I voted NDP in the past provincial election; I voted NDP in the provincial election before that.
But not this time.
I’m not even an enthusiastic Conservative fan, but I just can’t bring myself to endorse what David Eby and the NDP government have done to MY BC over the past seven years.
They’ve been great and very kind and generous … if you’re a druggie, a shoplifter, thief, mugger, homeless wayfarer from anywhere in Canada or even from abroad, a single-family neighbourhood-hating socialist activist, a hate-filled anarchist or campus-organizing anti-Semite.
The government (mouthpieces) will “harumph” but basically not ACT … with predictable results the rest of us now regularly bear.
You can pretty well do anything you want … and get away with it now in BC.
While ordinary citizens are afraid to walk the streets of their communities, even during the day; where provincial Courts make such a mockery of justice, Crown prosecutors often don’t even bother pursuing charges anymore; where more and more shops and businesses have closed up rather than having to replace storefront windows over and over; or, where too many workers have just decided to flee the province to seek a fair shake elsewhere.
How can anyone vote to endorse that?
Or how it hurts so much to see working families (seniors too) who remain in the province being taxed, over-taxed, squeezed until most can no longer even realistically dream of ever buying a home or condo in BC, and also can’t even afford to pay for adequate groceries, buy new clothes or even go out to dinner or a movie … once they’ve paid their rent!
And where carbon taxes, linked to federal legislation, are still scheduled to go up and up and up … to record highs, unless Trudeau decides to pull back …. NOT!!!!
Once so rich BC , where food banks are now under such constant pressure, even they often can’t adequately provide for those who desperately need them.
Or where seven years of NDP policies and power have seen MORE hospital emergency facilities … not LESS … regularly closing their doors , while growing numbers of doctors and other medical staff sign public letters exposing how BAD conditions have now become in BC hospitals.
How could anyone vote for four years more of that?
And all this despite provincial finances/spending, under Eby, having gone from surplus to deficit and record high debt!!!
No vote from me!!!
Now, let’s keep it real: John Rustad doesn’t exactly come across as charming, exhilarating alternative.
But could he do any worse?
I’m sure I won’t like all his proposed changes or solutions to BC’s huge current problems.
However, I don’t see him as a radical extremist.
Clearly, BC’s workers, communities, economy, industries and businesses can use more support … and better solutions … than the NDP has provided over the past seven years.
What’s that you say? Eby has only been in charge for two years?
Right! Without seeking public mandate for his ideas, his policies … until he absolutely and Constitutionally was required to do so!
And have things improved on his watch????
I have concluded they have actually become worse … in so many ways for so many British Columbians!
I do believe in politics and government, change is sometimes good… especially when the incumbent party/leader/administration have had seven years in power, done so poorly … and yet, seems to have become arrogant too.
So I’ll vote Conservative to give Rustad a chance to make changes … and hopefully do better.
Looking at our streets, hospitals, schools, Courts, communities and BC’s economy, I can’t believe he would do any worse!
Harv Oberfeld
(Follow @harveyoberfeld on “X” for free First Alerts to be postings on this B.C. based blog.)
Election Day!
It’s all over but the crying.
(Response: Some may cry at the results, but should not. We are so lucky to live in a country where we get to vote, where elections are honest and, yes, where the winners get to take power, without violent opposition by those whose party/candidates who did not win. So really, no one is actually a “loser”. h.o)
The NDP’s anti-semitism really bothers me. Selina Robinson was treated very poorly. I hope Jewish voters give their support to the Conservatives.
(Response: The anti-Semitism Robinson revealed within the NDP is troubling: Eby and the so called “progressives” of the left would never treat an Asian, Muslim or First Nations MLA they may disagree with the way Robinson says she was treated …make that MIS-TREATED … by her democratic socialist NDP “brothers and sisters”. What makes the left’s anti-Semitism, seen throughout the Western world so frequently these days, so ridiculous and repugnant is that it is based largely on a hate for Israel, which raises some serious points: Israel is the ONLY nation in the entire Middle East that grants FULL rights to women; FULL civil rights to gays (even grants asylum to more than 100 gay Palestinians who had to flee Arab lands to save their lives); FULL strong unions/labour movement; FULL health care for all, including its Arab citizens (and has even treated FREE some Arabs with serious cases from the West Bank and, yes, even Gaza); has a FULL vibrant democracy (maybe too many parties? :)); and even has FULL voting rights for its Arab/Muslim/Palestinian citizens/parties in its Parliament. Yet the NDP “progressives” seem to ignore how the Arab states surrounding Israel treat women, their own dissidents, gays, other religious minorities and even fellow Muslims who are of a different branch (Sunni or Shiite) than they are! And, worst of all, Israel has made at least half a dozen very serious offers/peace efforts over the past 70 years, only to be rebuffed by corrupt, terrorist-infected regimes governing the Palestinians. Seems to me any REAL democratic Socialists should be supporting Israel …not the fascistic religious fanatic dictators running the West Bank, Gaza and crippling southern Lebanon.h.o)
This could be a rather nasty surprise for Eby ………….
https://thebreaker.news/news/samidoun-declared-terrorist/
The left’s antisemitism may just be a factor in people voting for the Conservatives.
