Skip to main content

“I am a Canadian, free to speak without fear, free to worship in my own way, free to stand for what I think right, free to oppose what I believe wrong, or free to choose those who shall govern my country. This heritage of freedom I pledge to uphold for myself and all mankind.” ~~ John G. Diefenbaker

Having a feeling of self-worth is more than getting drivers license ... and that hold true for all British Columbians ... not just First Nations peoples


In a BC government news media release this morning, it was announced that free driver training was going to be made available to First Nations people living in BC’s north.

Access to safe transportation has been identified as a critical issue for women in the North, including through the report of the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls, the story stated

The release stated that more than ... 1,000 people in Indigenous communities in B.C.’s North Coast and Nechako regions are getting access to driver training, opening the doors to job opportunities and safer travel.

The Province is partnering with Terrace-based All Nations Driving Academy (ANDA) to deliver driver training in rural Indigenous communities. The training will help people travel to work, visit family, access health care and participate in B.C.’s thriving economy.



Dear government of BC,

Stop the fight against the jobs ALL British Columbians can benefit from, and that help bring better value to the driver training you just announced, and help in the journey of building stronger communities.

Sincerely,
Everyday British Columbians



Melanie Mark, Minister of Advanced Education, Skills and Training. “Opening doors for individuals in more rural areas provides them access to the training and skills required to be independent members of their communities. This expanded support will also empower Indigenous peoples, especially women, to travel with a greater sense of safety along the Highway 16 corridor.”

The provincial government will be investing $360,000 in courses and services for people to secure their Class 7 learner and novice driver’s licences -- funding that builds upon a previous investment of $80,000 that helped 214 people get the training.  Punching those numbers in my calculator indicates am approximate cost of $374 to train each driver.

How effective however is that going to be, first of all, in providing safety for women to travel in safety ... or for First Nations people to even get to jobs accessible through having a driver’s license? 

Honestly ... $384 is a drop in the bucket, and here’s why!

LET’S LOOK AT ALL COSTS INVOLVED when it comes to driving .... fuel... maintenance ... tires ... insurance, all of that is going to run upwards of $4,000 a year ... and then what about a mid priced used vehicle at say $15,000 and up

Where is that money going to come from?

“Studies have shown that between 5% and 45% of Indigenous peoples living on reserves do not have their driver’s licence, which can significantly reduce options for employment,” said Lucy Sager, CEO of All Nations Driving Academy.

She continued, “We hear over and over from our participants that obtaining their licence has had a profound impact on their livelihood, helps families stay connected and makes travel safer for everyone.”

Just providing the training, without a means to use that training, is not going to provide First Nations people with access to good jobs – but it can be ONE OF the steps necessary.

Having a feeling of self-worth is more than getting drivers license ... and that hold true for all British Columbians ... not just First Nations peoples ... especially the young.  Jobs in forestry ... mining ... resource development ... construction ... building trades and more will also be needed as just another part of each individual developing to the potential they desire.

Advanced Education / Skills Minister Melanie Mark ... Premier John Horgan ... Environment Minister George Heyman ... Labour Minister Harry Bains --- all of you will need go work together as a team to ensure those jobs are available because right now each of you is off traveling down your own and those roads are not even closed to running parallel in the same direction.

Dear government of BC,

Stop the fight against the jobs ALL British Columbians can benefit from, and that help bring better value to the driver training you just announced, and help in the journey of building stronger communities.

Sincerely,
Everyday British Columbians

Labels

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

WARD STAMER: “Hopefully he’s actually listening to what people have to say, and not just showing up for a photo op”

In his latest travels across the province, BC Forest Minister Ravi Parmar touched down in the Okanagan. A trip essentially, he said, to be on the ground meeting industry people. I read what he had to say, and about how he has been tasked with getting more timber to market. Let me start by saying, “ He hasn’t been tasked. He and Premier Eby guaranteed 45 million cubic metres of available wood fibre – they guaranteed that .” BC Timber Sales is a government agency within the provincial forest’s ministry, which is responsible for managing a portion of the province's Crown timber; specifically, 20 percent of the province's annual allowable cut. Unfortunately, BC Timber Sales did not provide anywhere near that amount last year, it was just 12.2 percent. Three years ago, BC mills cut 52 million metres of wood, bringing in nearly $2 billion dollars to the provincial treasury. That figure doesn’t include the taxes from 55,700 people directly employed in the industry, nor from the tens o...
Post a Comment
Read more

Conservative Opposition demonstrates focused and policy-oriented approach in first four weeks of the legislative session

In the first four weeks of the legislative session, the Conservative Official Opposition has scored significant policy wins as it proves every day that the Conservative team has fresh ideas and real-world experience to bring to the table. At the same time, the NDP government has been listless, struggling to find a policy agenda that addresses the problems that British Columbians are facing. “This NDP government led by David Eby has tried to do everything under the sun to distract from their disastrous fiscal record and the fact that they are utterly out of ideas,” said Conservative Opposition Leader John Rustad. “They’ve tried to use the U.S. President to deflect from their eye-popping $11 billion deficit, the worst business confidence in the country, and the fact that they’ve created almost zero private sector jobs. This is no way to run a province or an economy.” Since the legislative session started on February 18th with the Throne Speech, the opposition...
Post a Comment
Read more

Conservative Party of BC Calls for Coroner’s Inquest in the Death of Chantelle Williams

  Chantelle Williams/Facebook “Somebody has to come out and tell the truth on what happened and who’s at fault” ~~ Martin Watts, Uncle of Chantelle Williams The Conservative Party of BC is urgently calling for a coroner’s inquest into the death of 18-year-old Indigenous youth Chantelle Williams, who tragically died under the care of Usma Nuu-chah-nulth Family and Child Services, an agency of the Ministry of Children and Family Development. Her family is disturbed by the lack of transparency and unanswered questions surrounding her final moments, and are seeking answers on who was responsible for her care and supervision and why no one noticed she was missing until it was too late. Chantelle was found unresponsive in Port Alberni in the early morning of January 28, 2025. She was later pronounced dead in the hospital. Temperatures had dropped below –7°C the night of her death. Her family is demanding clarity on the circumstances that led to her untimely passing, and they demand answ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Labels

Show more