Things that BC Liberal MLA Terry Lake hopes you won't become aware of --- BC Liberals backroom manipulators remain hopeful as well

Today Kamloops North Thompson  BC Liberal MLA Terry Lake is quoted as saying; "What we do see is, as we get closer to election, is that people are understanding what the BC Conservatives are all about ... "

MY hope is that people do indeed fully understand what the BC Conservatives are all about ... what we stand for ... and what we hope to bring to the political stage in British Columbia.  They are the things that Terry Lake hopes you won't become aware of --- and BC Liberals backroom manipulators hope that remains the same.          

That's because BC Conservative beliefs, principles and policies are totally opposite to how the BC Liberals have in reality governed:

BC Conservatives believe in clearly defined public policies and programs that are affordable and effective and for which delivery is accountable to all the people of British Columbia.  We are entitled to full knowledge of services rendered and their costs

BC Conservatives believe in managing the government to the highest standards of integrity and transparency

BC Conservatives believe that governments at all levels are responsible to serve and respect all individuals and their families

BC Conservatives believe that Members of the Legislative Assembly (MLA's) are primarily responsible to represent the interests of their Constituents

BC Conservatives believe in a rigorous system of law and order focusing on the rights of victims and the protection of the public

And BC Conservatives believe in smaller government resulting in more liberty and personal property rights, the encouragement of new enterprise and individual achievement striving towards excellence and prosperity

MEANTIME ... what would be our "understanding" of how BC Liberals do things?

With BC Liberals we have had cost over-runs on a number of projects ... the BC Liberal government has raised rates on the Medical Services Plan ... while managers and CEO's of government agencies and crown corporation have given themselves raises and bonuses, rates for ICBC, BC Ferries, and BC Hydro have all been jacked up.  WHY?

Remember that the BC government was going to will allow for naming rights to BC Place Stadium; Telus put in a bid for tens of millions of dollars and then the government rejected it.  WHY? 

Auditor General John Doyle holds the BC Liberals to account for spending waste -- then all of a sudden he is not going to have his contract renewed -- then he is -- then maybe he will be.  WHY? 

Are we prepared to give the time needed to see if benchmarks for success can and are being met?

The Guiding Principles of the BC Conservative Party start off by stating the party has:

A belief in clearly defined public policies and programs that are affordable and effective and for which delivery is accountable to all the people of British Columbia.
 

Maybe it's also time for an idea that is LONG over due, and which would be a fit with that statement; long term plans for social programs, health care, and education that look forward over 5 to 10 year terms.

That would allow government, and the people of BC, to see whether programs are indeed effective, and it would show government is willing to be accountable for the resources we entrust to them.

I recall thinking about this idea a number of years ago ... and I was reminded of it again by a political commentator, Alise Mills, this afternoon on CKNW.

We do indeed need to see that there are measurable targets and goals which are being met by government, and government agencies like Community Living BC for example.

Here's the rub though. This needs to be done with the understanding, by each of us, that programs will need time to prove and show they are working.

Sometimes that is NOT going to be seen in a year, 2 years, or even the 4 year cycle of a government.

In today’s society, where instant gratification is expected more and more, this is an idea that may be hard to come to grips with. 

So ... if this makes sense, are we prepared to give government, and agencies, the time needed to see if benchmarks for success can -- and are -- being met?

I'm Alan Forseth in Kamloops, with the thoughts of one conservative ... care to share your thoughts on this idea?

CLBC ... Creating Lies, Bedlam, and Chaos

The letters “C”, “L”,”B”, and “C” used to stand for Community Living British Columbia … now, more aptly; they should stand for Creating Lies, Bedlam, and Chaos.

Last Fall, British Columbians were rightly outraged that Executives of Community Living BC were receiving huge bonuses, while at the same time the agency was cutting back on services.  So what did the Liberal government say they would do? 

