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IN THE NEWS - iPolitics - 'People are dying': National standards delayed as talks continue over $4.5-billion mental health transfer

Gord Johns, Doherty's NDP counterpart, wrote to Minister Chrystia Freeland last week to ask that the upcoming budget prioritize the transfer. He said it would be "unconscionable" and "completely absurd" should the development of standards get in the way of a transfer at this point.

"There is a clear consensus from the mental health community (that) standards should not delay the Canada Mental Health Transfer," he said. "This is not how you respond to a crisis. This is not how you respond to ER rooms overflowing and a health care system near collapse."

Johns said he fears the current situation around service access will get worse with a recession underway. The cost of living is rising, and that added stress is going to exacerbate people's mental health issues and substance abuse, he said.

IN THE NEWS- Bus Service to Vancouver Island's west coast paused due to low ridership

The Tofino Bus has put its west coast route on hold until partway through spring. 

Courtenay-Alberni MP Gord Johns said the federal government needs to be ready to support the province to establish service.

"Wilson's has made it clear for a long time that they can't afford to run these routes and lose more money. They bled a lot through COVID and they just simply aren't going to recover in the shortterm and they can't afford to subsidize it," Johns said. "The province can't continue to shoulder all this. They need a federal partner, the federal government, jurisdictionally, is downloading again and it's unacceptable. They need to take leadership here,"

Johns is calling on the federal government to better support private bus companies.

IN THE NEWS – Nanaimo Bulletin - West Coast officials scramble for solutions after losing bus service

Courtenay-Alberni MP Gord Johns said the federal government needs to be ready to support the province to establish service.

"Wilson's has made it clear for a long time that they can't afford to run these routes and lose more money. They bled a lot through COVID and they just simply aren't going to recover in the shortterm and they can't afford to subsidize it," Johns said. "The province can't continue to shoulder all of this. They need a federal partner. The federal government, jurisdictionally, is downloading again and it's unacceptable. They need to take leadership here."

Johns is calling on the federal government to better support private bus companies.

"They need direct funding that's carved out and allocated for the private sector so they can operate these routes that are in jeopardy and under threat," he said. "They're playing a critical and pivotal role in connecting communities, in fact the government is kind of relying on the private sector without supporting them ... They're offering hundreds of thousands of kilometres in non-subsidized routes and really are the only mode of transportation in rural communities."

 

IN THE NEWS – CBC – Suspension of Vancouver Island intercity bus service prompts calls for a public option

Johns says that model is an "excellent" one, but that funding for the service remained short-term — lasting until 2026 — and the federal government should work on building long-term infrastructure.

"Right now, it's being studied at the Transport Committee," he told Kathryn Marlow, host of CBC's All Points West.

"What we're hearing from multiple witnesses is that … we need a national service or we need to provide funding for the private sector operators now."

In addition to B.C. Bus North, northern B.C. and the central Interior have also had other regional operators like Ebus step in after the departure of Greyhound.

TORONTO SUN - EDITORIAL: Government accountability? There's an app for that

The Globe has reported the company that received the lion’s share of the ArriveCAN project relies almost entirely on subcontractors. Neither the government nor the company will reveal the names of the subcontractors.

 

Bloc Quebecois MP Julie Vignola said the redactions mean taxpayers have no way of knowing who was paid what or what service they delivered.

 

“The goal is to ensure that taxpayers got their money’s worth and to suggest improvements if ever a similar situation were to arise again,” she said.

 

The NDP’s Gord Johns said the government is avoiding transparency.

IN THE NEWS – Globe and Mail - High level of redactions in ArriveCan app documents concerns MPs

NDP MP and committee member Gord Johns said the redactions contradict the government's pledges to be transparent.

"They're hiring really expensive consultants to hire really expensive consultants to deliver services for Canadians. We saw that with GCstrategies," he said.

"They're avoiding transparency on this because they don't want to, again, be embarrassed for the lack of accountability."

IN THE NEWS- High level of redactions in ArriveCan invoices concern MPs on operations committee

IN THE NEWS- The Canada Border Services Agency has handed over hundreds of pages of documents related to the government's use of private contractors to build the ArriveCan app, but the chair of the committee that requested the files over two months ago says the agency's high level of redactions is unacceptable. 

NDP MP and committee member Gord Johns said the redactions contradict the government's pledges to be transparent. 

