From newswire at news.bc.ndp.ca Fri Nov 3 17:16:15 2006 From: newswire at news.bc.ndp.ca (BC NDP Newswire) Date: Fri, 3 Nov 2006 17:16:15 -0800 Subject: [LabComm] BC Liberals standardize hallway medicine Message-ID: BC Liberals standardize hallway medicine VICTORIA -- The ongoing crisis and overcrowding in B.C. emergency rooms under the B.C. Liberals continues to worsen as patients are now being told that hallway medicine is standard care and something they should expect, NDP Health Critic Adrian Dix said today. "Gordon Campbell and Health Minister George Abbott have failed B.C. patients," said Dix. "Hallway medicine is becoming so commonplace that patients are being told to expect a stretcher in a hallway. It doesn't matter if you are in emergency or an inpatient ward, hallway medicine in B.C. is the new reality." In August, the Vancouver Coastal Health Authority began to distribute a letter to patients at Vancouver General Hospital informing them of what to expect at VGH. The letter makes it clear that all patients should expect possible placement on a stretcher in hallways. "Under Gordon Campbell's watch, hallway medicine has become standard care," said Dix. "The B.C. Liberals have failed to address overcrowded ERs and they have failed to provide basic levels of service to British Columbians. It is a crisis they created." Since coming to power, the B.C. Liberals closed one in five acute care beds and shut down long term care facilities across the province. The result is a critical shortage of admitting beds, overcrowded ERs and patient backlogs in various wards. Over the last year, there has been severe overcrowding across the province including hospitals in Vancouver, Surrey, Kelowna, Kamloops and Prince George. "It's only the beginning of November," said Dix. "The real crunch time for ERs is just around the corner and we are still waiting for this government to take action. How many years do British Columbians have to wait before the Premier starts taking overcrowding seriously? How long do we have to accept hallway medicine as the new norm?" A copy of the Vancouver Coastal Health Authority letter to VGH patients is available in the "Headlines" section at www.bcndp.ca To unsubscribe or change your settings go to: http://www.e-2ve6y.signup2.bcndp.ca/ -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From newswire at news.bc.ndp.ca Mon Nov 6 15:59:09 2006 From: newswire at news.bc.ndp.ca (BC NDP Newswire) Date: Mon, 6 Nov 2006 15:59:09 -0800 Subject: [LabComm] BC NDP Connection Newsletter Message-ID: BC NDP Connection Newsletter November 3, 2006 In this Issue B.C. deserves better than hallway medicine, James says NDP MLAs fight for Formosa Nursery This week...

B.C. deserves better than hallway medicine, James says

Hallway medicine is the new standard of care in B.C., but NDP Leader Carole James says British Columbians deserve better. Health Minister George Abbott told a Vancouver radio station Friday that treating patients on stretchers in hallways is entirely appropriate, but James said it's a sign of broken promises and poor decisions. "With overcrowded emergency rooms across B.C., the only plan Gordon Campbell can come up with is hallway medicine," said James. Under Premier Campbell's direction, the B.C. Liberals cut one in five acute-care beds and broke their promise to add 5,000 new long-term care spaces. Those two decisions have placed added pressure on emergency rooms and have led to the crisis the province's hospitals now face. "There are no real solutions coming from the Liberals, only bandaids," James said. "What's worse is they refuse to acknowledge the problem they created." The admission by the Health Minister that hallway medicine is part of their overall strategy comes just as the Premier's Conversation on Health gets under way. That conversation began with the Finance Minister putting forward some dubious statistics to show that health care is not sustainable. New Democrats this week released data from the Canadian Institute for Health Information that showed, contrary to Finance Minister Carole Taylor's dire predictions, that health care spending has fallen as a proportion of total government spending. "This is what Gordon Campbell is using as a starting point for his conversation," said James. "Misleading figures and a blithe acceptance that hallway medicine is okay. "Well, it's not okay," James said. "British Columbians are looking for real, long-term solutions to the health care problems created by the B.C. Liberals." Top