BC Premier Christy Clark

Christy Clark said, and led us to believe, they had ordered an end to the bonuses.  As we now all know, they waited for 6 or 7 months, and then rolled the ‘bonuses’ into the pay of these same CLBC executives.

Was that honest or truthful?  Not according to Jordan Bateman, of the Canadian Taxpayers Federation:
"Whether implicitly or between the lines, we were led to believe last fall that the bonus structure was gone. I think most taxpayers thought that meant that money was going to go back into front-line CLBC services where it belongs, and yet now we find out that really nothing's changed, just the way the executives get this money has been altered."

Still, Christy Clark insists that we have it all wrong … that we don’t understand … and that the opposition coming from the BC Conservative Party, the NDP, and the advocacy groups like Moms on the Move, have it all wrong ... and that some are deliberately misrepresenting the facts.

Christy … there is only ONE group misleading the province … that is the BC Liberal party.

DON’T tell us we don’t know the facts!

ACCOUNTABLE? … OPEN? … HONEST? … FAIR?

Last year we heard horror stories of individuals and families, who desperately needed services from Community Living BC, that were being turned away. 

There was however money for executive to get BIG bonuses.

NOW, in a story yesterday in the Victoria Times Colonist we hear that Christy Clark’s BC Liberals have decided that:

 ... Senior executives at Community Living B.C. are getting pay raises to make up for a government decision last year to eliminate their performance bonuses, the Times Colonist has learned. Social Development Minister Stephanie Cadieux confirmed Monday that the money senior managers previously earned as bonuses is simply being rolled into their base pay...

In another story in the Vancouver Sun, they went further to say that:
The three vice-presidents who previously earned up to 10 per cent of their base salary in bonuses will get a permanent 9.66 per cent increase in salary once pension contributions are included. The actual increase in base pay is 8.6 per cent or $11,871.

Directors and managers, who previously earned bonuses of up to five per cent of base pay, will get hikes of 4.96 per cent and 4.93 per cent including pension contributions. The increase in base pay for managers is 4.4 per cent or $3,659, while directors will get an extra 4.43 per cent or $4,736.

"I think it's a poke in the eye for taxpayers," said Jordan Bateman of the Canadian Taxpayers' Federation.

Last Fall, the BC Community Living Action Group (BCLAG) was telling us that:

• The BC government was wasting $1,000 / day as Community Living BC (CLBC) refused to approve group home placements
• That the wait list figures being presented by CLBC were totally unreliable and that an external review of CLBC’s mandate and operations was needed
• That the one-time $6 million in new funding was inadequate to stem BC’s community living crisis, and that what was really needed and required, to stem the community living crisis was $70 million

Faith Bodnar, the Executive Director of the BC Community Living Action Group stated that …  … the situation is as desperate as anything she has ever seen. Disabled individuals are being re-evaluated and stripped of services, at the same time as others are moved out of their group homes.  

What is there actually to come together over? It appears what's left is becoming a carcass

Over the past several months, there have been many stories in the news, about Christy Clark's call for the big tent free-enterprise coalition to once again rally around her.  

“We’re different now” … “things will change” … “we want to have your input” … are part of a dubious and questionable rebirth of their enthusiasm to have suggestions and ideas from the people of BC.

Should that not be an on-going process that political parties are involved with – NOT just at the point of certain defeat at the hands of voters?

Over the past several years, BC Liberals have not been interested in hearing from the people of BC.  Instead, they seemed to believe they already had all the right answers.   

They have governed with what seemed to many, a callous disregard for the results.

Things like Community Living BC spring to mind … as does ever increasing fees and taxes for things like hydro, car insurance, medical premiums, ferries, and more.

Rural communities watched in shocked disbelief as schools and medical facilities were shuttered and closed.

These things are just the tip, of a long list, of reasons why three quarters of the people in BC are now indicating they will NOT vote Liberal in the next provincial election.

Note to the BC Liberals … “Take a stand ---and lead”

Earlier today Liberal MLA John Rustad (Nechako Lakes) posted a link to a news story, on his Facebook page.  The opinion piece, “Fact finder might help resolve education crisis”, was written by Jon Ferry and is in today’s Province newspaper.

