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.  

THIS WEEK … in BC Politics

Wow what a week it’s been --- and I’m talking about the weather --- it’s probably been the biggest news story in the past seven days.  That aside, there has been much going in and happening in the world of BC politics.  If you missed some of these stories, or would like a refresher, well read on …

An opportunity to enact real health-care reform

… the 2004 health accord did nothing to improve access to medical services or help governments attain a sustainable level of health spending … may have worsened the health-care landscape in Canada … failed to create any incentives for provinces to introduce meaningful reforms … simply relied on the feds to bail them out with more cash …

BC announces $40-m funding hike for disabled adult services

… following widespread criticism of its operations, the BC governmental organization that provides services for disabled adults will receive a $40 million funding hike … Christy Clark … acknowledged it fell short of the $70-million some critics, including client families, have called for …

• You can read the BC Government media release by clicking HERE

Presto change-o and poof! Christy Clark is practically a Conservative now!

… once national director of the Young Liberals of Canada. Forget her work for a federal Liberal cabinet minister. Disregard how she used to trash Harper on her radio show … all just her caterpillar phase … has emerged from her cocoon as a glorious Conservative butterfly … that’s the message Clark hopes will get through to angry voters flocking to John Cummins and the B.C. Conservative party …

Do I have to be ‘cranky’ and ‘angry’ to support these principles and goals?

Okay I made a mistake … it wasn’t “cranky old men” that former Reform MP Chuck Strahl said the BC Conservative Party with filled with … here is what he actual said:

“ … adding that the BC Conservative Party is riddled with “cranky ... angry” people who have no credible policies to govern the province.”

This is me (Alan Forseth) -- does this look like the
face of anger and crankiness?

Now I ask, does this look like the face of someone cranky and angry?   Okay I admit I do have a bias – it’s me, and I  obviously do not agree with Chuck Strahl.

Still, for the life of me, I cannot understand why he, along with other Reformers like Preston Manning and Stockwell Day seem to have nothing but glowing comments to make about Christy Clark.

The BC Liberal government, led by Christy Clark, is in many ways everything the Western led reform movement was against – and why it actually came about.   

Let’s take a quick trip down memory lane

In the late 1980s and 1990s, federal conservative politics became split by the creation of a new western-based protest party, the populist and social conservative Reform Party of Canada created by Preston Manning

Federal conservatives became split (sound familiar on the provincial level?).  And this was created by who? Preston Manning!  And yet he speaks out against BC Conservatives who are led by a former Reform MP; John Cummins.

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 …

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? 

This Week in BC Politics

It’s Friday and we are nearing the end of the week.  Time to take a look back at some of the stories that made the news this week in British Columbia … stories about the people involved in BC politics ... and that are impacted by BC politics.

Cartoon by David Parkins for The Globe and Mail

MLA Randy Hawes: An unlikely backbench rebel

…but there was Mr. Hawes on Monday, openly challenging his boss over her handling of Community Living B.C., the beleaguered government agency responsible for providing services to developmentally disabled adults.  In doing so, he exposed frustration in caucus, almost nine months after Ms. Clark took over from the controlling and insular Gordon Campbell, that the new premier might be just as tone-deaf to concerns from the backbench as the last one …

Hypocritical hurrahs from B.C. Libs over shipbuilding win

It’s amazing — and somewhat galling — listening to Premier Christy Clark’s Liberals going ga-ga over the federal shipbuilding contract when this is the same bunch that gave away our own shipbuilding work to Germany … the same shipyard just awarded an $8-billion contract to build seven vessels — including Royal Canadian Navy support ships and a major icebreaker — was “not capable” of building three car ferries just a few years ago …..

Doctor led B.C. Conservatives (Death of Dr. Scott Wallace)

… the always vocal politician was known for speaking out on many issues during his political career, a run that stretched from Oak Bay council in 1967 to his last day in the provincial legislature in 1977. 

That enthusiasm for improving health care and people's lives was an extension of the efforts he put forward in his community, said family members who shared stories about their father's philanthropic passion…..

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.