NDP leader David Eby with local candidates and health care workers at an announcement in Vernon (photo by Liam Verster / Vernon Matters)

By Liam Verster

Campaign Stops

NDP, Conservative leaders make campaign promises in Vernon

Oct 5, 2024 | 1:47 PM

The leaders of B.C.’s main two parties were in Vernon Saturday morning on the campaign trail.

NDP Leader David Eby and Conservative Leader John Rustad stopped in Vernon Oct.5 to make health care and wildfire announcements, respectively.

At Kin Beach, Eby promised to attract health professionals to B.C. with new initiatives including:

• Loan forgiveness incentive tied to the guarantee that the worker would work in a rural or remote community for a minimum of five-years;
• Expanding to scope for midwives to manage and provide medical abortions;
• Getting out-of-province health professionals to deliver care by requiring the regulatory colleges to provide provisional licenses to Canadian-trained providers;
• Removing red tape for doctors and nurses traveling to work in remote and rural communities;
• Reducing reliance on private staffing agencies by expanding the GoHealthBC service.

“As our communities grow and more health professionals retire, we’re facing a critical shortage that’s putting big pressure on the people keeping our hospitals running. That’s leaving too many people dealing with crowded emergency rooms and long waits,” Eby said.

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“Our plan is helping us win the competition for doctors and nurses during a global shortage by making it more attractive for them to work and stay in our province. This will have a big impact on rural communities who have been hit hardest by the shortage of health care workers.”

Eby stated the NDP had dedicated $75-million in its platform for the loan program to attract health care professionals to rural and remote areas; an estimated $3-million for the GoHealthBC expansion, which would be absorbed into existing Ministry of Health and health authority budgets; and covering the midwife medical abortions through the Medical Service Plan.

Meanwhile, Rustad attended a meet-and-greet at the campaign office for the Vernon-Lumby candidate, where he announced plans to protect British Columbians from Wildfires.

The Conservative Leader announced a plan to review the current wildfire policies and:

• Improving community protections by prioritizing fire prevention over firefighting;
• Reviewing fire management practices;
• Fostering public-private partnerships to encourage investment in fire prevention technologies, forest management, and fire resistant infrastructure.

“Wildfires are devastating our communities, displacing families, damaging our lungs, and wreaking havoc on our economy,” Rustad stated.

The Conservative leader added that “the Okanagan has become ground zero for B.C.’s wildfire crisis,” and that “British Columbians can no longer afford to live under constant threat of wildfire. We need a government that will ensure that this region gets the resources it needs to protect homes, businesses, and lives from wildfires.”