cups just end up in the garbage by a couple of people, who work at

with everything else.

Vancouver General Hospital experiences nurse

» Postponed patients sent to UBC Hospital

Adam Tatelman Staff Writer

na recent interview with the Vancouver Sun, Anne Marie D'Angelo, spokesperson for

Vancouver Coastal Health (VCH), :

stated that a shortage of nurses at : from 2011 to 2014 was 85 per

: cent. The results of this course : will have implications on VGH

relocation and the postponement : until at least March 2016.

the Vancouver General Hospital (VGH) will result in patient

of several types of operations.

A shortage of 30 nurses is expected over the next 5 months, and some of the VGH’s operating rooms are expected to close for an as of yet undisclosed number of days per month. The Ministry of Health’s Surgical Patient Registry indicates that, over the past 5 years, there has been an average of 71,000 patients waiting for surgery in BC. At the end of September, there were 73,045 in need of care.

One explanation for that

: shortage is a large number of

: failures in the six-month program : required to become an operating : room nurse. Fifty-three per cent

: of nurses who took the course

: failed, while 47 per cent passed.

The previous passing average

There are currently 13

: job postings at VGH open to

: registered nurses. Province-

: wide, 250 critical nursing

: positions struggle to be filled,

: according to the Vancouver Sun.

D'Angelo offered apologies

: “to any patients who may be

: inconvenienced by the problem,” : insisting that VCH “are doing

: everything possible to remedy

: the situation and minimize

: any impact on patients.” Ina

: hospital memo given to the

: Vancouver Sun, VGH predicts

shortage

: that less than one per cent

: of cases will be postponed.

: VGH processes approximately

: 30,000 Cases per year, so under : ideal conditions the maximum : number of backlogged cases

: should not exceed 300.

“To minimize the number of

postponements, we are relocating : : some VGH cases to UBC Hospital : : and some UBC cases to private

: surgery centres,” said D’Angelo.

: She also insisted that urgent

: or critical operations will go

: forward as planned, without any : postponement or relocation.

A federal report by the

: Canadian Institute for Health

: Information (CIHI) illuminates : a possible reason for this

: vacancy. Their figures show

: a decrease in nursing school

: graduates from 1,534 grads in

: 2012 to 1,307 in 2013. According : to CIHI, more registered nurses : are leaving the workforce than

: there are coming into it.

: a high retirement rate coupled

: with a declining graduation rate, : which poses a question in itself:

: who will be there to tend to the

: health of the aging population?

eC TAGE ESTERS UUUn BORRRRO ROR RO EEE LOT CLE LLLLL ELL TUL TELE E EL LEL LALA LLM FEED PORGTRRRRERR RED

conane =“ 0GRUURRR RR

The culprit appears to be

The BC government is

Queneeeuneneene

t

Cy ce oO

o

g “4 x4 TA

=

Cy “4

>

vo

Da

g a 3

g

mM

ov

7

a

G

a

o G

o

3 a

> Q

° 2

5 G a

: attempting to address the nurse

: shortage, having gradually

: doubled the amount of spaces in nursing programs since 2001. The : province has also invested $200

: million towards these programs.