Carole James took her campaign of dishonesty to Surrey and Burnaby today where she claimed that the number of seniors care beds has declined and that home care and support services have been cut. These allegations are patently dishonest.
Here are the facts:
- Since 2001, the BC Liberals have increased the number of seniors beds in Fraser Health by over 22 per cent - that’s 1,700 net-new units, with many more units upgraded and replaced in this region.
- Provincewide, the BC Liberals have built 5,896 net-new beds and replaced 6,539 residential care beds – that’s 12,435 new beds since 2001. In contrast the NDP only built 1,461 beds in the entire 10 years they were in power.
- As a result, wait times for access to residential care have dropped from about one year under the NDP to an average of 15 – 90 days today.
- BC Liberals have also increased funding for home and community care by 44 per cent since 2001 – to approximately $3 billion this year. In Fraser Health, funding has increased by almost 50 per cent.
Carole James claims that the closures at Zion Park Manor are an example of neglect for seniors is dishonest and she knows it.
- The 70 beds in question are being closed by the operator because they do not meet the ideal standards we expect.
- There are new replacement beds available in this region including in the renovated wing of Zion Park Manor.
- In fact, there are six residential care facilities with 586 funded beds located within 20 minutes of Zion Park Manor.
- Fraser Health has worked with the operator and EVERY resident and their family to support them during this transition – either into the existing wing of Zion Park Manor that will continue to operate, or to a new, modern facility in the region.
Carole James’ commitment to build 3,000 new long-term care beds and re-open 300 beds isn’t worth the paper it’s written on.
- The NDP platform only budgets $210 million in capital funding and $130 million in annual operating funding to meet this commitment.
- The real capital cost of this commitment could be as high as $1 billion, and the real operating costs are over $200 million every year.
- That’s nearly $800 million in capital funding and nearly $100 million in annual operating funding that is missing from the NDP plan.
- Carole James either has no intention of building these beds or is being dishonest about the true cost.
The truth is the NDP have no plan for seniors care – just more talk and dishonesty.
