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Vancouver Sun
17 hours ago
- Business
- Vancouver Sun
Vaughn Palmer: NDP hoped BCGEU would take the hint. It did not
VICTORIA — The B.C. New Democrats decided that a 'balanced budget' would be the theme for this year's contract bargaining in the public sector, hoping that the unions would take the hint and lower expectations. It hasn't worked with the B.C. General Employees Union, representing 34,000 public servants in central government. The union broke off negotiations with the province on Friday and put its members on notice to prepare for an online strike vote, now set for Aug. 11-29. 'The government tabled a wage offer that's below inflation,' said BCGEU president Paul Finch. 'That's completely unacceptable to our members.' A daily roundup of Opinion pieces from the Sun and beyond. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder. The next issue of Informed Opinion will soon be in your inbox. Please try again Interested in more newsletters? Browse here. Although the union hastened to assure members that a strike vote does not necessarily mean a strike, the two sides are far apart. The province, in keeping with its 'balanced budget bargaining mandate' was offering an increase of 3.5 per cent spread over two years. That is a relatively modest increase compared to the almost 14 per cent boost in the New Democrats granted in the three-year contract that expired March 31. The union countered with 8.25 per cent over two, plus a cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) — more than double the government's attempt to hold the line. In costing the two positions, keep in mind that the BCGEU is only one of 180 or so public sector unions in this year's bargaining round. The government seeks to negotiate roughly comparable settlements in percentage terms with all public sector groups. The finance ministry says that a one-per-cent increase in wages and benefits across the broad public sector (workers and managers included) costs about $500 million each and every year going forward. The government offer — 1.5 per cent in year one followed by two in the second — would add $750 million to the wage bill in the first year and $1.75 billion in the second, $2.5 billion in all. The union's two-year counter of four per cent followed by 4.25 would cost $2 billion followed by $4.1 billion, or $6.1 billion in all. Not including the COLA. The union counteroffer would impose a much bigger cost on provincial finances than the government offer. But neither is affordable, given that the NDP is budgeting for an $11-billion deficit this year and $10 billion next. The BCGEU challenges the government's alarmist tone about provincial finances. 'The provincial deficit is not a crisis or a barrier to providing wage increases,' the union argued in a 22-page report calling for 'an investment in public safety and a healthy economy,' released last week. 'The deficit projections do not include … an additional $4 billion a year in contingency funds that could be allocated to wage increases, hiring and expansion,' the report notes. The union is right about the unallocated contingency funds in the budgets for this year and each of the next two, totalling $12 billion in all. In the past, the government has tapped contingencies to cover the cost of contract settlements negotiated after the budget is released. However, this year there are likely to be other demands on contingencies. The finance ministry has yet to account for the $2-billion hit on the revenue side, resulting from the decision to phase out the carbon tax. There is good reason to expect other hits on revenues because of slowing economic growth, a slumping housing market and the impact of U.S. tariffs. Some independent economists suggest the deficit could end up in the $14-billion to $15-billion range once all of the negative factors are taken into account. Yet the BCGEU sees no cause for concern. 'Even if deficit projections are accepted at face value, it does not represent a fiscal crisis,' the union analysis continues. 'The government's own budget projections illustrate a strong fiscal position with 2025 expenditures projected at 20.6 per cent of provincial GDP — only 2.2 per cent above the historical average since 2005.' Failing that, the NDP could always raise taxes. 'To sustain spending levels, government needs to take new revenue sources seriously — and many are available,' the BCGEU argues. 'Implementing a Land Value Tax, reforming the resource royalty system, increasing taxes on the wealthiest five per cent of people in B.C., hiring more provincial auditors, and taking an insourcing or buying local approach to government procurement.' Finance Minister Brenda Bailey chose not to rise to the union's bait, instead expressed faith in the collective bargaining process. 'I am hopeful the parties will return to the table soon,' she said in a brief media statement. 'It is best to keep the bargaining discussions at the table so the parties can focus on reaching a settlement.' Privately, the New Democrats fret that the BCGEU, usually one of the more conciliatory public service unions, has taken the kind of hard-line position associated with the B.C. Teachers' Federation. The government recruited former cabinet minister, and former BCGEU president, George Heyman on a $58,000 contract as an 'advocate' on public sector bargaining. He is still in there advocating, I'm told. But to date there is no evidence of reconciliation between the government Heyman once served as a minister and the union he once led. vpalmer@
Vancouver Sun
3 days ago
- Health
- Vancouver Sun
