Feed

VANCOUVER – New Democrat MLAs are calling on the Campbell government to use some of the province’s $2 billion surplus to restore cuts to B.C.’s beleaguered child care system.

The MLAs are appearing at protests around the province today against the B.C. Liberal child care cuts, including an event in Vancouver at the Britannia Community Services Child Care Centre, which is being forced to reduce services and increase fees as a result of the B.C. Liberal cuts.

“The B.C. Liberals have been trying to mislead British Columbians with the idea that they support child care, when in fact they are pulling the rug out from under our child care system with a set of cuts to child care, including reductions in operating funds and the closure of Child Care Resource and Referral Centres,” said Jenny Kwan, the MLA for Vancouver – Mount Pleasant.

“We believe that the B.C. Liberals should restore child care funding so that no spaces are cut and that the Child Care Resource and Referral Centres can remain open,” said Bruce Ralston, the MLA for Surrey – Whalley. “The Campbell Liberals should also roll back fee increases being imposed on parents.”

The event at Britannia was also attended by Vancouver – Kensington MLA David Chudnovsky, Vancouver – Fraserview MLA Gregor Robertson, and Vancouver – Hastings MLA Shane Simpson. They criticized B.C. Minister of State for Childcare Linda Reid for trying to blame the federal government for problems in child care when her government has itself cut child care funding and services.

 “What we are witnessing in British Columbia is a minister who has failed to take responsibility for the extremely important job she’s been given to do,” said NDP Child Care Critic Claire Trevena.  “The result is chaos, inefficiency, and lost economic, social, and professional opportunities for B.C. families.”

Trevena, the MLA for North Island, attended a protest against the child care cuts in Kelowna today. This evening at 7 p.m., Trevena and other New Democrat MLAs will attend a Town Hall meeting being organized by B.C. child care advocates at the Best Western Richmond Inn.

Maple Ridge-Pitt Meadows MLA Michael Sather is holding a Town Hall Meeting in Maple Ridge Feb. 6 in partnership with local child care program operators to put pressure on the B.C. Liberal government.

VICTORIA – Premier Campbell’s much publicized conversation on health will exclude many concerned residents in Surrey, say South Fraser Opposition MLAs.

Their concern stems from the announcement this week of dates and deadlines for upcoming regional public forums. It turns out that the just-announced deadline to register for the Surrey forum is on December 29^th.

“I find it no coincidence that participation for the Surrey public forum was announced just before Christmas, with a deadline just after,” said Surrey-Whalley MLA Bruce Ralston. “We’ve got the busiest E.R. in the province and hallway medicine is fast becoming the norm.

“Our constituents have a lot to say and they deserve the opportunity to say it.”

The Surrey public forum is scheduled for February 10. Ralston says the deadline needs to be extended to allow more time for citizens to learn about the forum, and to register.

“The Premier says he wants a conversation on health, but it’s not particularly clear who he’s planning on listening to,” continued Ralston. “What we do know is that the registration dates make it more likely that friends and insiders will be near the top the list to the exclusion of everyone else.“We’re calling on the Premier to extend the registration cutoff without delay.”

Ralston said a one-sided conversation is not good enough.

“Trying to slip these deadlines through during the winter holidays in not exactly consistent with the concept of full public participation,” said Ralston. “We’ve always been concerned that this process would be a one-sided conversation and it’s looking more and more like that each day.”

Other members of the South Fraser Opposition Caucus are Harry Bains (Surrey-Newton), Sue Hammell (Surrey-Green Timbers), Guy Gentner (Delta North), and Jagrup Brar (Surrey-Panama Ridge).

VICTORIA – Premier Campbell’s much publicized conversation on health will exclude many concerned residents in Surrey, say South Fraser Opposition MLAs.

Their concern stems from the announcement this week of dates and deadlines for upcoming regional public forums.  It turns out that the just-announced deadline to register for the Surrey forum is on December 29^th.

“I find it no coincidence that participation for the Surrey public forum was announced just before Christmas, with a deadline just after,” said Surrey-Whalley MLA Bruce Ralston.  “We’ve got the busiest E.R. in the province and hallway medicine is fast becoming the norm.

“Our constituents have a lot to say and they deserve the opportunity to say it.”