(Response: Sadly, history has shown that anti-Semitic bigots or racists are seldom swayed by facts. h.o.)
I hope this brings about many lost votes for Eby and his party this Saturday. It’s disgraceful and unnacceptable for any government and political leadership or politician to partake in any kind of show of support for extremist ideologies that pit one race and culture against another as is the case here, which happens to be Antisemitism. Their not payed to partake in this kind of behaviour and they should cease in partaking in these things immediately. It’s not thier mandate in anyway to have this behaviour continue. These politicians are voted in by British Columbians to do their damn job their charged with by us and that’s to serve British Coumbians in our day to day interests and nothing else. Shame on Eby and his people.
Two statements everyone should agree with:
The NDP government is past its shelf life.
If they win again it’s because British Columbians found Rustad an unacceptable leader.
(Response: I think it would also be a tribute to the success of the NDP campaign …and how they have successfully played the media like a fiddle! (LOTS of coverage of the one or two extremists within the Conservatives, but have seen nothing about the extreme leftist ideologues or anti-Semitic bigots within the NDP.) Take a look at this: https://nationalpost.com/opinion/target-on-my-back-selina-robinson-on-the-ndps-surrender-to-antisemites. Surely, the NDP deserved the same degree of scrutiny as the Conservatives!! h.o)
*Yawn* Palmer wrote about this today, and indeed has excoriated Eby many times over the last weeks. I don’t know that Israel/Palestine is going to register with B.C. voters or that many will find the position extreme. I suppose we’ll both find out tomorrow.
I was in a no win situation when I very reluctantly voted NDP based on two criteria. The Con. and Green, are unknown, the Independent candidate was an incumbent NDP member of the leg. until he got booted form their caucus for reasons still unknown. The other reason is the NDP and Bonnie Henry ( who Rustad wants to fire) got us through the pandemic in great shape compared to some jusidstictions. No need to ramble on about Rustad and his band of fellow travellers in this regard, and he announced the costing of his platform which runs up the debt and deficit but will balance down the road sometime, based on the fiscal strategy of “ Somewhere over the rainbow economics”.
Having said that I agree with all the comments and your post Harvey of Eby and the gangs shortcomings.
Just one highlight of where all they did was talk and no action; A couple of years ago there was a shooting at a homeless camp in Nanaimo. Eby and Farnsworth were at city hall with the usual back slappers and the long suffering mayor having to deal with this mess Leonard Krog, making an announcement of the strategy going forward to deal with these situations, on cue Farnsworth was at the dais going red in the face on what was coming next. It turned out to be a dud announcement as the public there to hear it wasn’t having any of their blather and let them know in short order.
Guess what came? nothing, a few days ago Mayor Krog and the Mayor of North Cowichan were interviewed on the CBC afternoon show about the drug related/homeless/mental health mayhem in their respective cities, both were frustrated by the lack of action by the province and essentially but diplomatically saying they were all talk and no action. Mayor Krog at one point was a long serving NDP MLA. Says it all.
The concern that I have about an NDP majority is it gives Eby a mandate – real or imagined to carry on with more of the same.
(Response: Your last line summed up my own great concerns: “an NDP majority is it gives Eby a mandate – real or imagined to carry on with more of the same.” Again, I’m not an enthusiastic Rustad backer, but it just appals me to see how the NDP destroyed Granville Street as a shopping/dining focal point for locals and tourists alike by buying up several hotels there and importing hundreds of homeless/druggies/mentally dangerous individuals into the area; the ensuing uncontrolled crime cancer still spreading like a cancer in the city (other communities as well); the lack of Court charges and/or outcomes that spit in the face of the law-abiding victims/public; the terrible state of Emergency hospital services throughout BC; the horrible waiting lists; the lack of adequate school facilities etc etc ..and yet, a HUGE growing deficit and debt!!! I just can’t vote to encourage four more years of that!!! In this case, I believe change is clearly needed. h.o)
Rustad is viewed as an extremist with wacko views on everything from vaccines to LGBT issues. I understand why people feel fed up with the current government, but in the spirit of keeping it real, British Columbians do want a sane leader attached to reality. It becomes more clear each day that is not John Rustad. I predict Eby gets one more turn before an inevitable slide to the Right. Maybe 4 years for the Conservatives to rebrand and shed the Crazy image.
(Response: The media have concentrated quite a bit on the extremist views and wacko positions of some of the Conservative candidates; but is it just me, or are they not doing as much to expose the extremist and wacko positions of some of the NDP candidates … on legalizing hard drugs, giving them out FREE, totally soft on crime, in pushing SOGI, their anti-Israel, one-sided pro-Palestinian biases or just plain anti-Semitism, as exposed/pointed out by NDP MLA Selina Robinson. (https://vancouversun.com/opinion/op-ed/selina-robinson-premier-eby-reassurance-lasted-four-days). h.o)
What is extremist about the SOGI resource developed by the B.C. Liberals? I don’t think the NDP has made any changes to it.
