From newswire at news.bc.ndp.ca Tue Oct 17 22:15:07 2006 From: newswire at news.bc.ndp.ca (BC NDP Newswire) Date: Tue, 17 Oct 2006 21:15:07 -0800 Subject: [LabComm] BC NDP Connection Newsletter Message-ID: BC NDP Connection Newsletter

B.C., not the Prime Minister, should be the Premier's first priority

Premier Gordon Campbell is letting Prime Minister Stephen Harper engage in pre-election campaigning at the expense of what's best for British Columbia, Carole James says. The NDP leader says Stephen Harper's visit to British Columbia this week highlights how little B.C. is gaining from the supposed improved personal relationship between the Premier and the Prime Minister. "Prime Minister Harper's strategy on ports is apparently to re-announce funding committed more than a year ago," said James. "That's certainly not news, especially when all he did was tell British Columbians we won't see the money for close to a decade." The real news was Mr. Campbell standing by, politely applauding, as the Prime Minister used British Columbia as a backdrop to make an incomprehensible statement on climate change. "While Mr. Campbell acted as cheerleader, Prime Minister Harper pledged to do nothing about climate change," said James. James said the Premier's involvement in the Prime Minister's announcements tells British Columbia that he approves of Mr. Harper's priorities. "We've seen Mr. Campbell's own inaction on climate change, so that should come as no surprise." James said. "What's disturbing is his inability to get a better deal for British Columbia. "Mr. Campbell should be working on the priorities of B.C., not Mr. Harper's re-election priorities."

Gag orders stifle health care conversation

Is there an honest conversation on health care in British Columbia? It depends on who you talk to. A pair of incidents this week should make British Columbians wonder whether the B.C. Liberals really want an open dialogue on the future of health care in this province. A memo distributed to everyone who works for the Vancouver Island Health Authority ??? doctors, nurses, technicians and support staff ??? instructs them that they are not allowed to speak with media, MLAs or MPs without express permission from the CEO's office. And an employee at Maximus, the company which responds to inquiries about the Medical Services Plan and Pharmacare, told the media this week that he was instructed not to refer callers to MLAs if he couldn't help them himself. "The B.C. Liberals are clearly worried about having a truly frank discussion with British Columbians about their failures on health care in this province," said NDP Health Critic Adrian Dix. "They seem to want to guide this conversation on health care only in a direction that suits their political needs." Dix said British Columbians rely on their elected officials to address issues when they feel let down by the system. "The Liberals are worried about being embarrassed by full scrutiny of what they've done to our health care system," Dix said. "They should be embarrassed, but they should be using the information they get from their front-line workers as the starting point to fixing the problems they caused. "Trying to keep their problems hidden doesn't help anyone. It only helps their political cause."

This Week

Carole James urges action on Child and Youth representative

Too many months have gone by without action on the Child and Youth representative and Gordon Campbell should ensure Ted Hughes' recommendations are acted on without delay NDP Leader Carole James says.Leader's Radio Address

Falcon turning a blind eye to reservations cash cow, Coons says

Transportation Minister Kevin Falcon is turning a blind eye to B.C. Ferries' reservation cash cow, Gary Coons says. Read More

Minister Leaves School Boards to Face School Fee Crisis Alone

Education Minister Shirley Bond's lack of leadership on school fees has left school boards to face the problem alone, NDP Education Critic David Cubberley says. Read more

Lives put at risk by B.C. Liberal inaction on rural ambulance service

The B.C. Liberals' failure to deal with a shortage of rural ambulance attendants has put the lives of Interior residents at risk, NDP MLA Charlie Wyse says. Read More Read more

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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 Mon Oct 23 17:41:14 2006 From: newswire at news.bc.ndp.ca (BC NDP Newswire) Date: Mon, 23 Oct 2006 16:41:14 -0800 Subject: [LabComm] Connections Newsletter Oct 20, 2006 Message-ID: Connections Newsletter Oct 20, 2006 October 20, 2006 In this Issue B.C. Liberals to blame for homelessness crisis Brar asks for investigation of job-placement programs This week...

B.C. Liberals to blame for homelessness crisis

It's homelessness awareness week this week and NDP Leader Carole James says it's the B.C. Liberals who are most in need of awareness of the problem. James said B.C.'s homelessness crisis is the result of mean-spirited Liberal policies and says the government's housing strategy of rent supplements looks more like the Campbell government is concerned with the political problem than the social or economic one. "The homelessness crisis is compounded by a lack of affordable housing," James said. "But the B.C. Liberals refuse to listen, and have instead put forward half-measures." It doesn't help, James said, that Liberal policies have hurt the neediest British Columbians the most. They cancelled the province's social housing program, restricted access to income assistance to the most vulnerable and watched as the B.C. Housing waitlist grew to more than 14,000. "Homelessness has doubled in the lower mainland, and the Liberal response to that is a half-hearted rent subsidy," James said. "A rent subsidy doesn't help people who can't find a home in the first place," James said. James said there are signs that the problem will only get worse. Despite an economy growing thanks to low interest rates and high worldwide commodity prices, B.C.'s gap between the rich and poor is the worst in Canada. "The B.C. Liberals don't care about the poor," James said. "They've created this problem and they have shown no sign of wanting to fix it." Click here to listen to Carole's radio message on the homelessness crisis. Top

