Horgan weighs in on B.C. health care crisis, lack of affordable housing
B.C. Premier John Horgan acknowledged Wednesday that the province's health care system is in crisis. "It is dire," he said during an interview.
There are 100,000 patients in Greater Victoria and one million patients across B.C. without a family doctor, according to the group Doctors of BC, and the wait times at Victoria’s walk-in clinics are longer than anywhere else in Canada.
By comparison, in Alberta, more than 600 family doctors are currently taking new patients. The premier admits major changes are needed in B.C. to ensure doctors trained to practise family medicine actually continue to work as family doctors.
When asked if his government is willing to consider overhauling the system or making drastic changes, Horgan said: “Absolutely, [Health] Minister [Adrian] Dix is looking at all options available to us.”
Horgan said he agrees with many GPs who say that the current payment model in the province – where family doctors get paid per visit but are responsible for all their costs including staff salaries, equipment and leasing their space – is outdated
“We're grappling with the fee-for-service model, which is archaic,” Horgan said. “Doctors don’t like it, governments don’t like it.”
Horgan maintains more funding from Ottawa for health care is key to making changes to the system, especially with B.C.’s booming population.
“The challenge is we need more people, and we need more cash to make that happen,” he said.
In the short term, he says the province, in collaboration with the College of Physicians and Surgeons of B.C., should get foreign doctors working sooner.
“That’s one of the areas where other parts of the country have been more successful than we have in B.C.”
AFFORDABLE HOUSING
A lack of affordable housing is another crisis gripping Vancouver Island..
Average sale prices for a detached home in Greater Victoria soared to $1.4 million in April, up from the $860,000 average sale price five years ago when Horgan took office.
He says more housing supply is the solution and points to Langford, B.C., in his home riding, where the mayor and council have famously cut red tape for zoning and permits faster than communities like Victoria.
“That's been the result of a council that's focused on building the homes that people can live in,” he said.
He doesn't rule out running for a third term as premier, as he’s eying the next provincial election in 2024.
“I never anticipated that I would be where I am today,” said Horgan. “No one's more surprised than me and my Grade 8 teachers at Reynolds High School, yet here I am."
And down the road, a rumoured post as Canada's ambassador to Ireland was well received.
“That’s not a bad idea,” he said with a smile. “I think I could pull that off. Next time I talk to the prime minister I’ll see what he has to say about that.”
For now though, there are plenty of pressing problems much closer to home.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Spectacular aurora light show to be seen across Canada Friday night
A rare and severe solar storm is expected to bring spectacular displays of the northern lights, also known as aurora borealis, across much of Canada and parts of the United States on Friday night.
Which Canadian cities have the highest and lowest grocery prices?
Where you live plays a big factor in what you pay at the grocery store. And while it's no secret the same item may have a different price depending on the store, city or province, we wanted to see just how big the differences are, and why.
McGill University seeks emergency injunction to dismantle pro-Palestinian encampment
McGill University has filed a request for an injunction to have the pro-Palestinian encampment removed from its campus.
Swarm of 20,000 bees gather around woman’s car west of Toronto
A swarm of roughly 20,000 bees gathered around a woman’s car in the parking lot of Burlington Centre.
U.S. says Israel's use of U.S. arms likely violated international law, but evidence is incomplete
The Biden administration said Israel's use of U.S.-provided weapons in Gaza likely violated international humanitarian law but wartime conditions prevented U.S. officials from determining that for certain in specific airstrikes.
Barron Trump declines to serve as an RNC delegate
Former U.S. President Donald Trump's youngest son, Barron Trump, has declined to serve as a delegate at this summer’s Republican National Convention, according to a senior Trump campaign adviser and a statement from Melania Trump's office.
Mother assaulted by stranger while breastfeeding baby in her car: Vancouver police
A person was arrested in East Vancouver Thursday after allegedly entering a car while a mother was breastfeeding her four-month-old boy.
'We have laws': Premier Smith says police action justified in Calgary
The actions, including the decision to use non-lethal force, to disperse pro-Palestinian protesters from the University of Calgary campus were justified, Alberta Premier Danielle Smith said Friday.
'State or state-sponsored actor' believed to be behind B.C. government hacks
The head of British Columbia’s civil service has revealed that a “state or state-sponsored actor” is behind multiple cyber-security incidents against provincial government networks.