(Response: There are many parents who oppose SOGI as interference in the upbringing of their children (https://www.theorca.ca/commentary/sogi-policies-divide-voters-ahead-of-provincial-elections-survey-reveals-9192288) and see NDP candidates pushing it as extremists. Rustad has vowed to end it. Surely their opposition deserves coverage too. h.o)
there are all sorts of things the “state” gets involved with that parents/care givers object to, but life and progress moves on and so should some of these parents.
When it comes to parents objecting to SOGI, fine they can oppose all they want, but it still needs to be dealt with in schools because it certainly isn’t being dealt with at home.
When I look back to the 50s, using racial slurs just is what happened. Then it changed and schools were part of that change. SOGI WILL GO THE SAME WAY. There were parents who went bat shit crazy when schools started sex education. Well most of the country got over that also
There is a study in the U.S.A. In schools where there was SOGI there was less bullying not just of children who benefited from SOGI but kids you were “straight”. Parents aren’t going to be teaching some matters to their children but kids need to know. It might result in fewer people becoming addicts.
(Reduce: I don’t think SOGI was a huge issue in the substantial pounding the NDP took at the hands of the voters. What they really have to work on to regain public confidence is crime, Courts, doctors, hospital closures, wait lists …and BC’s slumping economy. h.o)
Well said Harvey. Thats good strong journalism. It’s not just one side. I like when you bring up the lacking and biased media in these conversations.
(Response: I wish I didn’t have to…but this blog is called Keeping it Real, and although I have no problem with exposing/embarrassing any extremists on one side (Rustad is sure being pressed about those in his party!), I believe it’s also incumbent to expose/remind voters of those holding extreme views/agenda on the other side as well…and I just haven’t seen much of that regarding the NDP or Eby having to defend them. h.o)
The media has dogpiled onto the Conservatives.
While conveniently ignoring the nightly ER closures.
750,000 BC patients without doctors.
Crime. Homelessness, Overdoses, massive deficits.
Yeah.
No partisanship in our media…..
(Response: I too get the impression some of the media have given too much coverage to the wacko postings years ago of Conservative candidate Brent Chapman (deserved some, but not as much as he got: he’s just one candidate in one riding, not a prominent cabinet minister!) … while, as you rightly point out, Eby and the NDP cabinet ministers seeking re-election have not been pushed/confronted hard enough on their dismal failures with ER closures, overdoses, deficits …and I’d add crime, BC’s weak/ineffective Crown prosecutors, the Courts and the terrible negative impact the carbon tax and other NDP policies has had on so many individuals and families. h.o)
Hi. We are Surrey Residents, homeless and taxpayers. I have never voted for the Provincial NDP Government or the next Federal election. This Government, while in power have failed on every serious issues in this province. Failed on Public Safety, failed on our Public Health Care, failed on our education system, failed on our infrastructure, failed on not hiring more RCMP officers, Firefighters, Paramedics, Doctors, Nurses, Health Care Workers, Teachers, Education Assistants. Failed on our natural environmental disasters, heat dome, floods, forest fires. Overdoses from drug addictions, homelessness and lack of affordable housing and mental health facilities. What legacy are you all proud of when you and your party get voted out in this provincial election.
(Response: Your comments convince me more than ever that I made the correct decision to NOT vote NDP this election! If I was still working, I’d tell your story/experiences to our viewers! Maybe call CTV (604-608-2868) or Global TV (604-422-6494) with it? h.o)
This is a tune I hear often by my ever diminishing cohort. What is more scary, my kids (well 28 and 21) have completely washed their hands of politcans and have a more dystopian view of current events and Eby’s NDP of Vision Vancouver Provincial is viewed as the one evil force, where only the “favoured people” do well and the rest of the great unwashed just pay taxes and more taxes and then the user-fees and more user fees.
On soap box:
I can go so far to say our politcal system has failed because all we elect is mini potentates who believe in divine rule and all seem to do very well financially while in and out of office.
How did we go so wrong? We allow hate speech and a flag burning in the city by “favoured people”; we allow mass transgressions of the law by the cycle lobby, who are also the “favoured people”; evidently the addicted are also “favoured people’ and now Eby is on the verge to give the First nations power over crown lands, more favoured people.
As I said before I cannot vote NDP or Conservative, but there is a latent anger out there and it is growing, yet the the NDP continue to demonize the Conservatives, which is also demonizing a large part of the electorate and that could come back and bite the NDP big time in four years hence!
Off soap box.
Linda you certainly have pointed our areas which need to be improved. I agree, improvements need to be made. My question is: who is going to pay for it all? I’ve never been unhappy about paying taxes and if the government raised taxes to pay for more health care, schools, etc, I’m good with all of that. However, many in this province aren’t.
Not hiring more police officers? It would be nice to have more but they cost about $115K each, same with nurses, fire fighters. However we will not be able to police our way out of the social problems we see today.
Lack of medical staff, yes, but if doctors, nurses. techies don’t wamt to work in an area its going to be hard to get them to do so. In the meantime there will be closures of E.R.s and long waits for surgery. On the upside you show up at an e.r. having a broken leg or heart attack you get the medical assistance required and off you go home, with no bill which would cause you to loose your house.
