The provincial election is happening on Oct. 19 and Black Press sent five questions to the three candidates running in the Kootenay-Monashee riding that includes Castlegar, Trail, Rossland, Fruitvale, Slocan Valley and some communities on Lower Arrow Lake.
Glen Byle represents the Conservative Party of B.C., Steve Morissette represents the B.C. NDP and Donovan Cavers represents the B.C. Green Party.
The candidates were given 100 words per question to complete their answers. The answers appear as they were submitted, without editing. We will publish one question each day this week.
West Kootenay residents are frustrated with gaps in the healthcare system such as doctor shortages, difficulty accessing specialist services, lower levels of care in the region compared to other areas, medical travel and lack of local diagnostic and treatment equipment. How do you or your party plan to address these issues?
Byle: We will expand access to care, reduce wait times, and support front line staff while creating a transparent and accountable system. By reducing red tape and directing funding to the front lines, we will increase hiring of nurses, doctors, specialists, and other healthcare professionals. We will consult with physicians and other primary healthcare providers to find ways to reduce administrative burden. As a healthcare worker for 18 years, and union steward supporting members in healthcare for 10 years, I would love to be able to take the voice of front line healthcare workers directly to Victoria.
Cavers: We need to outlaw unhealthy products and ideas (think: junk food, body image, overworking, etc) and simultaneously promote healthy ideas (sleep well, eat well, move regularly, maintain loving connections). This shift will alleviate unnecessary strain on the acute health system. “Better than bad isn't good”, is a quote I read this morning from a voter who had voted ndp their entire lives but has, for a plethora of reasons, decided to vote green this time. And doctor shortages in BC is a legacy we owe to the rebranded BC con-Liberals who underfunded training of new family doctors for years.
Morissette: The BCNDP are hiring doctors, nurse practitioners, nurses and health care professionals. We will be training more doctors through a new medical school and hiring doctors worldwide. We’re going to build new hospitals and cancer centres. There are 835 new doctors in BC and 6,300 new nurses. We expect to connect 160,000 more people to a family doctor or nurse practitioner. We are extending medical travel assistance to cover the cost of mileage and payment will be upfront. We will also extend the length of job protection for people facing a serious illness from eight days to 27 weeks.
