As if the BC Liberals don't have enough problems, another one hit their desks today. Leaked emails show that the BC Liberal's 'citizen consultation' on what role Burnaby Hospital should play in the future of this city of 223,000 was a sham to win more ridings. While there are medical centres and clinics elsewhere in the city, this is its only hospital.
The hospital had been decimated by Liberal cutbacks shortly after they took power. I know from personal experience. The cutbacks meant only two of its numerous floors had anybody working on them and when I took my son their for treatment these two floors were 80% or more empty. A tiny staff was kept working so the Liberals could say the hospital was not closed.
Emails show that the "The process was stacked in favour of the Liberals from the outset, chaired by party activist and former riding president Pamela Gardner, and crafted to minimize any political fallout to the government.
Here's Gardner's reassuring note to party operatives about the hand-picked overseer of the process: 'The report will be written by Sonya Sanguinetti, a retired lawyer and former president of the B.C. Liberal party.'
Here's her not-to-worry fol-lowup on what Sanguinetti was likely to say about the under-resourced hospital: 'Sonja feels this isn't a reflection on the Liberal government but more on the chair of Fraser Health (region). The government hires someone and has to trust they will do an equitable job. It's not the Liberals that force and continue to allow the citizens of Burnaby to suffer.'
And here's Gardner's reason for urging Sanguinetti to complete her blame-placing report before the B.C. Liberal Party convention in late October. 'I need it to be completed by the time I see Christy at the conference. I have experienced that wrath a time or two in the last 40 years!' Christy Clark does wrath? Who knew?"
Vaughn Palmer goes on to note that "no records" is a common answer given to requests for freedom of information requests as 1/4 of all such requests receive this reply from Clark's government. He suggests that these leaked emails shows that Clark's government is routing much of government business through private email accounts, as in this case, in order to avoid public scrutiny. The only problem for them in this regard is that they always risk a leak from someone who is unhappy with what is happening, as occurred here.
http://www.vancouversun.com/health/Emails+shed+light+shady+practices/752...
"The email writers described conditions within Burnaby Hospital as "much poorer" than in any other in B.C., noting that on two of its floors 'the stench of stale urine is extremely strong.' (I can personally confirm that.)
The letter advised that Premier Christy Clark and others in government should announce "ASAP" an intention to rebuild Burnaby Hospital, even if they aren't able to make a firm commitment on any details. The email argued that 'This would keep the issue ours without committing $$ and buy us time to do some polling and confirm this is a winning issue'. ...
The NDP Health Critic, Mike Farnsworth,responded to these revelations by saying: "In my mind, it just explains why this government has no credibility, and why that credibility is so shot with the public,"
http://www.vancouversun.com/health/Liberals+play+politics+hospital+expan...