Brar asks for investigation of job-placement programs

The B.C. Liberals gave away millions of dollars to their friends and British Columbians deserve to know why, Jagrup Brar said. Documents obtained through Freedom of Information requests show the government paid $19 million to B.C. Liberal-friendly firms to end job-placement programs and then immediately re-awarded the same work to the same companies. "The government needs to immediately order a full and independent investigation to find out why this money was paid," said Brar, the New Democrat Critic for Employment and Income Assistance. "There was an appalling lack of oversight of these programs," Brar said. "It looks like the Liberals gave money away for nothing. British Columbians need to know why this happened." The prime beneficiaries of these contracts were West Coast Group and GTI Hiring. The two firms donated a combined total of more than $100,000 to the B.C. Liberals since 2001. These programs have been poorly managed from start to finish, Brar said. "We've heard stories from former clients who received absolutely no benefit from the program ??? who found work on their own ??? but the company was paid the same as if they had actually been helpful," Brar said. "One client told us she was given a $100 grocery voucher in exchange for signing a form saying the company had helped her find work," Brar said. "The company was paid up to $4,300 and they weren't even responsible for helping the client get work." Brar said these two stories -- the payment to end contracts and companies charging the government despite not actually helping their clients -- show a terrible lack of oversight of these programs. "This may just be the tip of the iceberg," Brar said. "We need a full, independent investigation to find out how poorly the programs were actually managed." Top

This Week...

B.C. Liberals Falling Behind in the Fight Against Drunk Driving

The B.C. Liberal government is falling behind in the fight against drunk driving, NDP critic for Public Safety Mike Farnworth says. Read More

Paramedic vacancies unfilled for up to four years

More than a dozen interior communities have had vacant paramedic positions for as long as four years and Adrian Dix says that is a direct result of B.C. Liberal policies. Read More

Commitment to ferry safety must begin with Falcon, says Coons

Transportation Minister Kevin Falcon needs to step in and ensure safety is a priority at B.C. Ferries, Gary Coons says. Read More

Education Minister Freezes Funds, School Boards Face Tough Choices

Education Minister Shirley Bond has frozen annual maintenance funds to school boards, leaving them to make tough choices about program cuts, NDP Education Critic David Cubberley says.Read More 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

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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 Fri Oct 27 23:41:09 2006 From: newswire at news.bc.ndp.ca (BC NDP Newswire) Date: Fri, 27 Oct 2006 22:41:09 -0800 Subject: [LabComm] BC NDP Connection Newsletter Oct 27, 2006 Message-ID: BC NDP Connection Newsletter Oct 27, 2006 October 27, 2006 In this Issue James calls for change of attitude in Victoria Too early for Olympic cheerleading, Bains says This week...

James calls for change of attitude in Victoria

It's time for a change of attitude in Victoria, Carole James says. James, the leader of the B.C. New Democrats, told delegates at the Union of B.C. Municipalities convention this week that Gordon Campbell's approach has left the province a "more divided society." "And that's putting enormous strain on your communities," James said. "The gap between the rich and poor in this province is growing every day; in B.C., that gap is now the widest in Canada. As you know better than anyone, homelessness throughout B.C. is skyrocketing," James told the municipal leaders. "And so when the provincial government finally announced a homelessness strategy that does nothing to increase affordable housing and then blamed you for not fixing the problem, I think it's clear to everyone that we're on the wrong track." While in opposition, Gordon Campbell made repeated commitments to local governments. He told municipal leaders that their interests would be a high priority if he were in government. But as Premier, Campbell broke those commitments, James said. The result is an arrogant government whose first priority is its own, narrow, political ends. "Government makes bad decisions when it tells you what's best for you instead of asking what's best for you," James said, adding that the B.C. Liberals under Campbell have developed a dismissive attitude toward local governments. "(It's) an attitude that tells communities they must now shoulder more of the burden for services the province is no longer willing to provide," James said, "only to turn around and tell you to make up the shortfall without the means to meet those demands. "An attitude summed up in legislation that eliminates local government input into the development of independent power projects in your jurisdiction." James said the common goal of all people in public life should be to work for the benefit of all they serve. "And if we embrace a new style of leadership that puts communities like yours at the heart of our province, we can build a prosperous, dynamic province for all." Click here for the full text of Carole James' remarks to the UBCM convention. Top

Too early for Olympic cheerleading, Bains says

Harry Bains says it's too early to start cheering the finances of the 2010 Olympics. But that's exactly what the B.C. Liberals and the Vancouver Olympics Organizing Committee are doing. VANOC released its update on Wednesday. Instead of offering a frank and realistic assessment of the finances of the Games, organizers chose to instead paint a rosy picture which seems to depend largely on wishful thinking. "Their own acting Auditor General is estimating the Games will cost $2 billion -- more than three times what Colin Hansen, the Minister Responsible for the Olympics, is claiming," said Bains, the NDP Critic for the Olympics. "But VANOC's latest update continues to assert that there's nothing to worry about ??? that the Games will come in on time and on budget. "It's nothing but cheerleading," Bains said. "What we need to make these the best Games possible is an honest assessment of situation and a realistic look at the potential problems ahead." Bains said the Minister needs to press VANOC for their long-overdue business plan. It was supposed to be ready in 2005, but VANOC's best guess is that it will make its appearance sometime in 2007. "It's totally unacceptable that the business plan still isn't done," Bains said. "New Democrats have been calling for this basic planning document for years. "Minister Hansen has failed in his responsibility to properly prepare for the 2010 Games. All the cheerleading the world can't replace good planning." Top

This Week...

NDP Childcare Critic: Campbell's Failure to Act on Childcare has High Price

It's time for B.C. to get serious about childcare, said Claire Trevena, NDP critic for childcare, after the release of two reports concerning childcare in the province and internationally.Read More

B.C. Liberals Must Repeal Section 53 of Bill 30

With near unanimity, delegates at the Union of BC Municipalities convention voted on a resolution demanding that the provincial government repeal legislation that undermines local government authority over Independent Power Projects, NDP Environment Critic Shane Simpson says.Read More