The story is a good read, and to me it offers a clear confirmation that our elected government is failing to do what we elect them to do … govern.  But as Jon Ferry points out in his piece, there may be a lack of willingness to do what must be done.

The BC Liberals have gone steadily downhill in public opinion, and that began just a few short months after they elected Christy Clark as their leader.  They have lost 25% of the people who voted for them in the last election to the BC Conservative party … and a further 10% who have gone over to the NDP. 

One would tend to perhaps agree then with the comment of Jon Ferry when he says:

"The Christy Clark government, however, is now so wounded in the opinion polls it may be unwilling to provoke a political backlash by appearing too draconian."

I am a member of the BC Conservative Party, so one would be correct in thinking I would not readily offer any advise that might help them (not that they would listen), but here goes anyways

They would have heard plenty of reasons for the ongoing growth of the party

A news story yesterday (Poll sends Clark a sharp warning) in the Times Colonist newspaper stated:

The rise of the Conservatives is a significant factor. But it has more to do with dissatisfaction with the Liberals than with any policy put forward by Conservative leader John Cummins. We have not heard enough from Cummins to judge his party's potential or readiness.

And they were very much right in saying:

A political poll is only a snapshot of voters' opinions at a certain time. And polls taken 17 months before an election should be viewed with skepticism, because much can change in far less time.

That said; this is the fifth straight poll that has shown the BC Conservative Party rising in popularity with British Columbians all across the province.

I think it's a shame that the writer(s) of this editorial must not have attended either / both the gathering of BC Conservatives this Spring in Surrey where John Cummins was elected party leader --- or the AGM this Fall in Nanaimo.

 

BC POLITICS --- this week in the news

With the resignation of former Attorney General Barry Penner, Christy Clark now has two by-elections to call in the next few months --- by-elections that John Cummins and the BC Conservatives say they will be in.  There’s news on that … plus much more ... so read on! Remember the full stories can be accessed by clicking the link in the story title.)

Future jobs need planning now

… global economy goes from being a media phrase to something that threatens our jobs … it’s suddenly very real and very personal … and when hope gets lost, fear takes hold. Fear that our future will be bleak. Fear that what we’ve worked for will be lost … leadership and action can trump fear, and cynicism … need to stand together, to work together, and make the changes required … need to face our future not with fear or retreat, but with confidence and advancement on our strengths…

CLBC admits it pushed too hard to get clients out of group homes

… Community Living BC expressed regret for the harm caused and promised that, except in certain circumstances, nobody will be moved against their will in the future … follow recent reversals by CLBC in which it canceled plans to close homes and move residents ... spoken to families and apologized for the agency’s tactics.  “We regret the stress that we caused in their lives and we’re doing what we can to make that a better situation for them,” he said …

Community care crisis demands a resolution

… the crisis in community living has stirred something significant in us, demanding immediate action and decisive leadership.  In many ways it has become the barometer of how we are doing in B.C., striking a fundamental cord chord of justice and fairness….

Elections B.C. wants to pre-register 16- and 17-year-olds for voting

…  elections agency wants to use high school classes to pre-register teens to vote when they turn 18 … presented by chief electoral officer Keith Archer to a committee of MLAs Thursday … attempt to increase voter participation among 18- to 25-year-olds, the age group that's the least likely to vote …

This week in BC Political News

Another week has passed … and along with it came many stories regarding, and around, politics in British Columbia.   Among them has been the on-going saga of problems with Community Living BC … last week’s Angus Reed poll … questions about what is and will be acceptable in BC’s off-share tourism marketing … the impact of the federal crime bill on BC … and much more.

Here are some of the stories that made the news this past week.

