Building bridges for families?
Monday, December 21, 2015 @ 3:45 AM
By Bill Phillips
Why is it that when it comes to building bridges it’s ‘spare no expense,’ but when it comes to building families the cupboard is bare?
Forgive us if we’re just a little confused, but it seems to me that we’re getting conflicting messages out of Victoria these days. Early last week, when a report was released calling on government to put more money and resources into helping children and families in B.C., the message from Premier Christy Clark was that she would love to, but we’ll have to wait until the economy picks up because, well, the cupboard is bare.
She had hardly finished slamming the door on that cupboard for children when Transportation Minister Todd Stone unveiled plans to build a replacement for the Massey Tunnel. Just a small project at $3.5 billion. The Liberals who, let’s face it, are the old Social Credit Party, love to build things … big things. Stone even invoked memories of former Socred Flyin’ Phil Gaglardi when he announced the Massey Tunnel replacement project.
When Clark announced the $8.3 billion Site C dam, she invoked memories of W.A.C. Bennett. Build big things and put your name on it … yup, that’s how you build a province.
Don’t get me wrong, we need to build big things. But we need to build the little things too. Taking care of those who aren’t likely to have a bridge named after them it a good place to start.
British Columbia is still at the bottom of the heap when it comes to child poverty rates in Canada. That doesn’t seem to be a priority. Now we have a government report calling on government itself to adequately fund the Ministry of Children and Family Development. That call is being backed up by Prince George Mayor Lyn Hall, with the full support of city council. And yet, we have to wait until the economy picks up to help children.
Whatever happened to the “families, families, families,” mantra we used to hear? It’s been replaced with “LNG, LNG, LNG,” which apparently stands for ‘Likely Not Gonnahappen.’
The Massey Tunnel project will create 9,000 jobs during construction, according to the government, and that’s all good. Hey, it’s great.
However, there’s more to eliminating poverty than simply creating jobs. Creating jobs is a big part of the solution, no doubt, but it’s not the only part. Sadly, government doesn’t see it that way.
So, it’s a merry, merry Christmas for road building and bridge building contractors in B.C., but for the families living in poverty … maybe things will pick up next year with all that construction work going on a Site C and the Massey Tunnel. I wouldn’t bet on it though.
Bill Phillips is a freelance columnist living in Prince George. He was the winner of the 2009 Best Editorial award at the British Columbia/Yukon Community Newspaper Association’s Ma Murray awards, in 2007 he won the association’s Best Columnist award. In 2004, he placed third in the Canadian Community Newspaper best columnist category and, in 2003, placed second. He can be reached at billphillips1@mac.com
Comments
Well said..tunnels and dam sites are more important to this government than children and families.
Building projects like Site C is said to inject about 8.8 billion dollars into the economy. Money like that does not move without income, gas, carbon, corporate, provincial sales, and multitudes of other forms of taxation being paid. Plus investment from the public sectors also create a huge investment from the private sector as well. The actual money returned to the government will likely be more than what they pay for building the dam by the time the dust settles. Plus they get their dam.
I can only speak for myself. One of those projects will provide me a good living for a few years. The amount of income tax I will pay will support someone else’s family as well.
Oldcoot..but will your income tax actually support a family or will it be used elsewhere?
Yeah your right. I just hope that all of you can support my family and thousands of others if nothing happens soon.
I do recall a previous article stated that the bridge would be tolled. Eventually it will be paid for by those who use it. The Coquihalla is a good example. How many that post on here have never been on it?
Continued neglect of the Ministry of Family and Children will simply result in more resources to combat crime in the future. This government likes to play chess only thinking 1-2 moves ahead. They don’t realize their actions (or lack of action) will just create further pressure down the line.
But why does it matter? Election is in 18 months, lets build big things.
I agree with you pgjohn. It doesn’t have to be one or the other though. Without jobs more families will be pushed below the poverty line. It’s looking pretty bleak for construction in the province this year without a few decent sized projects. The jobs that British Columbians travelled to Alberta for are gone. So where is the money for the Families Ministry going to come from? For the first time in my life I might be on the receiving end rather contributing . I hope all those that are against projects can support the rest of us.
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