Thoughts on BC Politics and More

A 17-year-old Indigenous boy, Vincent, died at Kitimat Hospital three weeks ago, a death that MLA Claire Rattée says was entirely preventable and the result of the NDP’s failures in emergency care and diagnostic access in Northern BC. A mother lost her son because the system failed him at every stage,” said Rattée, Opposition Critic for Mental Health and Addictions. “He endured severe stomach pain for years, dismissed as constipation. Last month, he waited nearly five hours in the ER while turning blue before a CT was finally arranged in Terrace, but no ambulance was available. He had to wait for one from Terrace. This should never happen in British Columbia.” Vincent died at 10:48 p.m., before he was ever transferred for the scan that could have identified and treated his congenital hernia. The Kitimat community fund-raised for a CT scanner in 2023 to prevent tragedies like this. Construction did not begin until August 2025, and the scanner remains non-operational. Gove...

Independent MLA Jordan Kealy has sounded the alarm over a plan to decide the future of nearly three million hectares of ceded 'ancestral territory' in northern British Columbia. If approved, the plan would turn a large portion of Crown land into parks and indigenous protected and conserved areas ... ... Kealy argued that the government had not done nearly enough to properly engage with the public given the size and scope of the project. "They definitely do a lot of things behind the scenes without letting the public or local government know," he lamented. "A lot of these topics are brought up between First Nations and the provincial government through consensus folders" ... CLICK HERE for the full story  

T he BC Conservatives pressed the NDP government on Tuesday about rural health-care challenges, raising concerns about specialists not getting reimbursed when they travel to hospitals in the North and Interior. Sharon Hartwell, MLA for Bulkley Valley-Stikine, referred to an April 30 letter from Dr. Mallory Quinn, co-chief of staff at Bulkley Valley District Hospital in Smithers. The letter to the Ministry of Health said none of the 30 specialists who travel to the Smithers hospital regularly have been paid in full for their services ... CLICK HERE for the full story

The BC government pledged to conserve 30 per cent of land and 30 per cent of water by 2030, but so far only 16 per cent has been protected. The Kaska Dena people, who for thousands of years have lived on a vast swath of intact wilderness in northern BC on the Yukon border, have a saying in their language: Dene K’éh Kusān. It means always will be there. But as more land is swallowed up by industry — logging, mining, gas exploration — concerns are mounting about whether this land will always be there for future generations. They want to ensure it remains undeveloped to preserve their way of life, and doesn’t succumb to biodiversity loss and climate change like other areas of BC ... CLICK HERE for the full story

  A new program to help attract and retain livestock veterinarians in rural parts of the province will mean timely and better access to animal care for ranchers and farmers.    “ Our government remains committed to supporting farmers in B.C. care for their livestock by developing innovative programs that address their veterinary needs ,” said Lana Popham, Minister of Agriculture and Food. “ This initiative aims to bolster the number of veterinarians in rural communities. By doing so, we can provide essential support for livestock care, ultimately strengthening our province’s food security and economy .”    The program will focus on northern BC as the priority region. It will help veterinary clinics that provide livestock care with recruitment and retainment of veterinarians and registered veterinary technologists, as well as funding for equipment and training.    “ Meeting the demand for animal care in a rural area means long and busy days and nights, ...

As more northern BC forestry jobs are lost amid continued pressure on the lumber industry, food bank operators in small towns say they're seeing an increase in demand. The communities of Vanderhoof and Fort St. John are set to lose 500 jobs at the end of December when mill operator Canfor is slated to close sawmills in both communities. Food bank operators in both places say they've already seen an uptick in usage this year as the cost-of-living crisis continues to hit small communities hard ... CLICK HERE for the full story

A steady rise by the BC Conservatives in opinion polls is not a result of “brand confusion” with their federal namesake but rather a historic shift in political loyalties, Leader John Rustad says. The latest poll shows the BC Conservatives with 26 per cent support, second to the governing NDP at 44 per cent, and considerably ahead of the BC United Party, formerly the BC Liberal Party, at 17 per cent. The BC Conservatives are the current preference among voters in the Interior and the North, with 37 per cent, compared to 36 percent for the NDP, and just 15 percent for the BC United Party. “I think there’s a real appetite for change,” BC Conservative Leader John Rustad said ... CLICK HERE for the full story

Yesterday was New Years day ... and the first installment of what I am calling “ 20 for 2020” ... ideas which I believe should be implemented by any political party who wishes to govern us. As I mentioned on Tuesday, each of these suggestions and ideas, despite being number from one to twenty, will be random in order; and so they should not be interpreted as being presented in order of importance. Yesterday, I paraphrased an idea which was presented by the BC Conservative Party back in May of last year. There will be four others from the Conservatives, however there will also be many ideas from my own experiences being involved in BC politics for over two decades, as well as suggestions from friends and political acquaintances. Now, as today is January 2 nd , here is suggestion number two ... there should be a review of services provided to areas and regions where much of the provinces revenues are collected from .   Many would likely say t...

Just recently the Council of Construction Associations (COCA) released the July workplace incident summary, from WorkSafeBC .   These reports, according to WorkSafeBC are published to alert employers and workers to hazards in their industry . While I feel certain that since my mining days in the late 70’s, the number of, and severity of, workplace accidents have declined dramatically, the following list of incidents indicates the workplace is still unsafe for many British Columbians. A worker was framing a wood frame wall using an air-nailer. The worker took a step back and inadvertently bumped into a second worker. The air-nailer contacted and released a 3-inch nail into the second worker.  An arborist in the lower mainland was cutting the top (about 13 feet long) off a tree. As the tree top dropped to ground, a grounds-person walked into the arborist's work zone and was struck by the falling top, resulting in multiple injuries. A worke...

In case you were not aware, the Land Matching program, under the auspices of Lana Popham’s Agriculture Ministry, has been cranking out story after story about this BC government program. The last one coming out on June 28 th , triggered that I’d seen mention of this before, so I checked my Agriculture file, and sure enough the government couldn’t get enough of telling us about Land Match; in fact, there was three stories alone on September 18th of last year. Honestly, this is one of the things that really gals me … the government (whether it the previous BC Liberals, or now the BC NDP under Premier John Horgan) feel the need to use tax-payer resources to self-promote what they are doing … OVER and OVER and OVER again! Since January 5 th of last year, there has been six releases from the BC Government News department, all related to the same program – the BC Land Matching Program.   Now I’m sure they would use the rationale that many were because of being...