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

DAN ALBAS -- The importance of local journalism is critical to our communities. Local media report on what occurs at your local council, and other community news


Most elected officials earn to develop a “thick skin” over time as criticisms and personal insults/attacks are an unfortunate by-product of public office.

This situation occurs more so if you are as active on social media as I am.

The reason I share this is related to recent criticism I received, over my support for the compassion shown by the community of West Kelowna, towards 19 foreign national farm workers who have tested positive for the COVID-19 virus.

My reason for sharing this is not over the criticism, but rather my concern for this situation. To be clear this situation is in no way the fault of these workers.

When these workers arrived in Canada on March 12th, there was still no screening or travel restrictions in effect at Canadian airports. These workers received no special instructions and by extension were uninformed. This is a fault of a lack of federal leadership at our airports that fall under federal regulations.

If anything, this situation has demonstrated the critical need for screening and travel restriction, at our borders and airports, that for too long our Prime Minister refused to implement. It is unfortunate that many provinces are now forced to supplement these efforts due to federal shortcomings.

For these farm workers, let us all remember that nobody wants to be sick with a potentially terminal virus in a country that is far from home.

I would like to commend the many citizens of West Kelowna who the Kelowna Capital News reports “reached out to offer help, food, or general support for our seasonal guest workers”. It was further reported that this support has “helped with their morale and feeling of belonging in our community.”

On a personal note I am very proud of the people of West Kelowna for their kindness and compassion ... Thank You.

We must also not overlook that in many countries we have Canadians who, because of COVID-19, are trapped and are currently desperately trying to come home. For any Canadian trapped in this situation, in another country far from home, I am certain they would want to be located in a compassionate, kind and welcoming community such as West Kelowna.

On a different but related note I know that, with so many Canadians currently laid off, many are questioning why temporary farm workers, from outside of Canada, are still needed in local farms. While I do not speak for farmers, I do hear from them.

This season there will be a significant labour shortage in many local farms and orchards and there will be many farm related jobs available.

Already InfoNews has reported that a well-known Lake Country farm operation has received “hundreds’ of resumes” from laid-off workers after posting help-wanted ads. Expect this trend to continue throughout the Okanagan.

I have purposely included references that these stories were reported by local news organizations.

The importance of local journalism is critical to our communities. Local media report on what occurs at your local council, regional district or school trustee meetings, as well as local volunteer initiatives or efforts.

Right now supporting local news is vital.

If you have a subscription based local news source, please consider subscribing.

If you are in a position to advertise, now is a critical time to do so.

Two questions this week:

Will you support local journalism? If so, how?

I can be reached at:

Email: Dan.Albas@parl.gc.ca
Toll Free: 1 (800) 665-8711
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Nurses Take Job Action After Years of NDP Neglect

Image Credit:  BC Nurses Union BC nurses have reached a breaking point after years of unsafe conditions, rising violence in the workplace and a government that wouldn’t listen. Now they are on the picket line fighting to be heard. Last week, nurses began job action with a 72-hour strike notice, refusing non-essential overtime and stepping back from non-nursing duties. As of Tuesday, they have escalated to picket lines for the first time in decades. This moment was avoidable. It is the result of years of unanswered concerns from the frontline workers who keep our hospitals running. Nurses have been raising the same concerns for years: unsafe staffing levels, rising violence on the job, and a workload no single person should have to carry. None of it is new, and none of it should have taken a strike vote to get the government's attention. "Nurses are exercising their legal right to job action, but it shouldn’t have had to come to this," said Kiel Giddens, MLA for...
Post a Comment
Read more

British Columbians Still Don’t Know Who’s Paying for NDP’s BC Hydro Deal

The NDP is making billion-dollar promises with BC Hydro, but British Columbians still don’t know who will pay the bill. Last week’s memorandum of understanding isn’t what the federal government and the NDP are making it out to be. It’s an admission that the NDP failed to make the long-term investments needed to keep B.C. powered. Now British Columbians have serious questions about the cost and whether BC Hydro ratepayers will end up paying the price. David L. Williams, MLA for Salmon Arm-Shuswap and Shadow Minister for BC Hydro and Electrical Energy Development , said British Columbians deserve clear answers about the full implications of the Canada–British Columbia Cooperative Prosperity Agreement. “British Columbians deserve the full truth,” said Mr. Williams. “This multi-billion-dollar announcement does not answer who pays for cost overruns, who pays for new generation, who carries the risk if industrial customers do not materialize, or whether ratepayers will be forced ...
Post a Comment
Read more

NDP Government Blames Everyone but Themselves

The federal government has announced new measures to support British Columbia's forestry sector, including $65 million in funding for projects across the province. While any support is welcome, it falls far short of the level of assistance other provinces have secured for key industries. Conservative Forests Critic Ward Stamer says the NDP government needs to take responsibility for its mismanagement of B.C.’s forest industry instead of trying to pass on the blame. Despite promising to create more jobs in the forest sector, the NDP government has overseen the loss of thousands of forestry jobs and 21 mill closures which have devastated communities. “If Premier Eby spent more time addressing the regulatory issues impacting the forestry sector than he did complaining about the federal government, we would not be in the position we are now,” said Stamer. “And instead of trying to place the blame for mill closures on Donald Trump, Minister of Forests Ravi Parmar should t...
Post a Comment
Read more

Labels

Show more