Every one wants more but no one wants to pay for it. Make a decision. People don’t work for free and lots of young people do not want to take on the debt load for obtaining an education for these professions.
the drug problems, well they were there 40 years ago It just got worse and nothing was done about it. People just don’t wake up one day and decide to be a homeless drug addict Its more of a process and it frequently starts when people are much younger. Politicians might want to consider putting more ,money into education, child health, kids don’t get over ADHD or Autism or poor hearing or any number of things. Has it not been made clear children who don’t eat properly can have problems, same if they are under housed and their parents are disfunctional—no one wants to spend the money on the kids. Well you reap what you sow. It will be some time before this phase is through and its not just B.C.
Once again Harv you nailed it!!!
(Response: Well, at least now, if the NDP are returned, I can say Don’t Blame Me!!! And have LOTS to Blog about for another four years! 🙂 H.o)
Apparently where is all of BC Casino money being distributed under the NDP. They have apparently made special deals and legislation going back to Horgan that sees much higher amounts of those revenues are going to First Nations. Much more. And with NDP seeing more yearly revenue than the BC Liberals ever seen coming in bythe looks of things then really where and how I wonder is this so called part of the aid revenue to communities really being distributed. It seems to be but of a challenge to figure it out completely to see where the trail or trails lead but so far I seem to be getting the feeling somethings not quite right in how this revenue is distributed. It’s seems out of balance given how our society and communities are are sinking more into the abyss of lacking and worsening services. Maybe I’m looking through the wrong window but I just feel more and more left out of the process and transparency is just not there. That window we used to see in more to whats going on with our money in a little more transparent way is like a painted over window.
(Response: Where all the money goes ..and to whom … is a job for the Opposition, the Auditor General, the working media. But there are certainly a lot of feelings out there, amongst the working public, that they themselves are getting the short end of the stick in services … the very short end! Yet the polls predict another NDP administration … maybe they’re wrong, or voters just think the Conservatives would be worse? h.o)
I advance voted for change, for a few very personal reasons.
In 2019, I lost my gal of almost 30 years to cancer. The BC ministry of health was not the entity described by Minister Dix in any of his far too many statements. The shiny brochures in medical facilities wax on about aid, supports and many glowing words on how to deal with disease. The glaring omissions in those shiny brochures (home care help, drug formularies, case managers) were all somewhat balderdash.
The withdraw of all home support just before her passing, the subsequent hollow apology only guarantee I will never vote for the NDP again as long as “Administration Dix” is involved! The health ministry was super messed up long before all the pandemic stuff, nurses working in multiple private & govt. facilities at the same time, sleeping most of night shifts to recharge for day shifts elsewhere, admin admin admin, so many layers of management one can only compare it to the many tear inducing layers of an onion. Navigating todays health care system as an engaged caregiver is daunting, mostly unsupported and comes with many false promises from elected health representatives. Only my own fortitude and focus have kept me from becoming a mental casualty of the massively disrespectful experience of dealing with the bureaucratic mess of our management heavy, excuse offering, medical system. Lies were told, promises offered which never materialized and efforts to contact Ministry officials only obtained advice to go through the very folks who lied to me in the first place, I’m not stupid and the run around succeeded in chasing me and my very pertinent complaints away, especially with the pandemic arrival at that time. The system was a mess before the pandemic, I can only imagine how all that has further degraded with all the nonsense seen in the last 4 years.
Currently have 4 friends fighting afflictions with similar frustrations in dealing with medical bureaucracy. Personally getting sick of helping folks I know wade through the many layers of management, differences between health authorities and the ever present sense that in spite of what patients and families are told, reality is far less comforting than expectations of it.
Addicted folks get billions in support, many advocates and shiny, funding help, but non addicted disease afflicted get lies & disrespect? WTF?
Being someone who has been a “swing” voter in the past (voted NDP on occasion) I now can state 100% that there is no chance of me ever voting for them again in my lifetime! Minister Dix is the cause!
I implore you all to research the admin heavy, responsibility evading tacts chosen by our health ministry, BEFORE YOU FIND OUT THE HARD WAY!
Maybe some govt. will change the admin heavy, responsibility evading tact our health care system is on, find some efficiencies, cut some bloated office types and get back to caring for patients who did not choose to be sick rather than catering to the addicts who had choices and chose self poisoning!
(Response: I so far have not met anyone who has voted Conservative or plans to vote Conservative, who thinks they will solve all the problems of BC. However, the universally do seem to believe at least the conservatives will try and change things whereas the NDP it will just be same old, same old, despite all the promises they make now. And things will get even worse! H.o)
I think I made a safe bet, when I voted for our NDP candidate. My one vote will hardly make a difference to the big picture, but I can feel ok that I voted for the best candidate. She would have made a great Independent.
Now about Vancouver Island.
It may no longer be an NDP stronghold. Through the pandemic and since, there has been a huge influx of people from Alberta and Ontario. Other provinces as well, but masses from those two. Will it make a difference? Quite possibly, if combined with disenchanted NDPers, many of whom are angry about the Land Act shenanigans.
