Last week, the Discourse shared which election issues are top of mind for community members in the Comox Valley, based on results from a survey we put out last month. We also shared some of the questions community members have for their candidates.
The top issues community members said they are concerned about this election are environment, housing, homelessness/social support and health care. A little more than two thirds of respondents identified health care as a priority issue for them, so we dug into what parties have planned to improve health care, as well as what local candidates are saying.
What are the parties saying?
When it comes to health care, the BC NDP is pointing to its past record, which includes the hiring of 800 family doctors in the last year and opening and expanding 29 hospitals. They are also touting the new medical school at Simon Fraser University and increase in spots at UBC’s medical school. Their platform also calls for recruiting and training more nurse practitioners and nurses and recruiting more foreign doctors. Other steps that have already been taken, such as giving pharmacists the ability to prescribe certain medications, are being pointed to as part of BC NDP’s action regarding health care.
The Conservative Party of BC is campaigning for an “activity-based” model that is funded based on output. This means hospitals and health-care facilities will receive funding depending on how active their services are and how much they are used. “Each time they treat patients for specific diagnostic and priority procedures, they receive additional funds,” according to the party website. The party is running on a promise to put “patients first” with a new model of single-payer universal health care that “delivers care through both public and non-governmental facilities.”
The Green Party of BC is toting a “dogwood model” based on former Minister of Health Hon. Jane Philpott’s Periwinkle model. This model’s goal is so that each British Columbian has a primary place to go for their health-care needs. They reject privatization and instead call for a patient-centered approach and for investing in the province’s health workforce with the hiring of more health care professionals. The Dogwood model would establish an integrated community health centre in each riding in the province (93 health care centres).
The Discourse asked candidates in the Comox Valley about their plans regarding health care, using questions from our reader survey. Their responses have been lightly edited for clarity. We did not receive a response from all candidates by time of publication, but we will update the story as they come in. In lieu of responses, we have tried to include supplementary information.
Here are the questions we asked:
Do you have plans to reduce health-care wait times? What about health care accessibility? What would you do to make access to timely health care easier in the Comox Valley?
Courtenay-Comox electoral district
Brennan Day, Conservative Party of BC
Day did not respond to The Discourse’s questions by publication date, but shared a news release from the Conservative Party of BC on X (formerly Twitter) on Sept. 14 about the party’s Patients First health care model, in which “hospitals, regional health authorities and/or other non-government facilities will receive public funding based on when they treat patients for specific diagnostic and priority procedures versus the current model of providing a standard ‘block grant.’”
Arzeena Hamir, Green Party of BC
“Reducing wait times is a priority. We will hire more healthcare professionals, especially in rural areas, and expand team-based primary care networks. Increasing the use of nurse practitioners and physician assistants, alongside improving coordination within the health-care system, will help streamline services and reduce wait times for patients.”
“Dr. Jonathan Kerr and a number of other family doctors have done an incredible job of attracting more physicians to the Comox Valley. Building on this success, the Green Party would support the establishment of community health centers, where rent and admin are covered by the government. This would enable more community members to have access to primary health care, not just from doctors but also nurse practitioners, physicians assistants and mental health-care workers.”
John Hedican, Independent
Hedican did not respond to The Discourse by publication time, but is running on a platform of a government regulated drug supply after losing his son and nephew to the toxic drug crisis.
The health care section of Hedican’s platform states that he is supportive of vaccines and mask wearing, but that he also wants to “hire back health-care workers that were unvaccinated to help address workers shortage.”
Hedican’s website says he also wants to support Canada medical licensing to support physician and nurse mobility in the country, and he wants to remove restrictive retraining requirements for immigrants with valid medical certificates.
He says he is in support of subsidized physical activity to support mental health, and he wants to extend comprehensive and free dental care to “all living at or below poverty line.”
Devin Howell, Independent
“We should invest in urgent care centers to manage non-emergency cases, relieving pressure on emergency rooms and improving patient flow. Expanding telehealth services will also enhance access, enabling patients to consult doctors remotely for routine issues and reducing the need for in-person visits. Additionally, we should increase awareness of the services pharmacists can prescribe, as many people forget how much they can assist with minor health concerns. By promoting these options, we can improve efficiency, reduce wait times, and ensure British Columbians can access the right care in the right place.”
“My mother was a nurse for over 35 years, and I remember her always saying we were running out of healthcare workers, but governments refused to address the issue. Now, 45 years later, the government acts like they didn’t see this coming. There’s no overnight fix, but we can explore ways to keep the workers we have. Retention bonuses could make a huge difference, especially if directed toward paying off student loans. We should also allow more international doctors to practice by expanding ESL programs to help them improve their English, making it easier for them to integrate into our healthcare system.”
Ronna-Rae Leonard, BC NDP, Incumbent
“We have been working tirelessly to reduce wait times in hospitals and for people to get access to a family doctor. In the Comox Valley we are approaching a close to zero wait time, the lowest per capita ratio of people without a family doctor in B.C.
In B.C, 248,000 people have been matched with a family doctor since July 2023, with another 160,000 to be matched in the next six months.
We are adding 50 urgent and primary care facilities (39 completed already) with 3 million visits so far, plus more post-secondary seats (99 for doctors) and a new medical school opening in 2026.
Six-hundred-and-sixty-two more nursing seats and 322 more allied health seats (lab tech jobs, and supportive care).
We are removing barriers for internationally trained individuals licensed to be able to work in their respective health professional field sooner.
We are responding aggressively to our health-care needs to meet the increased demand whereas John Rustad’s platform says he would cut health care from 12.5 per cent of GDP to 11 per cent. This is a $4.1 billion cut. The only way he can meet that is to lay off health-care professionals. John Rustad’s platform has also said he will privatize health care. ”
Fact check:
The Conservative Party of BC says they will increase private health-care clinics and services, but the party has not proposed privatizing health care entirely. On the party’s website, it says they will deliver “care through both public and non-governmental facilities.”
Mid Island-Pacific Rim
Adam Hayduk, Conservative Party of BC
Hayduk did not respond to questions by publication date, but the Conservative Party of BC’s website states that he “emphasizes the need to better support health-care professionals, teachers and law enforcement officers. He believes in attracting and retaining more doctors and nurses and providing adequate support to ensure these professionals can effectively do their jobs.”
Josie Osborne, BC NDP, Incumbent
The Comox Valley has worked hard to recruit health-care professionals and improve access for people, and our government’s actions are helping, like the new physician fee payment model, expanded scope of practice for pharmacists and streamlining pathways for internationally-trained doctors to work in B.C. And we’re seeing positive results, including more than 800 new family doctors and 6,300 new nurses hired over the past year, with hundreds more being trained. Together, with historic investments in hospitals and facilities like the Comox Valley’s [Urgent and Primary Care Centre], we’ll continue to improve access in our public health care system so it is there for everyone when they need it.
Ross Reid, Green Party of BC
Ross Reid did not respond to The Discourse’s questions in time for publication.
“I’m concerned about the housing crisis, old growth logging, the drug epidemic, job instability and lack of climate action, and am tired of being offered band-aid solutions that fail to address the real root of these issues: growing social inequality and systems that favour the hyper-wealthy,” he said in a statement on Instagram.
Editor’s note, Oct. 9, 2024: This story has been adjusted to include answers from candidate Devin Howell, Independent (Courtenay-Comox)
