Miramichi Blog

Green Festival This Weekend

This Labour Day weekend do something green! ECMA award winning country band, The Divorcees take the stage with 30 other groups covering music genres ranging from folk and blues to rock and jazz at the first annual Green Festival being held near Clairville, NB, from 10am Saturday August 30th until 6pm Monday, September 1st.

Enjoy the great outdoors, catch some live music, buy natural products from local artisans and learn about practical and affordable eco-friendly energy and consumer choices, all while the kids have a blast in a supervised play area featuring bouncy castles, games, face painting, pony and hay rides. With over 100 acres of onsite camping available you can plan to enjoy a few cold ones at the beer garden, catch even more live music, sleep over and do it all over again the next day.

Advance tickets are $10 per person per day, $25 for a 3-day pass, kids under 16 $5 per day, and children under the age of 5 get in free. At the gate it's $15 per day, $35 for a 3-day pass, and $7 per day for kids under the age of 16. Buy your tickets online here. Tickets are also being sold at various locations throughout the province, for a detailed list visit www.thegreenfestival.ca.

Going green is affordable! Plan to enjoy a family fun day out AND save money! For a detailed list of bands, vendors, weekend highlights and directions to the festival site visit The Green Festival online at www.greenfestival.ca.

Labels: event, festivals

Wellness Phone line launches for Miramichi region

A new service is being launched to help bring wellness information to the people of the Miramichi region.

The Miramichi Wellness Presentation Request Line is a service for members of the community, organizations, church groups and workplaces. People can now call the Wellness Presentation Line to request presentations on a variety of health and wellness related topics given by qualified health-care professionals in our region.

“We have many groups in our area who would like to have presentations on wellness-related topics, but they sometimes do not know where to go,” says Clarissa Harris, community health promotion coordinator for the Miramichi Regional Health Authority.

“Community Health Promotion is helping people enable themselves to have control over their own health and to improve their own health by making good lifestyle choices with the information they have,” Harris says.

“Many people in our community do not have the chance to receive information to help them make lifestyle choices until they realize there may be a problem and they have to seek help. By providing this service, we are giving our community the chance to meet with health-care professionals to receive proactive information which may help prevent a condition in the future.”

For example, a presentation for a dietician on reading labels to a group may help an individual understand why it is important to keep sodium, fat and cholesterol levels down. As well, a presentation about women’s wellness may encourage women to have a well-women check-up sooner rather than later.

“These are proactive approaches to your own health,” Harris adds.

The Miramichi Wellness Presentation Request line is now in place and can be reached by calling 623-3295. A list of topics is available and can be found at www.rha7.ca.

“We have brought our health-care professionals together to bring the topics of wellness to you. We have nurses, nurse practitioners and dieticians who can present on the importance of pap tests, healthy blood pressures, addiction services, fussy eaters, healthy eating or school nutrition. There are many topics to choose from.”

“We are pleased to bring this service to the people of our region,” says Vice President of Professional Services Marilyn Underhill. “We realize the importance of giving our community the information it needs to make good choices about their health and wellness. We want nothing more than a healthy community.”

Labels: health, hospital, wellness

Hospital cell phone policy revised

Beginning September 1, users of wireless communication devices such as cell phones and Blackberries will be able to use their communication devices within designated areas of the Miramichi Regional Hospital. Currently the use of these devices is not permitted within the hospital.

“As a means to effectively use modern technology and maintain patient safety, designated areas have been assigned within the hospital for wireless communication device use,” says Jean-Guy Richard, vice president of support services. He says wireless communication devices will be permitted in areas that are not near patient equipment that is sensitive to these devices. This includes the hospital lobby, dining room and hallways. The designated areas in which wireless devices can be safely used will be clearly marked with signage throughout the hospital.

Hospital personnel will be given permission to use special wireless communication devices supplied by the health authority within one meter of medical equipment. These devices operate on low power and can be used in designated areas of the hospital.

Labels: hospital

Network for Young Professionals in Miramichi

The CBDC and Enterprise Miramichi have joined forces in order to revive a network destined for young professionals and entrepreneurs. The Miramichi Young Business Professionals & Involved Entrepreneurs (MYPIE) is being created to reach young professionals and entrepreneurs aged 18-35 years old who are living and working in Miramichi.