@Marg.
Be careful with the old, “the grass is always greener” routine.
All that you describe as untenable on the lower mainland, is on Vancouver Island. It is just proportional to the population.
Victoria has a huge street people issue, Nanaimo, Courtenay, Campbell River have scary neighbourhoods, quiet, rural, Central Saanich had another serious gun incident last week and people are randomly attacked at the same ratio as the mainland.
All those new arrivals mentioned above, brought their right-wing politics and angry bad habits with them. Seniors and pedestrians are now invisible. But it was comical last winter to hear them whine about our 4 days of snow.
Last year, my son got the notion there were areas on the island which seemed to be worth serious consideration for relocating his young family from the mainland. He spent several weekends over here as we explored many appealing neighbourhoods and spoke with many, many people on the trails, beaches, and other places where you will find folks more relaxed and willing to chat.
The end result was, all they could accomplish with a move was a larger home for the same money. Nothing else stood out as significantly better, and some things, like children’s education, sports and other available activities, were very limited or inferior.
The island is not what it was, 15, 10, even 5 years ago.
(Response: No one should ever say or think their one vote won’t make a difference. Political history is replete with examples of one vote determining an outcome. Plus, even in ridings where the outcome IS a foregone conclusion, alarm bells go off for both parties and politicians when their vote diminishes, even if they held on to the seat! And times, loyalties and demographics change … as the Socreds and Liberals can testify. H.o)
You said it exactly Harvey. He does spend more time talking than doing. He’s also spending more time spending huge swathes of our tax dollars with no proper transparency or accountability and things are getting worse. Where is it all going and where will so much of it continue to go. I think we know already more than enough. The words Special Interests come to mind. And it’s not in good ways for the interests of “All”British Columbians as a whole.
The political and ideological mindset of politicians like Eby when in his position of power seems to think they have the mandate to do whatever they dam well please with our money with no oversight or accounting to the people of BC. Eby and lieutenants are doing and will continue to do way more harm than good and cause more rifts and divisions. An unsettling thought, but I do see it because many of us are living it and witnessing it before our very eyes. I absolutely see this same trend continuing, and only to worsen the next time around if Eby does gets in. I’m just going to do it and vote for the Conservatives also just because of all the above and why would I want to see the dangerous waters deepen. Maybe Rustads people will be the ones to at least get things back to a sane level and put all British Columbians together as the special interest. If they can do that then the future can only be bright for all. With Ebys bunch, that isn’t working. Not at all.
(Response: Eby has admitted some NDP policies have not gone terribly well (safe drug supplies, proposed Land Act changes, carbon taxes etc) … and promises to change. But will he really??? What guarantee to voters have? The word of a politician who often seemed so cold and arrogant and unresponsive to public hurt … until the election came along and Rustad’s Conservatives started to make serious gains? I do believe if Rustad pulls it off, it will be a “hold your nose” vote for many … but if he wins, he’ll have four years to show us how change can help … and the NDP will have four years to get a new leader… who projects better with WORKING voters. H.o)
It’ll be crap shoot, like politics is, but I think the NDP is going to need more than a new leader, just like I really do think the Rustad Conservatives need to clean thier house a bit better and wash out some of the weird or extreme ones. Idont like Falcon at all but that could change depends how he is in his new role. Maybe he and Rustad can revive and get the Massey Bridge project up and done. Something that would have been a real winner and given tens of thousands of commuters a break starting years ago with light rail on it also. The NDP sure slapped the face of the public there. Thousands and thousands, and I hope they don’t forget at the voting booth. I don’t care for Rustad myself but I’m going to give them a shot anyways. Maybe they will clean up the streets and put our money to better use for All British Columbians and not just one special group or two where we could even have parallel governments. Not good at all as you have explained before. That was shocking and disturbing. But Rustad also said he would restore the Airbnb system that big brother controller Eby and his thugs screwed over so many little business people and 5heir families on. Wow that must have been a really upsetting intrusion on their lives. I do hope the NDP pay for their stupidity waste and ruinous policies on the big day.
(Response: What I find kind of strange and even a bit funny during this election campaign is that both major party leaders sound like members of the official opposition… saying the government can do a lot better. That’s OK for Rustad, but EB also sounds like the leader of the opposition when he says what the government needs to do to solve the crisisis regarding: housing; emergency room closures, safe streets, mental health etc etc. Wait a minute!! Eby was part of the government for seven years and leader for two. If so, many things had to be done, why did he wait until this election to finally come up with proposed solutions??? why did he and other Cabibet ministers not act when things were getting worse in so many areas under the NDP administration?? H.o)
I am on the Island and except for a Green MLA in Victoria, the rest is NDP … going to be a tough one for the Conservatives to win. My vote goes Conservative too … too bad the Green can’t form a government as they would have a good chance.
Sorry but Eby has to go .. he can pick up Trudeau on his way out ….Vote … always vote, a privilege we have .. don’t support any of the parties ..put a big X across the whole page.
