Image Credit: Flickr / Government of BC

By Shuswap MLA Greg Kyllo

Sound Off

SOUND OFF: Frustration builds over Horgan’s mixed messaging

Apr 1, 2021 | 1:37 PM

ALONG WITH RISING CASES of COVID-19 comes rising frustration with the mixed messages coming from the premier.

Over the past few weeks, John Horgan has said things like “we’re on the right track” and publicly mused about upcoming “flexibility” for those who have been vaccinated – even going so far as to talk about planning vacations. But at the same time, he was clearly ignoring the reality of the COVID-19 situation.

In the period of time since the premier made those comments, B.C. has seen the rolling average of seven-day cases go up by 29 per cent. In the past week, we’ve seen explosive exponential growth of new cases. And on Monday, we saw another set of sweeping restrictions to try to contain the spread of the virus – a far cry from the return to normalcy that John Horgan suggested was just around the corner.

But Horgan’s comments about B.C.’s COVID situation aren’t the only things that are misleading. The premier and his NDP government have also been disingenuous about the level of support they have been offering to B.C. businesses.

Jobs, Economic Recovery and Innovation Minister Ravi Kahlon is fond of repeating that B.C. is providing the highest per-capita support for businesses and people of any Canadian province. But those commitments don’t mean much when those same businesses and individuals can’t access the funds. After the NDP’s power grab of a pandemic election first delayed these supports, once they finally rolled out they were a total mess.

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The NDP’s Small and Medium-Sized Business Recovery Grant program had to be rejigged multiple times after complaints from business owners, yet several months later it is still too restrictive and cumbersome. At last check, only $87 million of the $345 million in grant monies have been distributed to businesses one year after those funds were approved. Luckily our Official Opposition was successful in getting the NDP to extend the deadline to the end of August.

The business community is also reeling from the lack of warning about COVID-related rule changes. On New Year’s Eve, the NDP gave restaurants and bars zero notice about incoming restrictions on alcohol sales, and many of them lost a ton of business and money. There was a lot of backlash, with restaurants begging the NDP not to surprise them like that again. Fast forward to this week, where they gave restaurants and bars a mere 11 hours of warning that indoor dining would be banned for at least three weeks. More inventory and money down the drain, not to mention likely layoffs of staff.

To add insult to injury, the government didn’t have any additional supports organized when they made this week’s announcement. Now people are left scrambling, worried about how they will pay their rent on April 1^st or buy groceries or gas for their car.

John Horgan and the NDP just don’t get it. They routinely claim to stand up for average working people, but time and time again they simply fail them. It’s further proof they can’t be trusted.

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Editor’s Note: This opinion piece reflects the views of its author, and does not necessarily represent the views of CFJC Today or the Jim Pattison Broadcast Group.