This initiative follows a series of recommendations made by the Miramichi Community Action Committee, who after speaking to external experts and consulting with key stakeholders in the area, mentioned the need for Miramichi to have its own network of young professionals. This kind of network is not necessarily new to the region as some people had tried to initiate the project on a volunteer basis on a few occasions over the years. By taking the project under the CBDC and Enterprise Miramichi’s umbrella and having employees working on the project, both economic development agencies believe we should see a revitalized network of young professionals gathering in the upcoming year.

“This network will be great for our young people as they need to have the opportunity to voice their concerns, share their ideas, and help improve the overall economy of the region. It really is a win-win for everyone in the community to have our young people involved,” states Brian Donovan, Executive Director for Enterprise Miramichi.

Greg McNulty, General Manager for the CBDC adds, “We have seen an emergence of young entrepreneurs in the area and we need that young entrepreneurial spirit to retain our young professionals.”

With monthly activities planned from September to June, MYPIE’s initiators, Terry Stewart (Youth Development Officer for the CBDC) and Nadine Dunn (Job Liaison Officer for Enterprise Miramichi) hope that it will make things easier for young professionals and entrepreneurs to participate. There will be at least 10 events held on a Wednesday each month ranging from networking sessions to luncheons or breakfast meetings and tours of local businesses. Beginning on September 24th 2008 with a Wine & Cheese reception in the Sevogle Room at the Rodd Miramichi River Hotel from 5-7pm. Young professionals will speak about the benefits of living and working in Miramichi.

The focus of MYPIE is primarily to give young professionals and entrepreneurs an opportunity to gather on a regular basis to enable them to either network with other people, exchange information, and celebrate their efforts. To that effect, a lot of work is being put on success stories, which is why the kick-off activity on September 24th will showcase young people speaking up about the benefits of living and working in Miramichi.

If you want a slice of the pie and to be involved in community affairs, participate in MYPIE!

For more information contact Nadine Dunn at Enterprise Miramichi 506.625.1589, email nadine.dunn@ent-miramichi.ca, or Terry Stewart at CBDC 506.778.2121, email terry.stewart@cbdc.ca.

Labels: business, event, Success Story

Mango to offer final session September 8

Our community’s Mango program is offering the final session of its popular pedometer program, Stepping Out with Mango, starting the week of September 8. To register yourself or your workplace, call 627-7564. Interested participants can register at a community location or sign up with their workplace. Mango is encouraging anyone who ever participated in the program since 2006 to return with their pedometer and take part in this last session.

In existence for two years, Stepping Out with Mango is a 12-week program which has been offered to members of the public and workplaces. The program is designed to help people increase their daily physical activity. Each participant gets a pedometer- a tiny instrument that counts every step the person takes. At the end of the day, participants will record the number of steps they took. Each week they will be able to set new goals for themselves and gradually try to increase their daily steps over the 12-week period.

In addition to wearing the pedometer, participants also attend four 30-minute group support meetings facilitated by a trained program leader. In these meetings, the group will be encouraged to determine weekly goals and progress will be shared. Participants will receive tips on how to be more active and ways to increase their steps. Participants also have the benefit of a nutritional session with a registered dietitian.

When Mango first launched Stepping Out with Mango in September 2008, they put in place a two-year plan to offer the program seven times throughout that time frame in the communities around our region and in workplaces. Mango’s goal was to gather at least 1,200 participants throughout the communities and to offer sessions in 10 workplaces.

Those numbers were surpassed as the Stepping Out with Mango program has seen 1,683 people to date put on a pedometer and get stepping with the program. Also, 59 workplaces have taken advantage of the program and offered it as a workplace wellness tool in their place of employment.

Mango purchased the Stepping Out program from Vitality Moncton. The City of Moncton offers this program to its citizens as well. Mango was looking for a walking program to offer the residents of this region. This program is beneficial to help the public to begin a walking program, maintain what they are doing, or increase their physical activity.

Mango is committed to fighting overweight and obesity in the Miramichi region by offering initiatives dedicated to increasing physical activity levels and encouraging healthy eating to the residents of the region.

Labels: health, Mango, wellness