No home for man, in jail 7 months -- Community Living unable to find place for 19-year-old with developmental disabilities       Victoria Times Colonist

… said jail is becoming the default home for disabled young people when there is no support in the community. "Basically we're using jail as the services for him," she said. "CLBC has not been able to find a placement for him."  …  said she fears for the safety of the young man, who has the developmental age of a six-year-old child and is vulnerable to abuse in the criminal justice system … said the government is paying far more to keep the man behind bars than it would cost to care for him in the community, and officials could be at risk if he comes to harm …

Poll delivers bad news to Clark and Liberals   BC Local News

... people often say they support parties with limited chances of success between elections, before returning to the fold … several things might make this different ... Cummins the main one.  He’s an experienced, skilled campaigner, as shown by his six successful campaigns to be an MP … attracted others with experience and knows how to do the basic stuff that other fledgling political efforts tend to mess up … been quick off the mark and effective in issuing news releases critiquing the Clark government … Cummins has a chance, with some credible candidates, to make a pitch to voters who aren’t happy with either of the two main parties, a significant group these days..

De Patie killer violates parole – again  BC Local News
… Doug De Patie, whose 24-year-old son Grant was killed by Pratt in 2005, did not expect Pratt to last long outside prison.  "He is not ready for the outside world," said De Patie, who was informed that Pratt missed his 8 p.m. curfew Saturday.  "He is making a mockery of the parole system. He is not showing any remorse. He is not showing any respect for the loss of Grant."

NELSON DAILY NEWS: We need review of Community Living B.C

“We need review of Community Living B.C” is an editorial which originally ran in the Victoria Times Colonist -- today it also was printed as an editorial in the Nelson Daily News.

What does the editorial have to say?  It calls for the provincial government to have an “independent review” of Community Living BC.  Here are a few of the points they make:

“The provincial government's stubborn refusal to accept the need for an independent review of community Living B.C. is unfair to the agency, those depending on it for services, and their families….

… government's credibility on this file has been compromised. The former minister, CLBC board and managers, for example, all insisted that people were not being forced from long-time group homes against their will.  That was false….

… significant problems… lack of training … poor oversight and failures to provide homeshare operators with needed information … potentially dangerous incidents as a result, and a series of "crisis situations.  The review, done by a consultant for CLBC, found that it was impossible to determine if basic checks had been done to screen prospective homeshare providers…

 … the worrying homeshare report confirms, once again, that such a review is badly needed …"

The ONLY way this review will take place is if elected representatives of the government, including Kamloops North Thompson MLA Terry Lake and Kamloops South Thompson MLA Kevin Krueger, call on Premier Christy Clark to do so.  Kevin Krueger is my MLA, and so this morning at 10:25am I emailed this brief letter to him: 

Dear Kevin...

As a 'representative of the people who elected you' in Kamloops South Thompson (and not a representative of the government), are you prepared to stand up for those who are dependent on Community Living BC to provide them with help and support?

John Cummins … “We will stand up for children and not the special interests”

In the Victoria Times Colonist this morning was the headline; "Hydro paid bonuses for non-existent profit --- Auditor general's report discovered millions of dollars in deferred debts”

Wonder of wonders ... we have a batch of executives paying themselves big fat bonuses based on non-existent profits.

The practice of pushing billions in debt into the future, instead of counting it on the books each year, means Hydro shows profit where none exists and lacks a plan to pay its future bills, said Doyle.

"I haven't made that correlation yet," Energy and Mines Minister Rich Coleman said when asked if the Hydro executives deserved their bonuses based on the information in Doyle's audit.

Coleman said he's reviewing the auditor general's report. He has defended the use of deferral accounts as a way to prevent rate increases for customers by smoothing out turbulent financial times.

While the BC Liberals plan is to review the report, John Cummins BC Conservatives have come out clearly saying, 'the deferral system is being used to move money around, within the corporation, to make it appear profitable on the books.'  These deferrals have gone from $200 million ... to $2.2 billion … and by 2017 they are predicted to reach $5 billion.

 

Cummins said, “This money is going to have to be paid back. What taxpayers need to ask themselves is how? On the backs of citizens of this province, that is how.”

