Thoughts on BC Politics and More

What’s the worst possible program a government could cut? One that would cause most people to shake their heads at the mere mention of the idea? One that would burst into flames and burn danger-hot the moment it became public knowledge? The answer is: Support for kids with cancer and other life-threatening illnesses. Children who need medical help, with their family around them, in their most difficult moments. It’s the kind of thing you’d expect any right-minded government would protect, no matter how dire things get at the provincial treasury. And yet. Somehow. Here we are in another head-scratching moment in BC politics. Health Minister Josie Osborne said Monday she’ll restore funding to the BC Family Residence Program ... CLICK HERE for the full story

Conservative MLAs are condemning the BC NDP government’s decision to slash funding to the critical BC Family Residence Program, which helps families stay with their seriously ill children during hospital visits. At the same time, shocking revelations show that the Provincial Health Services Authority (PHSA) currently employs 336 individuals earning salaries of $300,000 or more annually. “The hypocrisy of the NDP’s priorities couldn’t be clearer,” said Peter Milobar, Conservative MLA for Kamloops Centre and Opposition Finance Critic. “Families with sick kids in the hospital facing some of the worst moments of their lives shouldn’t be punished while this government continues to protect their own insider contracts and bloated administrative salaries. This NDP Government’s decision to cut help for families with sick kids is not just wrong - it’s disgusting.” The BC Family Residence Program, which previously covered up to 30 nights of lodging per hospital stay, has now been cut drastically ...

The province just made hefty cuts to a program that secures lodging for families with sick kids in hospital, impacting many, including a Vancouver Island family that has logged several hospital stays over the years for their son ... ... Health Minister Josie Osborne says the province has had to prioritize funding. “In the fiscal environment we’re in right now, the health ministry like all other ministries has been given a mandate to review programs, and so we were not able to expand the funding that we provide,” Osborne said. But BC’s Conservative health critic, Anna Kindy, said that’s not good enough ... CLICK HERE for the full story