"They're hiring really expensive consultants to hire really expensive consultants to deliver services for Canadians. We saw that with GC strategies," "They're avoiding transparency on this because they don't want to, again, be embarrassed for the lack of accountability," Johns said. 

 

EDITORIAL – Firefighters face challenge

The fire chiefs expressed their concerns to government officials and politicians in Ottawa this week. The chiefs said representatives from all parties were receptive and offered suggestions. They note New Democrat MP Gord Johns rose in Parliament to highlight the importance of retaining volunteer firefighters. He also retabled his bill to increase the volunteer firefighter tax credit. And the fire chiefs are hopeful the program to replenish training and equipment is considered for the 2023 budget.

IN THE NEWS- NDP MP Gord Johns calls for audit of government’s response to toxic drug crisis

OTTAWA – Yesterday, the Public Health Agency of Canada published updated data and modelling projections demonstrating the devastating toll the toxic drug crisis continues to have on families and communities across the country.

Between January 2016 and June 2022, 32,632 Canadians have died due to drug poisoning. The data shows that another 4,100 people may lose their lives in the first half of 2023 if urgent action isn’t taken.

“The Liberal government knows it needs to do more to turn the tide on this tragic crisis but continues to drag its feet because of stigma,” said MP Gord Johns, the NDP’s Critic for Mental Health and Harm Reduction. “Just like in June, this devastating new data has been released as Parliament adjourns because the government doesn’t want to answer for its ineffective response that has cost lives.”

IN THE NEWS – Nanaimo Bulletin - licensed-vancouver-island-gun-owners-say-theyre-no-threat-to-public-safety/

Bill C-21 amendments propose banning hunting, sporting rifles

• SCOTT STANFIELD
• Dec. 12, 2022 1:30 p.m.
• NEWS

Courtenay-Alberni MP Gord Johns addressed Bill C-21 Friday in Parliament. He criticized the Liberals for promising to keep people safe from gun violence, then making a last-second amendment that would hurt rural and coastal communities.

“This bill was supposed to protect people, not go after hunters, farmers or Indigenous peoples,” Johns said in the House of Commons. “Will the prime minister listen to the outpour of concerns and clean up his mess?”

IN THE NEWS – Times Colonist - Customers feel boxed in by Canada Post fuel surcharges

"It's nuts," she said Wednesday. She can't understand how Canada Post can justify a $4.20 surcharge on a package travelling just 70 kilometres to a customer in Metchosin. "I think it's a money grab, honestly."

Courtenay-Alberni MP Gord Johns feels the same way. He rose in the House of Commons this week to demand that the federal government force the post office to give consumers a break and drop the surcharges this Christmas. Families are having trouble as it is and shouldn't be wobbled by the cost of sending gifts to loved ones, he said. "It's price-gouging."

For its part, Canada Post says year-round fuel surcharges have become standard practice in the shipping industry. "We understand the impact this can have on customers and we therefore work to reflect current pricing," the corporation said in a statement. The rate is tied to the cost of diesel, ranging from a 20 per cent surcharge when the price per litre is $1.50 to 45 per cent when it tops $2.51.

This week, diesel was pegged at $2.30. Note that Canada Post's 39.5 per cent rate was comparable to FedEx's. Also note that the post office lost buckets of money last year. Johns contends that the fees are disproportionate to the actual impact of rising fuel costs. In any case, he said, the surcharges are too hard on inflation-battered families and small businesses.

IN THE NEWS- People waiting in our emergency rooms are paying the price for Liberals and Conservatives not putting in the work

OTTAWA – Emergency rooms across British Columbia are overwhelmed, and some are even being forced to close, making families drive hours to get help or wait hours to get help. While our ERs are already overwhelmed with flu season and the pandemic, Canadians struggling with their mental health often have nowhere else to turn because of out-of-pocket costs and long waitlists for supports.

“Our emergency rooms cannot be the solution for the government’s failure to support people and their well-being,” said NDP Mental Health and Harm Reduction Critic MP Gord Johns (Courtenay – Alberni). “Canada needs to be treating the mental health crisis like the health emergency it is. That’s why New Democrats are calling on the Liberals to make mental health a part of our universal public healthcare system, deliver the funding frontline organizations have been pleading for, and to get everyday people the help they need. We will keep fighting to improve our health care system so that you and your children can access care when you need it most.”