TAKING A BREAK ... for next 10 weeks

Greetings friends ...

I just wanted to let you know that with the BC Provincial Election just 10 weeks away, and the active role I am taking in the Kamloops South Thompson election campaign, I will be signing off for the next 2 and a half months.

As I am sure you are all well aware, I am very much involved with the BC Conservative Party.  This means I am joining to be taking an active role, as part of the team, putting in everything we can to see Peter Sharp elected.

Thanks for being part of the Conservative Thoughts journey -- I'll be back right after the May Provincial General Election.

Meantime, if you are a small 'c' conservative, I hope you will consider lending a hand in our campaign to elect Peter Sharp as our BC Conservative MLA for Kamloops South Thompson.  

We can use every person that has election experience -- those with office and management experience -- and those that can and will offer to take on a task they feel they can handle.

To find out more about Peter Sharps, campaign, please CLICK HERE.

I'm Alan Forseth in Kamloops ... inviting you to not only follow the campaign ... but to be a part of it by joining the campaign team. 

PETER SHARP: BC Conservatives release "Spending Smarter" policy paper

"Change for the better, with how the Legislative Assembly operates, will only begin when individual MLA's can once again have greater say in the role of government."

BC Conservative Party candidate Peter Sharp

So said BC Conservative Kamloops South Thompson candidate Peter Sharp, after reviewing the parties just released position paper, "Spending Smarter".  

"For all intensive purposes, it honestly seems that our BC Liberal government has abdicated its' role in ensuring taxpayer financial resources are wisely spent."

"While the government would like us to believe this recently introduced budget is balanced, most are understandably suspicious." 

Highlights of the "Spending Smarter" policy paper include specifics on how Members of the Legislative Assembly (MLA's) can once again ensure taxpayers get full value for their money.  These will include: 

1) Allowance for a thorough look at the financial outlays of government before they are made. 

2) The creation of a Legislative Budget Office, with the role of providing independent analysis for MLA's, helping them with complex financial and economic data. 

3) An improvement to how the Fall sitting of the Legislature functions.  Rather than a focus on passing or amending legislation, the Legislature will instead have opportunity to review the expenditure of taxpayer resources by the government, Crown corporations, as well as schools, universities, colleges and hospitals.

"Ongoing deficits, and ever increasing debt, is a financial plague that must end.  Our Spending Smarter position paper will be the start of making that actually happen", concluded Sharp.

NOTE:
The BC Conservative Party "Spending Smarter" policy paper is available to review at: http://www.bcconservative.ca/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/Spending-Smarter.pdf

Meet Ed Fehr, BC Conservative Party candidate for Kamloops North Thompson

Kamloops North Thompson BC Conservative
Party candidate Ed Fehr

I was born in Beaver Lodge, Alberta. My family moved to a small community called Takysie near the Lakes District community of Burns Lake, BC.  At Takysie, my family bought and operated a small sawmill.

Three years later, we moved to Fraser Lake, BC, where my parents bought a 160 acre farm on which our family raised 200 head of sheep.  At an age of 12, this helped me learn the importance of being responsible, and knowing the value of hard work. 

Ed Fehr is; “A guy that’s willing to have boots on the ground, go door-to-door and talk to people and bring their issues back to Victoria."

Over the course of my life, I have worked in several industries including operational aspects mining; and  like our party leader John Cummins,  I have taken pride in being able to see the end results of hard work. 

I cut my teeth in politics with the Saskatchewan Party while living there between 1997 and 2004.  I held the role of Vice-President in Saskatoon Center, and then went on to become President of the Riding Association a year later. 

Ed Fehr sees increasing access to doctors as a major priority for the next provincial government; "We need to have more doctors, and the health-care system needs to be completely revamped.”

I returned to BC in 2007, and in March 2012, I was elected as president of the Kamloops-North Thompson Constituency Association for the BC Conservative Party.

I married my lovely wife Naomi in 1996. 

Throughout my life people like late Cyril Shelford (BC rancher and Social Credit MLA), have made a lasting impression on me, to be a voice for the people of British Columbia in the provincial legislature.

Kamloops South BC Liberal MLA Kevin Krueger is, "Way over the line" with comments regarding the BC Conservatives.

Late yesterday afternoon, Kamloops South Thompson BC Liberal MLA Kevin Krueger, launched a verbal attack on BC Conservatives.

