Thoughts on BC Politics and More

As of September 1, 2025, the Urgent Pediatric Assessment Clinic (UPAC) at Victoria General Hospital (VGH) will close down for an unspecified amount of time. The clinic was set up in 2019 to rapidly match children with an appropriate specialist and reduce wait times, but the clinic’s pediatricians were facing burnout and are now renegotiating a contract with Island Health. “Why is it that under this government we always arrive at another closure or interruption of service? In this case, contract negotiations should have happened before any kind of service cancellation. But now, referrals to the UPAC already ended as of August 15th,” said Dr. Anna Kindy, MLA for North Island and Shadow Minister for Health. “The lack of forethought, planning, and accountability by the health authority is again evident. Why wasn’t a contract ready? Who is accountable for this?” “Sick children can deteriorate quickly, and in pediatric medicine, appropriate diagnosis must be done in a timely manner. That’s w...

An urgent clinic for pediatric patients at Victoria General Hospital is to close next month over what the pediatricians say are “significant workload concerns.” A memo from the pediatricians to their non-ER physician colleagues said that the Urgent Pediatric Assessment Clinic (UPAC) will close on September 1. The memo, obtained by the Times Colonist and dated August 15, said referrals to the service ended that day ... ... the pediatrics group has faced increased demand for services in recent years as the volume and complexity of cases have grown. That has created “workload challenges, physician burnout and retention issues" ... CLICK HERE for the full story

Saanich resident Eric Roberts was one of many seniors in Victoria General Hospital this month — the only difference being he spent nine of his 10 days there in hallways. Roberts, a retiree-turned potter, was admitted to hospital on Feb. 24 for a series of infections and subsequent delirium. He was discharged on March 4. “I was moved three times to different locations to accommodate bathroom accessibility for in-coming patients,” Roberts said. For four days, he was parked by a garbage room. On another day, his food tray was moved seven times for hallway traffic. And for one blessed day he had a room with a TV and some privacy . . . . CLICK HERE for the full story

Dan Quayle marked his 52nd birthday on Oct. 7 in Victoria General Hospital waiting to find out when chemotherapy would start for an aggressive form of esophageal cancer. He would die waiting. After 10 weeks in hospital, Quayle, a gregarious grandfather who put on his best silly act for his two grandkids, was in so much pain, unable to eat or walk, he opted for a medically assisted death on Nov. 24 — despite assurances from doctors that chemotherapy had the potential to prolong his life by a year ... CLICK HERE for the full story