The cat came back? Missing cat returns

Daily News Update from CHLY 101.7FM

Kids in school to mask up

Students in middle school and high schools in BC will now have to wear masks in all indoor areas, including classrooms, except when they are seated or standing at their desks. Masks are now required when singing, and physical distancing must be maintained when playing instruments. The provincial health officer, Dr. Bonnie Henry offered no data to show why the stepped-up measures are needed. However, both the Minister of Education, Jennifer Whiteside and the head of the BC School Trustees Association Stephanie Higgenson suggest anxiety over safety by teachers and students was the major impetus for change.

"There is absolutely, anxiety amongst students and staff and their families in schools and their communities and it certainly is my hope that this does go some way in making folks feel more secure and confident."
—Minister of Education Jennifer Whiteside.

"I have noticed a heightened sense of divisiveness in the way people are expressing their concern about school safety. For the sake of the students who are watching, we must refocus this energy on the important tasks that we have at hand."
—B.C. School Trustee Association Stephanie Higgenson.

Students in elementary schools, including those in grades seven and eight, will not be ordered to wear masks, however, the advice being given to elementary schools has changed from "mask-wearing is not recommended" to "mask-wearing is encouraged."

“NoNo” returns home after three and a half years

A Nanaimo woman whose cat came back after three and a half years believe he was deliberately taken and dumped far from home. "NoNo" the cat was found by staff at the Living Forest campground near Cedar last week. Staff contacted the Nanaimo SPCA and it tracked down Nono's owner, through a tattoo. Laura Brethour says she was shocked and surprised at both the phone call and the fact that Nono was found 20 kilometres from where he went missing. Brethour does not believe her cat wandered that far away on his own.

"Without saying names and without 100% certainty, we actually know he was taken and he was dumped south of the city in hopes he wouldn't find his way home."
—Laura Brethour, NoNo’s owner.

Lesli Steeves says she's not surprised. Steeves is one of the founders of ROAM, a volunteer group devoted to finding lost pets. She says she's dealt with cases of cats being removed from neighbourhoods and dumped far away.

”There are occasions when it happens and there are certainly some little hot spot areas we do keep our eyes on and we try to work closely with the owners to try to pull out as much information as we can to see if they've had any problems with the neighbours or have heard anything in the neighbourhood."
—ROAM’s Lesli Steeves.

Steeves urges neighbours to work together to find creative solutions like installing a motion sensor sprinkler to deter a wandering cat. She believes Nanaimo's new animal responsibility bylaw will also prevent cat-nappings in the future because people can call a bylaw officer to resolve such disputes. Meanwhile, Brethour says NoNo is now an indoor cat.