The Surrey public forum is scheduled for February 10.  Ralston says the deadline needs to be extended to allow more time for citizens to learn about the forum, and to register.

“The Premier says he wants a conversation on health, but it’s not particularly clear who he’s planning on listening to,” continued Ralston.  “What we do know is that the registration dates make it more likely that friends and insiders will be near the top the list to the exclusion of everyone else.“We’re calling on the Premier to extend the registration cutoff without delay.”

Ralston said a one-sided conversation is not good enough.

“Trying to slip these deadlines through during the winter holidays in not exactly consistent with the concept of full public participation,” said Ralston.  “We’ve always been concerned that this process would be a one-sided conversation and it’s looking more and more like that each day.”
 
Other members of the South Fraser Opposition Caucus are Harry Bains (Surrey-Newton), Sue Hammell (Surrey-Green Timbers), Guy Gentner (Delta North), and Jagrup Brar (Surrey-Panama Ridge).

VICTORIA— Finance Minister Carole Taylor’s second quarter financial update shows the B.C. Liberal government has no plan to make sure all British Columbians benefit from the province’s strong economy, NDP Finance Critic Bruce Ralston said today.

“High commodity prices and low interest rates are responsible for continued strong provincial revenues, but

the Finance Minister’s second quarter update doesn’t show that half of British Columbians don’t believe they are benefiting,” said Ralston.

“The simple truth is average British Columbians aren’t getting ahead, and Minister Taylor’s overly optimistic view doesn’t change that.”

Minister Taylor told a news conference Thursday that the projected budget surplus has risen to $2.15 billion. There’s no plan to reinvest that money to fix the problems they’ve created, Ralston said.

“Thanks to the B.C. Liberals, British Columbians continue to pay more and get less,” said Ralston.

“This government has no plan to solve the growing homelessness problem, or address British Columbia’s appalling rate of child poverty in part because they don’t recognize these as real problems.

“Average British Columbians are very aware of these problems because they have to live with them.”

Meanwhile, the Finance Minister continues to fear monger on health care. Shortly before the Conversation on Health was launched this fall, Minister Taylor claimed that health spending would eat up three quarters of the provincial budget by 2017. Using phrases such as “red flags,” she suggested that health spending could account for all budget surpluses over the next three years. Three months ago, she claimed there were an additional $2 billion in cost pressures coming from the Health Ministry. Today, that figure ballooned to $4 billion, but Minister Taylor could not provide any details.

“British Columbians can see through this fear-mongering,” Ralston said. “They understand that this is part of the B.C. Liberal strategy to promote private, two-tiered health care.

“Minister Taylor – and the rest of the Gordon Campbell government – should be focusing their energy on ensuring that everyone in this province benefits from a strong economy,” Ralston said. “They need to stop the spin and get results for average British Columbians.”

VICTORIA— Gordon Campbell’s continued faith in public-private partnerships is misguided, Bruce Ralston said today.

Ralston, the New Democrat Critic for Finance, said Campbell’s insistence that all major public projects be directed toward the P3 route shows that the Premier’s ideology continues to take preference over facts.

“There’s still no good evidence that P3s will save public money in every circumstance, and some pretty compelling evidence that they will cost more in the long run,” said Ralston, the MLA for Surrey – Whalley.

Premier Campbell told the Union of B.C. Municipalities convention in Victoria Thursday that any project costing more than $20 million will be considered for P3 status. Finance Minister Carole Taylor has argued that P3s transfer the risk from the public coffers to the private contractor.

In Britain, where P3s have been in place for many years, they’ve determined that argument is just wishful thinking. According to the British Association of Certified Chartered Accountants “the actual risk is very limited and hardly commensurate with their abnormally high returns.  Taken together, our evidence shows that risk transfer, the fundamental component of Value for Money, has proved very expensive.”

A recent report by economist Marvin Shaffer has shown that the Value for Money report used by PartnershipsBC is faulty, and that the Sea to Sky project will actually cost $220 million more than were it built through the conventional, non P3 method, primarily because it ignores the fact the government can borrow money at a lower cost than the private sector.

Ralston said Premier Campbell’s abiding faith in P3s can’t make up for the evidence showing significant problems.

“It makes no sense that the Premier continues to push his government to re-create the mistakes of others,” Ralston said. “Blind faith in ideology doesn’t make good policy.”