We keep hearing about one disaster after the other in government ministries --- agencies -- and crown corporations.  WHY? 

I don't hold out any hope that Christy and her other colleagues will be much moved by his plea for immediate action

For the past several years, concerns have been raised by community groups dedicated to helping those with disabilities.  Recent headlines from the BC Community Living Action Group (BCLAG) have screamed out:

BC government wasting $1,000/day as CLBC refuses to approve group home placement

CLBC waitlist figures unreliable says stakeholder group … BC-CLAG urges external review of CLBC’s mandate and operations

One-time $6 million in new funding inadequate to stem BC’s community living crisis

$70 M needed immediately to stem community living crisis … CLAG partners urge Premier to address growing risks, restore confidence

The Executive Director of the BCLAG is Faith Bodnar and she has stated that … the situation is as desperate as anything she has ever seen. Disabled individuals are being re-evaluated and stripped of services, at the same time as others are moved out of their group homes.   A recent news story quoted her saying, “We are in crisis here … people are desperate. It seems the system of services and support is being dismantled before we really realize what we’re doing.”

This is NOT new news!!  

 On October 10^th, 2010, a joint letter was written by Moms on the Move, BC Family Net Society, the BC Government and Service Employees Union, the Developmental Disabilities Association, and the BC Coalition of People with Disabilities – the letter was written to Jane Holland, Office of the Advocate for Service Quality.  In it, this group of six began by saying, “We write to express our urgent concerns regarding the current administration of provincial government services and supports for adults with developmental disabilities in British Columbia, and to call for actions to address these matters”

So what has happened at Community Living BC … a group that started with such promise?   The CLBC was established in 2005 following four years of talks and planning.  As the CLBC website states, they were mandated under the Community Living Authority Act and originated from a grass roots movement led by families and self-advocates who wanted a government funded organization to focus on their unique needs.

The website goes on to further say, in their overview, that; Community Living BC (CLBC) delivers supports and services to eligible adults and their families in British Columbia. Adults with developmental disabilities or who meet the Personalized Supports Initiative (PSI) criteria are eligible for supports through CLBC. We believe that individuals and their families know best when it comes to their needs, goals and planning for the future.

People with disabilities for years stood on the sidelines of society --- they were marginalized – and often hidden away.  In recent decades that slowly changed, and as groups organized and came together, government support for families and caregivers came into being; this included Community Living BC.

So what went wrong with a group that had a set of strong stated values they were going to uphold and support – and what were those goals and values?  To respect the important role of family and friends in people’s lives … that they were going to support people with disabilities in making their own decisions and to achieve their dreams for the future .  The values of CLBC also indicated the peoples with disabilities should have the opportunity for life-long learning, development, and contribution, and that should be done in a culture of responsibility, respect and trust.   

Here’s the kicker, if you read the values section on the CLBC website it also says that they are going to be accountable to the people they serve … they will strive for quality … they will be open, honest and fair in all aspects of our work … they will work cooperatively with others … and they will also inspire creativity and innovation.

Well we all know how well that seems to be working!! 

The government has admitted there are nearly three thousand people waiting to receive services … and there was so much negative news surround the CLBC that the organization itself fired CEO Rick Mowles late last week.   Mowles didn’t get canned however before Social Development Minister Harry Bloy, whose ministry oversees the CLBC, was himself removed during a cabinet shuffle by Premier Christy Clark late last month.

“I thought it was time to make a change,” Clark said, explaining her mini-cabinet shuffle.  “Particularly in this ministry, it’s important that the minister is communicating changes, which are very difficult, particularly for vulnerable clients, they’re communicating those changes to the clientele and to the families that might be affected.”

This is one story that simply refuses to go away however, and now even members of her own government are standing up to say something MUST be done. 

Yesterday in the legislature Liberal MLA Randy Hawes said there must be a review of Community Living BC.  The Times Colonist stated;  Liberal backbencher Randy Hawes ripped into his own government Monday for its treatment of adults with developmental disabilities and saying his government has misled the public about problems in the sector. 

