“The forest sector is in crisis, high energy prices are hitting B.C. families hard, the slowing economy must be addressed and there are continuing problems with seniors care and yet this Premier stumbles along saying there’s no work for the legislature to do. Is he that arrogant that he can’t see that people on Haida Gwaii, on the Central Coast and in the Prince Rupert region are struggling?”

Coons says that issues like resource roads, which were not dealt with in the spring session, are important to people in the region, and they need to be addressed publicly.

“I’ve heard a lot of concerns from people about the resource road act in particular,” said Coons. “I know there aren’t many resource roads in Point Grey, but that doesn’t mean that this issue shouldn’t be dealt with. People in this region want these roads made safer, and they want assurances that they will be kept open to the public.”

The resource road act was introduced in the spring session, but it was one of several bills which were not addressed due to a lack of time. Seven other measures, including the gas tax, were passed using closure, a controversial procedure which eliminates debate on bills being passed.

“How can the government ram ten bills through the legislature in the spring, with no debate, no scrutiny, no questions, and then turn around in the fall and say there is nothing to be done?” asked Coons. “It is pretty arrogant of Campbell to believe that British Columbians will forget his dirty tricks at election time.”

The North Coast MLA is disappointed that there will be no fall session because it means issues like the continued failure of the Ministry of Education to fund changes to class size and composition will be left on the shelf for another six months.

“The Campbell Liberal government is completely out of touch with British Columbians,” said Coons. “Classrooms are crowded, our schools are closing and many of our children are continuing to struggle with basic reading and math skills. The longer these issues are left on the shelf, the further these children fall behind.”

Coons suggested that since Gordon Campbell doesn’t have any of his own ideas, he might think about addressing a few of the things raised by New Democrats across the province, such as:

*Revamp the coastal ferry act to be accountable to ferry-dependent communities and honour the social and economic contract that the Campbell Liberal government broke with those that rely on ferries as an essential service.

*Bring in legislation giving our lowest paid workers a raise and indexing the minimum wage to inflation.

*Roll back the tens of thousands of dollars in ridiculous salary increases Campbell gave his top deputies.

*Axe the gas tax and take real action on climate change by targeting big polluters while providing British Columbians with alternatives to help reduce their carbon emissions. Gordon Campbell hit people with an ineffective gas tax while letting big polluters off the hook. When local governments spoke up about having to cut services to pay for the tax, he blew them off.

*Create a seniors advocate to improve accountability in the health care system. Gordon Campbell broke his promise to seniors and their families; he has forced seniors from their homes and let seniors care facilities hide their high hazard ratings.

*We must create an independent seniors advocate and bring in legislation to improve accountability and systems of care for seniors.

*Tighten the loopholes in the lobbyist’s registry. We need to bring in legislation to strengthen rules governing the activity of government lobbyists and to extend conflict of interest laws. Gordon Campbell refuses to hold his government accountable to British Columbians, and allows his friends to follow their own set of rules.

“I am extremely disappointed and upset with the unilateral decree by our absentee Premier. A fall session gives all MLAs, an opportunity to represent their constituents’ interests – to ask questions, raise important concerns and hold cabinet ministers to account,” said Coons. “The session would have allowed the Premier his chance to explain and defend his policies and his actions. Instead, Campbell’s legislature will sit for just a measly 47 days this year, one of the shortest sessions in a non-election year in decades.”

“This is a betrayal of the public interest and a betrayal of democracy; British Columbians deserve better!”

“Our elders deserve to be treated with the highest level of care and respect,” said Coons. “However, seniors throughout British Columbia are facing grave difficulties with a care system that is cold, impersonal and fails to take individual needs into account.”

Last year NDP Leader Carole James introduced a private member’s bill which would have created an independent senior’s representative, but the bill died on the order paper due to a lack of support from Liberal members of the Legislature.

“This government’s callous regulations concentrate more on cost control than quality care,” said Coons. “A senior’s representative would give seniors and their families access to a non-partisan advocate with the voice needed to force the government to take seniors’ concerns seriously.“

Coons was moved to demand a senior’s advocate after echoing the concerns of support workers at Acropolis Manor and learning of minimum government standards that do little to give vulnerable seniors dignity and quality care.

“This government has squeezed seniors into homes like Acropolis Manor in Prince Rupert, where units are cleaned once every two weeks unless there’s a spill and where once-weekly showers are the order of the day,” said Coons. “The standards used by this government do not meet the needs of the frail and elderly in this province.”

“New Democrat MLA’s are very concerned about some of the treatment that seniors in this province are receiving,” said Coons. “We are also worried that the government is not taking the needs of seniors seriously.”

Today New Democrat Leader Carole James joined Health Critic Adrian Dix and Seniors’ Health Critic Guy Gentner as they unveiled two new bills designed to protect seniors and improve care conditions in facilities across British Columbia.

“Whether it is on the Queen Charlotte Islands, the central coast, in the Nass, in Stewart or in Prince Rupert, the message I heard when consulting with people in my constituency is that seniors and their family members are frustrated with the way the system treats them,” said Coons. “It’s time to listen to seniors, because they ultimately know what services they need to continue their lives with dignity.”

The Representative For Seniors Act will create a Representative for Seniors to improve care and support for seniors and their families in British Columbia. The Representative for Seniors will monitor the performance of various programs and services to ensure they are integrated, coordinated, non-discriminatory and accountable.

“Having an independent Representative For Seniors will ensure that seniors voices are heard in government,” said Coons. “Right now, seniors feel shut out because their concerns are being ignored.”

The Community Care and Assisted Living Act Amendment Act will ensure British Columbia develops an accountability framework to protect seniors. The Bill will mandate random annual inspection reports of facilities and ensure those reports are made public.

“We have a rapidly aging population; it is more important than ever to make sure the public has the information they need to evaluate senior’s care facilities,” said Coons. “We also need more decisions being made at a local level; centralization of services is leading to an unresponsive system that isn’t compassionate or culturally appropriate.”

Coons, the New Democrat MLA for North Coast, asked Health Minister George Abbott why Verna could not get placed at Acropolis Manor.

“Verna was 96, and on a wait list for 18 months for long-term care,” said Coons. “She was told she was ‘far too healthy’ for admission.

“Shortly after being rejected for long-term care, she fell in her home and broke her hip. She passed away a week and a half ago from complications resulting from her fall.”

Coons wanted to know where seniors can turn to get help in their golden years.

“The Minister was pretty cavalier in dismissing the concerns of people from Prince Rupert,” Coons said. “That’s not a surprise. They don’t want to talk about their broken promise of creating 5,000 new long-term care spaces.”

The issue was a subject of Question Period in the Legislature Tuesday.