Even young owls are wise enough to know the North Island is losing medical services | George Le Masurier photo
The Week: We’re back but CV pathologists are gone — and, face mask deniers beware
If you start hearing complaints from people about how long their biopsy results have taken, don’t be surprised. Island Health finally got its wish and forced out Comox Valley general pathologists, Dr. Chris Bellamy and Dr. Wayne Dunn.
The pair of well-respected doctors resigned on Aug. 21, leaving the Comox Valley without any onsite pathologists. This means a serious degradation of health care services available locally.
Island Health is determined to remove medical services from the North Island and centralize them in Victoria. They took away onsite clinical pathology services from the Campbell River Hospital several years ago to the dismay of that community’s doctors and other health care professionals who have protested and demanded reinstatement.
The Comox Strathcona Regional Hospital Board has joined that fight. But pleas to the North Island MLAs for help have gone unanswered.
Watch for more on this story next week.
— Congratulations — again — to the Cumberland Community Forest Society for completing their largest single land purchase. In early September, the CCFS closed the deal to preserve an additional 225 acres. This means more forested land that was threatened by logging interests can forever be enjoyed by hikers and mountain bikers. Future generations will look back on what the society has achieved with admiration for their foresight and perseverance.
— It’s hard to take the criticism of Premier John Horgan’s Oct. 24 election call too seriously. Yes, there is a pandemic and there’s no vaccine or proven cure for the COVID virus on the horizon. There may never be either. However, British Columbians are carrying on their lives safely. The infection data shows it. The grocery stores are full. People are buying cars, motor homes, televisions and going in and out of all kinds of stores and coffee shops. Kids are back to school. So it shouldn’t be difficult to arrange safe polling stations. And listen, if people willingly waited in lines to enter Costco or buy a latte, they should be happy to do the same to vote.
— Speaking of masks, why are so many people not wearing them? Most grocery shoppers we see wear masks. But at other stores, the percentage of non-maskers ranks significantly higher. True, some of these people might have forgotten their mask at home — seems like we need multiple masks these days, tucked away in our cars and coats — but what’s up with the other people who just don’t seem to care? We don’t promote or condone mask-shaming, but, sweet mercy, those people look like the fools.
— The breaking news today that US President Trump and his wife have both tested positive for the virus feels like karmic destiny: what goes around, comes around. We hope for his speedy recovery, as we would for anyone with COVID. But isn’t it tempting to think maybe he should suffer a little? Trump has downplayed the virus while more than 200,000 of his constituents died and millions of other lives have been permanently altered, either directly through as yet unknown long-term medical complications or via the collapsed economy. Trump has refused to wear a mask and mocked his opponent, Joe Biden, for doing so. We shudder to imagine how he’s going to spin this irony on Twitter.
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The Week: Doing it right on the wrong side of town, CVRD gets a good result for wrong reasons
The Comox Valley Regional District did the right thing in terminating the CVEDS contract. But they did it for the wrong reasons.
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Are you satisfied with the performance of your Comox Valley elected officials? In 20 months and three weeks, voters will go to the polls again. So we’re curious how Decafnation readers feel about their councillors, mayors, directors and school trustees halfway through their current terms in office
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With the holidays approaching and the promise of COVID vaccines just around the corner, we might be tempted to bend the public health rules. Don’t do it.
Why can’t our Elf on the Shelf be a role model instead of an accomplice?
A parent struggles over her relationship with the Elf on the Shelf
I am not concerned about calling an election during a pandemic but I am concerned that Horgan has acted unethically and left the Green Party out to dry. I hope he doesn’t expect support from the Greens in the future. “What message does it send when the Premier uses his power defy a law passed by the BC Legislature? I agree with Ken.
Horgan’s actions were highly unethical. The NDP lost the 2017 election. It was with the support of the BC Greens that they were able to form a government. Horgan and Weaver negotiated an agreement called the Confidence and Supply Agreement (available online). Included in the terms of that agreement are:
“Subject to the terms of this agreement, we undertake that:
1. Should the Lieutenant Governor invite the Leader of the BC New Democrats to form a new government, this agreement will continue until the next scheduled election.
2. The Leader of the New Democrats will not request a dissolution of the Legislature during the term of this agreement, except following the defeat of a motion of confidence.”
Horgan, a signatory to that agreement, made in good faith, broke the agreement without cause. That is highly unethical! Horgan cannot be trusted!
The Greens were caught off guard when the election was called because they mistakenly assumed that John Horgan was a man of his word… a big mistake when dealing with a politician!”
I also agree that is a relief that it is great to have George back. Thanks for your in-depth coverage.
Re ISLAND HEALTH plan to “Centralise” all local Ops. Suggest this is the same ” Business Model” used by them in the recently installed Hospital in Calgary and is a Condition of the Contract with ISLAND HEALTH | Food for thought?