NDP MLAs fight for Formosa Nursery

Two New Democrat MLAs are putting their energy toward saving a productive family farm in the Maple Ridge area. Michael Sather, who represents Maple Ridge ??? Pitt Meadows for the NDP and Corky Evans, the party's Critic for Agriculture and Lands, are planning a rally to save Formosa Nursery, an organic blueberry farm threatened by the placement of the Abernethy connector from the new Golden Ears bridge. Plans for the bridge go back to 1978, but the preferred Abernethy connector route at Formosa Nursery followed the gazetted road right of way. New plans by Translink moved 100 feet from the original, bisecting the farm and destroying a 30-year-old blueberry field. "It's a travesty," said Evans, who will hold a rally and tour of the farm Thursday, Nov. 9 at noon. "Anybody who visits this farm or reads this story can clearly see that this is just simply wrong. "This is farm land being worked by a farming family who want to stay on the land and keep it organic and productive." Evans spent much of the past week in Maple Ridge with Sather, working on raising awareness of the problem. "This is a local issue, sure," said Sather. "But it has much broader provincial implications. "We're not just fighting for the farmland in Maple Ridge. We're fighting for farmland in the Kootenays, in the Okanagan, in the Cariboo, in the Peace and all across this province," Sather said. "If we allow this indiscriminate road placement to go forward, we're saying that it's okay to sacrifice prime organic farmland for development. Farmland is not a land bank for developers." Evans, who represents Nelson ??? Creston, said supporters of farmers Ting Wu and his wife Risa Lin have been sending letters to Translink, the body responsible for transportation infrastructure in the lower mainland. He said pressure needs to be put on Agriculture Minister Pat Bell as well. "This isn't a partisan issue," said Evans. "This is about farming, food production, and land for food production. Farming is important. And farmland is important. "People of all political stripes are working to undo this terrible decision." Top

This Week...

B.C. Liberals have abandoned their commitment to communities

NDP Leader Carole James says Gordon Campbell and the B.C. Liberals have abandoned communities in this province. Leader's Radio Address

Education Minister Must Protect Vital School Programs in Wake of Ban

Education Minister Shirley Bond must protect vital school programs, such as sports and music, in the wake of a Supreme Court ruling banning school fees, NDP Education Critic David Cubberley says. Read More

Krog Chides Oppal for Public Comments on Legislature Case

Leonard Krog, Opposition critic for the Attorney General, criticized Wally Oppal for making public comments about potential evidence and witnesses in the high profile Virk-Basi case. Read More

Fewer Drunk Drivers Convicted Under the B.C. Liberals

Fewer drunk drivers are being convicted for their crimes under the B.C. Liberals, NDP Public Safety critic Mike Farnworth says. Read More Top Click Here to Read More B.C. NDP News Releases

Constituency Report!

Constituency Report is your chance to hear your MLA talk about issues important to your community. Click Here for a full schedule. Top

SHARE YOUR CONNECTION

Don't keep your Connection to yourself. Forward this message to your friends and colleagues and invite them to subscribe by clicking below.

ABOUT CONNECTION

Connection is the regular electronic newsletter of the Official Opposition Caucus. You received this message because you subscribed to Newswire through the BC NDP web site.

