While British Columbians wait years for basic medical care, the NDP government has allowed non-residents to rack up $200.6 million in unpaid health bills since 2020-2021. New research from SecondStreet.org, obtained through a freedom of information request, revealed that people from outside Canada are coming to BC, receiving health services, and leaving without paying their bills. The losses span every health region in the province. "British Columbians are not guaranteed timely access to healthcare, be it treatment or diagnostics, and this situation continues to deteriorate under the NDP," said Anna Kindy, MLA for North Island and Critic for Health. "Taxpayers are footing the bill for tourists' health treatments to the tune of over $200 million, enough to cover over 21,000 hip replacements in this province while British Columbians wait months to years for that surgery.” The research found BC has the worst record of any province in Canada examined so far. Under a dec...
To me, this looks like the Leader of the Opposition doing what he often does politically. The Prime Minister, by contrast, has taken off the table the idea that Ottawa is categorically opposed to pipelines and, through the MOU, effectively put the ball in Alberta’s court with defined parameters.
ReplyDeleteThat said, there’s a broader disconnect between political rhetoric and corporate reality.
Pipelines make the most sense in a high‑growth environment where production is scaling rapidly. But if companies are prioritizing cash flow over expansion, incremental egress may be sufficient for a long‑lived, stable production base.
After the 2014–16 collapse and the 2020 shock, the industry shifted. Windfalls today are largely used to pay down debt, strengthen balance sheets, and fund dividends and buybacks — not to launch new mega‑projects.
Yet many conservative politicians, including Smith and Poilievre, still talk as if we’re one pipeline away from another 2006‑style boom. The industry itself is behaving like a mature sector: disciplined capex, long‑lived assets, cash returns.