B.C. NDPers try to cast themselves as the good guys in reversal over pricy drug
VICTORIA — NDP MLA Ravi Parmar was quick to claim a share of the credit last week for restoring drug coverage for Charleigh Pollock, the 10-year-old Langford girl ravaged by a rare terminal disease. 'From the very first day Charleigh's family reached out, my office and I have advocated for her as we do for all constituents, with respect, compassion, and in confidence,' the Langford-Highlands MLA wrote Friday on his social media account. That was not the view of Charleigh's mother, Jori Fales, who led the fight on the girl's behalf since the threat to cut off her coverage materialized back in February. A daily roundup of Opinion pieces from the Sun and beyond. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder. The next issue of Informed Opinion will soon be in your inbox. Please try again Interested in more newsletters? Browse here. 'He (Parmar) called once in February when we started our appeal,' Fales said on social media. 'There's been no communication since February except when I emailed Mr. Parmar June 27 asking for his urgent help. 'He responded saying he was glad I'll have the opportunity to meet with Josie Osborne,' he said, referring to a meeting with the health minister on July 4. The public record discloses little other evidence to support Parmar's claim of 'steadfast' advocacy over the six months. When he did weigh in, it was mostly to repeat the government line that decisions on funding expensive drugs for rare diseases — like Brineura, the only treatment for Charleigh's Batten disease — must be left up to the 'medical experts.' Parmar's most recent posting said 'the medical experts who reviewed this case agree: sadly, at this stage of Charleigh's disease, Brineura no longer offers a clinical benefit.' That claim was disputed by numerous experts in Batten disease, something the government finally acknowledged in restoring funding last week. Perhaps the key to understanding the victory lap Parmar took Friday was the claim that his advocacy was undertaken 'in confidence.' Publicly he echoed the premier and the health minister about not overruling the province's hand-picked medical experts. But all the while, he was fighting the good fight on Charleigh's behalf behind the scenes — or so he'd have us believe. 'The case involving Charleigh Pollock has been one of the most difficult I've faced in my many years of service to my community,' said Parmar. 'It is complex, emotional, and at its core, heartbreaking.' Almost as if he were the victim, no? Parmar's self-serving statement might placate some gullible NDP supporters. But for those wondering how the NDP picked a fight it could not win with an ailing 10-year-old, consider the widespread silence of New Democrats on an issue where they knew their government was wrong, wrong, wrong. Nor was Parmar's claim that he'd always been there for Charleigh and her family the most preposterous utterance in this affair. That nod would go to Premier David Eby, when he defended the system that led the province to cut off funding for the only medication that could mitigate the severe seizures associated with Batten disease. 'These are profound and awful decisions that have to be made by experts and physicians and not by politicians,' Eby told reporters last month. 'It doesn't make any sense for that family. I recognize that. But I also recognize that the other course is, if I can say it — is actually worse.' No, you can't say that. Not when the premier's initial deference to provincially selected experts relegated Charleigh's family to raising money over the internet to pay for the one drug that offered the little girl relief in the time she has left. As for Parmar, he may be in line for another kind of relief in his capacity as minister of forests. His mandate letter from the premier directs him to 'work toward a harvest of 45 million cubic metres per year,' from provincial forests, a 50 per cent increase over last year's harvest. The target was discounted as unlikely to be achieved, owing to permitting, regulations, Indigenous approvals and other obstacles. Finance Minister Brenda Bailey signalled her doubts in the provincial budget, forecasting a status quo timber harvest of 30 million cubic metres this year and next, followed by a reduction to 29 million in 2027. Now recent events on the trade front may provide Parmar with an out. Premier David Eby and Prime Minister Mark Carney both said last week that Canada may be able to settle the long-running softwood lumber dispute with a quota system. Canada would try to head off or reduce tariffs — currently 14.38 per cent and headed for 34.45 per cent — by capping soft lumber exports to the U.S. Parmar was quick to embrace the quota option. 'It just may be able to address this issue once and for all,' the forests minister told Mark Page of Black Press Media last week. Then again, 'the president seems to really like tariffs and, so, he may say, bugger off,' Parmar acknowledged. Still, the quota option could provide Parmar with an excuse for giving up on the 50 per cent increase in harvesting. B.C. supplies about 40 per cent of this country's lumber exports to the U.S. and would presumably have to absorb its share of any cap on exports. The cap would in turn reduce the need for any increase in harvesting. vpalmer@
Winnipeg Free Press
3 days ago
- Politics
- Winnipeg Free Press
If Tories aren't careful, old yellow dog could learn new NDP tricks in rural byelection
