Thoughts on BC Politics and More

Darwyn Danesh was only 16 when he died at home with his family in Greater Victoria in the summer of 2020. He had been diagnosed with subaortic stenosis — a heart condition — and his death was not unexpected. But how he died was unexpected. Over four days that July, Darwyn’s parents struggled to get their son the medical attention, proper pain medication and palliative care he needed to be comfortable as his health rapidly declined. BC Ombudsperson Jay Chalke investigated Darwyn’s death. No one should have to go through the trauma and uncertainty that Darwyn, his parents and his sister went through, Chalke said in an investigation summary included in his office’s 2024-25 annual report, released Tuesday ... CLICK HERE for the full story

At the same time Premier David Eby is asking the federal ­government to go easy on recovering some COVID-19 benefits, his own government is clawing back relief on the basis of a retroactive, unpublicized legal change. “Ironic,” said Ombudsperson Jay Chalke on Tuesday. He released an investigative report on how midstream changes to the B.C. Emergency Benefit mean the Finance Ministry is chasing tens of thousands of people — possibly far more — to get back $1,000 grants handed out during the pandemic ... CLICK HERE for the full story