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MLA-Minute

Alarming decline in hospital care in B.C. says MLA

'Hallway healthcare'

Last week, it was reported an 87-year-old senior spent nine days in the hallway at Victoria General Hospital.

Anyone who has spent any time in a hospital will know the hallways are always busy. The lights are always on and it is not somewhere to recover or rest.

This man was shuffled up and down the hallway until he ended up being placed right by the nurses station. He chose to go public because he doesn’t think anyone should have to endure what he went through.

This “hallway healthcare” has become the new normal in the last seven years, with hallway beds receiving permanent hospital placements as part of the daily bed count. Nursing staff and physicians have asked that the practice be discontinued, but now these beds have been added to the hospitals numbers as if space has been created.

Imagine seeking help in a time of need, only to find your hospital bed is a gurney in a hallway. That is the harsh reality for too many in B.C., where the concept of privacy and comfort in healthcare has slipped through the cracks.

Unfortunately, these stories are not unique, after seven years of the current government and Health Minister Adrian Dix. My office frequently hears from Kelowna residents with heartbreaking stories of their experiences with our once envied healthcare system.

Receiving care in hallways, the daily exhaustion of nursing staff without enough colleagues to deliver the care they know patients need, and the waiting that leads to dying prematurely.

This is a crisis that has been quietly festering—a healthcare system that's seen better days, notably fraying under seven years of NDP governance. This isn't just about numbers on a chart or policy debates in the halls of power. It's about real-life consequences for people who call BC home.

Yes, the system is struggling across the country, but unfortunately, B.C. is at the bottom of the results list, delivering the worst care in Canada.

This is no fault of the amazing professionals who show up every day to do their best work. There are just not enough of them, and not enough capacity in the system to have them deliver the tests or treatment necessary for patients to recover.

While the health minister has extolled the high numbers of nursing staff being added to the system, they are not apparent on the front lines. At the heart of any healthcare system are its people. Yet, in our province, the heartbeat is weak with the alarming shortage of nurses. This crisis stretches beyond numbers— it's about the human toll—overworked staff, compromised care and a profession under immense stress. The ripple effects are profound, impacting patient experiences and outcomes.

Contract, non-permanent travel nurses are being used in greater numbers, with the costs two to three times the cost to the system.

Meanwhile, the vaccine mandate continues unnecessarily, with B.C. the last jurisdiction in North America to maintain it. With more 5,000 nursing vacancies in B.C., all of the healthcare workers fired during the pandemic should be hired back immediately.

And what is the result of a lack of capacity and a lack of nurses? Waiting.

Waiting is the new normal in B.C.’s healthcare (system), from elective surgeries to critical treatments. Delays can be more than just inconvenient, they can alter lives—sometimes irreversibly.

The bottleneck in treatment capacity speaks to a deeper issue of foresight and investment—or the lack thereof. Expanding our capacity to care is not just a necessity, it's an obligation we owe to every resident.

These aren't mere statistics, they're missed dinners, empty chairs and unfinished stories.

The most disturbing part of this analysis is the government believes everything is OK and they are doing a good job at answering the needs of patients in B.C.

We need government to see the desperation of the system, and acknowledge the catastrophic results.

British Columbians will go to the polls this year to elect a new provincial government. I can assure you that B.C> United Leader) Kevin Falcon and BC United will not let the status quo stand when it comes to delivering health care to the people of BC.

I have a couple of questions for you this week:

What has been your experience with our healthcare system and if you were in charge, what would you change?

I love hearing from you and read every email. Please email me at [email protected] or call my office at 250-712-3620.

Renee Merrifield is the BC United MLA for Kelowna-Mission.

This article is written by or on behalf of an outsourced columnist and does not necessarily reflect the views of Castanet.



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Now's not the time for a B.C. carbon tax hike says MLA

Carbon tax hike will hurt

As we step into April, residents of Kelowna might be bracing themselves for the typical lighthearted pranks and jokes that come with April Fool's Day.

Unfortunately with B.C.’s carbon tax going up by 23% on April 1, there won’t be much to joke about.

Some quick background. The B.C. carbon tax applies to fossil fuels like gasoline, diesel and natural gas, which are integral to our daily lives, not only for personal transportation but also for heating our homes and powering our industries. The former B.C. Liberal government, under Premier Christy Clark, held the then- revenue neutral tax at $30 a ton until 2017.

In 2017, the NDP government started to increase the tax and rather than keep it revenue neutral and made it a tax that went into general revenue. In 2021, then premier John Horgan, agreed to sign onto the federal plan to raise the carbon tax to $170 per metric tonne by 2030. So every year, on April 1, the carbon tax goes up in B.C.

This year the carbon tax will rise from $65 a tonne to $80 a tonne, rising to nearly 18 cents per litre of gasoline, to 21 cents per litre of diesel and to 15 cents per cubic metre of natural gas.

The consequence is an unavoidable uptick that affects virtually everything, from the groceries we buy to the services we depend on.