The following is a media release, sent out by BC Conservative candidate Peter Sharp, in reponse:

KAMLOOPS: Yesterday, BC Conservative Party leader John Cummins called on Premier Christy Clark to suspend Pat Bell, the controversial Minister of Jobs, Tourism and Skills Training, from the Executive Council.

Peter Sharp in media scrum, following election as the
Kamloops South Thompson BC Conserrvative candidate

"We asked this because there have been allegations made in public, and through a CBC news report that he was involved in “breached protocols, broken promises and misrepresentation” with regards to the proposed Wood Innovation and Design Centre in Prince George", stated Kamloops South Thompson BC Conservative Party candidate Peter Sharp.

Sharp continued, "At no time did we state that he 'was' involved, only that allegations have been made, that should be examined and looked in to."

BC Conservatives, and all residents of the Kamloops area, should have real concern with the response of current Kamloops South Thompson MLA, and former Cabinet Minister, Kevin Krueger.

Sharp went on to say, "His comments are completely unacceptable behavior for an MLA!  He went way over the line with his caustic comments aimed at all members of our party -- not just the leadership."

"In fact, using an official government MLA email account, to hurl these insults at people who are some of his constituents, could be looked at as further arrogance by a party already being questioned by the electorate for it's integrity and accountability."

"If there is any silver lining to this whole situation, it is only that with the retirement of MLA Krueger, the people of our province will no longer be subjected to this kind of bullying.", Sharp concluded.

CONTACT:
Peter Sharp, candidate

BC Conservative Party

Kamloops South Thompson

 

 

The following is a full & complete copy of the email sent by Kevin Krueger:

From: Krueger.MLA, Kevin <Kevin.Krueger.MLA@leg.bc.ca <mailto:Kevin.Krueger.MLA@leg.bc.ca> >
Date: Tue, Feb 26, 2013 at 4:01 PM
Subject: The Honourable Pat Bell

To: "conservatives@bcconservative.ca" <conservatives@bcconservative.ca>, "Krueger.MLA, Kevin" <Kevin.Krueger.MLA@leg.bc.ca <mailto:Kevin.Krueger.MLA@leg.bc.ca> >


Attention: B.C. Cons:

Mr. Cummins, and everybody involved in this news release, are "Unmitigated" MORONS to have published such crap as this.

Pat Bell is beloved in Prince George, for good reason. There is not ONE of you scum worthy to tie his shoes - nor tall enough.

You have just blown whatever support you might have hoped to muster in Prince George, and many other places.

What idiots you are.
Kevin Krueger, MLA

 

Original media release from the BC Conservative Party:

Suspend Bell and expand investigation, Cummins

LANGLEY, BC, FEB. 26, 2013 – John Cummins, leader of the BC Conservatives, today called on Premier Christy Clark to suspend Pat Bell, the controversial Minister of Jobs, Tourism and Skills Training, from the Executive Council.

The call follows reports by CBC News alleging that Bell, the MLA for Prince George-Mackenzie, was involved in “breached protocols, broken promises and misrepresentation” with regards to the proposed Wood Innovation and Design Centre in Prince George.

Cummins also said that the Premier should expand the mandate of Jane Shackell, Q.C., the “fairness advisor” retained to oversee the bid process for the Wood Centre, so she can investigate the CBC News allegations.

“Pat Bell has been involved in one controversy after another under the current Premier,” said Cummins. “From botching a deal for the BC Place Stadium naming rights, to wasting millions of taxpayer dollars on television advertisements extolling his failed Jobs Plan, to inappropriately sending confidential emails to a lobbyist, to the Wood Centre in Prince George, he’s been an unmitigated disaster.”

The CBC News reports were based on allegations by two Prince George-area business men who claim they were not short-listed for the Wood Centre project, despite earlier discussions with Bell and other BC Liberal government representatives.


UPDATE:While not an apology, I'm glad to Kamloops South Thompson MLA Kevin Krueger indicating that perhaps he had a poor choice of words in his attack on the BC Conservatives 
http://www.cknw.com/news/vancouver/story.aspx/story.aspx?ID=1899792

Four cents sound cheap --- until you realize it amounts to nearly $7million EVERY DAY for debt service costs

The BC Liberals like to say that only 4 cents of every tax dollar goes to pay debt service costs.  Four cents sound cheap, until you realize it amounts to nearly $7million EVERY DAY, for debt service costs (interest the government pays on roughly $60 billion in debt).