CONTACT US

New Democrat Official Opposition Room 201, Parliament Buildings Victoria, BC V8V 1X4 bcndpcaucus.ca By phone: (250) 387-3655 By email: ndp at leg.bc.ca To unsubscribe or change your settings go to: http://www.e-2ve6y.signup2.bcndp.ca/ -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From newswire at news.bc.ndp.ca Wed Nov 15 22:43:03 2006 From: newswire at news.bc.ndp.ca (BC NDP Newswire) Date: Wed, 15 Nov 2006 22:43:03 -0800 Subject: [LabComm] Taiwan trip helps build on cultural, economic relationship Message-ID: Taiwan trip helps build on cultural, economic relationship Building our relationships with our Pacific neighbours is a crucial component of future growth in British Columbia. That's why New Democrat Leader Carole James sent a delegation to China and Hong Kong in July and why she and three of her MLAs are in Taiwan this week. Economic Development Critic Jenny Kwan, Finance Critic Bruce Ralston and Tourism, Sport and the Arts Critic Norm Macdonald are joining James on the weeklong trip to Taiwan. "Taiwan is one of the economic powerhouses of the Pacific Rim," said James. "They're an important trading partner, and these face-to-face exchanges are terrific tools in building on our cross-Pacific friendship." Taiwan is currently British Columbia's fifth largest export market. Though small territorially, Taiwan currently pumps more than a half billion dollars annually into B.C.'s economy. "As the Asian economy continues to grow, and especially as we move toward the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, we want to continue to foster good relationships with our friends on the Pacific Rim," James said. This is not just an economic trip, James said. Along with meeting the business leaders -- including the high tech and film industry sectors -- the delegation will make contact with cultural leaders as well. "We're more than just trading partners," James said. "With the large number of first-generation Canadians from the Pacific Rim, the cultural ties are nearly as important as the economic ties. "And it's a wonderful chance to learn from our friends and neighbours," James said. "This trip is another step on the way to forging better relationships with our Asian partners." ------------------- MORE HEADLINES THIS WEEK Hallway medicine crisis spreads to Royal Columbian As the B.C. Liberals continue to dither on the overcrowding crisis in emergency rooms, hallway medicine is now the standard of care at another hospital, says NDP Health Critic Adrian Dix. Read more. NDP Calls on Campbell Government to Save Formosa Nursery New Democrat MLAs Corky Evans and Michael Sather have called on the Campbell government to save Formosa Nursery. Their comments came in the wake of a meeting with Translink Officials that failed to adequately address the communities' concerns about the construction of a road through the middle of the farm. Read more. To unsubscribe or change your settings go to: http://www.e-2ve6y.signup2.bcndp.ca/ -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From newswire at news.bc.ndp.ca Thu Nov 23 14:44:04 2006 From: newswire at news.bc.ndp.ca (BC NDP Newswire) Date: Thu, 23 Nov 2006 14:44:04 -0800 Subject: [LabComm] New Democrats Force B.C. Liberals to Extend Legislative Session Message-ID: New Democrats Force B.C. Liberals to Extend Legislative Session VICTORIA -- B.C.'s Official Opposition is forcing the Campbell government to extend a hastily-called legislative session, holding them to account for their choices and raising issues important to British Columbians, NDP Leader Carole James said today. "The Campbell government has called back the Legislature to appoint a Child and Youth Representative for the province of British Columbia," said James. "New Democrats will be giving that Representative our full support. But it is just not good enough for the government to sneak in, conduct a single order of business, and then sneak out. "It is not up to the B.C. Liberals to decide what issues are important to debate in the people's house, and which are not," said James. "It is not up to the Premier to decide which questions he is going to answer and which he is not. As the Official Opposition, we have a responsibility to raise important issues on behalf of British Columbians, and to hold the government to account for its choices. We intend to do that." James added that it was regrettable the Premier chose not to return from his trip to the Asia Pacific to oversee the appointment of the Child and Youth Representative. "Had the Premier been in the Legislature today, perhaps he could have answered for his government's willful dismantling of our child welfare system," said James. "He should have been there to explain why his government eliminated the office of the Children's Commissioner in 2002, leaving our most vulnerable children without an independent advocate. "We are excited at the prospect of having a Child and Youth Representative once again in B.C. Our understanding is that the appointee will not be available until early next year, so extending the session for a couple of days will not hamper this process," said James. James said that there are a number of issues of urgent public importance that the Legislature must address including homelessness, affordable housing, health care wait lists, climate change and the ongoing problems in our child protection system. "Passing this motion by Monday will ensure that the Representative for Children and Youth can begin her work as planned. In the meantime, we are committed to doing our democratic duty by speaking up for ordinary British Columbians in their legislature," said James. To unsubscribe or change your settings go to: http://www.e-2ve6y.signup2.bcndp.ca/ -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From newswire at news.bc.ndp.ca Fri Nov 24 22:39:02 2006 From: newswire at news.bc.ndp.ca (BC NDP Newswire) Date: Fri, 24 Nov 2006 22:39:02 -0800 Subject: [LabComm] BC NDP Connection Newsletter Message-ID: BC NDP Connection Newsletter