Opinion If the stars align just so, they might end up calling this the 'Miracle of Spruce Woods.' Speculation has run rampant that Premier Wab Kinew has delayed calling a byelection in Spruce Woods to give the NDP a chance to steal a seat from the Progressive Conservatives. At first blush, it seems like an enormous long shot. Spruce Woods — vacated in March when MLA Grant Jackson resigned to run for the federal Conservatives in April's election — is located squarely in the heart of what PC supporters lovingly refer to as 'yellow dog' country. The term was reportedly first coined in the 1960s by a Tory who claimed the party could run a yellow dog in most western and southern Manitoba rural ridings and win. So entrenched are the PCs in some of these ridings that the NDP and Liberals rarely put up much of a fight. The Tories may still win the byelection — which, by law, must be held no later than Sept. 16 — but they will have to do it in the face of a stiffer-than-usual challenge from the governing NDP. Kinew's party is already feeling pretty unbeatable following the historic June 2024 byelection win in Tuxedo, the seat abandoned by former premier Heather Stefanson after after she led the PCs to a resounding defeat at the ballot box in October 2023. Now, NDP sources confirmed that Kinew and his strategists believe Spruce Woods could also be winnable, largely because of a series of forces and events that could conspire to weaken the PC brand. First off, there is the riding itself. The current version of Spruce Woods was formed out of parts of Minnedosa, Turtle Mountain and Arthur Virden — all yellow-dog ridings. But in a 2018 electoral boundaries redistribution, it also picked up polls from Brandon, which is more fertile ground for New Democrats. Then, there is the rising tide of far-right populism that has saturated some parts of southern and western Manitoba. The PCs were so concerned about the growing support for libertarian independents and fringe parties that they ventured way out on the far right of their policy spectrum in the 2023 general election. The Tories pinned their dim re-election hopes on pledges to stand firm against any search of the Prairie Green landfill to find the remains of Indigenous victims of a serial killer, and the vague pledge to support the mantra of 'parental rights' that was embraced by anti-LGBTTQ+ activists. While those policies could not stop the NDP in its march to a majority, some Tory strategists believe they helped retain seats in yellow-dog country. PC Leader Obby Khan has disowned both campaign planks, and while that may be good for the party's future fortunes in Winnipeg, it could have the opposite effect outside the Perimeter Highway. There are also issues to consider around the rather-ambiguous process that resulted in Khan's leadership victory. Under a new system that awarded points to a candidate based on the number of party members who actually voted in the leadership race, he prevailed over populist Wally Daudrich, who won the raw vote by 53 votes. The results suggested Daudrich had tapped into the far-right sensibilities of voters, some traditional PC voters and others who are farther right than the Manitoba Tories have been willing to go. Will Daudrich supporters show up to vote for a candidate running for a party led by Khan, the leader who many rural residents believe won on a technicality? Maybe, but maybe not. The business of byelections is much different than general elections. Campaigns get significantly less media attention and far fewer people show up to vote; in most byelections, total turnout is half or less than it would be in a general election. That means an upstart party, particularly one that is motivated and has the cash to conduct a blitz of the riding, needs fewer gross votes to win. Finally, there are questions surrounding the Tories' capacity to campaign in Spruce Woods. They are currently cash-poor, having spent heavily on a failed election effort. Parties that lose elections typically find it hard to raise money, and Manitoba's PCs are no different. Tuesdays A weekly look at politics close to home and around the world. It does not help that Khan has kept a decidedly low profile since the legislature rose for the summer. Party sources confirmed he has been immersed in pressing internal PC business and unable to get out to press the flesh with Manitobans. Khan is dealing with the need to hire a new party CEO, the impending sale of longtime PC Winnipeg headquarters at 23 Kennedy St. and finding a new generation of senior staff to support him in the months and years ahead. The Tories are understandably frustrated that Kinew has not yet called the byelection. However, the PCs need to move quickly to unknot their knickers so that they can get down to the business of bringing their 'A' game to Spruce Woods. Under current conditions, if they pause — even for a moment — to take voters in this riding for granted, this yellow dog could find a new owner. Dan LettColumnist Dan Lett is a columnist for the Free Press, providing opinion and commentary on politics in Winnipeg and beyond. Born and raised in Toronto, Dan joined the Free Press in 1986. Read more about Dan. Dan's columns are built on facts and reactions, but offer his personal views through arguments and analysis. The Free Press' editing team reviews Dan's columns before they are posted online or published in print — part of the our tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press's history and mandate, and learn how our newsroom operates. Our newsroom depends on a growing audience of readers to power our journalism. If you are not a paid reader, please consider becoming a subscriber. Our newsroom depends on its audience of readers to power our journalism. Thank you for your support.
