In The Community

Indigenous Nurses Day

Today, the Province of British Columbia proclaimed "Indigenous Nurses Day" to celebrate and honour Indigenous Nurses for their contributions to supporting the safety, health and well-being of all the people in British Columbia. Last week, I was pleased to meet up with my friend Qualicum Beach resident Marilyn Van Bibber, a founding member of the Registered Nurses of Canadian Indian Ancestry in 1975- since renamed, the Canadian Indigenous Nurses Association. Thank you to all those Indigenous nurses over the generations for being strong advocates and change agents to advance health equity, create culturally safe care environments for Indigenous Peoples and eradicate Indigenous-specific racism and discrimination in our health care system. Happy Indigenous Nurses Day to you all!

National Dental Care Day

Thanks to volunteers who joined me for a National Dental Care Day of Action on Saturday! And thanks especially to the residents of Parksville and Courtenay who greeted us so warmly on their doorstep. Our dental care program is the first major change to Canada's universal health care system in sixty years and such an important benefit for so many. Millions of Canadians have already enrolled and millions more are eligible so it’s important that we get the word out. Please contact my team if you have questions or are having difficulty with the enrolment process: 1-844-620-9924

Tour of Union Bay Hall

Thanks to Rick Weaver and Tammy Mercer, President of Fanny Bay Community Association for a tour of the iconic Union Bay Hall to have a look at the improvements funded by the federal New Horizons grant. This included new interior lighting and a new roof for the hall along with an interior sign, complete with a much appreciated shout-out for my work. They also told me about work on their water pump shed and planning for a new playground. Tammy told us about improvements to the Fanny Bay Community Hall as well, including new floors, foundation work and a new playground. These wonderful community facilities have hosted so many events over generations and are worth the investment.

Round Table at North Island College Student Union

Thanks so much to Rebecca Lennox of the North Island College Student Union for hosting a coffee round-table with me on Monday on the Courtenay campus. Thanks also to the students and faculty who attended. I very much appreciated the opportunity to respond to questions and concerns and to hear the views and opinions of students. We certainly covered a lot of ground including: the housing crisis, First Nations issues, and how new IRCC regulations are making it harder for international students to remain in Canada after their studies.

Disability Tax Credit Town Hall

More than 140 people attended our Disability Tax Credit workshops with Peter Julian and I in Courtenay and Port Alberni last weekend. If you were unable to attend, please email my office (g[email protected]) and we will be happy to send you a copy of the presentation. This is an important benefit for people living with disabilities and those who care for them. Thanks again to Peter and Jacqueline and Cameron from my office for your work on these workshops. 

Happy Holi!

Wonderful to run into these North Island College students celebrating Holi on campus this morning. Holi is a popular and significant Hindu festival celebrated as the Festival of Colours, Love, and Spring. It celebrates the eternal and divine love of the deities Radha and Krishna. Additionally, the day signifies the triumph of good over evil. Happy Holi! 

Visit to Denman Island Volunteer Fire Department

NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh and I visited the Denman Island Volunteer Fire Department. Thanks for the enthusiastic welcome by Fire Chief Rob Manering and CVRD Director Daniel Arbour. Jagmeet acknowledged the selfless work of volunteer firefighters and search and rescue volunteers across the country and called for an increase to the tax credit they receive in the incoming budget. I currently have a bill before the House of Commons on this important measure. In addition to giving these volunteers more money in their pockets, it would also help local governments and communities to recruit and retain these vital first-responders. These men and women keep our communities safe in the midst of disasters. These are the people who show up when you’re having the worst day imaginable, and your family is at risk of losing everything. The very least the government can do is get them some financial help in support of their incredible work for our rural communities.

Visit to Qualicum First Nation Child Care Centre

It was a pleasure to show Jagmeet Singh the outstanding Qualicum First Nation Child Care Centre and to introduce him to the early childhood educator team. The nation provides a stimulating and inclusive environment for all children to play, discover, and learn. Set amongst a stand of grand cedar trees with state-of-art play infrastructure, indoors and out, for children from 30 months to school age, the Centre provides flexible care from Monday to Friday 7:30 am to 5:30 pm. This wonderful program is fully licensed and provides quality affordable daycare and preschool to families in the Bowser, Spider Lake, Horne Lake and Qualicum area. Thank you to the team for your warm welcome.

Meet with Surfrider Foundation Regional Manager- Lilly regarding UNINC

It was great to catch up with Surfrider Foundation Regional Manager Lilly Woodbury in Tofino earlier this month. It was an opportunity to talk to Lilly about the upcoming fourth round of negotiations by the United Nations International Negotiating Committee (INC) on Plastic Pollution. The INC is made up of a diverse group of leading experts on plastic pollution research with a mandate to address plastic pollution across the entire life span of plastics. The Committee’s fourth meeting will convene in Ottawa next month and Lilly is planning to be there when they do. I am always inspired by her commitment to the survival of our planet.

NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh and I meet with Qualicum First Nation

Thanks to Chief Michael Recalma and cultural research coordinator and artist Jesse Recalma for taking time to brief Jagmeet and I on Qualicum First Nation’s success in the designation of pentl’ach as the 35th official Indigenous language in BC. The last fluent pentl’ach speaker died in 1940 so its reawakening is a major success and, at the same time, an uphill battle. When Pierre Poilievre was in power, his government cut funding to protect Indigenous languages and the current government is threatening to reduce funding levels for BC Indigenous language programs in half. I stand with the people of Qualicum First Nation in the fight for language support and with the Nuu-chah-nulth Tribal Council and its member nations to protect their language funding which is critical to their cultural survival.