But Vote …
(Response: Vancouver Island sure has been an NDP stronghold… and the professional pundits suggest it will remain so. However with all the homeless, crime and unruliness in Victoria, Nanaimo and other island communities as well … I’m not o sure there won’t be a backlash at the polls! H.o)
Rustad was part of the el gordo, christy clark cabal and that wasn’t a fun time. Highest child poverty rate in Canada for 5 years while el gordo was in office. Not voting for a repeat of that.
Moved to Vancouver Island back in 2000, accidently. Cost of housing is less and food is less or the same as on the mainland. I’ve found prices here in Surrey/White Rock to be higher than in Nanaimo. Gas is usually less than the mainland and its a lot nicer living on the Island than on the mainland, Greater Vancouver is busy, crowded and has way to much traffic.
When I left Vancouver kept my doctor, even though there were ones in the Comox Valley available. Just didn’t like them or the hospital. Although there aren’t a lot of extra doctors in Nanaimo the hospital is good as is the LadySmith Urgent care center. The E.R; in Nanaimo is good. Was able to get a doctor for the sibling, a doctor at a clinic had gotten several to move to Nanaimo about 10 yrs ago. due to the lack of doctors about five years ago, the government provided a Nurse Practioner Clinic. neighbours in our new area go there and have done a number of pregnancies there. The kids are healthy. Lots of dentists.
Fell, ambulance came, off to ER. Nice doctor in quick order had me X-rayed, advised me it was broken and Dr. B would operate the next morning at 10:30 a.n. Roommate also was going to have Dr. B operate on their broken leg at 8{30 a.m.
Nursing staff and care aids were good, food at usual was awful but hey, hospital food hasn’t been good since about the early 70s. Well it was never really good but it was better back then. While doing rehab to help me walk again a nurse discovered my heart rate wasn’t making her happy. Techie wasn’t happy with readings for my heart. Cardiologist deatl with the issue, prescribed meds, and from start to finish it all was done in about an hr. Last trip to hospital for the sibling, eventually was moved to the hospice section of the hospital and died there. We had no complaint about the hospital.
Don’t know how things are further down Island and if you need something highly specialized you will wind up in Victoria. Nanaimo is going to have a new hospital if the Conservatives aren’t elected and cancel it.
Sibling had Parkinsons and kidney issues. Nanaimo hospital provided decent care. Always arranged a bed for them, sometimes they were there for up to 4 weeks recovering and becoming mobile again. I’d say the health care in the Nanaimo is fine.
Have friends in the Comox Valley, newer hospital there, about 8 yrs old or so. No one is complaining about their doctors.
Now if the Cons are going to”balance the budget” what do they plan to cut. Surrey is desperate for more schools, traffic further out in the Valley dictates there has to be bigger highways and more medical staff are required all over the province. That is all going to cost money and if you all want “balanced budgets” a lot of that won’t be happening.
The problems we have regarding drugs, homelessness, crime, etc. is all over most of North America and G.B. To deal with it will cost money but given the Conservatives want to spend less things will not be improving. Most do not understand how much it costs to run a province and provide the care people want and need. Not wanting people living on the streets, O.K. but where do you want them to go? Who is going to pay for their housing.
No one was too concerned when every one was making money in the real estate market and buying buildings to rent and make profits. Now people can no longer afford those homes, prices and rents are too high. That is what happens when ist a hot market and there is little to no new affordable housing being built. $2400 a month for a one bedroom, people don’t make enough money. How do the Cons think they are going to provide more affordable housing and reduce the budget.
This province has also had a problem with money laundering
If you think things are better in other provinces, go have a look, it isn’t. Ontario has a child die every 3 days who are in their care system. Works out to about 118 each yr. for 2020, 2021, 2022.
As I’ve pointed out before, homelessness has been a growing problem since the mid 1980s. When the B.C. Health Officer declared the drug problem a crisis, Christie Clark and rustad did nothing and it just got worse, What the NDP tried hasn’t made the changes that they or the general public wanted but at least they tried.
Rustad is not Premier material, he isn’t that truthful, being in a debate and not being truthful with his story about some one dying from drugs, really…..at least lie about something that you won’t be caught on. The Conservatives have a candidate who made some disgusting remarks about children of the Muslim faith about 10 yrs ago, that is not MLA material, Rustad saying he was sorry he had a COVID vaccine, Not material for Premier–Can hardly wait until we have another plague like COVID. Rustad also has mentioned he isn’t happy about how negotiations turned out with the Indigenous People in the province and he wants to roll it back. The province will be tied up in court for years. the province will look like a bunch of racists and business isn’t going to be interested if we are in turmoil.
It will be entertaining to see what develops.
If you cant afford to have kids….dont have kids.
Healthcare is a disaster.
ER’s closed every weekend, 750,000 BC’ers looking for a doctor…
Conservative cuts can start in BC Ferries office staff, BC Heathcare office staff, BC Hydro office staff, etc etc etc.
Renegotiating the “colonialist” Billion dollar baby handouts is fine by me and if it takes decades…even better.
Yes. I voted Conservative.