So, while 9,097 people went to the Central Okanagan Food Bank in January—a record—and 9,000 went in February, the premier sees fit to pile on another tax increase (in April).

The sting of the carbon tax hike is felt most acutely by those who have no real alternatives. Consider the families and individuals in Kelowna who rely on natural gas for heating. The alternatives—such as electricity or renewable sources—are not always viable due to infrastructure limits or the significant upfront costs associated with making the switch. Similarly, for many, driving isn't a choice but a necessity, dictated by the lack of public transportation.

The trucking industry exemplifies the broader impact of the carbon tax increase. Trucks are the lifelines of our economy, responsible for moving goods from manufacturers to stores and ultimately to consumers. As the carbon tax rises, so does the cost of trucking.

This tax increase won’t just affect trucking companies, it cascades down to the price of every product transported by those trucks—from fresh produce to household goods, everything becomes more expensive.

The irony is the trucking industry, critical as it is, has few feasible alternatives to diesel-powered vehicles at the moment. The technology for electric or hydrogen trucks, although promising, is not yet at a stage where it can replace diesel engines across the board.

The issue with the carbon tax is it isn’t about the goal of reducing carbon emissions, it is now a tax that goes directly into general revenue. There are other ways to reduce carbon emissions that don’t involve a regressive punishing tax increases on the general population.

The government will argue it offers the Climate Action Tax Credit to offset the cost of the carbon tax. Not only is the tax credit woefully inadequate to cover the true costs of the carbon tax, it doesn’t apply to many families because of income eligibility.

Under the NDP, B.C. pays the highest net carbon and fuel taxes in Canada, west of Quebec.

There is no tax credit offered to small and medium businesses in BC.

Right now, half of Kelowna’s residents are only $200 away from insolvency, 50% of our restaurants aren’t profitable, our farmers aren’t able to make money and people are no longer able to make ends meet.

It is the worst time for a tax hike, especially one that affects the price of everything.

Last week, BC United Leader Kevin Falcon joined calls from seven other premiers to stop the planned April 1 (federal) carbon tax hike and provide relief to Canadians who are financially struggling.

B.C. Premier David Eby’s response to those requests was to scoff and scorn.

It's time for a more balanced approach that safeguards both our environment and our economy.

My question to you is this:

How will the carbon tax increase affect you?

I love hearing from you and read every email you send. Please email me at [email protected] or call the office at 250-712-3620.

Renee Merrifield is the BC United MLA for Kelowna-Mission.

This article is written by or on behalf of an outsourced columnist and does not necessarily reflect the views of Castanet.



Wait list to get onto a waitlist for cancer care in B.C.

Long wait for cancer care

Did you know there is a waitlist to get onto the waitlist if you may have cancer?

Before you see an oncologist, you have to wait. This is waitlist one. But once you have seen the oncologist, you will go onto the second waitlist, where you will wait for treatment.

On this second list, only 75% of British Columbians are treated within the benchmark timeframes.

But it’s bad everywhere, right? Not so. Ninety-seven per cent of Canadians are treated in other provinces within those prescribed timeframes, taking B.C. to the worst outcomes in Canada.

A decade ago, British Columbia lead the pack, boasting the best cancer care outcomes across the country.

Fast forward to today and it's a shocking reversal. We’ve plummeted to dead last.

The culprit? A lack of investment in capacity with not enough specialists or equipment, a lack of investment in research and an exploding population resulting in a tsunami of cancer.

But this was known, with the B.C. Cancer Agency sounding the alarm bell for the last eight years, producing two different 10-year plans, which were only adopted a year ago – seven years after receiving it.

This lack of resourcing has resulted in a convoluted system where cancer patients are forced onto a waitlist just to make it onto the real waitlist for treatment. It's more than a bureaucratic SNAFU, it's a direct threat to the lives of British Columbians, potentially costing precious lives as we speak.

Don’t get me wrong, the frontline workers in B.C. cancer care are extraordinary. They literally work to exhaustion trying to make sure that all are seen. But they are under-resourced and see the cracks in the system that allow people to fall through.

B.C.’s fall from first to last is not because of our frontline workers, it is because the government hasn’t invested in a better system. The investments made are too little, too late and not enough to fund the comprehensive plan.

This fall in outcomes isn’t just inefficiency at work, it's a harrowing strategy that denies our community the care people desperately need. It's an alarming revelation that exposes how the NDP government's handling of the situation might be more about manipulating statistics than delivering real, life-saving solutions. The waitlist for the waitlist isn't just a queue, it's a chilling barrier to survival.

I have heard the stories 43-year-old mothers being not getting a phone call to book with an oncologist in time to save their lives, of people who have chosen Medical Assistance In Dying because they didn’t get treatment in time and of people being told that they are terminal, only to go to the U.S. for surgery and treatment leaving them cancer free.

It's time to call out this grim tactic for what it is—a life-or-death game of numbers that's failing British Columbians.

The government's strategy to keep the waitlist numbers low by creating an additional layer of waiting is a stark betrayal of public trust. We must demand transparency, accountability, and, most importantly, action to dismantle this life-threatening queue.