That works out to over one fifth of a BILLION dollars EVERY MONTH ... $204 million.

That lead me to ask the CC4BC (Concerned Citizens for BC) ... also known as Christy Clark for BC ... the following on Twitter:

Posted by Alan Forseth at 1:52 p.m. - Feb 23, 2013
@bcvotes2013 Here's a simple question that has a simple answer; Tell us what is daily service costs (in millions) 4 BCs accumulated debt?

Posted by Alan Forseth at 3:53 p.m. - Feb 23, 2013

Earlier 2day I asked @CC4BC what daily interest cost is on #BCLib debt - NO answer. According 2BC Taxpayers Federation its $6.8 Million /DAY

Then I noted with interest this post at 3:07pm, on Saturday, from the Concerned Citizens for BC:

CC4BC ‏@CC4BC

"Change 4 the better?" Bruce Ralston: Deficits Okay in Economic cycle. 1 practical deficit @ a time #newNDP? #bcpoli

Which is why I asked the following at 3:55 p.m. - Feb 23, 2013

@CC4BC Still waiting 4 U 2 answer question on what daily debt service cost R in BC --- easy question to answer. Your silence speaks volumes

Posted by Alan Forseth at 7:08 p.m. - Feb 23, 201

@CC4BC Still no reply but 2B expected. Lots of emphy Rah Rah #BCLibs rhetoric from them but no REAL substance/ answers 2 genuine questions

Needless to say, and with no surprise, the entire weekend passed by with no response.  And still Tuesday morning there has been NO answer to the question asked.

Can things really be much different here in Kamloops with the Interior Health Authority? I would think not

Today we have a feature commentary from, Kamloops South Thompson BC Conservative candidate, Peter Sharp:

I came across a story today that should give at least a few British Columbian's, many of whom are desperately looking to find a family Doctor, a bit of hope. 

The news story indicated that BC has recruited a record number of doctors in 2012.  I am pleased to see this, but also find it a shame however; that we can't work harder to find ways to train more of our own BC young people. 

Just the other day, in a government release, the BC Liberals also informed us that:
The government of British Columbia and the BC Medical Association are partnering to improve primary care services and ensure all B.C. citizens who want a family doctor are able to access one by 2015.  

Here are the first two features they called attention to:
1) Funding to enable family physicians to consult with patients by telephone
2) Incentives for physicians to take more patients with complex conditions, such as cancer, onto their caseloads.  

Now I don't know about you, but I'm not so sure that we want to have doctors diagnosing patient medical concerns by telephone -- something tells me we could be opening ourselves up for some kind of multi-million dollar lawsuit if a serious misdiagnosis were to occur. 

Doctors to diagnose over the telephone, while patients
self-diagnose over the internet for lack of family doctors

And ... if doctors are already carrying more patients than they wish to have, which is greatly increasing their stress and burn-out level, what kind of 'incentives' can we possibly provide that would have them take on more patients? 

I have to say that everything I see, read, and hear, tells me the whole system appears to be getting worse, and not better.  And it's not just doctors (and others in the healthcare system) saying the problem is patient loads that are too high, and not enough family doctors.  Spending is being badly misdirected as well.  

Some Doctors involved in direct medical care in BC are saying; "Hundreds of millions of tax dollars are being wasted every year oninefficiencies and mismanagement".   

In this same story we read:
Mike McLoughlin, a Kelowna businessman whose wife is a family doctor at a walk-in clinic, said patients often needlessly repeat medical tests when they're referred to a local hospital.

"The information sharing is so poor that patients undergo the same tests twice," said McLoughlin, who's running in the May election for the B.C. Conservatives after getting fed up watching waste in the system.  

 

The story "Wasted Tax Dollars: B.C. health spending under fire", by Michael Smyth, informs us that:  

... in the Fraser Health Authority alone, the number of non-union staff making over $150,000 a year has increased 22 per cent since the 2009 election. 

... and those making between $125,000 and $150,000 is up 35 per cent, and those making between $100,000 and $125,000 is up 39 per cent. 

 

Can things really be much different here in Kamloops with the Interior Health Authority?  I would think not -- and it IS NOT.