In times of uncertainty, distress, or tragedy, people have always turned to the arts. Whether it’s a comforting classic movie, a favourite album, a live show, or a new series to binge-watch, the arts remind us that we are not alone, that other people understand what we’re going through, and that there is a light […]
Services
COVID-19 Supply Hub: Connecting B.C. Businesses to the Frontline of a Pandemic
In mid-March, Jason Zanatta was facing a difficult choice. With orders in to his Coquitlam textile factory drying up as COVID-19 shut down demand, there didn’t seem to be a way to stay open and keep workers on the payroll through the tough times that were coming. However, with some ingenuity and dedication, and the support […]
Surrey Coming Together to Keep Students Learning
As the world faces the challenge of navigating the COVID-19 pandemic, parents in Surrey and across the province are facing an unprecedented challenge of their own – the challenge of helping their kids learn at home during a pandemic, in many cases while working from home themselves. As a parent, grandparent, and former teacher myself, […]
Urgent Primary Care Centres: faster, better access to the health care you need
Imagine this. You’re walking to your car after getting off work one evening. It’s been a cold and wintery day and there is a thin sheet of ice beginning to cover the pavement. By this time the sun has already set and in the dark, you lose your balance and fall. You pick yourself up […]
Investments in Child Care are Investments in Women’s Equality
We’ve all heard the stories of women struggling due to a lack of affordable child care. I’ve heard stories of women in my community who have been forced out of the workforce due to a lack of affordable options. Stories of mothers struggling to make ends meet due to high child care costs. Stories of […]
Elimination of MSP
When British Columbians sit down this month to pay their bills, they will notice something missing – a bill for Medical Services Plan (MSP) premiums. As of January 2020, British Columbians will no longer need to pay MSP premiums! New Democrats know that health care is a human right and forcing British Columbians to pay […]
More than a meal
Food is about more than just having a full belly, access to quality nutrition is directly related to the quality of life and impacts our ability to connect. Cooking can be a source of pleasure and pride but can become increasingly difficult with limited resources. Recently, I heard the story of a senior who was […]
Urgent Primary Care Centres: Getting the care you need, where and when you need it
It can be stressful, even scary, when you or a loved one needs urgent care. It’s even worse if you aren’t sure that care is going to be available when and where you need it. That worry has become a reality for British Columbians everywhere due to overcrowded emergency rooms and not enough family doctors. […]
Moving kids from long waitlists into learning centres
For far too long families across the province have struggled to find affordable, quality care for their children. In some communities, it’s because there aren’t enough spaces, and in some, because there aren’t enough staff. Being only accessible by ferry means that families on the upper and lower Sunshine Coast have had a particularly […]
Local flavours, straight from the farm to your table
Perched next to the Courtenay River stands a rustic heritage building, which is home to one of my favourite restaurants, Locals. When it opened in 2008, with award-winning chef Ronald St. Pierre at the reigns, it was the first restaurant in the city devoted to showcasing local food and drink. When I eat at […]
Better mental health and addictions care in schools renews hope for students and families
When I was a teenager, one of my brothers began showing signs of mental illness. He was 17. In the mid-1980s there was a great deal of stigma around mental illness and there were no real supports in the community or in schools. My family had no idea what to do or how to handle […]
CleanBC Supports Affordable, Lower-Carbon Living
On Bowen Road in Nanaimo, there’s a building complex that doesn’t look quite like anything else around it: Nuutsumuut Lelum, a new joint housing project from the Nanaimo Aboriginal Centre and BC Housing, is cedar-sided and built to an internationally recognized ultra-efficient energy use standard called “Passive House”. It’s a new home to 25 Indigenous […]
Making sure you are safe at work
Ensuring the safety of workers was one of the reasons I first became politically active, and it will always be an issue I care about. For decades, farmworkers were left out of any legislated labour protections. Unfortunately, it was common for workers to be severely injured or even killed as a result of unsafe working […]
Heroic SAR Rescue a moment of pride for British Columbians
This past weekend’s dramatic rescue of two American children from Burke Mountain led by Coquitlam’s Search and Rescue group is an important reminder of how fortunate we are to live here in British Columbia, where selfless volunteer-driven Search and Rescue Groups spring into action at a moments’ notice, saving lives. I don’t think I’m the […]
An Empathetic Approach to Addressing Violence
Content Warning: This article refers to sexual and intimate violence. Before entering politics, I worked at the grassroots level as a counsellor with VictimLink. I coordinated services for women and children whose lives were impacted by a near constant threat of violence. That is why April was an important month for me and […]
Cracking Down on Dirty Money
It is now overwhelmingly clear that money laundering has been a huge problem in BC for years, affecting not only our casinos but also our real estate market, contributing to skyrocketing home prices. The Decade of Dirty Money happened largely because the government at the time refused to act and chose to look the other […]