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:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Interfor Moves Headquarters Out of BC as Forestry Crisis Continues

NDP policies are driving businesses out of B.C., and the forestry industry just suffered yet another calamity. Interfor, a BC company founded more than 60 years ago and now one of the world's largest lumber producers, is moving its headquarters from Burnaby, BC to Atlanta, Georgia. As BC’s forestry sector faces mill closures and mounting uncertainty, this move is another warning sign that the crisis is deepening and conditions are fatal. “This is the NDP’s record: endless job losses with no hope in sight for the forestry sector,” said Ward Stamer, Shadow Minister for Forestry. “Interfor still has three mills in BC which are now in serious jeopardy, and it is likely we will see even more companies pull out of BC. The NDP government is suffocating the forestry industry with high taxes, excessive regulations, and permitting delays, while DRIPA has made it impossible to plan for the future.” “Decisions like this are sadly not surprising given the NDP’s indifference if not hostility tow...
Post a Comment
Read more

Okanagan Farmers Face NDP-Created Water Crisis ~~ BC Conservatives

Okanagan farmers are facing a water crisis as government-imposed restrictions threaten to kill their crops and destroy one of B.C.’s most important agricultural industries. In perhaps the most water-rich province in the country, our farmers have been left high and dry by the NDP government. For nine weeks, Okanagan and Shuswap farmers have proposed solutions, only to be met with NDP foot-dragging. Now forest fires have come to these regions as they are simultaneously reckoning with a water crisis that has been made worse through years of government inaction. Vernon-area farms have lost 70 percent of their water, while Kelowna and Summerland growers face severe restrictions. This situation is unacceptable and cannot continue. Ian Paton, Shadow Minister for Agriculture, said the NDP is once again forcing farmers to pay for its own failure to plan. "Farmers and ranchers must be listened to when decisions affecting their livelihoods are made, and under the NDP, they aren’t," said...
Post a Comment
Read more

NDP Hypocritically Admits Natural Gas Power Was Needed All Along ~~ BC Conservatives

The NDP just got caught buying back the exact kind of power plant it spent years telling British Columbians they didn't need. The NDP government announced today that BC Hydro is purchasing the Island Generation natural gas facility in Campbell River, an admission that its electrification-only energy policy was never realistic. The 275-megawatt plant was originally privately owned yet kept to a minimal backup role under the NDP, operating just 15 days a year on average. Now, with demand outpacing what the NDP's plan can support, the government is spending taxpayer funds on the very gas capacity it once treated as obsolete. "You cannot electrify everything and pretend natural gas doesn't matter," said Larry Neufeld, Shadow Minister for Energy.  "Buying back a gas plant they once wrote off is proof their own plan couldn't keep the lights on. It's a step towards more energy reality, but the government needs to go further and scrap the impending province-w...
Post a Comment
Read more

Labels

Show more