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Health
- Yahoo
Self-styled 'progressive B.C. government' picks fight with 10-year-old that it couldn't win
VICTORIA — B.C. Premier David Eby finally found a way this week to restore funding for drug treatment of a 10-year-old girl with a fatal genetic disease, thanks to 'a disagreement among experts.' New Democrats were deeply embarrassed by their government's mishandling of the case of Charleigh Pollock, the little girl ravaged by Batten disease. The government stopped funding Brineura, the only available drug for staving off the severe seizures associated with the disease, after a panel of experts said it no longer met the standards of effectiveness. The decision, reiterated last week, relegated Charleigh's family to fundraising on the internet, a daunting prospect considering that the drug costs $800,000 for a full year of treatment. Charleigh was the only child in B.C. with the disease and the only one in Canada to be cut off from public funding. That led Brad West, the Port Coquitlam mayor and longtime NDP supporter, to accuse the Eby government of taking the party from Tommy Douglas health care to GoFundMe health care. Then in a news conference Thursday — the very day that Charleigh was receiving her first privately funded Brineura infusion — the premier signalled that the New Democrats had been presented with an escape hatch. I had asked him about the case of a little boy in Alberta, the same age as Charleigh with the same disease, whose treatment was being funded by the Alberta government. Was Eby embarrassed that if Charleigh lived one province to the east, she would be fully funded instead of her family being forced to fundraise on the internet? Eby sidestepped my question. Then he dropped the news that set the stage for the government to reverse itself on funding the girl's treatment. 'We received a letter this morning from more than a dozen experts on Batten disease from the U.S., expressing their perspective on this medication — that it would continue to provide benefit for patients, including for Charleigh, that are at the stage that she's at,' said Eby. The outside experts expressed 'very serious concerns' about the outdated criteria that were applied here in Canada in judging the efficacy of the drug. They called for 'a review of the criteria' and 'strongly opposed the decision to withdraw funding for life-sustaining Brineura from Charleigh Pollock.' The premier described the letter as 'weighty,' adding 'I take it seriously. I know the minister does as well.' B.C. Health Minister Josie Osborne would be discussing the letter with members of the panel of experts, who had advised her to discontinue funding for the drug. 'We have a very challenging situation here where we have a disagreement among experts,' said the premier, suggesting the government could use the disagreement to err on the side of caution and restore funding. Sure enough, later that day came a statement from Osborne. 'I spoke to Charleigh's family earlier this evening,' she said. 'I confirmed to them that I have reinstated Charleigh's Brineura coverage and that coverage will be available to them for as long as the treating physician and the family deem it appropriate.' This time Osborne spoke to Charleigh's family in person. When the minister reaffirmed the decision to discontinue coverage last week, Charleigh's mother was advised by email, mere minutes before the news was announced to the media. 'I continue to strongly believe that decisions about care should be made by health experts to ensure they are based on the best available evidence,' Osborne continued. 'The letter I received today from Batten disease experts confirms there is significant disagreement between health experts on Brineura. It is not acceptable that Charleigh and her family suffer as a result of that disagreement.' In a followup Friday, Osborne held a virtual news conference, where she confirmed that she had apologized to Charleigh's family for all that they had been put through. Charleigh's mother, Jori Fales — the hero of this entire affair — told Mike Smyth of CKNW that she had accepted the apology. The minister confirmed that the decision to restore funding would include reimbursing the cost of this week's treatment, the one that was in line for private money. I asked the minister about the rumour that some members of her expert panel had threatened to resign if the decision to discontinue funding were overruled. She said she had not received any letters of resignation to that point. However, an hour later a ministry staffer phoned me to say that three of the 58 panel members had resigned. Later a fourth letter came in. I don't imagine the New Democrats will refuse to accept the resignations. Osborne has commissioned a review of all the evidence for and against Brineura. She said the province will also approach the Canada Drug Agency about its procedures. The New Democrats should also be asking how they dug themselves into this hole in political terms. It's not every day that a self-styled 'progressive government' picks a fight it can't win with an ailing 10-year-old over the one drug that can stave off the worst ravages of her disease in the time that she has left. vpalmer@ Related Major makeover of B.C. NDP cabinet says more about picks in the first go-round Christy Clark takes a — deserved — victory lap on LNG
Vancouver Sun
6 days ago
- Health
