Fraser-Nicola MLA skeptical the B.C. budget will help out the region

MERRITT – With the release of the B.C. budget last week (Tuesday, February 28), Fraser-Nicola MLA, Jackie Tegart, feels it won’t translate into positive outcomes for people in the region.

“The health care crisis continues to touch every corner of this province, including our community, but there’s nothing in the budget to suggest more funding will lead to better results,” said Tegart. “I can’t say I feel confident that it will help stem the ad hoc emergency room closures and service reductions we’ve been seeing. Outcomes have only gotten worse for patients over the past several years, and things need to change, fast, before more people lose their lives waiting for the care they need.”

While the MLA will welcome in the $1 billion over the next three years designed to build more climate-resilient communities, she said the recovery needs to be a priority to help communities in the area, specifically pointing towards Lytton.

“More than 600 days after the fire, barely anything in the village has been rebuilt,” explained Tegart. “Most people are still out of their homes and worried about their future. How can we trust the government to manage $1 billion in disaster funding when rebuilding efforts in communities like Lytton, Hope and Merritt have been much slower than expected?”

The emphasize on disaster funding was only one area that Tegart noted needed help in her constituency. Another sector is the natural resource industries, ones that she further added contribute vital services residents need.

“It appears this government is forecasting a decline in nearly every natural resource industry, which doesn’t bode well, particularly for our struggling forest industry,” added Tegart. “How many more mills can we expect to see closed? How many more workers and their families will be impacted? The NDP seems to look at forestry as a sector to manage job loss, rather than grow jobs.”

At the end of the day, Tegart said the lack of attention to rural B.C., which likely comes as no surprise to the communities, needs to be addressed. Restating the government must do a better job of listening to the concerns of rural residents and take concrete action to address these issues.