Image Credit: Flickr / Government of BC

By Cariboo-Chilcotin MLA Lorne Doerkson

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Jan 21, 2021 | 10:39 AM

IT IS QUITE SOMETHING to become a newly-elected member of the legislature. It is quite another when a global pandemic hits your constituency as close to home as it is now in Cariboo-Chilcotin.

Despite a reluctance by Interior Health to release the number of cases in our local region, we know the virus is spreading throughout B.C. and all residents should continue to exercise caution.

Encouragingly, we’ve begun to see the first shipments of vaccine arrive for our front-line workers in recent weeks. But concerningly, and serving as a reminder of just how serious this virus is, we’ve also seen several Williams Lake Memorial Hospital front-line nurses and physicians recently contract the virus.

Interior Health has since brought in additional frontline workers and BC Emergency Health Services has also dispatched its Major Incident Rapid Response Team to help support local paramedics. They have identified several clusters of the infection throughout the region and are working diligently to control the outbreak.

We have to thank our front-line workers for the care they provide under very challenging and difficult circumstances. We are also very fortunate to have Dr. Bonnie Henry in this province.

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However, we are beginning to see the government failing on many fronts. It began when Premier Horgan and the NDP called an unnecessary election more than a year before the fixed election date in October, 2021. This effectively left us without a government for ten weeks during the pandemic, and only now are we beginning to see the damage this inflicted.

One campaign promise that people came to rely upon was the BC Recovery Benefit of $1,000 for eligible families and $500 for qualified individuals. Horgan promised relief cheques to those who needed support by Christmas, and that’s been a complete disaster as many people that were counting on that money still haven’t received it.

And now my constituency offices are being flooded with calls from people who need up-to-date information on the benefit and what’s happening on the ground with the pandemic. Unfortunately, we are not getting that information.

The provincial government seems ignorant of the impact its lack of action is having on working people — mortgages that can’t be met and truck payments that go unpaid because there is no money coming in. Sub-contractors who have no income and will have to lay off people. Parents wondering if they’re going to have to uproot their children so they can find a job.

Maybe it shouldn’t be a surprise. This is the same government that said “there are too many mills” when the forest sector was in trouble and didn’t even recognize the crisis.

To make matters worse, the tourism sector is devastated and the minister responsible says she will “advocate”. The small business program is a mess of red tape that provides little help. The hospitality sector struggles and still, John Horgan dithers.

If you are expecting more help to come out of February’s provincial budget, don’t get your hopes up. Horgan has delayed the budget until mid-April because it seems the NDP is quickly losing control of the situation.

As the local MLA however, I will continue to try to get answers to people’s concerns and get more resources to the areas where they are most needed.

In the meantime, stay safe.

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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.