- Vancouver Sun
Self-styled 'progressive B.C. government' picks fight with 10-year-old that it couldn't win
VICTORIA — B.C. Premier David Eby finally found a way this week to restore funding for drug treatment of a 10-year-old girl with a fatal genetic disease, thanks to 'a disagreement among experts.' New Democrats were deeply embarrassed by their government's mishandling of the case of Charleigh Pollock, the little girl ravaged by Batten disease. The government stopped funding Brineura, the only available drug for staving off the severe seizures associated with the disease, after a panel of experts said it no longer met the standards of effectiveness. The decision, reiterated last week, relegated Charleigh's family to fundraising on the internet, a daunting prospect considering that the drug costs $800,000 for a full year of treatment. A daily roundup of Opinion pieces from the Sun and beyond. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder. The next issue of Informed Opinion will soon be in your inbox. Please try again Interested in more newsletters? Browse here. Charleigh was the only child in B.C. with the disease and the only one in Canada to be cut off from public funding. That led Brad West, the Port Coquitlam mayor and longtime NDP supporter, to accuse the Eby government of taking the party from Tommy Douglas health care to GoFundMe health care. Then in a news conference Thursday — the very day that Charleigh was receiving her first privately funded Brineura infusion — the premier signalled that the New Democrats had been presented with an escape hatch. I had asked him about the case of a little boy in Alberta, the same age as Charleigh with the same disease, whose treatment was being funded by the Alberta government. Was Eby embarrassed that if Charleigh lived one province to the east, she would be fully funded instead of her family being forced to fundraise on the internet? Eby sidestepped my question. Then he dropped the news that set the stage for the government to reverse itself on funding the girl's treatment. 'We received a letter this morning from more than a dozen experts on Batten disease from the U.S., expressing their perspective on this medication — that it would continue to provide benefit for patients, including for Charleigh, that are at the stage that she's at,' said Eby. The outside experts expressed 'very serious concerns' about the outdated criteria that were applied here in Canada in judging the efficacy of the drug. They called for 'a review of the criteria' and 'strongly opposed the decision to withdraw funding for life-sustaining Brineura from Charleigh Pollock.' The premier described the letter as 'weighty,' adding 'I take it seriously. I know the minister does as well.' B.C. Health Minister Josie Osborne would be discussing the letter with members of the panel of experts, who had advised her to discontinue funding for the drug. 'We have a very challenging situation here where we have a disagreement among experts,' said the premier, suggesting the government could use the disagreement to err on the side of caution and restore funding. Sure enough, later that day came a statement from Osborne. 'I spoke to Charleigh's family earlier this evening,' she said. 'I confirmed to them that I have reinstated Charleigh's Brineura coverage and that coverage will be available to them for as long as the treating physician and the family deem it appropriate.' This time Osborne spoke to Charleigh's family in person. When the minister reaffirmed the decision to discontinue coverage last week, Charleigh's mother was advised by email, mere minutes before the news was announced to the media. 'I continue to strongly believe that decisions about care should be made by health experts to ensure they are based on the best available evidence,' Osborne continued. 'The letter I received today from Batten disease experts confirms there is significant disagreement between health experts on Brineura. It is not acceptable that Charleigh and her family suffer as a result of that disagreement.' In a followup Friday, Osborne held a virtual news conference, where she confirmed that she had apologized to Charleigh's family for all that they had been put through. Charleigh's mother, Jori Fales — the hero of this entire affair — told Mike Smyth of CKNW that she had accepted the apology. The minister confirmed that the decision to restore funding would include reimbursing the cost of this week's treatment, the one that was in line for private money. I asked the minister about the rumour that some members of her expert panel had threatened to resign if the decision to discontinue funding were overruled. She said she had not received any letters of resignation to that point. However, an hour later a ministry staffer phoned me to say that three of the 58 panel members had resigned. Later a fourth letter came in. I don't imagine the New Democrats will refuse to accept the resignations. Osborne has commissioned a review of all the evidence for and against Brineura. She said the province will also approach the Canada Drug Agency about its procedures. The New Democrats should also be asking how they dug themselves into this hole in political terms. It's not every day that a self-styled 'progressive government' picks a fight it can't win with an ailing 10-year-old over the one drug that can stave off the worst ravages of her disease in the time that she has left. vpalmer@