(Response:, I just wish more of the media, when Eby and other NDP cabinet ministers are talking about what they are going to do to solve the problems of crime, homelessness, housing, cost-of-living, and hospital closures … don’t go after them, asking why they haven’t done this in the past seven years when they’ve been in office??? H.o)
don’t have children if you can’t afford them.
lets have a look at reality:
couple decide to have child, own home, low debt, etc. One day one of the parental units dies and there goes the dual incomes. Those deaths can include COVID, heart attacks, car accidents, house fires, parental units die playing sports, hiking.
Then there are the problems of divorcee and abuse within a family. when some parents leave the family, the income goes also and there will be no way to access child support. None of this would have been planned years ago.
Then there those who have children and viola you wake up ond day and find out you are broke. The other parental unit spent all the money and ran up debts gambling. There are those who become drug addicts in the middle of things.
We do not know what the future brings. Most people enter a relationship; with hopes and don’t think of what else could happen.
Job loss is another issue which impacts income. There is nothing you can do about being laid off. Some people are not able to regain their former salary level for years.
Not to mention no where does it say only the permanently wealthy may have children.
some of us went to school with kids whose families were poor and today that kid is a medical professional, teacher, etc. If only the well to do had children you’d find we would be without a lot of workers, leaders, politcians, etc
I like children, they are the future taxpayers of Canada. Be nice to them. They will also be our doctors, police officers, firefighters, chefs, politicians, and bloggers.
100% agreement Harvey.
HOW could Eby screw up after being gifted the Premiership?
Seems adding 1600 more bureaucrats was the NDP solution.
More bureaucracy, more meetings, word salad.
Talk talk talk …and NOTHING is done.
Everything is worse unless you are one of the chosen.
Voters are very very angry.
This BC election might be a real slap in the face for the provincial bureaucracy.
Balance the budget.
A 30% purge of white collar govt employees would be an excellent start.
ICBC office staff 30%.
BC Ferries office staff 30% purge.
Health care office staff 30% purge.
Metro Van (GVRD) 50% purge.
Purge the sloth, waste, arrogance and sense of entitlement.
(Response: I am actually surprised at the polls that show the NDP ahead. It makes me wonder how people could express such unhappiness with the state of their community, the state of healthcare, the difficulties they have in paying their rents and taxes, and yet, ask for more of the same! Unless they feel that Rustad would be even worse… which I personally find hard to imagine, given what I see (and fear)around me, every time I go shopping, out for a walk or into a parkade and every time I buy gas … it think of the terrible implications of that NDP plan to give First Nations EQUAL powers to government in deciding what is done with public lands. Its plain nuts! H.o)
I refuse to answer polls. I hang up.
(Response: I love to answer Polls. As I understand it each response represents to the pollsters and those who hire them about 10,000 public opinions, so whatever you say has a lot more influence on political policies, etc., than just writing a simple letter to them with a complaint or suggestion. H.o)
oh, god, you do make me laugh, you want a purge. sounds like Trump.
Sloth, waste, arrogance, sense of entitlement. sounds like a lot of our citizens and the Cons and former Socreds, B.C. Lieberals, B.C. United.
The people who you are referring to, actually are your neighbours, friends, relatives, etc. They go into work every day and do the jobs they’re paid for. Do you really believe things were better when the B.C. Lieberals were in office???
Harvey don’t fear. It shortens your life. When I’m in Greater Vancouver, I do take more care and precautions, But I still go about my business. Just have to be more careful, at 75– can’t run and am out of practice when it comes to dealing with some one violent. Going into a parkade, in downtown Vancouver, haven’t done that since the mid 1970s when a woman was murdered in Pacific Center a week before her daughter’s wedding. Decided it was so much easier to tip a valet to park the vehicle.
Many do think Rustad would be worse. This evening’s news showed a chart and it was interesting, older people were more likely to vote NDP. Younger people Cons. My take on that is, older people may remember the years of the Socreds, B.C. Lieberals, etc. They don’t trust this new Con party because there are some very “interesting” people with some “interesting” views, which they don’t share. As some people age they don’t want to hear a party talking about cutting, cutting, cutting and if they have grandchildren they want those kids to have decent schools.
The political trial ballon regarding Indigenous involvement in land use decisions, who really knows. My take, it won’t be happening. There maybe more land ceded to the various Nations but other than that, we are in an election. Personally not concerned about that issue at all.
Haven’t seen a Conservative gov’t yet who provided new needed services to working middle class people. The right and the left both run deficiets. etc. They just have different places where they spend the money and the tax breaks, the working middle class just isn’t in the running for those. corporation, etc. they tend to make out better.
I’m good with the carbon tax. There is a problem on earth regarding climate change. Lets not forget when smoking stopped with the general public, various levels of government lost a lot of tax revenue. Not too many smoking any more is one of the reasons 711 is going to be closing 400 stores.
Life is not static. Society and its needs change. Rustad just isn’t up tot he job and some of his candidates have some wierd ideas.