Let's not mince words—BC's fall from grace in cancer care is unacceptable. This is a wake-up call for immediate, decisive action to revamp our approach to cancer treatment. We need to cut through the red tape, invest in our healthcare infrastructure and adopt innovative solutions to ensure no one is left waiting for the care they need.

It's a battle we can't afford to lose, for the sake of every British Columbian facing this daunting challenge. Together, we can turn the tide and reclaim our place at the forefront of cancer care in Canada.

Let's make waiting lists a thing of the past and give our citizens the fighting chance they deserve.

My question to you is this:

What steps should the government take to improve cancer care in BC?

I love hearing from you and read every email. Please email me at [email protected] or call the office at 250-712-3620.

Renee Merrifield is the BC United MLA for Kelowna-Mission.

This article is written by or on behalf of an outsourced columnist and does not necessarily reflect the views of Castanet.



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Time to change course on drug decriminalization says MLA

New drug approach needed

British Columbia is in the midst of a humanitarian crisis, with overdose deaths reaching unprecedented levels and drug misuse continuing to ravage communities across the province.

This certainly is the case in Kelowna. I was downtown this past weekend, meeting constituents in the middle of the day and was confronted by two different individuals—on different streets and blocks—in the middle of pedestrian traffic of families and downtown residents who were completely incapacitated on drugs.

My heart was broken. Clearly these individuals need help — and treatment.

It was just a few weeks ago that I met with a constituent who was concerned about her son. While in the care of the Ministry of Children and Family Development, she showed me the list of all of the “safe supply” drugs he was prescribed. She then put a photograph of her son in front of me, with him clearly in a drug-induced state of incapacitation and asked me, “Does this look safe to you?”

The mom told me he was kicked out of his group home, while still a minor, and was given a tent and a sleeping bag.

I thought to myself, is that the hope that we want to give her son? How could we send him onto the streets and simply say, “best of luck to you?”

These tragic scenarios underscore the urgent need for a reevaluation of (drug) decriminalization, which, despite it’s intentions to reduce harm and promote public health, has fallen short of addressing the complexities of addiction and societal impacts. Thus it has failed.

And it’s not just here that it is failing.

The situation in Oregon provides a critical lens through which B.C. can reassess its approach to drug policy.

Oregon made headlines for decriminalizing drug possession in a bid to shift the focus from criminalization to treatment and has recently taken steps to reverse the policy. The move came after observing a rise in drug use and related public safety concerns, signalling the outcomes of decriminalization might not always align with the anticipated benefits of reducing drug misuse and enhancing community health.

This pivot in policy by Oregon lawmakers serves as a cautionary tale for B.C., suggesting decriminalization alone, without sufficient support, treatment and enforcement mechanisms, will not effectively mitigate the drug crisis.

The parallels between Oregon's initial decriminalization efforts and B.C.’s current drug policy are striking. Both regions embarked on progressive paths with the hope of fostering a more humane and health-centric approach to drug addiction. Both are failing.

But Oregon is taking steps to change that, while the B.C. government is doubling down.

B.C. still has only 2,200 treatment beds funded in the 2024 budget. To put that number into context, Alberta has over 8,000. That means treatment in B.C. is not readily available, or it is very expensive if one chooses to seek private treatment.

If someone asks for treatment today, they are put on a significant waiting list. If they happen to be a minor, that list is even longer. That’s not how addiction works—it doesn’t wait.

B.C.’s strategy should evolve by considering the lessons learned from Oregon's experience. That involves stopping the decriminalization policy, ensuring it is replaced by robust support systems for those struggling with addiction, including increased access to treatment and recovery services.

Furthermore, the re-evaluation of B.C.’s drug policy must be informed by data, research, and a thorough understanding of the unique social, economic, and health-related factors that contribute to the drug crisis within the province.

B.C. stands at a pivotal moment, with the opportunity to redefine its approach to drug policy in light of the challenges and lessons observed in Oregon. We must admit that drug decriminalization and the current drug policy have failed. That requires bold leadership, a commitment to public health and a willingness to adapt policies in response to evolving evidence and community needs.

There are so many lives at stake.

My question to you is this:

Is it time to change trajectories in our drug policies?

I love hearing from you and read every email. Email me at [email protected] or call my office at 250-712-3620.

Renee Merrifield is the BC United MLA for Kelowna-Mission.

This article is written by or on behalf of an outsourced columnist and does not necessarily reflect the views of Castanet.



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About the Author

Renee Merrifield is the BC United MLA for Kelowna - Mission and the Opposition critic for Environment and Climate Change, as well as Gender, Equity and Inclusion.  She currently serves on the Select Standing Committee for Finance as well.

A long-time resident of Kelowna, Renee started, and continues to lead, many businesses from construction and development to technology. Renee is a compassionate individual who cares about others in the community, believes in giving back and helping those in need through service.

She values your feedback and conversation, and can be reached at [email protected] or 250.712.3620



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The views expressed are strictly those of the author and not necessarily those of Castanet. Castanet does not warrant the contents.

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