SOUND OFF: Rural communities keeping close eye on 2023 budget

The NDP might argue it does support rural B.C., and point to recent announcements like their $90 million Manufacturing Jobs Fund. But I’ll note those funds are spread out over three years, totalling just $30 million per year. That’s a drop in the bucket when you consider just how many forestry jobs are being lost in rural B.C., among other economic impacts.

Meanwhile, the Cariboo-Chilcotin continues to struggle through a healthcare crisis that is being felt in every corner of the province. In the legislature, I have shared some of the horrific outcomes experienced by people in my riding. A good friend of mine lost his 14-year-old son to cardiac arrest, because an ambulance couldn’t get to them quickly enough. We had a 90-year-old left on a gurney in the children’s playroom at Williams Lake Hospital, using his own jacket for warmth, with blankets duct-taped to a window behind him for privacy.

I want to be clear that cases like these have nothing to do with our hard-working healthcare workers. We have an unbelievable quality of staff in our hospitals — we just don’t have enough of them.

Cariboo-Chilcotin also needs support so that our local fire crews can protect people and communities. Our small rural fire departments desperately need funding for new trucks and to maintain their operations. More and more is being asked of them, but they need more resources to do this work.

Business owners are also struggling to keep up with the NDP’s arduous tax regime and bureaucratic red tape. The province needs to make it easier for people to run a business, not harder. If we want to boost local job creation, attract visitors, and keep our towns and cities vibrant, we need to reduce the burden on our entrepreneurs.

These are just a few of the issues of importance to the Cariboo-Chilcotin that I’ve raised in the chamber in anticipation of the next budget. With the NDP government sitting on a surplus, it’s time for rural B.C. to get its share of support.

The government seems to have forgotten that rural communities — and our natural resource industries — have long contributed to the success of this province. Times are tough and we need to see Premier David Eby and the NDP make significant investments to help them thrive once again.

Sadly, given the recent comments by Premier Eby’s appointed Parliamentary Secretary for Rural Development — who said that supporting our natural resource sector was “uninspiring” and “a vision for what rural communities were 100 years ago” — I’m not overly optimistic. But I sincerely hope they prove me wrong.

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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 Pattison Media.

by Cariboo-Chilcotin MLA Lorne Doerkson

SOUND OFF: Rural communities keeping close eye on 2023 budget

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