That was quickly followed in the Globe and Mail (Liberal MLAs decry group home closures) with news of another Liberal backbencher, Gordon Hogg, who was also expressing his concerns on how Community Living BC was meeting the needs of those with disabilities.  The Globe and Mail news story indicated Hogg had said some of the decisions made by CLBC have hit at society’s core values “and [they have hit at] them in a way which I’m not comfortable with.”

It also said that he was referring to well-publicized recent examples which had distraught parents questioning removal of their developmentally disabled adult children from group accommodation, where they had been comfortable, to private homes.  “They give us all cause for concern – perhaps more than cause for concern,” Mr. Hogg was quoted as saying in the BC Legislature.

The job, goal, and function of Community Living BC is to, “… build communities where you can feel safe and welcome. Feeling safe and welcome can mean having a good job, a comfortable and safe place to live, and the chance to make friends in the community where you live.”

Faith Bodnar, who as mentioned is the executive director of BC Community Living Action, said the government needs to halt ongoing changes and involve all stakeholders in a re-evaluation of CLBC policies.  “Let’s press the pause button,” she said. “People are desperate. It seems the system of services and support is being dismantled before we really realize what we’re doing.”

It’s not just Faith Bodnar … the families of the disabled … and the caregivers who are speaking out.  Hundreds and hundreds of others are as well, including a friend of mine from the lower mainland who said … 

“It's a terrible moment in B.C.'s social history when the insensitive treatment of its clients by CLBC has to be raised by a member of the government. Randy Hawes must be recognized for his political courage but I don't hold out any hope that Christy and her other colleagues will be much moved by his plea for immediate action.”

I’m Alan Forseth in Kamloops, with the thoughts of one conservative on this round ball we call planet earth.

Good government is important to us all ... especially for the future of our own kids and grandkids

Recently, a classmate from my school days in Williams Lake said to me:

“Facebook is supposed to be a pleasant social networking site to share your daily life, keep track of old friends and family. It is not a political forum to share all of your beliefs with the world. I'm sure you have a nice life besides politics but no one would ever know that”

I thought about that for a while, and then responded by saying,

I appreciate your comments.  There is a lot that makes up my social life ... music I love ... family ... daily things like the paint job currently underway ... getting out on my bike … and ... politics which is bred into me cause it goes back 3 or 4 generations. Politics is a big part of what I talk about ... but it is important to me and that's why I talk about it. Until a year ago I had become part of the 50% that had pretty much given up --- BUT when we end up with those kind of numbers that keep growing, eventually we will end up with anarchy or a government we are surprised to have and that dictates everything we can or cannot do. I hope you can humour me in my passion ... good government is important to us all ... especially for the future of our own kids and grandkids :)

I have been thinking about this brief conversation since then, and I know why.  When it comes to having a social conscience, a lot of what this government is doing is wrong, and I believe it is important that people know about it.

And it’s not just me thinking and saying that what they are doing is wrong; the following are just a few of the voices that are trying to get that news out to each of us.  I hope you’ll take a few minutes to read on …

Comments and posts on Facebook this week

Thought I would take a look at some of the comments and postings that I and others have made on my Facebook page in the past several days.  Screening out some of what for me MIGHT be called fluff left the following, which you may or may not find interesting.

Wisdom  / Fortune Cookie type quotes

• Don't ask me why. But once in a while when confronted with self-righteous dullards like Al Gore and their ilk, I have the need to wheel out some ZZ Top 
• You have ONE life. Your expiry date might come early or late. So don't waste time. Live your life and live it well and full. Just be happy! Even if people don't share your joy, don't let them steal it from you!
• The sun reminds us that our own shining truth is never extinguished. Our light shines within us at all times, no matter what else occurs around us. Though the sun gives us daily proof of its existence, sometimes our belief in our own light requires more time