Healthcare and aging in place; COSN Votes 2021

*Over the course of the next week leading into the Federal Election, Q101 will be showcasing the five local candidates’ thoughts and positions on proof of vaccination, support for health care and aging in place, the affordable housing crisis, and climate change.

Healthcare is a provincial responsibility in Canada, however, the Federal Government does allocate funding on a yearly basis to the individual provinces. The Federal Government also implements tax credits and other programs to support Canadians.

Today, the five local candidates were asked about supporting health care in smaller communities like Merritt and improving the ability for Canadians to age in place.

*Candidates are listed in alphabetical order

Dan Albas (Conservative) Incumbent

There are many people that have to travel to get vaccinated or get to a medical appointment and seeing the carbon tax go from the $50 level that BC has agreed to, to $170 will make it more expensive for people in rural ridings. That’s why our plan on the environment will cap that at $50.

When it comes to being able to help seniors age at home, this is something that we have in our platform. There is an allowance right now that if you want to make upgrades to your home so you can live there longer like a walk-in bathtub, or assistance climbing the stairs. All those things right now you can receive $10,000 per home, we are going to double that because sometimes you have two people that both have distinct needs, so that seniors can live together and age in their homes.

This pandemic has shown us the many gaps we have in our healthcare system and of course, rural folks like Logan Lake, Merritt, know this the best. So what we’re planning to do is make a once-in-a-generation increase to healthcare transfers. We will send British Columbia more every year, right now it’s at a rising rate of around 3%, we’re going to double that. That’s $60 billion of further support for healthcare systems.

Sarah Eves (Liberal)

The Federal Government is currently working with provincial governments around funding for more personal support workers, putting retrofit tax rebates so people can remodel their house to allow them to stay home. By having more personal support workers, some of those can be used for at-home services which again allows you to stay in your home on a longer-term.

We are also working on long-term care, so if you aren’t staying at home, making a national standard by working with the provinces so that Canadians get the treatment and services they need if they are in long-term care.

Kathryn McDonald (People’s Party)

No comment

Joan Phillip (NDP)

The health community has been strapped. We had the Conservative Government which cut the transfer payments to the provinces by half from 6% to 3%. We need to restore that, we need to beef it up because we deserve good healthcare and I really don’t believe the healthcare community is being paid enough for the job they’re doing. There are fewer people in the field and particularly during COVID, they are stretched to the limit.

We are going to invest in people’s health. We want to include pharmacare, we want to include people to have their dentistry done. We have some of our elders making a decision of whether to pay the rent or pay for their medications and I don’t think that’s right either.

Brennan Wauters (Green)

The reality is there just needs to be more money set aside to bring doctors to small communities, to develop those small communities. We have to be in a position to develop the rural areas or towns and cities that have a smaller population so that we can attract the doctors and nurses and healthcare professionals that are needed.

We need to train more people, training more doctors, it’s just a reality of the numbers. The Government is just going to have to provide more money for that purpose.