Arrogant Liberals get democracy lesson from NDP

The Gordon Campbell government was given a lesson in democracy this week. The B.C. Liberals expected to come to Victoria this week, make a big show of appointing a new Child and Youth Representative, and then sneak away without being asked any tough questions or doing any other real work. But Carole James and her B.C. NDP caucus wouldn't let them get away with it. "We're very supportive of the nominee for the Child and Youth Representative position, and we'll unanimously support that appointment," said James. "But we're going to use the rules available to hold this government to account." Legislative rules require three days' notice for motions to be debated. The government asked for the normal rules to be suspended, so they could get in and get out in one day. The NDP members refused to let them do that. The confirmation of Mary Ellen Turpel-Lafond will take place on Monday, in time for her scheduled start date in the New Year. "The arrogance of the Liberals seems to be growing day by day," said James. "We took this stand to show them that democracy means they don't always get their own way." Refusing to play along with Liberal arrogance also gave the Opposition Caucus a chance to raise issues of importance to British Columbians. In Question Period this week, NDP Critics grilled government ministers on issues such as climate change, problems with private post-secondary education institutions, the unregulated home inspection industry and credit-card medicine practiced on this government's watch. Opposition members also called for emergency debate on increasing the shelter portion of income assistance and the availability of clean drinking water to all British Columbians. "These are all issues that we could have addressed had the Campbell government not cancelled the fall sitting of the Legislature," said James. "And there are other issues of importance to the people of this province that we just didn't get to." It's not too late, James said. The official legislative calendar has the fall session extending until Nov. 28; the calendar became moot once Campbell's House Leader Mike De Jong decided that the Legislature was just 'busy work.' "My caucus is willing to meet all week if necessary to improve the lives of British Columbians," James said. "We don't consider this 'busy work.' Acting on behalf of the people of this province is always important work."

James calls for Health Minister's resignation

Carole James says the Health Minister should resign. "George Abbott refuses to stand up for public health care, which is a key component of his role as Health Minister," said the NDP Leader. "If he's unable or unwilling to do that, then perhaps it's time the Premier finds someone who can." James said Abbott's tenure as Health Minister has been marked by crisis after crisis, by failures in leadership, and by his unwillingness to protect the public interest. The most recent example of Minister Abbott's incompetence is the news that False Creek Surgical Centre is about to open a for-profit emergency room in Vancouver. James said the False Creek ER is another step toward credit card medicine. The news of the for-profit emergency room came just a day after news that the Kamloops Surgical Centre was allowing patients to jump the queue for specialist care if they paid a fee. Minister Abbott was unaware of those developments until informed of them by the Opposition. "This Minister has consistently refused to enforce the Medicare Protection Act," said James. "We've seen it with the Copeman Clinic in Vancouver and with the Options Clinic in Victoria. "British Columbians are worried this is just one step closer to patients having to pay for emergency medical care out of their own pocket," James said. "It's time for Gordon Campbell to bring in a Health Minister who can do the job, or he should just admit that his real agenda is an expansion of credit card medicine."