(Response: Rustad did not do himself any favours during the debate. He came across as uncertain, dour, and I doubt created many enthusiastic new conservative supporters. It’s really a question of how fed up British Colombians are with the record of Eby and the NDP. I certainly am and I’m willing to try someone different. and I could be wrong, but the high turnout in the advanced polls makes me believe a lot of other British Columbians feel the same. H.o)
In mid June has a heart attack and the emergency care was excellent, within six hour of phoning 911 and rushed to two hospitals and three stents later I was having a tasty dinner (yes it was for hospital food) just 6 hours later!
But post recovery care through Fraser Health was a paper chase and I ran afoul of three different hospitals and their bureaucracies. I was in recovery limbo because of bureaucratic involvement and it was just mid September that my cardiologist secretary took the time to straighten the damn thing out.
In Eby’s world, bureaucrats are never wrong or admit they are wrong and will spend god knows how much money to try to avert blame.
While hospital emergency rooms close for lack of staff in the Hurt-lands, Fraser health hires more paper pushers and creates more levels of red tape.
I am pushing 70 and voted in all elections since I was of legal voting age, except when I was out of the country in my younger days. I am a firm believer that one should vote, it is your duty to vote, but this election leaves me as cold as a corpse.
I have dealt with politcans for over 40 years, advocating for affordable transit and I gauge politcal party on their knowledge of transit, simply because if they haven’t a clue about transit, they probably haven’t a clue on other issues and just issue word salads to hide the fact.
Well, this election all three major politcal parties are a big fail, which is no surprise because most politicians have retreated into a Canadian version of the Excited States MAGA, with alternative facts and fake news and are deathly afraid to deal with real issues.
Eby is basically untrustworthy; a Visionista, who has turned the BC NDP into Vision Vancouver Provincial. He fails on all counts.
Rustad leads a party of Climate change deniers and anti vaxers, sprinkled with religious nutbars. He sings a sweet song, but he is flying blind.
Fursteneau’s Greens, seems to have morphed into a First nations politcal party and has little “Green” in it’s platform.
What to do?
The chap who is currently MLA is from an long established local farming family and he will win easily, so I am left with two alternatives as Delta South has no Green or Independent candidates:
1) Spoil my ballot.
2) Not vote.
I just do not know how I will vote as there is no democratic way to say, “Not one of the candidates running should be elected”.
This is the sad state of affairs this province, country has come to, autocratic democracy for 12 hours every four years.
Exactly what I have been thinking.
Hubby and I are looking to retire soon and want to get out of the Lower Mainland asap. We have looked at the island and been told to keep our doctor (by telephone or even coming back here for appointments) as there are no doctors available there. What kind of crazy world have we come to when your choice of dwelling can’t be where you want to but maybe where a waiting list exists for a doctor or two? We are also told by every single realtor in every town we have looked at to move to where there’s a nearby COSTCO or one within driving distance because of super high food prices as well. Nobody ever mentioned COSTCO when we first moved here to the Lower Mainland over thirty years ago.
And then there’s the homelessness problem. I never go to downtown Vancouver anymore as there are streets and streets of people doing drugs and sleeping rough. What ever happened to the tourist city we knew? Completely gone.
And then there’s the crime and the open-door policy for criminals. Commit a crime and home for dinner seems to be the ongoing policy right now!
And then we have that stupid carbon tax. Instead of coming clean that it’s only a tax and not going to change the world whatsoever, we are forced to swallow the garbage they hand out that every single incident weather related necessitates climate change and of course a heavier carbon tax is needed to cover that. And then we have those wonderful globe trotting politicians who speak out of both ends of their mouths while flying entourages to all sorts of wonderful conferences, while telling us to save the planet.
And finally, there’s the idea that Israel is always evil and the rest of the Arab states are wonderful. I was sickened by Eby’s behavior towards one of his own NDP members because she supported Israel and I have just read an article about Melanie Joly that she panders to the Muslim community and won’t say a word about what happened to Israel because they are her voting base! Instead of condemning terrorist groups, she would rather garner Liberal votes and I suspect the same is true for Eby. I guess ethics and morality have no business with the NDP or Liberals whatsoever!
So yes, I am going to vote Conservative and hope for the best – anything in fact is better than the crap that we see right now, that’s for sure!
(Response: Incumbent governments normally run on their past records that have improved people’s lives: in this election, Eby seems to spend most of his time saying what he WILL do if re-elected to solve the messes that have gotten worse since he took office! Not good enough for me. H.o)
Mr. O, I fully understand why you would vote for Rustad’s NDP and if it were not for the anti-vaxers and climate change deniers (anti-science types) in the party, I would too.
Eby’s NDP are just radio active in my book, on a Chernobyl scale!
I chair a small committee and on our meeting last week, the comments from the “geezers” like me were such that both Eby’s and Trudeau’s goose(s) are truly cooked.
(Response: The turnout will be crucial. I believe a substantially higher turnout. The normal would be bad news for Eby. Because even among those who still prefer the NDP through the conservatives, I don’t sense a huge degree of enthusiasm for how the NDP have run things in the last couple of years, especially… but I do notice a higher degree of expressed unhappiness among others with the way things are in BC now. Maybe they’re going to the polls to show how they feel… Despite what the voter surveys and all the professional pundits keep telling us? H.o)