Thoughts on BC Politics and More

Dozens of protesters carrying placards gathered in a park in Burnaby to rally against the provincial government’s cancellation of a construction contract for a hospital expansion in the city. At Avondale Park in Burnaby, about two minutes drive from the hospital, protesters on Sunday held up yellow signs with slogans reading: Burnaby matters. Premier David Eby said earlier in May that plans for the Burnaby Hospital expansion aren’t dead despite the provincial government’s announcement the contract had been cancelled ... CLICK HERE for the full story 

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 

What’s a politician worth? If you’ll stop laughing for a moment, let’s re-frame the question. We’ve veered into an unhealthy debate on this subject of value for money. More precisely: How much should a politician be paid – that is, how much ought to be in keeping with the scope of the job, the size of the community being served, and the scale of comparable roles in the private sector? CLICK HERE for the full story

Conservative Party of British Columbia candidate for Burnaby-New Westminster Deepak Suri is calling out excessive healthcare wait times in British Columbia, after his 83 year old mother waited almost two hours for an Ambulance today after a fall at a Burnaby Care Home. “ My Mother is 83 years old. She has diabetes, chronic heart failure, and she needs dialysis three times a week. She is not supposed to be in pain, as it can impact her heart. If we had continued to wait and wait, her life could have been in danger ,” says Suri. “ Healthcare wait times in BC are out of control. This Eby NDP government has made our healthcare third-world ,” Suri admonishes. “ When we finally arrived at Royal Columbian Hospital, over 40 people were waiting for medical help in the Emergency Room.  Something has to change in BC, people are dead and dying waiting for Ambulances and on waiting lists for healthcare. We pay taxes all of our lives, we expect healthcare to be there when ...

Thirteen exceptional people will be appointed to the Order of British Columbia , the Province’s highest form of recognition, Lieutenant Governor Janet Austin, chancellor of the order, has announced. “ As the representative of the Crown in British Columbia and chancellor of the Order of British Columbia, I am delighted to welcome 13 new members to the order ,” Austin said. “ They have helped us to grow as a province, taught us to care for our environment, enriched our lives with literature and art, helped us to address past injustices and inspired us to become a more caring and inclusive society. To recognize these remarkable people, who are changing our communities for the better in many ways, is an honour of great personal significance to me .” This year, 160 British Columbians were nominated. The deadline for nominations was March 6, 2020. Since its inception, 460 British Columbians have been appointed to the Order of BC Members have been appointed from all regions o...

Parents fully understand that children bring us both great joy and great expense.   While the happiness vastly outweighs the cost, money is not something that can be ignored. For most families shelter costs account for the biggest share of the household budget.   When shelter becomes less affordable, families vote with their feet to find decent housing at an affordable price. This phenomena reveals itself in school enrollment figures. As housing prices climb, we would expect families with school aged children to seek more affordable options.   With even basic family housing above a million dollars per unit in Vancouver, it should come as no surprise that school enrollment numbers are dropping there.   Over the past year Vancouver schools saw a decline in enrollment of nearly 200 students.   Contrast this with a much smaller population like Kamloops, and the difference becomes stark.   Enrollment within our school district climbed 235 students i...