I agree with Tony. Island Health has been undermining the health services on central and northern Vancouver for too long. It seems that the Liberal bureaucrats are still calling the shots and plan to centralize services to the detriment of everyone north of Victoria. We shouldn’t have to fight for healthcare. With no public transportation on Vancouver Island, this will especially effect seniors who have no transportation available. It will be especially difficult during the Covid pandemic when seniors have to take extra precautions to protect themselves. Whoever is making these decisions is more concerned with counting beans and pinching pennies than they are with healthcare. Minister Dix needs to get involved and do some housecleaning at Island Health. Please write your MLA.
It’s not often that George and I disagree. However, on the issue of Paul Horgan calling an early election, I beg to differ!
What I take very seriously is the democratic process. Horgan’s “snap” election call is undemocratic, unethical, and may lead to elections in many ridings being contested in court.
In October 2017, the Horgan government with the support of the BC Greens passed amendments to the BC Constitution Act. Section 23(2) states:
“Subject to subsection (1), a general voting day must occur on the third Saturday in October in the fourth calendar year following the general voting day for the most recently held general election.”
According to BC law, the date of the next general election was to be held the third Saturday in October 2021.
Horgan broke BC law using an undemocratic loophole. The Constitution Act, Section 23(1) states:
“The Lieutenant Governor may, by proclamation in Her Majesty’s name, prorogue or dissolve the Legislative Assembly when the Lieutenant Governor sees fit.”
Horgan simply paid a visit to an unelected, government-appointed official who did his bidding.
What message does it send when the Premier uses his power defy a law passed by the BC Legislature?
Horgan’s actions were highly unethical. The NDP lost the 2017 election. It was with the support of the BC Greens that they were able to form a government. Horgan and Weaver negotiated an agreement called the Confidence and Supply Agreement (available online). Included in the terms of that agreement are:
“Subject to the terms of this agreement, we undertake that:
1. Should the Lieutenant Governor invite the Leader of the BC New Democrats to form a new government, this agreement will continue until the next scheduled election.
2. The Leader of the New Democrats will not request a dissolution of the Legislature during the term of this agreement, except following the defeat of a motion of confidence.”
Horgan, a signatory to that agreement, made in good faith, broke the agreement without cause. That is highly unethical! Horgan cannot be trusted!
The Greens were caught off guard when the election was called because they mistakenly assumed that John Horgan was a man of his word… a big mistake when dealing with a politician!
Calling a “snap” election during a pandemic is itself undemocratic.
Like many people in the Comox Valley, my wife and I are old enough to be at higher risk of Covid-19 infection. We have decided to vote by mail-in ballot. The same applies to hundreds of thousands of BC voters (500,000 mail-in ballots have already been requested).
Unfortunately, there is a huge flaw in BC’s Election Act concerning mail-in ballots.
In the up-comming USA presidential election, absentee (mail-in) voters are able to submit their ballots up to and including Election Day. Ballots will be accepted as valid provided that they are post-marked no later than Election Day. Elections BC requires that ballots be received no later than Election Day and suggests that mail-in ballots be posted no later than October 17th.
That means that BC mail-in voters MUST vote no later than a week before the election. Any politician will tell you that during an election campaign a week is a “lifetime”. Absentee voters, especially those who are undecided, will not be able to cast their ballot in response to an issue that arises in the final week of the campaign.
Good to have Decafnation and George back with in-depth research and reporting.
I agree that criticizing Horgan for calling an election in a pandemic is like continuing to beat a dead horse, if we only consider that asking people to go to polling places to vote is dangerous. But, consider this: gobs of taxpayer money is being spent on conducting this election at a time when taxpayer money should be spent on helping people make ends meet who have lost their jobs because of the pandemic. Additionally, the attention of politicians is now on the election instead of being on constructing policies and programs to help their constituents maneuver through the pitfalls associated with this pandemic.
Why did Horgan decide to call an election? His clear intention is to be free of collaborating with the Greens, who skillfully yanked his chain, so that he can go ahead with his plans to open up the Island to even more logging of old growth, to keep on with the very dangerous and economically unfeasible Site-C build (earthquakes) and to continue Coastal Gas Link fracking (again, earthquakes). And, just wait: he’s going to guild a CGL terminus or two right here on the Island.
His lack of strategic action on the Long-Term Care file cannot be covered up by election promises that should have been instituted as he promised during the last election. And now Courtenay/Comox has a 126 bed facility that is a public-private partnership which Isobel Mackenzie, our BC Seniors Advocate, reports as the least likely avenue to support adequate patient care over corporate profits.
Don’t trust any of Horgan’s promises. Make sure he’s forced to collaborate once again with the Greens and, this time, with a more fulsome Green caucus that can really hold his greedy NDP feet to the fire.