Solicitor General dismisses home-buyers' concerns

The arrogance of the B.C. Liberal government took a step forward this week. Opposition New Democrats this week released a letter from the president of the Canadian Association of Home and Property Inspectors of B.C, which shows just how arrogant the Campbell government has become. The letter from Bill Sutherland recounted a conversation he had with John Les, the Solicitor General and Minister for Public Safety after Sutherland had sent a letter to Premier Gordon Campbell to regulate the home inspection industry. Les told Sutherland that if he contacted the Premier's office again, the government would completely drop the issue of consumer protection for home buyers. "It's astounding that the Solicitor General would tell British Columbians that if they don't play by B.C. Liberal rules, they won't be heard by this government," said NDP MLA Diane Thorne. Thorne, the New Democrat Critic for Housing and Homelessness, said people who are buying houses need to know that the people inspecting their new investments have the skills they claim to have. She said she's had several meetings with people in the home inspection industry who have had frustration having their concerns heard by this government. "I'm sure most of the home inspectors have the skills to provide the services they advertise," said Thorne. "But for consumers to have full confidence, there should be some standards in place for this industry." Unfortunately, the Solicitor General seems to be living up to his threat to drop the issue of consumer protection. He told the Legislature that he didn't think any regulation is necessary, saying that people just needed to educate themselves. "This is the biggest investment most British Columbians will ever make," said Thorne. "Protecting that investment means relying on people with a certain level of expertise to tell them of potential problems. ???"he Solicitor General's refusal to address this issue is shameful," Thorne said. "And his attempt to muzzle real, informed criticism shows how arrogant this government has become."

Other news this week

Child poverty numbers shameful indictment of Campbell government priorities Gordon Campbell is allowing British Columbia's child poverty rate to remain the highest in the country and his negligent attitude towards the crisis is a shameful indictment of his government's priorities, NDP Leader Carole James says. Read More Confusion abounds as Campbell, Minister issue conflicting statements on offshore drilling Conflicting statements from Premier Gordon Campbell and Energy, Mines and Petroleum Resources Minister Richard Neufeld show the B.C. Liberals don't have a real plan to properly address the offshore drilling issue, John Horgan says. Read More To unsubscribe or change your settings go to: http://www.e-2ve6y.signup2.bcndp.ca/ -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From newswire at news.bc.ndp.ca Tue Nov 28 23:58:14 2006 From: newswire at news.bc.ndp.ca (BC NDP Newswire) Date: Tue, 28 Nov 2006 23:58:14 -0800 Subject: [LabComm] NDP refuses to let Liberals sneak in and out of Legislature Message-ID: NDP refuses to let Liberals sneak in and out of Legislature VICTORIA -- The B.C. Liberal government was hoping to sneak in and out of the Legislature without facing any real scrutiny. Opposition New Democrats had other ideas. Opposition MLAs kept the House lights up all night until the speaker's list ran out around 8:30 Tuesday morning. After completing the appointment of Mary Ellen Turpel-Lafond to the position of Child and Youth Representative, government House Leader Mike De Jong introduced a motion to adjourn the Legislature, essentially shutting down what was one of the shortest sessions in B.C. Legislative history. "The B.C. Liberals said there was nothing for the House to discuss, that it would not engage in what they called 'busy work,'" said NDP House Leader Mike Farnworth. "We've never believed that trying to improve the lives of British Columbians is 'busy work.' "So we kept the House open all night and gave the Liberals some idea of what we could have discussed if we had had a full fall session." NDP MLAs spoke on diverse subjects, ranging from the state of B.C. Ferries to the growth of credit-card medicine, to homelessness, to the lack of support for women's centres. "These are significant challenges facing British Columbians, and we were sent to Victoria to address those challenges," said Farnworth, the MLA for Port Coquitlam - Burke Mountain. "The Legislative Calendar -- had the Liberals chosen to follow the rules they put in place -- would have given us seven weeks to go into some of these issues in great detail, and actually come to decisions that would have been beneficial to British Columbia. "Instead, in their arrogance, the Liberals cancelled the session and left all these things undone," Farnworth said. "It's a shame, and it's a waste." To unsubscribe or change your settings go to: http://www.e-2ve6y.signup2.bcndp.ca/ -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: