Thoughts on BC Politics and More

Conservative MLAs say the NDP government has lost control of the healthcare crisis in British Columbia, as local governments from Merritt to Nanaimo are now escalating mental health and addictions issues to Ottawa out of sheer desperation. IMAGE CREDIT : Neuroscience Institute “When mayors start writing to federal MPs instead of the Health Minister, it just proves the provincial government’s inability to deal with the crisis,” said  Claire Rattée , MLA for Skeena and Critic for Mental Health and Addictions. “Addictions, poverty, and mental illness are colliding across this province. The system is underfunded, unaffordable, and dangerously inaccessible,” Rattée continued.  “Experts say mental health should make up 12% of the health budget, BC isn’t even close. And now Merritt’s mayor is appealing to Ottawa because the province won’t act. This is all happening amidst a larger healthcare crisis in BC. We don’t just have gaps, we have total breakdowns.” In Merritt, ...

  Residents of North Thompson and rural BC deserve a reliable healthcare system—this is not an option but a necessity. Unfortunately, healthcare in BC is in crisis, particularly in rural areas where emergency room availability is increasingly uncertain. In the past six weeks alone, the Interior Health Authority region has experienced 41 * partial or full-day closures of emergency departments, including seven at Dr. Helmcken Memorial Hospital in North Thompson. These closures, coupled with limited notice, extended delays in basic care, and an acute shortage of nurses, highlight the repeated failures of BC’s healthcare system under the administration of Minister Adrian Dix. Our party's healthcare platform, unveiled by party leader John Rustad on Thursday the 18th, proposes several specific measures to assist rural communities across BC, including Kamloops North Thompson communities like Chase, Barriere, and Clearwater. Key points of our plan include: ● Reinstating healthcare w...

The revelation that a notorious BC child-killer has changed his name and is seeking to keep his new identity secret has drawn widespread condemnation. A review hearing for Allan Schoenborn, who killed his three children in Merritt, BC, 16 years ago, revealed Wednesday that Schoenborn legally changed his name in February ... CLICK HERE for the full story

The Mayor of Merritt insists he plans to continue pushing the province for a financial refund connected to the closures of his community’s emergency room, despite the Regional Hospital Board shooting down his first salvo . . . . CLICK HERE for the full story

A familiar face will be running again for the B.C. Green Party in the newly-redrawn Fraser-Nicola riding — which will encompass the communities of Merritt, Logan Lake, Lytton, Boston Bar and Hope. For a second provincial election, Jonah Timms will run for the party. BC United incumbent Jackie Tegart has announced she will seek re-election, while the BC Conservatives and BC NDP have not announced candidates in the riding ... CLICK HERE for the full story

Two Merritt-based companies are revolutionizing sustainable forest management in British Columbia. In a news release, Stuwix Resources Joint Venture (SRJV) and Valley Carriers have announced that they will be working together to make a better use of leftover forest materials, such as forest residuals. “With the support from the Forest Enhancement Society of BC (FESBC) funding for a Bush Grind Project, the partners aim to turn these residual materials into valuable biomass products" ... CLICK HERE for the full story

Fourteen closures this year, and two this week alone at the Nicola Valley Hospital’s Emergency Room, have left residents concerned and searching for answers. “It’s a Band-Aid station right now. I mean, if anything really serious happens to anybody they have to ship them off to Kamloops or Kelowna,” stated a local resident. “Personally, we live in a rural community about 30 minutes outside of Merritt. If the Merritt hospital is closed, our closest option is Kamloops — and if it’s a case of life and death, every second counts,” another concerned resident told CFJC News ... CLICK HERE for the full story

Just two days ago, Shane Simpson, Minister of Social Development and Poverty Reduction, announced that up to 25 British Columbians, affected by the downturn in the forest sector, were going to receive training and work experience in asphalt paving and heavy construction. In making the announcement he commented that, “ We know that heavy equipment operators and similar construction occupations will be in great demand over the next 10 years.  The provincial government is working with industry and unions to hire trainees and provide training for new career path opportunities that will allow British Columbians to support themselves and their families ”. With a government grant of nearly half a million dollars ($450,000) the International Union of Operating Engineers (IUOE) Local 115, in partnership with Emil Anderson Construction , Dawson Blacktop and Dawson Group will be delivering road-building and heavy-construction training programs for 25 individuals ...

I have to admit being harsh on the provincial government, when it comes to drug deaths from overdoses ... but more importantly from deliberately poisoned drugs that I feel the government is not dealing harshly enough in ensuring that those manufacturing the poison, get HARSH jail terms. That said, something appears to be working because the past two reports now show significant declines in the numbers of young people, and adults, who have died. Here is the most recent report from the BC Coroners Service, regarding updated reports on illicit drug toxicity deaths and fentanyl-detected drug deaths to the end of June 2019. Key preliminary findings of these drug death reports are below. Data are subject to change: In June there were 73 suspected illicit drug toxicity deaths, a 35% decrease from the number of deaths in June 2018 (113), and a 15% decrease from the number of deaths occurring in May 2019 (86). There were approximately 2.4 illici...