Thoughts on BC Politics and More

Provincial records show the NDP government has spent nearly $100 million on the second phase of the Burnaby Hospital expansion and seven long-term care facilities — projects now all on indefinite hold. The province announced on April 30 that contracts had been cancelled for Phase 2 of the Burnaby Hospital redevelopment and those related to the construction of long-term care homes in Kelowna, Fort St. John, Delta, Abbotsford and Mission. The fate of long-term care developments paused in Squamish and Campbell River remains unclear ... CLICK HERE for the full story 

  No new schools for you.  The provincial government’s school building spree looks set to grind to a halt in the fast-growing Fraser Valley, with Victoria telling the region’s five school districts it won’t green-light new major projects this year. Last year, the school districts submitted capital plans with a combined $1.5 billion of schools, sites, and expansions for which they hoped to receive funding. This spring, the province told the districts that there is no money for new schools in the valley ... CLICK HERE for the full story

Y esterday in Question Period, BC NDP Transport Minister Mike Farnworth repeatedly refused to deny plans to impose a vehicle levy—a tax that would hit every car owner in British Columbia. Harman Bhangu, Conservative MLA for Langley - Abbotsford and Official Opposition Critic for Transportation, strongly criticized the NDP government’s lack of transparency and accountability on this issue. “ Mike Farnworth’s refusal to rule out this vehicle levy speaks volumes ,” said Bhangu. “ At a time when British Columbians are already struggling with rising living costs, the NDP is considering yet another punitive tax on hard-working families. This is unacceptable .” The Conservative opposition is calling on the government to clearly and publicly rule out the introduction of a vehicle levy. “ British Columbians deserve straight answers from their government—not evasive silence ,” Bhangu continued. “ If the NDP won’t clearly state their intentions, we can only assume the worst. The Conservatives wil...

Harman Bhangu, MLA for Langley-Abbotsford and Official Conservative Opposition Critic for Transportation, questioned BC NDP Housing Minister Ravi Kahlon over concerning connections surrounding a $50 million grant request involving close associates and family ties of the Minister. During yesterday’s legislative Housing Estimates debate, MLA Harman Bhangu pressed Housing Minister Ravi Kahlon regarding a substantial $50 million grant funding request submitted by the Vancity Community Foundation, a lobbying client of Nicola Hill, Principal of Nicola Hill Strategies, who specifically registered to lobby Minister Kahlon’s Ministry of Housing to arrange meetings with senior Ministry officials regarding the $50 million grant funding request. These meetings have already taken place. Significantly, Nicola Hill Strategies is listed prominently as a "collaborative partner" on the website of Core Firm, a lobbying and government relations firm co-founded by Minister Kahlon's sister, Pa...

A longtime veteran of British Columbia provincial politics is entering the federal election race as an independent. Mike de Jong announced Thursday that he would run in the new Abbotsford-South Langley riding. De Jong served eight terms as an MLA under the BC Liberal/BC United banner, holding multiple cabinet portfolios including finance, attorney general, public safety and health ... CLICK HERE for the full story  

The City of Abbotsford has confirmed it is appealing a court decision that orders the municipality to provide services to residents of an encampment at City Hall ... “The residents of Abbotsford pay taxes to the provincial and federal governments—not to the city—for the provision of these services” ... CLICK HERE for the full story RELATED STORY : Last week, the local legion said a homeless encampment on the grounds of Abbotsford City Hall would force it to make changes to the city’s Remembrance Day ceremony.

This October, as Langley voters head to the polls to select representatives in the provincial legislature, the fate of the election may turn on issues like schools, health care, or housing. But a more fundamental question may influence the which local candidates are successful: Just who is your average 2024 Langley voter anyways?. . . . CLICK HERE for the full story

Abbotsford’s new nurse-cop teams aimed at de-escalating mental health calls are working and effective, but only helping a portion of people in crisis, according to police.   Abbotsford is one of only four BC communities with “mobile integrated crisis response teams” that pair psychiatric nurses with police officers to try to provide better—and safer—care to people in crisis. (Chilliwack is another.)   The program has been a “gift” to Abbotsford since it started, the city’s Public Safety Advisory Committee heard last week. But Abbotsford Police Insp. Kevin Murray said that limited hours and manpower means the plainclothes team is only helping one-quarter of those who might benefit from its help . . . . CLICK HERE for the full story  

  Yesterday, I came across a story in the Vancouver Sun headlined, “ Illegal dumping increasing on BC farmland ” – the story stated that it’s   against the law to dump construction material on land reserved for farming but its increasingly being used as a cheaper alternative to authorized sites, which can charge more than $1,000 a load. Bruce Banman, is an MLA in the area (Conservative BC – Abbotsford South), so yesterday afternoon I sent him a text asking about the problem.   Here’s what he had to say: This is a huge problem -- and has been for a while. Abbotsford does have a few gravel pits near the airport which after extracting the aggregate, take loads of clean soil which is tested and recorded; it is all monitored. So far, it seems to be improving agricultural land. This system helped lower illegal dumps, but for some reason it has ramped up again. For a while a few First Nations had dumps for this kind of stuff (and still do), but they have either filled up, or ...

A man with a history of violent sexual assaults involving children has allegedly re-offended in Kelowna . . . . . . . . “This government neglected to notify the public that there was a dangerous pedophile like this in their presence,” said Falcon. Dueck had previously served multiple sentences for convictions of sexual assault. Dueck is now being accused of assaulting an 11-year-old girl in Kelowna, said Falcon . . . . CLICK HERE for the full story

No longer a stronghold, Abbotsford will be a political battleground this October when voters head to the polls. It has been decades since a provincial election was accompanied by so much uncertainty over just who might represent residents in the BC legislature. Demographic shifts, a prominent retirement, redrawn riding's, and a surge of popularity for the BC Conservatives mean that any one of three parties could end up with a majority of the central Fraser Valley’s seats. Earlier this month, we considered the upcoming races in Chilliwack and the eastern valley. Today, we consider the outlook for races in three riding's in Abbotsford and Mission . . . . CLICK HERE for the full story