The issue of downloading services from one level of government, to the next, is obviously having a serious affect on municipalities

Last week in Penticton, mayors from 86 communities across British Columbia met to discuss issues they have been facing, and of concern, as more and more areas previously looked after (and funded) by Federal and Provincial governments, get downloaded on to them.  

In a story from the Okanagan’s CHBC TV News, Dianne Watts, Mayor of Surrey said:

“B.C.’s municipalities need a new deal with the provincial and federal governments to provide the services our constituents expect.  Municipalities provide the vast majority of the service in areas such as infrastructure while being given only 8 cents out of every tax dollar to do it.”

While Penticton Mayor Dan Ashton said:

“We all realize there is only one taxpayer and those taxpayers are challenged these days and that challenge is one that we as mayors and council have to address.  The analogy of people being able to support more services through taxation is not one that any mayor in this province wants to accept.”

A news release from the Mayors, following their meeting in Penticton, also brought up a number of additional areas of concerns, where local governments are:

• now providing land as a precondition for the Province to build social housing projects
• now responsible for ensuring residential tenancies are properly maintained by landlords
• paying more for policing as new federal laws require more work to gather more evidence to support charges being approved
• managing flood hazard areas and related liability
• dealing with the aftermath of psychiatric hospitals closures by the Province which has placed many vulnerable people on the street
• paying local fire departments to respond to medical calls, displacing the need for added resources by the provincially funded ambulance service

There should be “ready access” to high level medical services throughout BC

On CTV News from Vancouver on Monday night, they had a story about the ER in Princeton being closed for the day.  So where was the nearest hospital?? … one hour away in Penticton.

My thoughts were, and still are, that this is completely wrong --- the Interior Health Authority hanging a sign that says "Sorry Were Closed" is a totally unacceptable contingency plan.   In my opinion, the government’s grand scheme to centralize hospital administration, often time’s hours from a community, has proven to be a disastrous plan.

Oh sure it’s worked well for the larger centres where more and more of the medical care is ending up.  What about smaller rural communities however; many of which are where logging, mining, construction and other more dangerous type jobs are done.  For them prompt medical attention, in the case of an accident, may be critical.